The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne's phone buzzed with an iing message from Draven.

"Hunter belongs to an ancient line of warriors!" Raising an eyebrow, Vivienne typed back, "Keep digging. Miss nothing." "Ding!" The alert for a new message went off, and as Vivienne marveled at Draven's efficiency, her screen was flooded with nearly a hundred messages.

Whatwas a sea of red notifications.

Texts were popping up one after another.

Logan Wood, Oberon Harper, Faye Churchill...

Just seeing those names gave Vivienne a throwback to her days as a homeroom teacher at Cloudcrest High School.

She rubbed her forehead in exasperation. Those kids were relentless.

The digits on the blackboard from back then, memorized to this day.

Thinking about it, treally did fly; they must be sophomores in college by now.

Setting aside what she was doing, Vivienne began replying to each message.

She let the Whatnotifications bounce as she prioritized responding to the heartfelt wishes sent to her and Mr. Wolf by her students.

After addressing her students' messages, Vivienne finally opened WhatsApp.

At the top was Griffin, with a long string of congratulatory emojis, ending with a somewhat sarcastic wish.

"This invitation is makinggreen with envy," Griffin's message read. "When will my goofball catch on? Will I ever get to wear a wedding dress, sob?!" "But you bet, I'll be giving you the biggest red envelope. Not just for Leopold, but for our bond ed in fire." Something cto Vivienne's mind, and she fished out a recorded video from the top of her WhatsApp, forwarding it to Griffin as a generous return gesture.

Griffin instantly replied with a "?" Vivienne left it at that, letting her discover the joy on her own.

Then cthe laments from various juniors about preparing wedding gifts only now receiving the invitation.

Vivienne couldn't help but smirk, skipping over those messages.

Kala Brooks sent a message too, "Congrats! Don't worry, even if I'm shooting abroad, I'll make it to the wedding." Vivienne shot back, "Just make sure the red envelope makes it." Kala replied instantly with a voice message, "You're all about the cash, huh? But it's your big day! Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world. Expect the biggest red envelope from me!" Following Kala, Carl Brooks and Ashley Edwards also received their replies.

The last message Vivienne saw was from Aaron, quite explosive indeed.

"Vivienne, just asking... can I crash the wedding?" Now she understood why his nwas last on the list.

Crashing her wedding with Mr. Wolf sounded like a mission with no return.

A firm "No" was sent in reply, and Vivienne moved on from his message.

When Charlotte Redwood and Griffin both tried to call at the stime, resulting in a call clash.

Charlotte: "??" Griffin: "What the heck?" Vivienne knew their game. Answering one would rob her of peace for an hour, thanks to their endless chatter.

Before they could start, she signaled Charlotte she was busy and promised Griffin his wish.

Finally, a brief moment of peace.

All she wanted was a simple wedding, not a celebrity spectacle. Did everyone et she was just a bride-to-be with things to do? As messages kept flooding in, Vivienne was tempted to just turn off her phone.

The moment she considered it, another text cthrough.

This tfrom Draven.

"Young master, Winston's awake." In the hospital room.

Winston lay in bed, a frail figure that lit up upon seeing Vivienne, yet couldn't help but sneak peeks behind her.

Noticing only Vivienne, he quietly said, "Sis, you cto see me." Sitting beside him, Vivienne rarely felt the need to explain, "I rushed here, didn't tell anyone. How are you feeling? Any pain?" Winston's pale face struggled for words, "It hurts everywhere... but I can't tell where exactly..." After checking his pulse, Vivienne handed him a life-saving pill, "Take this." He obediently swallowed.

Vivienne smiled, "Quite brave, aren't you? Not afraid I might poison you?" Winston shook his head, his voice full of conviction, "You wouldn't." Suddenly, Vivienne understood the natural affinity her own mother had for Winston.

Winston then asked in a hopeful tone, "Sis, can you tellabout auntie's wedding?" Vivienne paused, making sure she heard right, "My mom's wedding?" "Yeah, auntie mentioned invitingto her wedding once. But then, after Alyssa did something bad to her, grandpa wouldn't letgo out..." As Winston spoke, his lips pursed, and the light in his eyes dimmed.

Vivienne sighed, "If you want to see a wedding,e to mine in a few days. My mom will be there too." Winston's face brightened, "Really? You're getting married too?" Vivienne paused.

What did he mean by "too"? Probing gently, she asked, "Winston, do you remember anything before the accident?" Winston looked up, his small hands twisting, "I remember everything. I really wanted to see auntie, so I followed Alyssa out..." Recalling something terrifying, Winston's body began trembling on the hospital bed.

Vivienne's brows furrowed slightly but her grip on his hand was gentle, her voice soothing and almoste she magical, "Winston, don't wontent can't hurt you anymore." Winston let out a nervous breath, his eyes filled with trust as he looked at Vivienne.

It was his sister who had saved him, and he believed every word she said.

Vivienne didn't dwell on the topic. Instead, she asked, "Winston, do you want to go back to the Wright family?" Winston paused, biting his lip, "Are you worried it might be dangerous forthere, sis?" "But I'm not scared." "Why?" Vivienne squinted slightly.

Clasping his hands tightly, Winston bolstered his courage, "Grandpa is there to protect me. They wouldn't dare touch me!" Vivienne chuckled.

Since someone at the Wright family was looking out for Winston, she didn't need to keep hiding him in the hospital.

But just to be safe, she decided to clarify things for Winston.

"I promised someone I'd protect you. To ensure your safety, keep this device with you at all times. If you're in danger, just press it, and l'know. Understand?" Winston held the small tracker tightly, nodding vigorously.

e As Vivienne was leaving, Winston called out to her, "Sis, you have to promise to inviteto your wedding. Don't etlike Aunt Julie did." Vivienne smiled, turning back to nod at him.

The moment she stepped out of the hospital room, Vivienne took out her phone and sent a message: "Winston's awake." The following days saw the Linklater household bustling as if gearing up for battle.

Every possible space was adorned with red decorations.

Even the plants at the front door were festooned with ribbons.

It was more extravagant than Christmas.