The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Leopold, with his kids in tow, made a beeline for the nearest hospital, leaving Draven behind to further investigate the odd happenings in Luck Village.

Draven had the village under his control, but the fifty women had yet to be released, many of them unconscious.

When Vivienne and the village mayor had their chase earlier, there were people awake. But upon their return, it was a scene of unconsciousness and death.

Draven frowned at the sight.

"Mrs. Thompson is missing." A shadow fell over Draven's face. "Send more people to search for her. We can't let her escape!" Mrs. Thompson surely had something crucial on her.

If she got away, all the efforts would have been in vain.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Thompson, following the river downstream, knew of a path known only to her and her husband.

"Damn it! They figured out our plan. When will these pests leave!" she cursed all the way.

It was all so close, yet Vivienne and that impostor Sebastian, posing as her husband, ruined everything at the last moment. Cursing, she prepared to ford the river, but as she reached the midpoint, a sudden noise made her dive in without a second thought. From her perspective, she saw someone passing by.

"There's no path here. Are we still going to continue the search?" "Keep looking until we find her. Turn the village upside down if we have to!" Draven scanned the surroundings with a grim expression.

Just as Draven's gaze swept over, Mrs. Thompson couldn't hold her breath any longer, and bubbles surfaced, clearly indicating something was amiss.

"Check what's happening down there," ordered Draven, and several people moved towards the water's edge.

Mrs. Thompson burst out of the water, gasping and choking.

Upon seeing Mrs. Thompson, Draven gestured lightly towards the water, "Capture her!" His men acted swiftly, surrounding her before she could react.

Seeing her situation, Mrs. Thompson instinctively tried to bite into a poison capsule, but Draven, anticipating her move, kicked her chin, forcing the capsule out of her mouth to sink into the riverbed.

When Mrs. Thompson looked up again, a knife was pointed directly at her, its blade reflecting the shimmering water, instilling fear. "Hand over the antidote," Draven demanded without preamble.

Mrs. Thompson glared back defiantly. "You think I'll give you the antidote? Dream on!" Draven grabbed her chin, his voice icy, "You're seeking death!" Laughing maniacally, Mrs. Thompson responded, "Captured by you, do I have any chance of survival? Better to take them down with me!" Draven smirked coldly, "You wish to die? It won't be that easy." He then ordered his men, "Take her back. Let the young master decide her fate." Mrs. Thompson was dragged back to the village, reluctantly following Draven to the hospital where Vivienne was treated.

Vivienne lay on the hospital bed, seemingly fine, but unresponsive.

Percival hadn't shared Vivienne's condition with anyone else.

Upon being brought in, Mrs. Thompson saw Percival tending to Vivienne and sneered uncontrollably, starting to rant.

"I told you, you wouldn't survive. Look at her, doomed to lie here forever. How pitiful!" Percival grabbed her throat, his voice calm yet foreboding, "I didn't catch that. Say it again." His gaze was impassive, but it sent shivers down her spine.

"I said, she is basically, basically, ah, alive, ah!" Mrs. Thompson's words were choked out.

Percival's grip tightened with each word she spat, and soon she was struggling for air.

Just when Mrs. Thompson thought she was on the brink of death, Percival released her. She collapsed, gasping like a dog. Percival, after meticulously cleaning his hands with a handkerchief, ordered, "Take her away. I'll interrogate her later." Draven nodded and dragged Mrs. Thompson out.

Once the room was cleared, Percival sent a message to Finnian.

Finnian, who was enjoying a drink, swiped away the notification without a second thought. But another message promptly followed, and this time, after reading it, he Sprang into action. Content belongs to en kikistories"Damn!" Muttering to himself, Finnian grabbed his things and rushed out.

In less than five minutes since Percival's message, Finnian appeared at the hospital.

"How's the young lady doing?" Finnian asked, worry evident in his furrowed brow as he looked towards Vivienne.

From the moment he stepped through the door, there was no immediate sign that anything was amiss with Vivienne. Her vitals were stable, and her breathing even.

"The barrier was activated, and she used her powers to rush in and save the kids. She fainted shortly after getting them out and hasn't woken up since," Percival briefly explained.

Finnian's expression instantly darkened. "Are you saying the kid used her powers again?" "Yeah, her eyes turned red." The room grew significantly quieter after Percival's statement, and it was clear that Finnian was unaware of the extent to which Vivienne had exerted herself.

"This isn't the first time, is it?" Percival shook his head at Finnian's question, who then quickly followed up, "What about the kids? Are they awake yet?" "Still unclear." "Get them over here then; I want to see them." Percival dialed Leopold's number. "How are the children?" Leopold glanced at Isaiah, who was staring blankly into space from his hospital bed, and couldn't help but worry. "Isaiah's awake. Juliette, not yet. The doctor didn't say anything was wrong with the one awake, but something feels off to me." Content belongs to en.kikistoriesWorried that Isaiah might feel upset if he overheard the conversation, Leopold found someone to stay with them and stepped outside to talk fo Percival on the phone. "Ever since Isaiah got back, he's been out of it, and Juliette's still unconscious in bed. I can't pinpoint what's wrong, but she just won't wake up." Content belongs to en.kikistoriesBoth Isaiah and Juliette were unusually quiet, a stark contrast to their usually lively selves.

Given the strange behavior of both children, Percival decided to put the phone on speaker so Finnian could listen in. "What's going on?" "I don't know, he won't talk about it."