The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Leopold jotted everything down meticulously, ending up with a list of venues that spanned an entire page. His gaze widened in disbelief as he scanned the list, and it wasn't until everyone had left that he turned to Vivienne and said, "Vivienne, are you sure about this? From what you're suggesting, it seems like he's planted bombs all over the banquet hall. We can't possibly cover all this ground in just one day, can we?" Setting up bombs was a time-consuming task, especially given the tricky locations listed. A single day was hardly enough.

But according to what everyone said, Floyd was only present that day and hadn't shown his face since. He spent most of his tsecluded in his room.

"There are people inside working with him," Vivienne remarked calmly.

Having inside help would certainly make the task easier, not to mention these aplices were already mingled among the guests in the hall, ready to facilitate Floyd's plan.

Leopold looked at Vivienne incredulously, "Could there be something off about what those people said earlier?" "It's not certain. You guys go check it out first." Vivienne started to scrutinize the statements for any potential discrepancies.

Among those who had dispersed back to their duties, one becnoticeably restless. He paused mid-dial upon realizing Vivienne's caution might mean trouble.

Soon after, Floyd received a text message. Squinting at his phone, he glanced towards the center of the banquet hall.

"The plan's blown. They might be onto you. The bomb in the restroom has been disarmed." Floyd was surprised at their suspicion, considering he hadn't made any overt moves yet.

Recalling his encounter with Juliette in the backyard, he suddenly realized the significance of the small object he found on his shoulder.

Picking it up, he discovered it was a tracking and listening device. With a smirk and a forceful squeeze, he crushed it in his hand. Meanwhile.

As Juliette approached the backyard entrance, she saw Gordon standing there. "Gordon, what are you doing out here?" Gordon, frowning at a particular spot in the yard, said, "Juliette, don't you feel something's off here?" The moment Gordon finished his sentence, Juliette sensed a chilling aura.

Someone was hiding in the bushes! Narrowing her eyes, Juliette figured those hiding were likely Floyd's men. Catching them now would onlyplicate matters for her family.

To avoid any unnecessary trouble, Juliette feigned irritation and smacked Gordon on the head, "What nonsense are you spouting now? This place was handpicked by my parents; how could anything be wrong? You must be delirious from the evening's festivities!" "But Juliette, I swear it's true..." Relieved to be released, Gordon rubbed his ear, trying to explain, "I wasn't lying, Juliette. There was something seriously eerie about that place. Could there actually be wolves in the garden?" Juliette faced Gordon sternly, "What did you notice exactly?" Gordon recounted his earlier exploration of the backyard. "It was probably too dark, and I was just stepping out for a bit...but then I sensed someone else there. I heard breathing that wasn't mine, confirming someone else was present!" en.kikistories "They must've been hiding in the underbrush, and not just one or two but a whole group. That's why I felt something was off." "You're not afraid of dying, are you? If they had decided to act, you could've disappeared without a trace," Juliette said, exasperated.

"True, but I managed to drop a bunch of powder with a tracking system on them. If anyone's lurking around the hall, we'll spot them instantly." "Let's check it out!" Vivienne declared, her voice firm.

As they made their way downstairs, Vivienne couldn't shake off a weird feeling about the elevator. Looking up, she scrutinized the ceiling.

Noticing her actions, Percival asked, "What's wrong? Do you spot something odd?" "Mr. Wolf," Vivienne abruptly addressed Percival, pointing towards the center of the elevator ceiling, "Doesn't this look strange to you?" The rest of the surface was smooth, but the spot Vivienne pointed out was slightly raised—a detail so subtle it would go unnoticed without close inspection.

"Are you saying there might be a bomb here too?" Percival asked, his voice laced with a mix of disbelief and concern.

"I'm not sure, but it's worth checking out," Vivienne replied, her tone firm. Without hesitation, she instructed the person in charge to halt the elevator's operation.

As the elevator doors slid open, the car began its slow ascent towards them. They stood at the threshold, waiting. At first glance, everything appeared normal, but Vivienne's sharp eyes quickly noticed something amiss beneath the surface.

"Bringthe toolkit. I need to handle this personally." Percival stood by, passing tools to Vivienne as she started to work on the elevator's interior. With a few precise taps and knocks, she removed a small panel, revealing a bomb hidden underneath, its. placement designed to maximize damage. This sight eerily reminded her of the bomb they had just over discovered in the restroom. en.kikistories The setup was identical, indicating that Floyd was indeed on a deadly mission targeting everyone involved.

Vivienne wiped away the dirt covering the bomb, exposing its core. Using the stechnique she had applied earlier, she confidently extracted the bomb from its hiding spot.

Another hidden threat neutralized.

She then instructed her team to secure the device and proceed towards the ground floor.