The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

"Wait till you join us, Uncle Andy is quite the legend!" Juliette's eyes sparkled with excitement as she mentioned Andrew Hawthorn.

It had been ages since she last saw Andrew. When was that again?

Floyd, upon hearing her, ultimately said nothing, just nodded and got into the car.

Before they left, Isaiah grabbed some presents from his room for Andrew, and Vivienne chuckled, "So eager to see your Uncle Andy, huh? What gifts did you bring?" Isaiah pressed his lips together, trying to keep a straight face, "It's a secret."

Laughter filled the car.

By the time Vivienne arrived, Astrid was waiting at the entrance of the neighborhood, stepping forward as she saw the car approaching, "Long drive, huh?"

"Auntie Astrid!" Juliette jumped out of the car and ran to give Astrid a big hug.

Astrid, a bit flustered, managed to hug her back, "Oh, missing me that much?"NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

"Yeah, really missed you!" Isaiah's smile was a carbon copy of Vivienne's, and every time Astrid saw it, she was immediately reminded of Vivienne. "Auntie," Isaiah greeted Astrid as he got out of the car.

Floyd was the last to get out, hesitating if he should call out to them. Would it be rude to interrupt their happy reunion?

Astrid noticed the boy standing at the back, unfamiliar with Floyd's story, and thus, puzzled about this new child.

"Who's this?" Astrid glanced at Vivienne.

"He's a friend from the Field family, goes to school with Juliette and Isaiah," Vivienne casually explained.

Floyd mustered a smile towards Astrid, "Hi, Auntie."

Astrid, although just learning about this, smiled back politely at the well-mannered boy, finding him somewhat similar to Isaiah in demeanor.

"Hi there, let's head inside. Andy came home early from school today knowing you'd be coming," Astrid led them toward the house.

Upon their arrival, Cordelia and Dorian were busy in the kitchen.

"We're here," Vivienne barely announced when two figures peeked out from the kitchen.

"Vivienne, you're here?" Cordelia untied her apron, "Must be tired after such a long drive. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Grandma, Grandpa," the kids chimed in unison, their voices turning the kitchen into a scene filled with laughter and warmth.

Hearing the commotion, Andrew emerged from his room, his appearance immediately catching the kids' attention.

"Uncle Andy!" Juliette ran over excitedly.

Andrew crouched down to hug her, "How've you been? Looks like you've been eating well," he remarked, pinching Juliette's cheek.

Andrew, now a middle schooler, had become the crush of many girls at school with his youthful charm.

Even Juliette often mentioned how handsome Uncle Andy was, much to her father Percival's chagrin, who seldom received such compliments from his daughter. Isaiah, shy and hesitant, waited until Andrew was free before approaching, "Uncle, I've got something for you."

Andrew, surprised, found a coveted scientific research lab invitation inside the gift box. "Isaiah, where did you get this?" he exclaimed, deeply touched by the gesture.

Isaiah, trying hard to suppress a grin, simply replied, "Glad you like it, Uncle."

Their warm exchange didn't go unnoticed, leaving everyone in admiration of the children's bond.

Cordelia returned to the kitchen to finalize dinner preparations, leaving Dorian to chat with Vivienne and the others.

Noticing Floyd playing quietly with a toy in the corner, Dorian whispered to Vivienne, "Are you sure it's okay to have him around like this?"

Vivienne assured him, "I've checked his background. He's harmless and actually quite helpful with some of our projects. Plus, the kids like him." Understanding Vivienne's rationale, Dorian relaxed, "As long as you're sure."

As Dorian and Percival engaged in a chess game, Vivienne couldn't help but smile at the sight, knowing full well the outcome given who was playing. Shaking her head at Percival's deliberate concessions to Dorian, she thought, "Mr. Wolf sure does go to great lengths for peace."

At the end of the chess game,

Dorian looked at the pieces scattered across the board with a resigned smile. "I might be Percival, but you can't seriously think@didn't see that coming, right?"

Caught in the act, Percival slowly began to gather the chess pieces. "You're being too modest, Dorian. I simply got careless this game."

Just as Dorian was about to say something else, Cordelia emerged from the kitchen, carrying a dish. "Time to wash up for dinner, everyone."

As they got up, Dorian glanced at Percival. "Let's have a rematch after dinner!"

Percival had no objections and nodded in agreement.

The dinner table was filled with

laughter and joy. Cordelia, always the caring grandmother, kept piling food onto Floyd's plate, worrying he might be too shy to help himself. Juliette, seeing this, pretended to be upset "Grandma, stop giving him so much food. His plate is like a little mountain now; he can't even find a place to start eating. How about giving some to Isaiah and me? Our plates are empty and crying for some attention."

Juliette ended her plea with a pout and her hands clasped together.

Andrew placed a rib on Juliette's plate. "But, didn't your uncle just serve you? It's only because you eat as fast as a kitten that your plate's empty again."

Caught by Andrew's comment, Juliette laughed shyly, nibbling on her rib. "It's only because Grandma's cooking is irresistible!"

"You're all welcome to come over more often." Cordelia turned to Floyd. "How do you find the meal? Is it to your liking?" "Thank you, Grandma. It's delicious," Floyd replied, taking another couple of bites of his food.