The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

Darren quickly took a step back, maintaining a distance of roughly eight yards from Vivienne, as if he

were avoiding the plague.

After noticing everyone's puzzled looks, he coughed awkwardly. "It's just… Mom, I'm a big star now.

There are going to be so many people at the gemstone auction. What if someone recognizes me?"

He glanced at Vivienne. "Besides, she doesn't need me to look after her. If anything, she should be

looking after me."

He had barely made it out of that hellhole, swearing to himself that he would never get close to

Vivienne again if they ever met. He swore to himself to keep at least a ten-yard distance between

himself and her.

But damn it! His long-lost cousin was none other than Vivienne. This wasn't a happy reunion; it was a

death sentence!

"A big star, my ass!" Melissa retorted. "Your older cousin, Kala, is an award-winning actress, and she

still walks around town every day. How come she doesn't have as many issues as you do?"

"That's because she's chased by fans all day." Darren rolled his eyes. "Remember when she got

trapped in a men's restroom by a bunch of fans and had to be rescued by the police? That even made

the news."

"So, are you going or not?" Melissa questioned him, not wanting to waste time arguing with him.

"Can I not?" Darren looked at Vivienne fearfully.

"If you don't want to go, then don't." Vivienne's tone was indifferent. It was actually a bit kind.

Darren shivered and quickly changed his attitude. "No, I'll go. I like gemstones too."

Melissa and Ashley exchanged a puzzled glance, not quite understanding Darren's odd behavior, but

they didn't push further.

Ashley was happy to have her brother come along. He could help carry her bags.

However, they had two cars for the nine of them. Mila, Calista, Paula, and her son were in one car, then

Carl insisted on squeezing into their car to act as their driver.

That left Vivienne, Darren, Ronald, and Ashley in Ronald's car. When Darren saw Ronald's new car, he

was eager to drive it.

The drive from the Brooks Mansion to the River Village was about two hours.

They had been on the road for less than half an hour when Ashley turned pale from Darren's terrible

driving skills. She felt like she was about to vomit.

"Darren, stop the car. I feel sick." Ashley cried out.

But Darren, who loved to show off despite his lack of skill, was infuriated when the other driver, Carl,

overtook them and gave him a disdainful look. He hit the gas pedal hard, chasing after Carl recklessly.

The car almost spun out of control when he took a sharp turn.

Even Vivienne couldn't stand it any longer. Feeling nauseous, she snapped. "Stop the car and get out.

I'll drive!"

"No way!" Darren was hell-bent on catching up with Carl.

"Are you getting out or not?" Vivienne's voice was menacing. She spoke like she was ready to kill.

Darren felt a chill run down his spine, and his voice softened into a whimper. "Okay."

Once he pulled over, Ashley was the first one to jump out. She breathed in the fresh air before glaring

hatefully at Darren. "I swear I'll never get in a car with you behind the wheel again!"

Feeling guilty, Darren scratched his nose.

Vivienne had already pulled open the driver's door, yanking him out and shoving him into the back seat

before taking the wheel herself.

"Vivienne." Darren glanced at Ronald, who also looked rather pale, and whined to Vivienne. "You have

to catch up with them!"

He and Carl were the same age, so they had been competing with each other since childhood.

Vivienne threw him a cold glance, buckled her seat belt, and stayed silent.

She said, "Ashley, buckle up."

Just as Ashley fastened her seat belt, Vivienne floored the gas pedal.

Ashley shrieked and grabbed the handle above the door. But she soon realized that even though

Vivienne drove faster than Darren, the ride was much smoother. Even when taking sharp turns at high

speed, Ashley didn't feel sick.

Meanwhile, Carl, who was leading the way, was playing the song "Party in the USA" on full blast,

adding rhythm to his driving.

"We can't lose to him!" Darren exclaimed from the back seat. He connected his phone to the car's

Bluetooth and started playing the song "Nervous."

This made Vivienne, Ashley, and Ronald cringe. Ashley reached to turn the music off, but Darren

turned the volume up even higher.

Carl, who was driving Paula's car, was a street racing enthusiast with excellent driving skills.

Outrunning Darren, who had always been keen on challenging him, was easy.

Suddenly, he saw Darren's car, which had initially been out of sight, catching up to him at a high speed,

blasting the song "Nervous."

"Damn!" Before he had a chance to glance at Calista, who was frowning at his choice of music, he

stepped on the gas and sped up again.

Meanwhile, on the same road, Percival had just picked up Cecilia and Isolde and was driving to the

Ellington family's mansion on South Mountain.

Suddenly, he heard loud music from behind him. Two luxury cars, apart from his own, appeared, racing

each other.

A car was blasting "Party in the USA", while another was playing "Nervous." They were engaged in a

neck-and-neck race, with one chasing the other.

"Been a while since I've been back to Rivenwood. Is this a new trend or something?" Cecilia asked,

clearly puzzled.

Percival furrowed his brows, and then through his rear-view mirror, he saw the car blaring "Nervous"

accelerate, swiftly overtaking the one playing "Party in the USA" and whizzing past him.

When he spotted Vivienne's icy expression inside the driver's seat, he nearly mistook the accelerator

for the brake.

What on Earth was going on?

How did Vivienne's musical taste become so peculiar just in the two hours he was gone?

He wanted to catch up, but he couldn't drive too fast with Cecilia and Isolde in his car.

He could only watch helplessly as the two luxury cars disappeared in the distance at the fork in the

road, still blaring their weird songs.

After some thought, he pulled out his phone and sent Vivienne a voice message. "Where are you off

to?"

It took a while, but he finally received a reply from Vivienne. Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

"River Village. We’re going to a private gemstone auction."

Percival was taken aback. Since when was she interested in gemstones?