The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

Vivienne held her cup of coffee and took a slow sip with an inscrutable expression on her face.

After what seemed like a contemplative pause, she lifted her gaze and spoke softly, "Alright."

Dorian was visibly elated when she agreed. Cordelia patted his hand and chuckled. "See, Vivienne

always has our backs. No matter what we ask, she will never refuse us."

As they spoke, their ordered meals gradually arrived.

Dorian and Cordelia specifically placed Vivienne's favorite spicy ribs and mango cake in front of her.

"These are your favorites, Vivienne. Dig in; don't be shy."

Vivienne remained silent. She simply offered them a meaningful glance before reaching for her fork.

The meal went smoothly, and afterwards, Vivienne offered to drive them back.

"You're still staying in a hotel now, right?" Vivienne turned to look at Dorian and Cordelia. "Which one?

Let me drop you off."

"No, no, no!" Cordelia quickly waved her hands as she laughed. "You've already treated us to dinner,

so we can't possibly ask you to drive us back as well."

This private restaurant, despite its unassuming appearance, was infamous for its extravagant prices.

Some of their dishes even cost thousands of dollars.

Even though Vivienne was now the heiress of the Brooks family, they had no intention of exploiting her

generosity.

"Being part of the Brooks family isn’t easy. Just take good care of yourself, and we'll be content."

Dorian shared the sentiment and patted Vivienne's shoulder lovingly. "As parents, seeing our children

doing well is all we could ask for."

Vivienne gazed back at them, then suddenly asked, "How is Thaddeus doing? Why didn't he come

along?"

Dorian and Cordelia were momentarily taken aback. "Poor Thaddeus caught a cold. He's been unwell

for a few days now, so we left him with his aunt." They said while sighing helplessly.

"Yeah, he was still coughing when we called him the other day. We'll have him visit Rivenwood once

he's better."

Astrid chuckled nostalgically. "Vivienne always becomes protective when it comes to Thaddeus."

Vivienne responded with a cool acknowledgment, bid them farewell, and got into her car.

Once in the car, she pulled out her phone, watching the retreating figures of the trio as she dialed

Matthew's number.

"About the family reunion banquet that my foster parents didn't attend. I asked you to investigate what

they were doing, so what have you found?"

She was direct and to the point.

Matthew was momentarily taken aback before answering, "After receiving the invitation, Mr. and Mrs.

Hawthorn bought tickets to Rivenwood. Upon their arrival, they went to visit a friend at First Care

Hospital."

Vivienne knew Matthew was reliable, and his information matched what Dorian and Cordelia had told

her.

"Alright, noted."

Matthew discerned something deeper in her tone and cautiously asked, "Vivienne, are you suspecting

something?"

Vivienne didn't answer, and she simply gave him a few orders. "Investigate their every move since they

arrived in Rivenwood."

"Do you need 24-hour surveillance on them?" Matthew didn't quite understand why Vivienne needed

this, but he trusted her judgement.

Vivienne held her phone as she watched the figures gradually disappear into the distance and said

calmly, "No need."

After the meal with Dorian's family, the Brooks family quickly learned about their presence in

Rivenwood.

Judith suggested inviting them over for a home-cooked meal. All content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

Vivienne also told her about Dorian and Cordelia's plan to stay with the Brooks family for a short while.

However, upon hearing this, Paula was the first to protest.

"That is unacceptable. The main Brooks family and the branch Hawthorn family cannot be mixed up

like this. It's outrageous!"

She and Eddy had been taken away by the police. However, because she was the matriarch of the

Miller family, due to public pressure, Mark Miller had managed to bail her out.

However, Eddy wasn't as lucky.

Moreover, Mark, in his attempts to legitimize his illegitimate son, was intentionally making it difficult for

Eddy, and this time, he deliberately didn't bail him out.

Upon her return, she was walking on thin ice in the Miller family. Even worse, she was given a house

arrest order by her husband, forbidding her to visit the Brooks family.

Infuriated, she snuck back home while Baron wasn’t at home.

The Brooks family had their sources, so getting this information wasn't difficult for Paula. Upon her

return, she immediately sought out her mother, Judith, to protest against Dorian's family moving in.

The people present were Vivienne, Judith, Paula, Kala, and Carl.

Timothy and Cheryl, Kala’s and Carl’s parents, were also sitting on the side.

Aside from Vivienne, everyone else was more or less looking at the reaction of the old lady, Judith.

"It's just a short stay, and they're part of the Brooks family already. They are Vivienne's foster parents. I

don't see the problem." Kala naturally sided with Vivienne, rebuking Paula. "It's a minor issue, Paula.

There's no need to make a mountain out of a molehill."

"A minor issue?" Paula, infuriated, pointed at Vivienne, who was sitting on the couch, and yelled,

"She's practically inviting the branch Hawthorn family into our home! Is she trying to force our family to

abdicate? Everyone knows the main family and the branch family have always been at odds. Now she

wants us to live under the same roof? She's practically inviting people to laugh at us!"

Seeing the situation, Timothy glanced at the old lady's expression and tried to calm things down.

“Vivienne means no harm. She just wants to make things comfortable for her foster parents.”

The more he explained, the more Paula became upset, feeling like he wasn't even comprehending the

situation.

“Timothy, have you lost your mind?!” She crossed her arms and looked coldly at Vivienne, wishing she

could go up and rip off her ‘mask.’ “This brat had this intention from the moment she stepped into the

Brooks household.”

Thinking that acknowledging kinship could turn one into a swan overnight was simply too naive.

“And you all were fooled by her. You’re spinning around her finger like puppets. If it weren't for her, my

Eddy wouldn’t have ended up at the police station?!”

Thinking of the events that day made her feel sick to her stomach.

“Enough!” Sitting quietly at the side, Judith finally spoke up. “Eddy ended up at the police station due to

his own actions; no one else is to blame! This matter has been settled, and you are not to bring it up

again!”

“Mother!” Paula was immediately agitated, and she began shouting in frustration, “Aren't you being

biased?! She's about to bring strangers into our house! And you're still siding with her?!”

Carl had become a staunch supporter of Vivienne. He couldn't bear to hear others slander her. “We are

all family. So, what strangers are coming into our house? Aunt Paula, you're being unreasonable.”

“Unreasonable?” Paula widened her eyes as she looked at everyone in the room. She felt like

everyone was siding with Vivienne.

Although Timothy and Cheryl remained neutral, they didn’t seem to be of any help. They made her feel

like she was the only one going mad.

“Vivienne, come here.” Judith waved at Vivienne, signaling her to sit next to her. “Grandma knows

you're filial, and your foster parents have treated you well. We are not ungrateful. We will certainly

repay their kindness.”

Vivienne rarely made requests after she moved in, so, as her grandmother, she, of course, would meet

her demands.

“Tell them that the rooms are all set up. They can come and stay as long as they like, without any

worries.”

Vivienne looked at Judith, who was treating her kindly, and felt a little touched.

“Thank you.”