The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Yorick chuckled, "I was beginning to think you'd never ask." Vivienne frowned, "What's up with Winston?" As soon as Yorick heard her, he knew she was overthinking. He waved his hand to reassure her, "He's fine. After the ordeal with the Wright family, your folks decided to enroll him in a prestigious boarding school." Vivienne looked surprised, "He agreed to that?" Yorick nodded, clearly impressed, "Despite being only five, the kid's got a good head on his shoulders. He seems to grasp the gist of what's been happening at home, so he didn't hesitate much when it cto switching schools." Vivienne pursed her lips in response.

With the Wright family's influence in Rivenwood now a thing of the past, a change of scenery might actually do Winston sgood.

Besides, the Linklater family had taken care of the introductions. Even the most gossip-hungry parents wouldn't dare bring up the past in front of their kids.

Vivienne left with the letter in hand.

Before she left, she assured Yorick that Uncle Maddox's situation with Mr. Wolf would be handled and wouldn't bother him anymore. Yorick's smile hid a sigh of relief.

The Perez family, Sasha's side, was also his in-laws. Despite their , he couldn't just kick them out.

Percival entered just as Vivienne was sharing the news about her parents.

He wrapped his arms around her and led her into the room, "I've already taken care of Uncle Maddox's issue. No need for the folks to rush back." Vivienne was stunned, "Mr. Wolf, how did you manage to convince Uncle Maddox?" She knew Uncle Maddox well. Being quite similar to her own mother, it wouldn't have been easy to persuade him unless Mr. Wolf had offered something substantial in return.

But to Uncle Maddox, nothing could outweigh his affection for Willa...

What had Mr. Wolf done? Percival took off his coat and sanitized his hands before sitting down with Vivienne on the couch, murmuring, "It was simple. I addressed the root of the issue." "The root?" Vivienne squinted, immediately catching on to Mr. Wolf's strategy, "Don't tellyou managed to sway Willa?" Percival, not denying it, made Vivienne more comfortable as he followed her line of thought, "Everyone has their weaknesses. You know what Willa values the most." Vivienne, "..." Willa's top priority was her mother's happiness. If her mom was happy, so was Willa.

Strike the heart to weaken the resolve.

It was a masterstroke by Mr. Wolf, though it meant someone had to swallow their pride. "It's unfair to Willa." Willa's devotion to her mother was unmatched, especially concerning pivotal life events.

Percival nodded in agreement, caressing her belly softly, "That's why I arranged for Uncle Maddox to have the engagement ceremony abroad, timed with our parents' European trip. This way, everyone can make it without you having to shuttle back and forth." Vivienne, "..." What more could she say? With Mr. Wolf handling things, she had nothing to worry about.

No wonder Uncle Maddox had been out of sight all day; he had been appeased.

As she lost herself in thought, Percival offered her a sour plum candy.

The tartness surprised her, but she found herself not minding it.

Following Mr. Wolf's lead, she took another, summarizing the information she got from Yorick. Percival, seeing her enjoyment, held the bag of sour plums for her to munch on easily.

"Vivienne suspects there's something hidden within the Wright family," she said between bites.

"Yes, if Declan has stayed this long, it's either because of a secret deal with Abigail or he's hiding something for her," Vivienne concluded.

Percival agreed, "I'll look into it tomorrow." Vivienne leaned into him, "You're not too busy with work?" Percival chuckled, tapping her nose, "If I had to personally sign off on everything, it'd only show how incompetent a leader I am." The team he had trained was far from just being seat-warmers.

Vivienne raised an eyebrow, "You've gottoo." Percival, with a smile, replied, "I almost forgot. You're a shareholder in the company. How about, after we wrap this up, we retire from this cloak-and-dagger life and run the company together?" Content belongs to en.kikistoriesVivienne's gaze fell on his hand resting on her belly, teasingly she asked, "Retire sounds good, but are you sure we won't clash running a business together?" Percival, adoringly stroking her stomach, assured, "Our visions won't clash. Remember, what's mine is yours.' Vivienne smiled, her eyes sparkling.

She knew Matthew had been managing her business affairs, but the bank statements made it clear.

Besides her own revenue, nearly ninety percent of Mr. Wolf's earnings were being deposited into her account.

Every day, the bank transactions started with seven figures.

Mr. Wolf had indeed given her everything, without reservation.

It was a late evening when Vivienne listened to Draven's report over the phone, passing on the items she had just received to her mentor in person.

The body they had been investigating remained unclaimed.

Its ashes were temporarily stored at the funeral home.

After the news about Millennia Aegis was released, it only caused a minor stir among the circles of those with ancient warrior heritage, and it quickly faded away.

There wasn't a single trace of Abigail.

The next morning, Percival accepted a delivery of various fresh ingredients from his mother, quickly whipped up breakfast, and then headed to the bedroom, apron still tied around his waist.

Vivienne was still deep in sleep on the bed. As Percival's presence neared, her body, honed by years of vigilance, reacted faster than her mind.

But it was just for a moment before she turned over with a frown, murmuring, "Mr. Wolf, letsleep a little longer." Her appetite had been poor these past few days, but her sleep quality had surprisingly improved.

She slept more each day.

It was as if she was trying to catch up on all the sleep she had missed over the past decade.

Percival couldn't bear to wake her, merely whispering, "You can only sleep for another half hour, or else the strawberry cheesecake won't taste as good." At the mention of strawberry cheesecake, a spark of clarity flashed through Vivienne's mind.

Watching Mr. Wolf's retreating figure, she squinted and asked, "You're not teasing me, are you?" Ever since he had made her a cake when she first took her medicine, Mr. Wolf had been strictly controlling her snack intake.

Even the stash she hid in the living room cabhad been confiscated.

All that was left were the "snacks" he personally selected from outside.

No additives, no harm to the body.

And equally, no taste.

Except for the sour apricots, which were barely edible.

The rest were so bad she wondered if there was even a point in producing them.

Turning to see only Vivienne's head vel.ne peeking out from the bed, Percival couldn't help but laugh, feeling a bit of pity, "Mom brought over the ingredients, including fresh. strawberries and cream; if we use them today, they won't tast till tomorrow." Content belongs to en.kikistoriesVivienne's lips curled into a smile, realizing the benefits of having a mother-in-law at moments like this.