The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

The group split up at the foot of the mountain.

Leopold hopped into his car and headed straight for Vivienne's place.

He didn't et to open the group chat on his phone and send a voice message.

"Guys, big trouble. Vivienne got hurt last night and it affected the pregnancy. I'm on my way to her place now."

Jerry: "What happened? She was fine just a few days ago. How did she suddenly get hurt?"

Daniel: "Leopold, give us the details. What exactly happened to Vivienne?"

Eric: "Where's Old-F? He's been shadowing the master recently. Did he already know about Vivienne's situation?"

Donald: "I've heard srumors over here, but I'm not sure if they're true."

Enzo: "Spit it out, Donald. What's with the mystery?"

Donald: "Apparently, the Perez family's house, that's Vivienne's maternal family where we stayed last time, was bombed..."

The chat went silent for a few seconds.

Everyone: "What?!"

"Leopold,e on, clear this up."

"How is Vivienne doing?"

At that moment, Leopold was focused on driving, his phone lying on the passenger seat.

The moment he rang the doorbell and saw who was standing there, he froze for a few seconds.

"Dawson!"

"What are you doing here?"

Dawson leaned on the door frame, "Cwith the master. What brings you here?"

Leopold's expression turned serious, "Il cto see Vivienne, of course. Where is she?"

Inside the house.

Finnian withdrew his hand and turned to Percival, surprised, "You didn't tell her she's expecting twins?"

Vivienne was startled.

The two eavesdroppers outside were just as shocked.

Leopold almost let out an exclamation but was quickly silenced by Dawson's hand over his mouth, dragging him away.

Percival nodded, confirming the news, "lI was worried Vivienne would get too emotional. Planned to tell her in a few days."

Finnian stroked his beard, "It's indeed been a shock. We'll need to be more careful moving forward."

Vivienne, still in disbelief, touched her belly.

Since getting pregnant, all her check-ups had been at the hospital. She had never had a traditional examination.

No wonder she felt her belly had suddenly grown significantly; it was because she was carrying twins.

After a moment, Vivienne turned to Finnian, "Master, how's my grandfather?"

Finnian's lips twitched, "Your grandfather is furious about the house being bombed. Only your mom and a few daughters-in-law can

get through to him a bit. No one else dares toe close."

Vivienne understood the depth of her grandfather's anger.

The Perez family, with its ancient warrior lineage, had never faced such a catastrophic blow.

This vendetta was inevitable.

Back in the living room.

Leopold, amidst his excitement, didn't et to share the good news in the group chat.

Upon unlocking his phone, he saw the barrage of messages and sent a voice message instead of typing, "Vivienne's alright, the

master's with her. Plus, there's super big news."

"Vivienne's expecting twins."

Everyone: "For real?"

Leopold boasted, "Straight from the master's mouth. How could it be false?"

The group chat erupted into a debate over who would get to be the godfather.

Thinking of two little copies of Vivienne toddling around, who wouldn't want to claim that title?

Dawson chimed in at the right moment, "Don't bother fighting over it. I'm right here by Vivienne's side. The godfather spot is

obviously mine."

Everyone: Do you have no shame?

At the Linklater family residence.

When Sasha got back, Arthur was still out. The butler cto report, "Madam, your guest has awakened. She was asking for you

just now."

Sasha's eyes lit up, "I'll go check on her."

Daphne had been lying down for a few days but managed to sit up, sipping water Anna handed her.

Seeing Sasha, she smiled, "Captain, you're here..."

Sasha nodded and sat down, asking about her condition.

Daphne was about to speak when she suddenly frowned, "Captain, what happened? Why is there blood on you?"

Sasha glanced at the bloodstain on her sleeve and lifted her hand, "It's nothing. Probably got it while apanying Vivienne for a

check-up."

Hearing it was Vivienne's blood, a flash of concern crossed Daphne's eyes, "Vivienne was injured? Is the baby okay?"

Sasha was taken aback, "Mystic, how did you know Vivienne was pregnant?"

Even Anna, standing beside, was stunned.

Vivienne was pregnant?

Daphne chuckled, "Captain, have you otten we've been through this? | could tell Vivienne was pregnant at a glance. Plus, that

day at the hospital, | saw her belly under her clothes."

Sasha realized she was right. Those who had been pregnant before often had an accurate intuition about these things.

"True, Vivienne's been finding it hard to hide her pregnancy lately."

Worried, Daphne asked again, "Captain, is the baby really okay?"

Sasha reassured her, "No major issues. Just got a bit emotional and strained herself. She needs srest."

Hearing this, Daphne sighed in relief, "That's good to hear."

Then, looking around, she added, "Captain, | heard from Anna about the poisoning. It was my carelessness. Now that I'm awake, I'd

better go back to the hospital."

Sasha disagreed, "The hospital isn't safe. | feel better having you here. Have you otten what we said back in the Vanguard

Agency days?"

"Or do you not trustto protect you?"

Daphne shook her head, "Captain, you're taking this too seriously. How could | not trust you!"

Seeing her reaction, Sasha patted her hand, "You're still recovering from the injury and the effects of the fake death drug. You need

to rest up for a while longer. Stay put; no one's going to harm you here."

Turning to Anna, she instructed, "Take good care of your mother. Letknow if you need anything."

Anna nodded, offering a word of thanks.

Seeing Sasha stand up and walk away, Daphne's gaze subtly shifted.

As Sasha stepped out of the side building, she ran into Arthur, who had just returned from outside.

Noticing Sasha was still wearing last night's clothes, Arthur's heart ached, "Honey, why did you stay at the hospital for so long? You

must be exhausted."

Sasha felt helpless; their house had been bombed to ruins. Her father was already furious, and to top it off, Godfrey hade over

to apologize with gifts.

Even though she knew it wasn't his fault, the frustration was hard to swallow.

She managed to exchange spleasantries before sending him away.

If it weren't for her, Willa, and her sisters-in-law, she guessed her dad might have already been tempted to rally the troops and

storm Godfrey's place.

Waving her hand, Sasha asked Arthur as they walked, "And you? Did you find anything?"

Arthur pursed his lips, "The item was confirmed to be from the Martinez family. It seems like someone behind the scenes wanted to

instigate a feud between the two families without leaving any traces."

Hearing this, Sasha frowned, "The Martinez and the Perez families have never had any issues. If there's any connection, it's only

that both belong to ancient warrior lineages. Maybe someone's trying to provoke a conflict from within."