The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne gave a subtle nod, signaling him to wait, "Once the kids are out, we'll head off." Connor flashed a slight grin, "No rush. You've just gotten back. Taking a day off before we head out wouldn't hurt." Vivienne shook her head, "No need. Business is business. No one needs to wait on anyone." A flicker of concern passed through Connor's eyes, his voice laced with a hint of flirtation, "All this back and forth, can your body handle it?" Leopold, || "I Was he invisible to this man? Or did he think Leopold was just part of the scenery? Trying so blatantly to woo his Vivienne, was he out of his mind? If Leopold didn't speak up soon, was he supposed to just stand by? "Cough..." "Juliette, Isaiah,e out here, we have guests!" Leopold emphasized the word 'guests'.

It caught Connor's attention.

He shot a cold glare in return.

Pfft, a mere outsider, acting as if he was someone special to Vivienne? Instead of calling the kids, they ended up drawing Yorick out.

Seeing Vivienne return, the old man's face lit up with joy.

Noticing Connor by her side, the twinkle in his eye was unmistakable, "Connor's here, up so early and haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Stay and eat with us." Connor nodded slightly towards the elder, "It wouldn't be proper for an outsider liketo impose for a meal." Clearly, thatment was meant for Leopold.

But the old man just waved it off, "Outsider? You're practically family here. What's the harm in sharing a meal? Consider it keeping Viviennepany." Leopold was taken aback.

Did he hear that right? Those words cfrom Yorick! No one besides Percival had ever managed to win Yorick over like this. What charm did this Connor possess to catch the old man's eye? Vivienne quickly explained to the kids, then approached the elder, "Grandpa, we've got errands to run, we'll skip breakfast at home." The old man watched them leave with a smile.

Having someone to look after Vivienne gave him peace of mind.

Leopold watched their departing figures, almost seeing red.

He had worked hard to help Vivienne move on from Percival, only to watch her possibly fall into another trap.

Not looking for someone exactly like Percival, but at least someone half as decent.

What was Connorpared to that? He had literally taken bullets for Vivienne! "Godfather, what are you staring at?" Juliette tugged at Leopold's hand, looking up at him curiously.

To her, it seemed like he was possessed by a ghost.

His eyes were nearly glowing red.

Leopold, mindful of the children's presence, carefully explained, wary of hurting their feelings, "Juliette, Vivienne is just collaborating with him on work. It's not what you think..." Juliette's lips tightened, and she huffed heavily in the direction of the car, "Has mommy otten about daddy? What's so good about that man? We don't want him as our stepdad!" Isaiah remained silent.

His expression, though, was cold.

The scene they had just witnessed was clear; that man was pursuing their mom.

The ride was unusually quiet.

Leopold knew they were upset about what had happened and tried his best to cheer them up, but to little avail.

Isaiah seemed okay, lost in his tablet, but Juliette's pout suggested she was far from okay.

When they reached the school gate, Juliette suddenly clung to Leopold's hand, "Godfather, can Isaiah and Ie to your place today?" Leopold was surprised, "What's wrong?" Juliette pouted, "I don't want to see mommye back with that man." Leopold, momentarily stunned, looked at Isaiah, who seemed indifferent, then nodded without hesitation, "Okay, I'll talk to Vivienne, and we'll go see your godmother." Percival was gone, but he couldn't let the kids feel neglected anymore.

Back in the car, Leopold couldn't help but vent in his group chat.

"Brothers, what if there's someone new around Vivienne, but this person isn't even one-tenth of what Percival was? What then?" Dawson replied instantly, "Is it that Connor guy? Seriously, what's with his audacity? Dig up everything on him. I want to see where he gets his nerve from!" Jerry: "Vivienne's seeing someone? Who?!" Daniel: "Where did this guye from?!" Eric: "Just look him up. Anyone close to Vivienne should've been vetted thoroughly. There shouldn't be any issues." Donald: "Trouble. We looked him up, and this guy... we can't touch him. He's got a pretty solid backing..." Enzo: "Look at you. What, is he made of iron or something? How tough can he be?" "He's backed by the Perez family!" The group went silent for a moment.

Cautiously, Larry asked, "Donald, you're not talking about the Perez family related to Vivienne's grandfather, are you?" Donald sent a long voice message, "What do you think? How many Perez families are there in Rivenwood?" "And this guy, he's no simple character.es from a family just as secretive as the Perez, with rumors saying they were supported by the Perez family when they first emerged. In just a few years, he made it to the head of his family." en.kikistories Gary didn't beat around the bush, "Turns out this guy was sneakily introduced by Vivienne's granddad. How are we supposed to block that?" Donald, always straight to the point, named Leopold.

"Leopold, don't say I didn't warn you. If this guy managed to get in front of Vivienne, it's probably because the Perez family is trying to set them up. You better tread carefully, or ryau might find yourself poking a bear!" en.kikistories They couldn't save him from that.

swn Jerry let out a sigh, "The intention of Vivienne's family is clear. They just want her to move on from Percival's shadow. It's tough, five years and nobody thought Vivienne's resolve would last this long." en.kikistories Everyone deeply agreed.

The person was gone, and continuing like this was only draining Vivienne herself.

Realizing the topic had drifted, Leopold quickly steered it back.

"Fellows, don't be fooled by that man's facade. He's nothing but a schemer, using his job to cling to Vivienne and constantly making himself known to her family. A man like that doesn't deserve Vivienne." Quietly, the youngest among them asked, "So, what do we do? We can't exactly go against Vivienne's granddad's wishes, right?" They didn't have the power for that.

Suddenly, Dawson had a lightbulb moment, "If we can't handle it, why not turn to our mentor?"