The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Finnian suddenly felt as if a lump of blood was stuck in his throat, unable to escape.

"Little troublemakers, you still want to visit my place?" "Let you guys up there again, and my lawn will bepletely stripped bare!" Finnian cleared his throat gently and said, "And have the nerve to talk? If it wasn't for you, would I be without a place to stay?" Juliette gave a sheepish smile, "Grandpa Finnian, don't be mad, okay? I'll use my birthday money to fix your house up. Just make them hurry; I want to stay there too!" Finnian gave her a look, "What's the deal? Your huge house can't amodate you two?" Juliette nodded earnestly, "Yes, yes, it can't!" Then, wiping away imaginary tears, she said with a face full of grievance, "Grandpa Finnian, you have to stand up for us. Someone is trying to woo my mom, and he wants my mom to kick us out. We're so pitiful, soon to be homeless kids!" Finnian, "Do you even listen to yourself?" "Pitiful?" "Homeless?" "You?" "Does your face turn red when you say these things?" Finnian coughed lightly, playing along, "What happened? How did you be homeless?" Hearing this, Juliette burst into tears, "Grandpa Finnian, someone wants to be my new dad. My grandparents, my great- grandparents, they all told my mom to find a new dad, but... my dad is still alive. What happens to my dad if my mom marries someone else?" Juliette managed to squeeze out a few tears, "Grandpa Finnian, you have to help me! If my mom marries this new guy, we'll never have good days again. You'll never see your smart, cute, kind-hearted Juliette again!" Finnian, "......" "Listen, stop trying to force tears. It's not worth blinding yourself over this before anything even happens with your stepdad!" "And by the way! Are you sure you understand what smart, cute, and kind-hearted mean? Are we talking about the sperson here?" Seeing Finnian unresponsive, Juliette continued her sob story, "Grandpa Finnian, if you're silent, does that mean you don't want us either? We're so pitiful, nobody wants us! Isaiah, maybe we should just leave; there's no place for us here anymore!" Finnian looked skyward, at a loss for words but quickly grabbed Juliette, who pretended to leave, "Oh, my dear Juliette, if you leave, wouldn't that break Grandpa Finnian's heart?" Internally, Finnian thought, I wouldn't be sad at all! The farther away these two troublemakers are, the better! But he couldn't say that out loud, "Don't worry, I'll talk to your mom. I promise she won't end up finding you a new dad!" Yeah, right! Vivienne's stubbornness is just like Sasha's; convincing her would be a miracle! Upon hearing this, Juliette smiled triumphantly, "Grandpa Finnian, you're the best! I love you the most!" Finnian, || "Please don't. I can't handle that kind of love!" Clearing his throat, Finnian said to Juliette, "Well, Grandpa Finnian has to go now. Tell your mom I'lle to see her in a few days!" Juliette tilted her head, "Grandpa Finnian, aren't you going to see my mom now? How will you persuade her?" Finnian: Kids' tales, you believe them? Glancing towards Vivienne and seeing her back turned, not paying them any attention, he sighed in relief, "Not today, Grandpa Finnian has sother matters to attend to. I'lle by another day." With that, Finnian stood up to leave, but then his eyes caught a man approaching Vivienne's table, and he paused, "Who is that guy?" "That's the man my mom wants to be my new dad!" Juliette said, blinking.

Finnian was taken aback; the man looked vaguely familiar, though he couldn't place where he'd seen him.

After a moment of silence, Finnian said, "Since I'm here, might as well say hello to your mom." Juliette and Isaiah exchanged puzzled looks. Didn't Finnian have something else to do? Why suddenly change his mind? But they didn't question him and followed Finnian towards their mother.

Vivienne, sensing people approaching, lifted her head and saw Finnian with a playful look, "I thought you were going to keep avoiding me!" Finnian gave an awkward smile, "Now, why would I avoid anyone, especially not my most cherished apprentice?" Hoping Vivienne wouldn't say something to leave him speechless, Finnian quickly looked away and turned his attention to Connor, "And you are?" Before Vivienne could introduce him, Connor stepped forward, "Hello, I'm Connor! You must be Vivienne's master, right?" Finnian glanced at him, then back at Vivienne, and smiled, "Seems like you two are quite close, knowing even who her master is." Vivienne and Connor exchanged looks but remained silent.

Soon, the waiter brought over their food, and Connor offered his portion to Finnian, ordering another for himself. After the meal, Juliette dashed to the cashier to pay the bill! Connor initially offered to drive Vivienne home, but Finnian stopped him, "Connor, why don't you head back first? I haven't seen Vivienne in a while and would like to catch up with her!" Connor, seeing the situation, didn't insist further.

Once he left, Vivienne sent Juliette and Isaiah to the nearby children's play area, then turned to Finnian, "Master, what did you find out?" With a serious expression, Finnian shared, "I've uncovered sleads. In Harbor City, there's a place called Luck Village where someone resembling Percival was spotted." He paused, lifting his gaze to meet Vivienne's. "But that's all it is, a similarity. I can't find any concrete information about this person." Over the years, he had rarely left his retreat, often telling people he was in seclusion.

In truth, he was aiding Vivienne in her search for Percival.

Vivienne had never believed that Percival was dead, and over the years, she had deployed every resource to her in a widespread search for him. The matter had caused quite a stir, with nearly everyone in their circle aware ofit. en.kikistories However, what no one knew was that Vivienne had enlisted Finnian to investigate in secret.

Finnian was a renowned sage at the Emerald Monastery, often sought out to consult on matters of energy or to resolve certain issues, which had him traveling across the country.

Of course, he didn't just go anywhere. In recent years, every location he visited was guided by Vivienne's instructions, with the latest being Luck Village.

Vivienne was silent for a moment before asking, "Could you not get into Luck Village?" Finnian blinked in surprise. "Yes!" After a moment, he eyed Vivienne suspiciously. "How did you know that?" Vivienne smiled. "Just a guess!" Finnian muttered under his breath, frustrated.

He paused, then added, "Oh, and that son, he's the one who resembles Percival. But since I couldn't get into the village, I couldn't find out anything more!"