The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

On the surface, Jeffrey was criticizing Dorian’s family for lacking proper lineage. However, he was

clearly mocking Vivienne for not having a reputable background—a nobody taken in from the wild.

Cordelia’s eyes brimmed with tears, and Dorian was fuming, but this was the Ellington Mansion’s grand

hall, and he could not very well throw a fit and ruin the birthday celebration.

Vivienne’s brow furrowed. Messing with her family was akin to poking a sleeping bear.

But this was Richard’s milestone birthday, and despite her irritation with Jeffrey, she gave Richard the

respect he deserved by not causing a scene.

She stepped forward, slipping her arm through Cordelia’s, saying, “Mom, Dad, as long as you’ll have

me, I’ll always be your daughter. As for the barking of some dogs, we needn’t bother with them.”

Her voice was just loud enough for everyone to hear clearly.

Jeffrey bellowed, “Vivienne, who are you calling a dog?”

“The one responding,” Vivienne replied coolly.

“You think I don’t dare to slap you for that?” Jeffrey, unaccustomed to such disrespect, advanced

towards Vivienne.

Before he could lay a hand on her, Richard’s cane came crashing down.

“You little bastard, what nonsense are you spewing? You think you can hit Vivienne? I’ll whip you

myself! Useless trash!” Richard brandished his cane, chasing after Jeffrey.

Fiona cursed under her breath. She thought he might have some sense, but this was his grand idea—

to infuriate Vivienne into lashing out. Yet he was the one to lose his cool first.

Both Percival and Richard treated Vivienne like a treasure—how could they let her be humiliated?

Even if it meant causing a scene at the birthday event, they would not stand by and let Vivienne be

scorned!

This useless fool, always botching things up!

Nevertheless, she stepped forward, taking hold of Richard. “Grandpa, please calm down. Jeffrey didn’t

mean any harm. He just doesn’t know how to speak. Jeffrey, aren’t you going to apologize to Cordelia

and Vivienne?”

Richard stood on the stage, fuming, and even shouted at Jeffrey, “Let me tell you, Vivienne is my

beloved granddaughter-in-law. Her family is my family. Now go apologize to my in-laws, or I swear I’ll

break your legs today!”

Jeffrey was reluctant, unable to believe that Richard would actually humiliate him in front of so many

people.

He could not accept this!

“Vivienne, even if you claim this commoner as your mother, your ignorance is still apparent. Pretending

to be high society? You think a fancy dress makes you one of us?” Jeffrey scoffed at Vivienne, “Not to

mention jewelry. You have no clue about it!”

Fiona frowned, scolding Jeffrey inwardly, “Idiot, will you never stop?”

“Jeffrey, Vivienne just has a different expertise. You can’t talk like that,” Fiona tugged at Jeffrey,

apologizing to Vivienne, “I’m sorry, Vivienne. Maybe you should take your family and leave for now.”

Percival’s stern face showed a flicker of coldness as he looked at Fiona and suddenly smiled, “Fiona,

did you just suggest that the guests I invited, my in-laws, should leave? Are you joking?”

His smile did not show the slightest joy.

Fiona’s expression changed, realizing Percival was truly angered.

“That’s not what I meant. I just thought continuing like this wouldn’t look good, so I suggested… I’m

sorry, it’s my…”

Before she could finish, Percival interrupted with a cold voice, “The ones who should leave are you, not

my in-laws. Right, Sis?”

Percival’s anger was palpable, an invisible frost surrounding him, particularly when he addressed her

as ‘Sis,’ sending a shiver down Fiona’s spine.

As she was about to explain further, Jeffrey spoke up, “Vivienne’s just a country bumpkin! What’s

wrong with what I said? She can’t even afford proper jewelry, let alone understand it!”

Fiona’s hand flew and struck Jeffrey across the face, “Shut up!”

Fool!

Such a low-level tactic! How could his pig brain even come up with it?

She tried her best to salvage the situation, and he was fanning the flames!

He was a complete idiot!

Jeffrey looked at Fiona in disbelief. “You hit me?”

But before he could react further, Percival grabbed Jeffrey by the collar and tossed him out of the hall.

A sound of bones breaking echoed.

Percival’s deep, cold gaze turned to Jeffrey outside the hall, his eyes as sharp as knives.

If it were not for Grandpa’s birthday today, he would make Jeffrey learn the consequences of insulting

Vivienne.

“Anyone who disrespects Vivienne or my in-laws in the future, don’t blame me for not being polite!”

Percival swept a cold glance across the crowd, his commanding presence silencing them.

Henry was about to explode in anger but saw Fiona shake her head at him, signaling him to back

down.

They could not afford to sacrifice the whole family branch for Jeffrey.

Fiona moved to smooth things over, “Percival, Vivienne, I apologize on behalf of my brother. We’re

sorry.”

Vivienne remained silent, simply comforting Cordelia.

With Mr. Wolf taking charge, that was enough. And indeed, having someone in her corner felt pretty

good.

In the crowd, Jasper nodded silently. “He’s got her back. That’s a real man.”

Yuri chuckled. “Indeed. So, do we join the fray now?”

“Let’s wait. That little miss from the Ellington family, she’s not as simple as she seems,” Jasper said

with a hint of meaning, glancing at Fiona.

The words had barely left Fiona’s lips when she made a goodwill gesture. “Cordelia, to express my

sincerest apologies, I would like to gift you this jewelry set for your collection.”

“This is the original prototype piece, Cordelia. It’s highly valuable. You better treasure it,” Heloise called

out, her voice laced with indignation. After all, her son had been unceremoniously ejected from the

event, and she was not one to let things slide easily.

Fiona clenched her fists in frustration, thinking that no one seemed to have an ounce of sense!

Vivienne had been holding her tongue, not wanting to cause a scene during the birthday celebration.

But with the continuous provocations, she was no longer about to remain polite.Books Chapters Are

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She looked coldly at the so-called Signature Collection jewelry set. “A flawed set like that is worthy of

my mother’s collection?”

Vivienne’s blunt comment took Fiona aback, her pride stung.

This jewelry set was the result of her dedication and passion. It was her favorite design to date and had

garnered gasps of admiration from all the ladies upon its debut.

Yet, in Vivienne’s mouth, it was reduced to a flawed product. How could Fiona stand for that?

She took a deep breath, her face showing a hint of hurt. “Vivienne, I understand that today’s incident

has upset you, and it’s natural for you to have grievances against me and my family. But this is the

company’s latest product, the highlight of the next quarter. Is it really appropriate to speak like this in

front of so many people?”

Vivienne’s eyebrows arched slightly, her eyes simmering with anger. “Since when do I need you to

teach me how to speak?”

Fiona’s fists tightened, her fingernails digging into her palms. “Vivienne, this is Grandpa’s birthday

party. What do you want to happen for this to be resolved? If you need me to apologize again, I can do

that.”