The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Jasper was fuming, his face beet red with anger.

After finally reconnecting with his estranged daughter and granddaughter, the last thing he wanted was to have his precious granddaughter, Vivienne, whisked away by ssmooth-talking charmer when he wasn’t looking.

“This guy, Percival, always seemed decent enough, but it turns out he’s sneaky as a fox!” Yuri exclaimed, shaking her head disapprovingly.

Luke chimed in, determined, “We can’t just let him get away with whisking Vivienne away. We need to settle the score.” Leaning lazily against the wall, arms crossed, Fredrick offered a more pragmatic view. “What's there to settle? Even if you confront Percival, do you really think Vivienne, who's head over heels for him, would agree to leave him?” Vivienne: I'm not head over heels! Jasper shot Fredrick a glare. “If you've got nothing sensible to say, zip it!” Raising an eyebrow, Fredrick countered, “So what's your plan? Force them to annul the marriage right away?” Jasper was at a loss for words. How could he, as a grandfather, encourage his own granddaughter to divorce? Nonetheless, he was still not happy with it! Fredrick clapped Jasper on the shoulder, trying to ease the tension. “Look, she’s all grown up. They've got their marriage license. Instead of getting all worked up, why not focus on throwing them a proper wedding? We, the Perez family, won't let our girl be shortchanged!” Jasper snorted dismissively. “A wedding, sure. But the Ellington family is not getting off easy for tricking my granddaughter!” Maddox and Yuri nodded in agreement. Zelda sighed, the voice of reason lost in the commotion.

Meanwhile, Cecilia had just woken up from a nap and, out of habit, began scrolling through Facebook. Suddenly, she cacross Vivienne’s post - no caption, just a photo of a marriage license. Still groggy, she scrolled past it and then saw an identical post from Percival.

In a sudden burst of realization, Cecilia sat bolt upright.

What did she just see? After a brief pause, she went back to Percival’s post and zoomed in on the photo. There it was, clear as day: a marriage license with Percival and Vivienne’s names on it. Then, she scrolled up and saw the spost from Vivienne.

“Good heavens!” she gasped, tossing aside the covers and grabbing a coat on her way out.

“This is huge! My son has gone and married the girl of his dreams!” Richard, having just finished his coffee, was startled by Cecilia’s outcry. Clutching his chest, he exclaimed, “What in the world are you shouting about?” Breathless, Cecilia thrust her phone at Richard. “Dad, look! Percival and Vivienne got their marriage license!” Richard, initially stunned, suddenly burst into laughter. “Haha! That's my grandson for you—bold and decisive! Just like | was back in the day. You've got to move fast when you find the right woman or sother chap might swoop in!” Reminiscing, Richard boasted to Cecilia, “You know, I did the swith your mother. Baron Brooks was always hovering, waiting to whisk her away. | had to be cunning and got the license first to keep Baron at bay.” Cecilia could only roll her eyes. Why did Richard sound so proud about it? Richard handed the phone back and began making plans. “It's been ages since we've had a celebration. Let's start with a family feast tonight, and tomorrow, we can discuss wedding dates with the Perez family. We'll make sure Vivienne’s wedding is grand.” Cecilia nodded in agreement, her heart swelling with joy at her son’s milestone.

“And don’t forget to invite Dorian’s family. They should be involved in setting the date,” Richard added, referring to Dorian Hawthorne and Cordelia Wilson.

Cecilia smiled. “Don’t worry, Dad. | know. They've treated Vivienne well all her life. Although her mother has returned, they're still her parents to her. As her mother-in-law, | won't forget them.” Richard nodded, content, and headed upstairs to get ready for the celebration.

At the stime, the news had set the Emerald Monastery disciples’ chat groups ablaze.

[Dude, Percival went and got a marriage license with Vivienne!] [That sneaky dog! He didn’t even propose properly!] [The nerve! No ceremony, no proposal, just off they go!] [Leopold, why the silent treatment? Did you have a hand in Percival eloping with Vivienne?] Leopold, who had been staring at the group chat without daring to utter a word, finally replied, [I'm being framed! | knew nothing!] And he truly was innocent! Heaven knows what went through his mind when he opened his phone to find Percival and Vivienne’s marriage license all over Facebook! But what could he say? One was his best buddy, the other his dear senior! No matter what he said, it wouldn't be right! As the senior disciples cursed a blue streak in the chat, all he wanted was to be invisible! [I don’t think you're innocent at all!] The chat was a war zone until Jerry finally spoke up. [Shut it, everyone! We should be happy for Vivienne. She’s with the guy she loves!] [Jerry, when did Percival buy you off?] Jerry couldn’t be bothered with them and replied, [One more word, and you're all copying the Bible a hundred times!] Silence fell upon the group.

Out in the quiet Rivenwood suburb, in a quaint little farmhouse.

Vivienne was blissfully munching on the steak Percival had just grilled. “Mr. Wolf, your cooking skills are improving. I'm gonna get chubby at this rate.” Percival placed another perfectly cooked patty on the plate, chuckling. “A little chubbiness won't hurt. You're too skinny.” Vivienne picked up another steak, her face bright with a soft smile. Their phones lay beside the table, screens flashing incessantly.

Glancing at her phone, Vivienne mused, “Vanishing like this... it's a bit rogue, isn’t it?”