The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne entered the hospital ward, leaving Percival waiting outside, seated opposite Jasper and Yuri.

Jasper and Yuri exchanged brief pleasantries with Percival before disengaging, preferring to keep to

themselves.

Percival appeared engrossed in his phone, but with a few discreet taps, he had pulled up thorough

profiles on the two men sitting across from him.

Jasper Perez, head of the prestigious Perez family and chairman of Perez Enterprises.

Yuri Perez, the Perez family’s fourth son and the CFO of Perez Group.

The Perez family held a status in Sea City comparable to the Ellingtons.

With its century-long history and wealth rivaling that of nations, the family was a force to be reckoned

with.

However, the Perez family were known for their discretion, rarely making public appearances and

abstaining from social events.

These facts were available to the public, but Percival had accessed more sensitive information using

Vanguard Agency’s resources: the Perez family was an ancient warrior lineage.

The details of such ancient warrior lineages, hidden in seclusion, were nearly impossible to trace

without tapping into national databases.

Ancient warrior lineages typically remained out of the public eye, drawing income from their corporate

ventures or offering highly sought-after security services at exorbitant prices.

The Perez family, alongside the Martinez family of Rivenwood, were one of the few to step out into the

world.

The Perez family had emerged publicly earlier than the Martinez family and conducted their affairs

openly, so their warrior lineage identity was a well-kept secret.

Another piece of information piqued Percival’s interest. Thirty-five years ago, Sasha, the ten-year-old

daughter of the Perez family, had mysteriously vanished and was still missing.

Sasha’s photograph, though blurry, hinted at her beauty.

Across the way, Jasper leaned in, his voice low, “What did you find?”

Yuri replied, “Vivienne’s mother, Evelyn, took her own life ten years ago, the reasons unknown. No

footage or records exist. Vivienne spent most of her years after ten at the Emerald Mountain, seldom

coming down.”

He glanced at Vivienne, who was busily attending to something in the ward, and asked, “What’s

intriguing is Vivienne’s identity.”

“What about it?”

“She’s known as designer Charles, perfumer Q, piano virtuoso Moonlight, and possibly holds other

identities, but we can’t trace them.”

Yuri was confident in the Perez family’s intelligence network. Yet, when it came to Vivienne, they could

only scratch the surface; her deeper secrets remained elusive.

Jasper looked up at Percival, murmuring, “This girl’s got chops. Is the kid up to par?”

Yuri paused before responding, “He’s the heir to the Ellington family, betrothed to Vivienne.”

Jasper clicked his tongue. “Who was short-sighted enough to arrange that?”

Yuri sighed. “Vivienne is the long-lost heiress of the Brooks family. Her mother, whose real name was

Karen, had a romance with Scott Brooks, the eldest son of the Brooks family. She disappeared before

their engagement for unknown reasons, later adopting the name Evelyn. It was under that name that

she arranged the marriage contract with the old Ellington patriarch.”

“What a waste,” Jasper exhaled deeply.

He acknowledged Percival’s merit among the younger generation. Percival’s courage and savvy even

surpassed his own son. But still, he felt Percival was unworthy of Vivienne, even after only their second

meeting.

Yuri rubbed his temples, thinking how unfitting it was for them to meddle in the young couple’s affairs.

The Ellington heir was no fool, after all. Why did Jasper not like Percival?

However, he held his tongue, knowing better than to provoke his father’s ire.

“Father, it’s unlikely Karen is Sasha,” Yuri said cautiously after researching extensively. The information

on Karen was scant, aside from what had emerged along with Vivienne. The Wilson family, now

incarcerated with no visitation rights, were the only known connection, proving that Karen was one of

them.

Moreover, the Wilsons were based far in Rivenwood, a great distance from Sea City. When Sasha

disappeared, the Perez family had locked down every exit from the city, monitoring everything from

buses to subways, making it improbable that Sasha could have traveled so far.

At this moment, Vivienne stepped out of the ward, followed by Zelda, Yuri’s wife.

Vivienne removed her mask and turned to Yuri with a reassuring smile. “Mr. Perez, there’s good news

about Yasmine and Natalia. Their hearts are mending, slowly but surely. They’ll need to stay in the

hospital a bit longer just to make sure everything’s completely fine. In the meantime, take good care of

them, will you?”

“Of course, Vivienne,” Yuri replied, his voice tinged with relief. He became a father later in life and knew

the stakes were high. If something happened to her daughters, she would regret it for life. “We’ll watch

over them diligently. Thank you for everything.”

Percival, who had been quietly observing, stood up as well. “Vivienne, shall we head back?”

Just as Vivienne was about to agree, Zelda tugged at her sleeve. “Vivienne, you’ve been such a

blessing to our family. Even though we’ve settled your fees, I’d still like to express our gratitude. Would

you and Percival honor us by joining us for a simple meal as a token of our appreciation?”

Jasper stepped forward with a warm smile. “Yeah, young lady, you’ve worked so hard. It doesn’t sit

right with us if we don’t get to say a proper thank you.”

With the elders making such a heartfelt request, it would have been impolite for Vivienne to refuse, and

truth be told, she found herself quite fond of this family.

“Alright,” Vivienne accepted Jasper’s invitation.

What was referred to as a simple meal turned out to be a reservation at the most luxurious restaurant

in Rivenwood, with an entire floor exclusively for their use.

“I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I took the liberty of booking this place. They’ve got everything –

barbecue, fondue, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and some continental and Southern cuisine.

Whatever you fancy, we’ll order,” Zelda said, linking her arm with Vivienne’s and guiding her around the

dining area.

Vivienne glanced at Zelda, pondering. She had done her homework on the Perez family’s background,

and Zelda, holding onto her arm, was certainly no stranger to high society.Books Chapters Are Daily

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Zelda, the true heiress of the illustrious Lynette family, had been childhood friends with Yuri. However,

since she was injured when she was young, she had faced her share of struggles, having to go through

treatment for a very long period before being able to give birth to two wonderful children.

“Vivienne, you really should try this,” Zelda suggested, placing a piece of freshly grilled beef onto

Vivienne’s plate.

Vivienne paused for a moment. Were they already on a first-name basis?

Noticing Vivienne’s surprised expression, Zelda quickly apologized, “Oh, I’m sorry, I got carried away

and called you by your first name. You don’t mind, do you?”

Vivienne shook her head, unfazed. “Not at all. ‘Vivienne’ is quite endearing; I like it.”

Zelda exhaled in relief, her eyes misting slightly. “Seeing you… You remind me of my little sister. She

would have grown up to be just as beautiful as you,” she murmured.

Vivienne simply smiled and continued enjoying her meal while Zelda, reassured, chatted away, filling

the air with light-hearted conversation.