The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

For the next hour, Arthur was practically doing sprints between the bathroom and the living room of the Perez household. No

sooner had he plopped down on the couch than he was rushing off to the bathroom again. The rest of the Perez family had settled

comfortably on the sofa, watching Arthur's frantic dashes with a calm detachment, thankful for his misery sparing them from

drinking the laxative-laced sugar water Vivienne had prepared. Maddox, ever the loose cannon, had even asked Vivienne why

Arthur got a special drink and they didn't. Jasper, livid, was about to unleash a tirade when Vivienne coolly remarked, "You don't

need sugar water. That's for heartbreakers." Jasper and the rest of the Perez men erupted in approval, "Sweet revenge!" Percival,

ever the joker, chimed in, "Thanks for taking the bullet for us, future father-in-law!"

After countless trips to the bathroom, Arthur was at his wits' end, pleading, "Vivienne, please, | can't take it anymore! Givethe

antidote or I'm done for!" The agony of wiping was all too real for him. Vivienne fixed him with a serious stare, "You're not my dad!"

"Okay, okay! I'm not—just givethe antidote. Whatever you say goes!" Arthur was beyond caring about pride at this point;

stopping the diarrhea was his only concern. "Whatever | say?" Vivienne's eyes sparkled mischievously. Arthur felt like he'd boarded

a pirate ship, but with no other options, he nodded. Vivienne smiled, produced a pill from her pocket, and popped it into Arthur's

mouth. Soon after, Arthur's stomach calmed down.

Post-antidote, Vivienne stood up, a sly smile on her face, "Just wait here." She returned shortly with a makeup kit in hand and

approached Arthur with a commanding tone, "Sit!" Arthur obeyed. Vivienne, opening the makeup kit—a gift from Kala Brooks that

had gone almost unused for a year—began to work on Arthur's face with a foundation brush. The Perez family gathered around,

curious. But when they recognized the pattern emerging on Arthur's face, laughter erupted. Maddox couldn't contain himself, "Oh

my goodness! Vivienne, are you drawing a turtle on Arthur's face? It's hilariously fitting!" Arthur, clueless about the artwork being

performed on his face, could only sigh, knowing all too well that Vivienne's swift antidote provision cwith strings attached.

The room burst into laughter, even Willa, who rarely smiled, found amusement in the scene. Maddox, thrilled, started snapping

photos for Facebook, "This is a once-in-a-lifetshot!" Arthur's face twitched in annoyance. Noticing Maddox's glee, Arthur

remarked dryly, "Don't celebrate too soon." Maddox scoffed, "Why not? You deserve it for hurting my sister. Karma's a bitch, isn't

it?" Arthur merely grunted in response, resigned to his fate as Vivienne continued her 'masterpiece.' Soon, Vivienne stepped back,

admiring her work, "Perfect! A green turtle!" Arthur was speechless.

Then, turning to Maddox standing by, Vivienne commanded, "Your turn. Sit!" Maddox's smile froze, "Ah, Vivienne, | think I'll pass."

Arthur couldn't help but laugh at the irony. But Vivienne was having none of it, "Sit!" Maddox, realizing he couldn't win against his

niece, made a run for it, only to swallow something tossed into his mouth by a swift figure. Seconds later, his stomach revolted.

Cursing, Maddox dashed for the bathroom. Jasper, learning quickly, sat down immediately, "Vivienne, I'm all yours. I'm a good

listener!" Vivienne smiled, pleased, "That's more like it!" She proceeded to paint Jasper's face, opting for a gentler design—a bunny

—compared to Arthur's turtle.

Then she turned to the rest of the family, who, seeing Maddox's fate, complied without protest, except for Maddox, who was still a

prisoner to the bathroom. After about an hour, Vivienne's impromptu art session was complete, leaving a living room full of painted

faces and one person still battling the effects of a laxative-laced drink. Aside from Arthur, who was stuck with the unfortunate look

of a green turtle, everyone in Percival's crew, including the Perez clan, was quite a sight for sore eyes. Percival had his face painted

to resemble a strawberry cheesecake. The rest were adorned with either flowers or fruits! All of them looked positively delightful.

The key to this visual feast was Vivienne's extraordinary painting skills, bringing each design to life with vibrant colors!

Finally, after Maddox had made his fifteenth trip to the restroom, he groaned in despair, "Vivienne, | give up, please givethe

antidote. You can paint whatever you want on my face, even a pile of poop, and | won't complain!" "Sure thing!" Vivienne replied

with a gleeful squint. Maddox instantly regretted his words! He was certain Vivienne would take him up on his offer. And sure

enough! After handing Maddox the antidote, Vivienne began to work her magic on his face with the ease of a flowing river. When

Vivienne was done, Arthur couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Ha-ha-ha! A pile of poop! Who was making fun ofearlier?" He

looked at Maddox with schadenfreude, "How does it feel?" Percival and the rest of the Perez family were in stitches. Maddox's face

turned a shade uglier than the poop painted on it. He wished he could slap himself for speaking without thinking! Glaring at Arthur,

he retorted, "And you think you're any better? Green turtle!" Arthur, "..."

Oh well! They were as bad as each other; neither had the right to mock! Just when everyone thought the commotion had cto

an end, Vivienne suddenly let out a mischievous giggle, then burst into song and dance! "Shimmy-shimmy, whoa, shimmy-

shimmy!" "Riding on my beloved Harley... oh yeah..." "Barbie, the transformation queen, woo, let the dark magic begin! Whoosh!~"

Everyone, "..."