The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

The confidence that cfrom the ancient martial arts heritage of the Perez family was so formidable that even Percival found himself at a loss for words in front of it.

Vivienne grabbed Jasper by the arm, fearing he might decide to send the entire Perez clan to protect her. "Grandpa, I'm not in any danger, and I'm perfectly healthy. I didn't say anything earlier because I didn't want to stir up trouble at such a critical time. It's not asplicated as you think." After a moment of silence, Jasper finally shifted his gaze to Percival, his eyes filled with an intimidating pressure. "Is everything really okay?" Percival finally found his voice, earnestly explaining to Jasper, "Grandpa, it's my fault. Vivienne was a bit emotional in the early stages of her pregnancy, so after discussing it with my coach, we decided not to disclose this. We didn't anticipate it would lead to such a major misunderstanding." Hearing this, the tension in Jasper seemed to dissipate, and he waved his hand dismissively, "We're family. There's no need for formalities." "You did the right thing. Given Vivienne's status, it's always better to be cautious with such significant matters." With the situation clarified, Jasper's worries were eased.

To Vivienne, who looked a bit pale, he said tenderly, "If Vivienne doesn't want to say anything, I'll act as if I don't know. Not a word to anyone, including your uncles, until you're ready to tell them yourself." Vivienne and Percival exchanged a look, smiles creeping onto their faces, "Thank you, Grandpa." Finally, Jasper smiled, nodded, and stood up to leave.

With a young man from the Ellington family by his granddaughter's side, he had nothing to worry about.

At dinner, Jasper managed to suppress the topic in front of everyone, "Vivienne is fine, just go about your business as usual." Everyone nodded in agreement.

The uncles and aunts adored Vivienne no less than Jasper did. As long as she was fine, they wouldn't interfere too much. Especially after the head of the family had spoken, they naturally followed suit.

Before leaving, Vivienne went to say goodbye to Finnian.

Just as she entered the backyard, she encountered a group of apprentices standing there like a wall.

Percival felt as if he was being scrutinized under an X-ray as he noticed their gazes fixed on his arm around Vivienne's waist, understanding their thoughts immediately.

He lifted his arm, pulling her closer into his embrace.

Now that he and Vivienne were married, legally husband and wife, he could do as he pleased, and no one could say otherwise. Vivienne, oblivious to any tension, took the lead in speaking, "What's everyone doing here?" Feeling the collective annoyance of those around him, Jerry cleared his throat before answering Vivienne's question, "We were just saying goodbye to Vivienne and the coach before we leave." Vivienne knew they all had their own domains to attend to, and their presence here, especially during Abigail's appearance, meant they had set aside their responsibilities.

Now that Abigail was gone, there was no reason for them to stay.

"When are you leaving?" Vivienne didn't bother with pleasantries, knowing they wouldn't mind.

The others didn't see any issue either.

Vivienne's kindness was never just superficial, and she didn't bother to keep it on the surface.

They all knew that if anyone from Emerald Mountain needed help, a single call from Vivienne would suffice, and vice versa.

No one could bully their only Vivienne in their presence, and Vivienne wouldn't tolerate anyone messing with the people of Emerald Mountain.

Dawson looked at Percival with a sharp gaze, then turned to Vivienne, his expression softening to one of concern, "We'll be leaving in a bit. Seeing you're okay gives us peace of mind." The youngest, Donald, nodded, "Yeah, Vivienne, as long as you're doing well, that's all that matters to us." Enzo chimed in, "Vivienne, this visit was rushed because of work at thepany. We can't stay long, but we'll catch up next time." The third and fourth brothers, Daniel and Eric, didn't speak, but their concern was evident in their eyes.

They had been waiting here early, just to see Vivienne one more time.

They were here to support Vivienne, but the opposition was too strong. Instead of helping, they almost made things worse. They couldn't match the assailants even in a single move, let alone anticipate future dangers.

It was frustrating to admit their inability to protect Vivienne.

But what truly surprised them was Percival.

They had thought Vivienne was merely enchanted by his handsface, but during the tactical retreat, his strength was revealed to be monstrous, not even slightly inferior to their coach's.

No wonder so many were envious and jealous.

Not only did he have the looks, but also the strength to match.

Vivienne was clearly smitten.

Unaware of their thoughts, Vivienne nodded and then glanced at the closed door of the guest room, "What's happened to the coach?" The youngest, Larry, half-jokingly said, "The coach said he observed the stars last night and foresaw a few days of bad luck ahead. He's decided to retreat to the mountains for a while until the timing is right to return. Right now, he's packing up his treasures." en.kikistories Essentially, he was safeguarding his prized possessions, not even letting them in, clearly wary of them.

But then, if they really wanted those treasures, hiding them in the back mountains or anywhere else would be futile.

Vivienne could only shake her head.

Typical of her coach, finding such a dignified excuse to avoid the storm.

Was Grandpa really going to be that hard on him? "By the way, who's responsible for the coach's injury?" The group exchanged glances, unsure of how to respond.

It wasn't that they didn't want to say, but they genuinely didn't know.

Early in the morning, they had found the coach clutching his head in agony, lamenting over his ungrateful apprentices who couldn't even understand his desires.

And yet, he wouldn't say what exactly had happened.

Gary let out a knowing chuckle, his face lighting up with the mischief of shared secrets. "Vivienne, that was just the old man giving into his thirst for a nightcap. He sneaked into the wine cellar for a bottle of Jasper's finest and got busted. The rest was just an unfortunate accident." en.kikistories Vivienne couldn't help but sigh.

Maybe it was best to give it stbefore she sought her mentor again. Who knew? She might run into her grandfathering to settle scores, and with her mentor's notorious temperament, she'd surely be dragged into the fray.

After saying goodbye to her fellow apprentices, Vivienne made a special trip to Uncle Yuri's place.

Natalia and Yasmine had had a bit of a scare there today, and she couldn't just leave without making sure they were okay.

Inside, only Natalia and Yasmine were playing with their toys on the floor. Seeing Vivienne, they scampered over, each attaching themselves to one of her legs. "Sis, you came!" they chimed.

Vivienne smiled, patting their heads. "Where's mom and dad? Why are you two alone?" Natalia, taking the role of the elder sister seriously, looked up and explained, "Dad's at the office, and mom went to the grocery store. We're just playing at home." Yasmine, tilting her head, asked, "Did youe to see mom and dad?" Shaking her head with a smile, Vivienne said, "No, I cto say sorry to Natalia and Yasmine. Did I scare you two this morning?" Blinking in confusion, the siblings asked, "Why are you saying sorry to us?" Vivienne thought for a moment before replying, "I'll explain it to you two later. Let's keep it a secret for now, okay?" Thinking they were being entrusted with a grown-up secret, they nodded eagerly, promising to keep it safe.

Without overthinking, Vivienne accepted the gift, assuming it was just one of their playthings, and slipped it onto her wrist. "Alright, I'll wear it," she promised.