The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

On the road.

Percival eyed Vivienne as she scrutinized the business card, feeling a twinge of jealousy. “Is it that

fascinating, Vivienne?”

Vivienne replied crisply, “It is.”

“What’s so fascinating about a business card?” Percival could not hide the sourness in his voice.

Finally, Vivienne looked up, locking eyes with him as she said deliberately, “It’s not the card that’s

fascinating. It’s the man.”

Percival felt his teeth grind, fists clenched tight.

Yet, he could not lash out.

In the end, as Vivienne chuckled at the look on his face, Percival’s frustration only grew.

“Alright, you’ve got jokes now, huh?” He muttered before leaning in, mindful to protect the back of her

head.

Vivienne wrapped her arms around his waist, and a few fiery kisses ensued before they parted.

She teased, blowing in his direction, “Smell that? Is it tinged with a hint of jealousy?”

His fingers ran through her hair as he gazed into her eyes. “Yes, I can’t stand the thought of you with

any other man.”

Vivienne pulled him closer, whispering seductively, “I wasn’t finished. The man is handsome, but not as

much as you.”



Percival’s heart swelled as if coated with honey.

Once back at the Brooks Mansion, Vivienne went to her room.

With Scott missing and the whole Judith debacle, the elders were too preoccupied with corporate

affairs, and the younger ones had their own lives to lead, leaving Vivienne to her own devices.

Lying in bed, she pulled out Yuri’s card again.

For some reason, she found him agreeable, almost familiar, as if she had known him from a long time

ago.

Her phone rang; it was Matthew.

“Vivienne, someone’s been digging into your background, but the trail is cold, and their intentions are

unclear.”

“All right, let them dig. Gotta go, someone’s here.”

Vivienne knew her privacy was impenetrable to those she wished to keep out.

Ending the call, Aaron barged in with a strawberry shortcake, “Cake time, Vivienne!”

“Why are you here?” Vivienne asked, sitting up, her lethargy making her appear unusually languid yet

undeniably alluring.

Aaron could not take his eyes off of her.

It seemed that Vivienne gave him a different feeling every time he met her.

At first, he was only dumbstruck by her beauty. Later, he was awed by her gaming skills. In the end,

she became all he could think about.



“You forgot again, didn’t you?” Aaron presented the shortcake, “You promised to join the team for the

season.”

Vivienne’s brow furrowed, “I did forget.”

The recent chaos with Judith and Scott and rescuing the infants had pushed the competition to the

back of her mind.

She took a bite. “Not as good as Mr. Wolf’s, but hard to go wrong with strawberry shortcake.”

As she enjoyed her dessert, she inquired about the competition.

Aaron sighed. “Didn’t you see the message? It’s been postponed.”

“Really? Why?” She asked, surprised since E-sports events rarely changed dates.

“Because of that old lady,” Aaron said, lowering his voice, “Judith, your so-called grandmother.”

Vivienne laughed at his choice of words.

“She’s dead. How could it be because of her?”

“The Brooks family owns our venue. Due to her, they’re reassessing assets. The property’s closed, and

they could not find another suitable venue so soon, so the competition was delayed.”

Vivienne nodded. The Brooks family had indeed been quite occupied lately. With Scott missing for

three days, Timothy had taken over, but he lacked his brother’s finesse, leaving the family in disarray.

Seeing her nearly done with the cake, Aaron offered her a glass of warm milk. “Still hot, have some.”

She accepted, then asked, “So, where is the competition now?”



“Centurial E-sport Hotel,” Aaron replied.

It was one of Rivenwood’s largest gaming hotels, famous for hosting international E-sports

tournaments.

“When is it?”

“The day after tomorrow. Can you make it?”

Aaron’s hopeful gaze was hard to ignore.

“I can,” Vivienne confirmed, despite the fatigue.

Aaron beamed. “That’s great! The guys are getting used to the hotel’s environment. Want to join us?

It’d boost morale to have you there.”

Checking the time, Vivienne agreed. Nothing was pressing, and she could not just indulge in cake and

warm milk without offering something in return.

“Let’s go then.”

“Alright!” Aaron exclaimed with a hop and a skip, quickly grabbing Vivienne’s purse and jacket.

Vivienne smiled and followed Aaron out the door.

Just as they reached the front gate, they saw Timothy returning home, a Bluetooth headset still

perched on his ear as he conducted a meeting, his briefcase in hand, looking utterly exhausted.Books

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Their eyes met, and Timothy paused, saying, “Vivienne, heading out this late?”



“Yeah, Uncle, something up?”

Vivienne had a fondness for Timothy’s family and always approached them with a friendly demeanor.

Timothy chuckled and shook his head. “No, just be careful. Our family has been a bit on edge lately. Do

you want me to have a bodyguard follow you?”

“No need,” Vivienne said, her eyes flickering with curiosity, “Is something wrong?”

Timothy waved his hand dismissively and hurriedly said, “Nothing at all, you go have fun.”

His refusal was firm, and he used the meeting as an excuse to retreat into the house, his steps carrying

a trace of rush.

Even Aaron sensed something was amiss.

Aaron asked with concern, “Vivienne, is he really okay?”

Vivienne looked away. “If there’s an issue, he’ll tell us. Don’t worry about it.”

Despite her reassuring words, Vivienne could not help but text Matthew, asking him to look into any

recent trouble Timothy might be tangled in.

