The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Calista could imagine the frosty reception she would receive from the Ellington family, but she never

expected to be met with such outright disdain.

Of course, it was all because of Vivienne!

“Grandpa, please keep it. Don’t disregard Calista’s thoughtful gesture,” Fiona chimed in, playing

peacemaker, and managed to diffuse some of the awkwardness.

Cecilia scoffed disdainfully, eyeing Calista with contempt. “Calista, my father already has a Specter

Healer’s bracelet, a gift from our dear Vivienne. Your little present is redundant at the moment.”

Calista’s heart skipped a beat.

Specter Healer!

How did Vivienne come to possess something from the elusive Specter Healer?

The entire medical community knew of Specter Healer’s enigmatic reputation, never leaving a trace.

How could they have possibly left something personal behind?

Where did Vivienne acquire it?

What infuriated Calista even more was the fact that Vivienne dared to give away something as coveted

as a Specter Healer artifact!

Those were treasures she could only dream of obtaining!

As Calista grappled with shock, Cecilia’s smirk widened.

“Come on, Vivienne, let’s go have some fun,” Cecilia said, pulling her away.

Vivienne did not resist, allowing Cecilia to lead her off, only sparing Fiona a fleeting glance as she

passed.

Fiona suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, unsettled by the penetrating gaze of Vivienne’s eyes.

She felt she had been seen through for some inexplicable reason.

It was not until Vivienne and Cecilia had ascended the staircase that Fiona’s shiver subsided.

She could not shake the feeling that she had seen those eyes somewhere before.

Percival stood up, briefly glancing at the herbs in Calista’s hands.

Coming back to her senses, Calista was about to greet Percival when he abruptly spoke, “Aurelia,

make sure to properly inspect anything brought into the Ellington home from now on. We can’t just

accept things from anyone.”

“Yes, sir.” The household staff, especially Aurelia, had served the Ellingtons for over forty years.

She knew precisely how to read the Ellingtons’ moods.

They made no secret of their disdain for Calista, and Aurelia was more than willing to demonstrate her

loyalty.

Aurelia promptly took the herbs from Calista. “Please let me inspect them.”

Calista, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment, managed a strained smile. “Of course, Aurelia.

Thank you.”

True to her word, Aurelia called the family doctor before Calista to check the herbs.

Calista fumed silently, forced to endure.

Percival, uninterested in the spectacle, followed Vivienne upstairs.

Clutching the banister, Calista’s fists tightened as she watched his retreating figure.

It was all because of Vivienne!

Had it not been for Vivienne, she would not have suffered such humiliation.

After the family doctor confirmed the herbs were harmless, Aurelia returned them to Calista.

After recovering from the snub, Fiona sat next to Calista and placed the box of herbs in Richard’s

hands.

“Grandpa, this is a token of Calista’s respect for your birthday. You can’t just turn it away, right? Please

accept it.”

“Fiona, even if you’re not working at the company, you can’t just loaf around and bring troublemakers

around. I’m tired. It’s time for you to go,” Richard grunted, tossing the box aside.

Just yesterday, Fiona had been ousted from the company, but as Richard’s granddaughter, he showed

a modicum of grace.

But as for Calista, Richard had no such consideration.

Fiona did not expect Richard to be so unyielding. After all, Calista was visiting under her friend’s name,

yet he refused to show a shred of courtesy.

What spell had Vivienne cast upon the Ellington family to have them so entirely under her sway?

As Richard dismissed them, Fiona and Calista had no choice but to leave.

At the entrance of the Ellington Mansion, Fiona saw Calista off.

Calista pressed her lips, apologizing, “Fiona, I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused.”

Fiona’s fingers clenched the box tightly, yet her face remained serene.

“Don’t worry, it’s not your fault. If only we could have come sooner,” Fiona said, her head bowed in

feigned contrition.

“Don’t blame Mr. Ellington. It’s all that woman’s fault. If not for her, Richard would have never treated us

this way.”

In just a few words, the blame was squarely placed on Vivienne’s shoulders, as if by mutual unspoken

agreement.

…

Somewhere within the secretive Rivenwood research facility.

Vivienne was led blindfolded by Astrid to the heart of the lab.

“Here we are.” Astrid removed the blindfold, “Welcome to our lab. These are all our researchers.”

Vivienne took in her surroundings: masked faces, white lab coats, impassive stares.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Vivienne I’ve told you about. The perfume formula that I brought

back? She’s the author,” Astrid announced.

Only then did the researchers show interest. “You’re the legendary Vivienne! Please, could you share

some insights with me?”

“Me first, me first, please give me a hand here! I’m at my wits’ end with this one.”

“Ma’am, take a look at mine, it’s urgent.”

Vivienne was quickly ushered to the lab bench, surrounded by various reagents and lab reports already

laid out for her inspection.

Looking over the data, it was clear there had been no progress for quite some time.

She etched every figure and detail into her memory, a faint smirk of irony lighting up her eyes.

Then, she addressed the questions that had been thrown at her, pointing out a few key areas.

With her guidance, it was as if a lightbulb went off in everyone’s heads.

One by one, they followed Vivienne’s instructions and restarted their experiments, and sure enough,

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Smiles spread across their faces as if by some unspoken agreement.

“So that’s the underlying principle! I can’t believe I’ve been so blind to this issue for so long. Ma’am,

you truly are on another level.”

“Absolutely! I’ve been stuck on this for ages and couldn’t break through. I remember being dazzled by

her perfume formula once, and now, with her personal advice, I feel like I can wrap up this experiment

in no time.”

Amid the chorus of compliments, Vivienne remained calm and composed.

Astrid said with a smile, “Vivienne, having you on board is like giving wings to a tiger.”

Vivienne glanced at her, corners of her mouth ticking up slightly, “Let’s talk after the lab tour.”

“Of course.”

Astrid then led Vivienne through the rest of the lab facilities.

Though compact, the lab was bustling with a variety of experiments.

After spending the entire day in the lab, Vivienne and Astrid finally headed home.

“How was your day, Vivienne?” Astrid inquired.

Resting her hand on the car window, Vivienne propped her head on her slender fingers, replying lazily,

“It was fine. The lab’s projects are mature enough. They pass muster.”