The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

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The moment the phone call ended, Godfrey's front door swung open again.

Vivienne glanced down at the huddled Martinez family by the doorway; her lips pursed into a slight smile. "Mr. Martinez, such formalities are hardly necessary." "Everybody up, now!" Stellan's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as he glared at Leopold, sprawled out behind him.

A cluster of people awkwardly rose to their feet, their faces painted with awkwardness. "Uh, Ms. Hawthorn, we're really grateful for your help. Please, stay for dinner to thank you for taking care of my father." Audrey, lounging on the sofa, glanced over and snorted disdainfully, then looked away, indifferent to whether Godfrey lived or died.

"Stellan, aren't you even gonna ask?" But she couldn't stand to see the Martinez family have it easy. "What if Ms. Hawthorn's treatment kills Dad?" Griffin's retort was sharper, “Because we're not blind, we can see with our own eyes. Unlike you, sitting there like a frog in a well!" As soon as Vivienne entered the room, she used her silver needles to stabilize Godfrey, halting his convulsions. The rest of her methods were a mystery to them.

But through the open door, they could see Godfrey's color improving under Vivienne's care. Clearly, her treatment was working.

Ignoring Audrey's sour expression, Griffin cuddled up to Vivienne. "You're amazing, Vivienne. You're my hero!" Leopold beamed with pride at the compliments directed at Vivienne, more pleased than if they were for himself. "Of course, you've seen who Vivienne is with, right? Lettell you, when it comes to medicine, there's no one better than her." Percival raised an eyebrow. "Sucking up won't help you. Remember, you're paying for the scratch you put on my car." "Vivienne..." Leopold pleaded with puppy-dog eyes, "Considering I'm your youngest junior, maybe we can forget about the car, huh?" Vivienne smiled subtly. "Remember to pay up." What kind of joke was this? Mr. Wolf's car was basically hers, too. The car was barely a day old when Leopold's impromptu stunt left a glaring scratch on it! God only knows the murderous rage she felt when stepping out of the BBQ joint and seeing that white gash.

Without further ado, Vivienne took Percival's arm and addressed Stellan. “Godfrey's not out of the woods yet. He'll need a couple more treatments. This toxin is a new one, and we might need to find an antidote to eradicate it completely." "Ms. Hawthorn, you seem quite familiar with this,” Stellan said, puzzled by her confidence.

Vivienne didn't shy away from the truth. "My mother encountered the sissue yesterday. Luckily, someone was with her, so the perpetrator didn't succeed." At first, she thought the attack was solely targeting her mother. Turns out, it was a wider net.

Vivienne's thoughts grew heavy. The enemy lurked in the shadows while she stood in the light. This adversary was proving to be even trickier than the F-Poison.

"Mr. Martinez, we have other matters today, so we'll be taking our leave," Vivienne said, preparing to go. Midway, she paused. "Mr. Martinez, if you're confused, maybe look into the ancient warrior lineages. See if there's a family known for using poison derived from insects. That's where this toxin comes from.

The enemy is likely experimenting with a drug to control neural functions, which is why Godfrey was in that state." Lancelot's pupils narrowed at her words. "You're saying my father was poisoned with that stuff? Stellan, it could be..." Instantly, he thought of that particular family, and Stellan seemed to agree.

But he glanced at Vivienne, then subtly at Audrey, silent on the sofa. “Lancelot, let's not jump to conclusions without evidence." "Ms. Hawthorn, rest assured. This concerns my father, and I will investigate thoroughly. However, if he has another episode, we'll still need your expertise." Vivienne's eyes flickered, and with a nonchalant wave, she said, "It's no trouble at all. Now, if you'll excuse us, Leopold." "Huh?" Griffin punched him lightly. "What do you mean, 'huh'? You wrecked Vivienne and Percival's car; now get moving and take them home!" Her punch wasn't gentle, and Leopold winced. "I'll take them, I'll take them. But why hit me? I only scratched Vivienne's car because of you! Partly your fault, too!" Griffin clung to Vivienne. "She didn't askto pay for it. You were driving; you pay up. Surely, you're going to say you can't even afford that much, right?" "Who said I can't?" A man's pride can't be challenged, especially not in matters of finance and especially not by Griffin.

Leopold's competitive spirit flared up. "Of course, I can afford it! It's just one car! Even if I wrecked all of Percival's cars, I could afford it!" Percival's brow twitched. "You want to wreck them all?!" Leopold backpedaled. “No, no, I didn't mean that. I was just... making an example, really, just an example." He laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, a master of deflection.

Pretending to notice something outside, he made a beeline for the door. "The view outside looks pretty good, Vivienne, Percival, I'll check it out. You two better follow quickly." Vivienne: "Can this guy ever tie the knot?" Percival: "Probably not. Whoever sets their sights on him must be looking through sseriously rose-colored glasses." Griffin: "Why do I feel like I'm the punchline here?" Stellan: "Who in their right mind would want this goofball as a son-in-law?" Oblivious to how his image had already been heavily damaged in his future father-in-law's eyes, Leopold managed to deliver Vivienne and Percival to the Perez Mansion.

As they got out of the car, Vivienne finally seemed to remember that Leopold was her junior brother.

In her gentle and understanding way, she invited him to join the Perez family for a dinner gathering.

Leopold, thick-skinned as ever, Nved brushed off the reminder of a small debt he owed with a single sentence. Grateful, he muttered to himself, "Vivienne's always got my back," and strode towards the Perez home.

Before he left, he couldn't resist ve boasting in the junior disciples' chat group: [No way, no way Surely no ope's missed out on Vivienne's invite to the family get-together, right? I mean, why wouldn't they? It's not like they're always this lucky like me.] Jerry: [Just say you got a death wish.] Larry: [Leopold's been floating on cloud nine lately. Needto bring you back down to earth?] Gary: [Looks like you're getting along swell with the ladies at my joint. How about you cwork for me?"] The rest of the disciples: [Why bother talking to him? Drop the address; it's about tLeopold learns a lesson today.]