The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Arthur had that "I told you so" look on his face. "See, I knew you'd ask about this, so I went ahead and bought them all. This way, whether it's a boy or a girl, they can wear the clothes their grandpa got them right away." Vivienne pursed her lips, unable to give the clothes another glance, "Nice choices, but let's not do this again." Arthur was visibly upset now, "Oh, con! I'm the baby's grandpa. I want to see them wearing what I picked out. It'll be adorable." Vivienne glanced over the two big boxes of trendy baby clothes, a twitch forming at the corner of her mouth, "The baby won't be wearing these at birth." Arthur was taken aback, "Then what should they wear?" Is there a whole science to baby clothes I'm missing? Vivienne couldn't bother to explain further, her patience wearing thin, "Don't worry about it, Mr. Wolf is on it." Arthur choked on his words.

He knew it. That kid was always stealing his thunder.

Noticing Arthur's silence, Vivienne looked out the window, "Dad, where's Winston? Didn't you pick him up? Why haven't I seen him around?" Arthur paused, then remembered, "He should be in the backyard. He was asking about you just now..." Before Arthur could finish, Vivienne was already on her way to the backyard.

She hadn't walked far when she spotted a small figure crouched on the grass, busily picking little flowers. She approached and called out, "Winston." Hearing her, Winston turned around swiftly, his face lighting up, "You're here!" Vivienne nodded.

But she also noticed the flowers he tried to hide behind his back, deciding not to mention it.

Instead, she just ruffled his hair, "It's chilly out here, let's go inside." Once inside, Vivienne poured a cup of hot chocolate and handed it over.

Winston's cheeks were flushed, sheepishly bringing out the flowers he had hidden, "I wanted to pick lotus flowers from Yorick's pond for you, but there weren't any. So, I got these little ones instead, hoping you'd like them." Vivienne took the flowers, a smile forming on her lips, "I love them." But her eyes lingered on Winston's slightly reddened hands.

The air outside wasn't that cold, making it clear that Winston had spent a good deal of tpicking out the perfect bunch.

She found a mason jar for the flowers, placing them prominently on the table.

Then, sitting back down, she noticed Winston biting his lip, seemingly eager yet hesitant to speak.

Vivienne softly asked, "What's on your mind, Winston?" Hearing his name, Winston hesitated, his small face tensed, "Is someone trying to hurtagain? Is that why you pickedup from school?" Vivienne's expression remained unchanged, though a shadow passed in her eyes, "Why would you think that? Did someone say something to you?" Winston shook his head, "No, it just feels similar to what happened before at home. It's about my grandpa, isn't it?" He cautiously asked, remembering the harsh words his brother Robbie had once said on the rooftop.

Vivienne didn't respond directly, not wanting to drag a child into their turmoil.

Yet Winston pleaded, "Did grandpa do something bad? Do you know where he is? I want to see him." Vivienne raised an eyebrow, "You want to see him?" Winston nodded, his voice barely above a whisper, "I just want to know what happened. Everything changed so suddenly at home. And my siblings, they've changed too, except for Colin..." He paused when mentioning Colin, his fingers nervously twiddling.

"I haven't talked much with Colin, but I think he's not a bad person." Vivienne's gaze deepened.

The Wright family's internal strife was not her concern, save for Winston's safety. Yet, his keen observation surprised her.

After a moment, she nodded, "You can see them whenever you wish." Winston's face lit up, "Really? Thank you." Only Declan could unravel the mysteries surrounding Winston.

In the living room, Sasha was chatting with Percival about baby names while Arthur listened with utmost attention, afraid to miss a detail.

As Vivienne approached with Winston, she was taken aback by the unexpectedly "harmonious" scene.

Sasha mentioned, "Finnian did the calculations. The baby will have a fiery temperament. We should consider that when naming." Percival added, "I've thought of a few names already. We'll have the master review them." Arthur, catching every word, blurted out, "Why make it so complicated? If it's about fire, just call them Blaze. Works for a boy or a girl, sounds energetic and fortunate." Content belongs to en.kikistoriesPercival and Vivienne exchanged looks, both thinking Arthur's suggestion was a bit too casual.

Naming, Vivienne decided, would be her domain.

Sasha noticed Vivienne and Winston arriving, beckoning them over with a smile, "Winston, cto Auntie." Winston glanced at Vivienne before walking over.

Sasha pulled him close, teasing, "Choosing Vivienne over me? You seeevery day, but since Vivienne's been busy, you wanted to give her something special?" Winston shook his head, his logic clear and sweet.

Sasha hugged him, chuckling, "How adorable our Winston is. If Vivienne's baby turns out to be a girl, how about I arrange a little marriage pact between you two?" "No way!!" Arthur and Percival protested in unison, surprising both Vivienne and Sasha with their unexpected unity.

Arthur instantly turned down the idea without a second thought, yet he didn't want to hurt Winston's feelings. He tried to let Sasha down gently. The baby's not even born yet, darling. It's way too early to talk about this. What if it's a boy?" Content belongs to en.kikistoriesSasha sighed, exasperated, "But we're only talking about this under the assumption that Vivienne is having a girl. Without that, what's the point of discussing a childhood betrothal?" Content belongs to en.kikistoriesPercival was more blunt, "The age gap between the kids is too big. It wouldn't be appropriate." Vivienne, ".

Sasha, ".

Had he forgotten about the age gap between him and Vivienne? The topic didn't continue. Vivienne asked Sasha if she could take Winston out for a bit.

Sasha didn't ask why. She just had the butler bring Winston a thick coat and helped him put it on, telling him to cback soon. Winston's eyes lit up, "Auntie, I'll be back before you know it." Sasha nodded, "Your uncle and I will be waiting at home." When Vivienne offered to help Winston into the car, he declined, "Thanks, but I'm a big kid now. I can't always be depending on others." Vivienne nodded, pleased, then suddenly remembered what her mother had said about a childhood engagement.

It didn't seem like such a bad idea.

But then she caught Mr. Wolf's eye as he settled into the car, his expression as dark as ink.

It was as if he'd read her mind when he spoke, "I disagree!" Vivienne, ".

|| Why did that sound so eerily familiar?