The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Logan noticed Faye wasn't her usual bubbly self and thought she hadn't quite recovered from the ordeal they had just been

through.

He offered up the steaming cup of hot chocolate he was holding, "Cut back on the cold drinks, it's getting chilly out and you don't

want to catch a cold."

Faye stared at the cup in his hand, lost in thought for a moment before she politely declined Logan's gesture, "No thanks, I'm not

really into hot chocolate. Go ahead and finish it, I've got to get back to work."

Faye's pace quickened as she spoke, leaving Logan in a haze of confusion.

That sevening, Vivienne had drafted a legalplaint for Mrs. Johnson, but was stopped by Percival just as she was about to

send it off.

"Hold on a second, let's not rush into this," Percival said with a chuckle, gently blocking her move.

Vivienne, puzzled, didn't understand why Percival was suddenly stopping her, "They've crossed the line with us, when else are we

supposed to act?"

"Don't et about your other student, giving him a chance to shine right now could really boost his reputation," Percival showed

her the video again.

In the footage, Logan was always seen protecting Faye, placing her behind him even whilemunicating with the family.

"I had otten about him," Vivienne conceded, finding Percival's argument reasonable, "If he can't protect the woman he loves,

then he might as well not confess his feelings at all."

Percival drew Vivienne close, "We just need to focus on living our lives well, let them take it one step at a time."

A gentle kiss landed on Vivienne's lips, and just as she was about to lose herself in the moment with Percival, a noise from outside

the door brought them back to reality.

Their gaze towards the doorway indeed met with two pairs of youthful eyes.

Juliette quickly averted her gaze, feeling guilty, while Isaiah, standing at the door, blushed unnaturally when Vivienne looked over,

promptly turning his gaze away just like Juliette had.

The siblings" antics amused Vivienne, "What are you doing lurking around the door at this hour? Need anything from us?"

Trying to act mature, Juliette coughed lightly, "Nothing, we're big enough to sleep on our own now."

With that, the two scampered off, not etting to close the door behind them.

Vivienne couldn't help but laugh at their hasty retreat, playfully scolding Percival, "I told you to keep the door shut, and now the

kids have seen everything."

"So what if they saw?" Percival felt indifferent, "It's good for them to see their parents in love."

As the video spread online, the Baker family also caught wind of it, prompting immediate concern for Faye.

Seeing calls from both Doreen Baker and Grandma Bertha light up her phone made Faye hesitate. What if one of them decided to

rush over in a panic?

But the persistent ringing left her no choice but to answer.

As soon as the call connected, Doreen's voice, filled with worry, flooded Faye's ear, "Faye, are you still at the hospital? Did you get

hurt anywhere? Has today's issue been resolved?"

Hearing Doreen's concern seemed to lift a weight off Faye's shoulders, "Mom, I'm okay, the surgery went well, and the issue has

been resolved. You and grandma don't need to worry about me."

Doreen becmore agitated upon hearing Faye's nonchalant response, "I've always told you, you can't just let things slide. You

had to promise me, if | hadn't seen that video today, were you ever planning to tell me?"

It was undeniable; Doreen was right. Over the years, Faye had be adept at only sharing good news, not wanting to burden her

family with her troubles.

"I'm fine now, Mom. Really, there's no need for worry. I'll tell you if somethinges up."

"You said the sthing before, and yet, for years, you've kept silent. We thought nothing much was happening, but that video

gave us quite the scare. Are you hiding more from us?"

"Truly, no, Mom. | don't mention the small stuff because it's not worth worrying over."

"How big does it have to be before you consider it 'big'?" Doreen interrupted, "Enough, I'll be over in a few days to see for myself

what's going on. Then I'll know the whole story!"

Doreen didn't continue the conversation, knowing she needed to calm down. Her concern was making Faye uneasy.

Faye knew Doreen would surelye; accepting this call had sealed that oue. She sighed resignedly, leaning against the

railing.

Now, not only did she have to deal with the aftermath of the incident, but she also had to prepare for the barrage of questions from

her mother. Just the thought made her head spin.

Logan, passing by, spotted Faye standing outside the glass door. He paused, observing her for a long while.

Eventually, he took out his phone and snapped a photo of Faye's silhouette against the night sky, like the only star shining in the

darkness.

The next morning, before Mrs. Johnson could even bask in the joy of her son's recovery, she was hit with a subpoena from the

court.

A courier arrived at the hospital early, directed to a specific ward but had to wait at the front desk for someone to collect the

package.

Upon receiving a call from an unknown number, Mrs. Johnson's first instinct was to hang up. But the persistent caller quickly wore

down her patience, and she exploded with anger the moment she picked up again, "Are you out of your mind, callinglike this?

Don't think you can scamout of my money!"

The courier, confused and maintaining his professionalism, replied with as much patience as he could muster, "Hello, Danielle. I'm

the courier with a package addressed to you. If you're not too busy, could you pleasee down to the front desk to sign for it?

I'm in a bit of a hurry to make other deliveries, so if you could expedite, that would be great."

Before Mrs. Johnson could inquire further about the nature of the package, the courier had already ended the call, leaving her with

no chance to ask questions.

Why on earth was she receiving a package out of the blue?

Despite her skepticism, Grandma couldn't quell her curiosity. She shuffled over to the reception desk, and sure enough, there was a

young man in a delivery uniform waiting there.

As soon as the delivery guy saw her, he asked, "Excuse me, are you Danielle?"

Grandma glared at him and snatched the envelope out of his hands without a word. She didn't even bother to confirm her identity

before ripping it open, upon seeing her non it.

The moment the words "court summons" peeked out from the envelope, a wave of shock went through her. She tried her best to

remain calm in front of the stranger.

But as she read through the document, her face went as white as a sheet. She nearly collapsed, saved only by leaning against a

nearby pillar.

The receptionist, a nurse, was startled by Grandma's reaction and quickly cover to support her, asking, "Ma'am, are you

alright? What's wrong?"

Grandma, shaky and pale, pointed to the document clutched in her hand, unable to get a word out.

The nurse and the delivery guy peered over and realized it wasn't just any letter—it was a lawsuit from the court!