The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

Five years later.

At the Rivenwood Public Kindergarten, in the office.

"Snap!"

"I'm at my wit's end, just look at this! How many times has it been?"

The headteacher's face was a palette of frustration, sitting at her desk, eyes blazing with anger.

What on earth had she done in her past life to deserve dealing with these two little reincarnations of mischief?

Leopold glanced at the photo on the desk, his mouth twitching in annoyance, yet he managed to maintain his composure. "Kiera, please, calm down. Have some tea. Whatever the cost, we'll cover it twice over. Kids will be kids, after all. Please be patient with them." Outside the window, two kids in red uniforms were tiptoeing to peek inside, watching Leopold bending over backward to smooth things over.

One whispered to the other, "Sis, think Uncle Leo can smooth things over with Kiera this time?"

Juliette blinked her eyes, a relieved expression on her face, "Uncle Leo's handled this stuff loads of times. Piece of cake. Besides, who else could we possibly call?"

Isaiah, his face betraying a maturity beyond his years, countered, "But what if Uncle Leo goes back and snitches to Mom again?"

At the mention, Juliette's eyes sparkled with mischief, mirroring the look of their mother Vivienne, "I have a plan, guaranteed to keep Uncle Leo from breathing a word of this."

Isaiah, skeptical, moved closer to hear her out but was already doubting the feasibility.

"Are you sure?"

"Remember last time? Uncle Leo tried to cover for you, and mom gave him one look, and he spilled everything. We ended up kneeling at the door for an entire afternoon. Forgot about that?"

If it weren't for grandpa stepping in, sending grandma to plead on their behalf, they'd have been kneeling till midnight, thanks to mom's temper.

Juliette raised an eyebrow, confidence oozing, "This time it's different. Uncle Leo will definitely agree."

Inside the office.

After much persuasion and promises from Leopold, the headteacher finally calmed down.

But this couldn't just slide.

"Mr. Sterling, you're their guardian. It's your responsibility to educate them, not just lip service, right?"

"If this continues, I can't keep them here. What kind of kids manage to blow a hole in the school?!" Leopold was speechless.

He now understood what Vivienne meant by her words.

So he was left holding the bag with these two?

Everyone in Rivenwood had pegged him as the go-to uncle, avoiding involving Vivienne whenever possible.

Who was he to complain to?

Ever since he took the kids to Emerald Mountain, where they accidentally set fire to their master's residence and then turned a library into their coloring book, his fellow disciples had been overly welcoming, suggesting he keep the kids at an arm's length and perhaps stick to online greetings.

The most heartbreaking part was when Griffin, after taking care of the kids for two days while Leopold was sick, vowed never to bring up the topic of children again.

Recalling these incidents, Leopold swallowed his bitterness, "Don't worry, I'll talk to them. It won't happen again."

Then, calling out to the window, "Juliette, Isaiah, get in here and apologize to your teacher!"

On the ride home, Leopold was simmering with anger but kept the speed to a steady 30 mph for the sake of the two troublemakers in the backseat.

Juliette, observing the change in scenery, asked, "Uncle Leo, why are we taking a different route? This isn't the way home."

Leopold wanted to be left alone with his thoughts.

Juliette persisted, "You're not planning to get rid of us, are you?"

Leopold's frustration peaked, "Get rid

of you? After the stunts you've

pulled, who'd take you? You've

turned schools into your playgrounds. If I brought you home, there'd be nothing left!"

He then threatened, "I'm telling Vivienne about this, see if you dare do it again."

In the backseat, Juliette and Isaiah exchanged looks, their eyes welling up, "Uncle Leo, do you not want us anymore?" "Stop playing the victim. If anyone's suffering, it's me."

Leopold vented, "Count them. Since

starting preschool, how many

schools have you been through? Six! And last month, if I hadn't intervened, you'd have led a whole kinder-garden on a wild goose chase. The principal called me up, nearly hysterical."

The thought alone terrified him.

That incident had made all the fancy kindergartens in Rivenwood wary of accepting them.

He was left with no choice but to turn to public schools that were unaware of their reputation.

Juliette's innocent face looked up, "They wanted to see the ocean, so we went. It's not like we were lost."

Leopold was at his wit's end, "It's not about being lost. You're only five. What if something happened?"

He saw only two options: fund a private school just for them or send them back to Vivienne and resign from his role as the fun uncle.

Juliette sighed, slumping back, "So, you're just tired of dealing with us. You think we're nothing but trouble."

"You forgot what you promised when we first called you Uncle Leo. You said you'd always protect us." Leopold felt a pang of guilt.

Ever since Percival disappeared, leaving Vivienne in despair, he'd been the one looking after the kids. His affection for them ran deep.

Seeing Leopold's resolve waver,

Juliette changed tactics, "And to think I've been bragging to mom about how you're the handsomest, most capable of her disciples, and

her, most trusted one at ve

QUMS

Leopold's mind paused for a moment, his gaze fixed on the rearview mirror in disbelief. "Really?"

Juliette's eyes sparkled with certainty. "Come on, godfather, if you won't take Juliette's word for it, surely you can't doubt Isaiah. He never lies."

Isaiah merely put down his tablet, offering a brief, "Yeah," in response.

A smile played at the corners of Leopold's mouth. It seemed his years of dedication had not gone unnoticed by Vivienne.

"So, godfather, can we keep today's adventure just between us, please?" Juliette pressed.

"I promise, no more using the school as my personal science lab."

Leopold hesitated. A couple of years ago, he would've agreed without a second thought.

But now, he was more cautious.

The energy these two kids radiated was more than enough to keep ten of him busy cleaning up their messes.

Juliette decided to play her trump card. "Besides, godfather, you don't like mom's new boyfriend any more than we do. I have a plan to make him leave for good."

After all, she and Isaiah weren't fond of the man.

He wasn't their dad, so what right did he have to stick around their mom all the time?