The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

The commotion woke Vivienne from her thoughts.

She cast a quick glance.

Juliette, scared straight, immediately sat up and started eating her dinner with tiny, polite bites, the picture of obedience.

Arthur sat nearby, noticing Juliette skipping the veggies and sticking to her rice, worried she might be feeling off, "Juliette, why aren't you having your mac and cheese, sweetheart? Let grandpa give you some ribs, it's your favorite." Juliette looked up with a smile, "Thank you, grandpa."

Arthur's heart melted, "Here, let grandpa help you."

Midway through passing her the ribs, Arthur caught a stern look from Vivienne.

His hand paused, and he placed the ribs in Juliette's bowl, quickly adding, "Juliette can eat by herself, we need to foster good habits and not depend too much on others."

After saying that, he also served some green beans to Isaiah.

Equality among the kids was a must.

Isaiah looked at his bowl, now unexpectedly full of green beans.

He looked up in surprise.

Mom never allowed them to waste food. Didn't grandpa know?

Arthur, misinterpreting Isaiah's look for gratitude over a few green beans, added more to his plate, "There, grandpa knows you love your greens. Have some more." Isaiah was speechless.

Yorick chimed in, "Vivienne, I've heard about this Connor from your grandpa too. Young but managed to bring a family business to great heights in just five years, indeed impressive." "What's most important is, I see a bit of Percival in him, whether towards you or the kids."

Though Connor hadn't made it obvious, it was clear to an outsider.

He was genuinely invested in Vivienne.

If it weren't for his recent actions towards Juliette, Yorick might not have been so quick to approve.

Vivienne's heart skipped a beat, "Grandpa, Mr. Wolf doesn't need a stand-in, and I won't treat someone else as him."

"Let's not bring this up again."

Arthur frowned, Vivienne's unresolved feelings about Percival worried him, "Vivienne, your grandpa is right. It's been five years. It's time to move on. Percival's body..." Vivienne's gaze darkened.

Juliette quickly changed the subject, "Grandpa, I miss grandma. When is she coming back from Great-grandpa's?"

Arthur paused, then said, "Your grandma might not be back until next week."

Vivienne narrowed her eyes, "What's wrong, grandpa?"

Arthur reassured her not to worry, "She said it's her old back pain acting up. Your mom wanted to stay a few more days to make sure she's alright."

Vivienne pondered for a moment, "I'll visit tomorrow."

Juliette immediately raised her hand, "Isaiah and I want to go too."

Great-grandpa always doted on them the most. Now that he was sick, how could she not visit?

Isaiah nodded in agreement.

Yorick laughed, knowing the kids well, "If you go to the Perez family, your great-grandpa won't get a moment of rest, let alone sleep."

Juliette quickly pleaded, "Mommy, please let us go. Isaiah and I won't disturb great-grandpa."

Vivienne looked at them and told Yorick, "Grandpa, let them go. Grandpa will start worrying if he doesn't see the kids."

Yorick nodded slightly.

He didn't plan to stop them; he understood Jasper's feelings well.

As children grow and they age, each visit becomes more precious.

The next day, Vivienne and the kids set off early for the Perez family.

She had let them know ahead of time, and by the time they arrived, someone was already waiting for them.

It was Maddox and his twin sons.

Vivienne got out of the car and greeted, "Uncle Maddox."

Before Maddox could respond, the twins couldn't contain their excitement and reached out focher with their little hands, "Sistero

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Maddox had no choice but to let them be, "Vivienne's here, and these two couldn't wait to meet you at the door. Couldn't stop them."

Vivienne lifted one in each arm, and the two chubby bundles immediately started showering her with kisses.

She was defenseless against their baby drool marks.

Maddox was taken aback and hurried over to manage the situation, "Okay, okay, that's enough. Sister won't like it if you keep this up." Far from letting go, the twins clung even tighter, as if afraid Vivienne would push them away.

Vivienne soothed them, "That won't happen."

When Uncle Maddox and his wife had struggled to conceive for years, there were whispers of health issues.

After a secret visit to the hospital - which didn't stay secret for long - it was revealed his wife wasn't ready.

Maddox stopped pressuring her until she surprised everyone with news of her pregnancy, which turned out to be twins. The family was overjoyed.

The twins' birth fulfilled Maddox's dream, although it took a toll on his wife's health, leading to a prolonged hospital stay.

With the newborns also facing complications, Maddox was torn between them and his wife. During that time, Vivienne stepped in to help.

Since then, every visit to the Perez family made the twins especially fond of her.

Juliette called out from the car, "Augustine Perez, Sebastian Perez."

Isaiah approached Maddox with respect, "Uncle Maddox."

Maddox fondly ruffled Isaiah's hair holding a special affection for these two kids- one lively, the other steady. Despite their mischief, they were just kids, after all.

Now, busy with his twins, Maddox's days were a whirlwind of activity.

The more these two kids grew, the more mischievous they became.

Relying on their family's adoration, they were nearly turning into little rebels.

"Mommy, let me hug Augustine and Sebastian, please..." Juliette, the older sister, couldn't get enough of her younger twin brothers.

Two adorable little munchkins that looked exactly alike - who could resist?

Upon seeing Juliette, one instinctively hid in Vivienne's embrace, while the other hurriedly sought refuge behind Maddox.

In the Perez family, they feared no one, except Juliette struck a chord of fear in their hearts.

All because Juliette's favorite pastime was pinching their cheeks.

One in each hand.

She wouldn't stop until she was overjoyed.

And they couldn't escape; wherever they went, she would find them.

It almost became a dark shadow over their young minds.

Trying to complain was futile; their cries were dismissed by their dad as hunger or a dirty diaper...

Seeing them hiding so diligently,

Juliette said helplessly, "Why are you running? I'm not going to eat you, come here. I promise I won't touch your faces again, for real!"