The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

Percival found a fedora and a pair of sunglasses amidst a pile of men's clothing.

To the average Joe, these items might seem like mere accessories.

But for a man capable of disguising himself without detection, they were overkill.

He pointed them out to Vivienne.

At first, Vivienne was taken aback, but she quickly caught on to Mr. Wolf's implication and scoffed, "She thinks these items are worthless to us, little did she know we'd uncover her Achilles' heel."

The hat, the sunglasses, and this basement.

It all confirmed one thing.

Abigail, severely injured, was photophobic.

Hence, whether it was her hiding spots or the timing of her attacks on solitary women, they all had to be in the dark.

Vivienne stood up to leave, "Looks like I need to have another chat with the old man."

On her way, Vivienne took out her cell phone and called Finnian, only to be immediately hung up on.

Raising an eyebrow, she tried again.

Still hung up.

With a smirk, she decided against calling again and sent a text instead, "I'm on my way to the Perez's, will be there in twenty minutes."

Two seconds later, her phone rang.

Finnian's voice came through, feigning indifference, "Who said I'm at the Perez's? I'm not their nanny. Just because the kids got better doesn't mean I can't go back to my own place!" "You little brat, you just want to see me, but you're out of luck."

Vivienne laughed, her tone nonchalant, "Is that so? I just got a wild Heavenly-Snow Lotus, thought I'd let the master take a look. But if you're not there, then forget it."

Finnian snorted, "Don't try to fool me with that, I don't believe it.”

Vivienne calmly replied, "Suit yourself. It's useless to me anyway. Might as well give it to grandpa Perez for his tea."

"You..."

Finnian was clearly irritated, "You're wasting such a treasure on that old man's tea, are you trying to kill me?"

Vivienne played innocent, "You were the one who said you weren't at the Perez's, so I can only give it to grandpa now."

Caught off guard, Finnian quickly changed the subject, "I, I just had to rush back to the Emerald Monastery for something urgent. What do you want?"

Vivienne got straight to the point, "About that story you told me last time, I think it's worth digging deeper into."

"Just that?"

"Alright, I'll be heading back to the mountains anyway. I'll see if I can find any ancient tomes about it there."

After hanging up, Vivienne looked out the window, seemingly unaffected by the previous conversation.

Percival asked, "Master went back to the Emerald Mountain?"

Vivienne chuckled, "He hasn't even left Rivenwood. Emerald Mountain is just a smokescreen."

Percival raised an eyebrow, "So, this is?"

Vivienne huffed, "Clearly, he's throwing a tantrum. All this fuss over an agarwood bracelet, the old man is getting stingier with age."

Percival, "...What about the Heavenly-Snow Lotus you got for master Tristan?"

Vivienne raised an eyebrow, "I'll just say it spoiled while waiting for him and throw it away."

Percival, "..."

For a mentor and disciple, they sure talk straightforwardly.

Returning home, they coincidentally ran into Cecilia, who had come to visit with Isolde.

Vivienne had no objections to her mother-in-law's visit.

However, the gifts were indeed quite straightforward.

Looking at the table full of herbal packages for strengthening tonic soup.

The silence was deafening.

Vivienne's gaze naturally fell on Percival.

As expected, Mr. Wolf's face visibly darkened.

After a deep sigh, Percival pulled Cecilia towards the balcony, "Mom, take this away. I don't need it!"

Cecilia awkwardly smiled at Vivienne inside.

Then, as if flipping a switch, she

tugged at her son, "Take what away? Vivienne is too polite to say, but you think you have a say in this? I went through a lot of trouble to get these; they're said to be very effective!"

Percival, "..."

Does he look like he needs this?

Seeing her son silent, Cecilia felt embarrassed, as men have their pride.

Even if it's not effective, it can't be said outright.

But as a mother, she couldn't just watch her newlywed daughter-in-law suffer...

"Son, your grandfather made it clear when we came, the future prosperity of the Ellington family rests on you How can you succeed if you don't take care of your body? Listen to your mom, try a course first, and if it doesn't work, we can always..."

"Pfft!"

Vivienne, who had just taken a sip of water, spat it out.

Even Isolde, who was watching TV, jumped, "Vivienne, are you okay?"

Vivienne hastily shook her head, "Just choked on the tea."

It wasn't her fault for overhearing; the balcony door wasn't quite closed, that must be it.

Little did she know that an offhand remark at the Ellingtons would bring such a "consequence" to Mr. Wolf. She'd definitely be more careful with her words in the future. Wondering if it was too late for regrets.

Percival turned around at the sound, and upon catching Vivienne's gaze, noticed her guilty avoidance.

Looking at the table filled with enough medicine for a year, he couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

Was this how his wife portrayed him outside?

Since when did he need medicinal supplements in that department!

Percival looked away, turning back to stop Cecilia's lengthy explanation, "Mom, for the last time, I'm not sick!"

"Throw all that stuff away. Go back and tell grandpa that I guarantee he'll get his wish this year."

With that, Percival headed into the living room first.

Cecilia stood frozen in shock.

The remedy hadn't even been consumed, and it was already showing its potency?

After seeing Cecilia and Isolde off,

Percival pulled Vivienne into the

house. No sooner had the door

closed behind them than she found herself pinned against the wall, with Percival's entire being pressing down on her. His kisses were fierce, asif he intended to devour her whole.

Vivienne gasped in surprise, looking up into Percival's piercing gaze that seemed to see right through her, a touch of guilt in her eyes. "My mom hasn't even left the street, has she?" Percival's eyebrow quirked, ignoring her protests. His hand gently traveled up from her waist, sending shivers down her spine, while he too felt the changes in his body.

He leaned in, biting her ear with a voice filled with restrained intensity, "Vivienne, still think I'm not up to par?"

Vivienne was at a loss for words.

It wasn't intentional.

"Mr. Wolf, mom misunderstood, it's not what you think... Mmph."

"It's too late for explanations now!"

What followed was an hour of indescribable activities!

In the early hours, just as Vivienne had drifted to sleep, she was roused by the rustling of clothes.

Seeing Percival getting dressed without having slept, Vivienne blinked in confusion, "Mr. Wolf?"

Percival turned, his voice lowered, "Sorry for waking you. There's been a bit of trouble with Leopold; I need to check on him. You rest up."

With a hoarse voice, Vivienne raised her hand slightly, "What happened to Leopold?"

Percival sighed, "He decided to sneak into the Martinez estate in the middle of the night and got caught. They nearly ended his life, mistaking him for an intruder."