The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

After Leopold and Thomas left, Vivienne and Percival retired to their rooms as well.

The drama of the evening had left a sour taste in the mouths of the Brooks family, and everyone had

opted for an early night.

Darren, however, was humming a tune as he strolled towards his room on the second floor. Observing

the spectacle between Paula and Eddy earlier had put him in high spirits.

These two, his aunt and cousin, had been strutting around like peacocks for too long, and he was

frankly sick of it.

Being family, and seeing as Paula did lose her daughter, the Brooks family had been tolerating their

rudeness and boorishness for too long.

But what happened today filled him with glee. They had it coming!

They ought to be thanking their lucky stars that Vivienne had spared Eddy's life.

The mere thought of Vivienne sent a shudder down Darren's spine, and he quickened his pace towards

his room.

It was better to keep as much of a distance as possible from her.

Swiftly, he pushed open the door to his room, eager to take refuge.

To his surprise, Vivienne was lounging on his sofa, engrossed in her phone, as if she owned the place.

Darren was at a loss for words.

Would he have time to make a run for it?

Vivienne glanced at him and spoke in an indifferent tone. "Back already?"

With a thud, Darren dropped to his knees before her, gripping her legs as he begged for mercy.

"Vivienne, I was wrong! Please forgive me!"

Tears streamed down his face, making him the very definition of woe.

Vivienne kicked him away in disgust. She brushed off the traces he left on her dress, eyeing Darren as

she said, "What exactly did you do wrong?"

"I shouldn't have run away." Darren confessed as remorse washed over, leaving his face a picture of

woe.

Years ago, he had been sent by the Edwards family to the Emerald Monastery to become a disciple.

His aptitude had impressed the master, who took him in.

Initially, he was thrilled. But the training at the Emerald Monastery was nothing like what he had

imagined.

Vivienne's training methods were worse than any military show he had ever seen on TV.

He simply couldn't handle the hardship.

So he chose a dark and windy night and scaled the walls to escape.

"What else?" Vivienne's tone was calm, but Darren felt a chill run down his spine.

"More?" Darren racked his brains, continuing his confession. "I should have listened to you. All the

beatings and scolding were for my own good. I was ignorant."

As he spoke, Darren began to tremble. He could vividly recall the punishments at the Emerald

Monastery. He certainly didn't want a repeat of those dreadful days.

"Since you've left the monastery, you are no longer one of the disciples there."

At first, Darren felt a sense of relief. If he wasn't one of the disciples, that meant she couldn't discipline

him anymore, right?

But his relief was short-lived.

"However, the mistakes you've made can't just be swept under the rug."

As soon as she finished speaking, Darren felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him.

The memories of his beatings at the monastery flooded his mind.

"I was wrong! I was wrong! Vivienne, please spare me! I really was wrong…"

He tried to grip Vivienne's legs again, refusing to let go.

Vivienne looked down at his pathetic figure and was left utterly speechless. How did the stone

Monastery produce such a coward?

With a swift kick, she sent Darren sprawling away from her. Her voice was lazy and relaxed as she

asked, "Why did you steal the talking parrot from the master?"

Darren, still reeling from Vivienne's kick, hastily explained, "I didn't mean to steal the master's parrot. It

was just that when I was escaping, I startled it. You know how smart that little thing is. If it had called

out, I wouldn't have been able to escape. So, I just grabbed it and took it with me."

"But don’t worry, Vivienne. It's still alive and well. It's even put on a few pounds. I'll give it back to you;

just please let me off this time, Vivienne."

Just as he was about to crawl towards Vivienne again, footsteps echoed outside his open door.

Vivienne gave Darren another swift kick.

Ashley, who was passing by the door, paused in her steps.

She had caught a glimpse into Darren's room.

Was her brother kneeling before Vivienne?

That couldn't be right. Why would her brother kneel before Vivienne?

Was she seeing things or…

Ashley took a few steps back to get a better look into Darren's room.

Vivienne was indeed sitting on the sofa, but Darren was standing in front of her.

Ashley breathed a sigh of relief. She must have seen wrong.

But why was Vivienne in her brother's room?

They had only just met today, and they weren't exactly close.

Thinking this, Ashley walked into the room and asked, "Vivienne, what are you doing in my brother's

room?"

Vivienne didn't answer but gave Darren a look that clearly said 'handle it.'

Quick on his feet, Darren stepped in and answered. "I brought a gift for Vivienne. I asked her to come

over to collect it."

Ashley's eyes lit up at the mention of a gift. "A gift? Do I get one too?"

Darren was blunt. "No, you don't."

Ashley's face fell at her brother's blunt response.

She was actually thrilled that her uncle's real daughter had come back home.

Especially since Vivienne was such a formidable and down-to-earth person. She was so much better

than Arabella. At least Vivienne hadn't caused her any trouble since her return.

Ever since she'd arrived, it was like everyone, from Grandma and Mom to Darren and her older cousin,

were bending over backwards for Vivienne.

Even the only Peach Blossom Bracelet, a family heirloom, had been given to Vivienne by Grandma.

Her grandpa had even made a special trip back from the nursing home just to show his support for

Vivienne.

Now, even her own flesh and blood brother, Darren, had gone out of his way to bring a gift for Vivienne,

leaving her, his little sister, empty-handed. Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

Ashley was not happy and left Darren's room in a huff.

Darren, with his thick skin, didn't even notice his sister's annoyance. He simply wiped the sweat from

his brow, relieved that he'd managed to bluff his way past Ashley.

But as for Vivienne, Darren nervously glanced at Vivienne. Having groveled so shamelessly at her feet,

he wondered if she would spare him.

Vivienne's expression was neutral, revealing no signs of her emotions. She simply extended her hand

towards him.

Darren was confused.

Vivienne asked impatiently, "Where's my gift?"

Darren froze.

If he admitted that he didn't have a gift, would he be in serious trouble?

In this life-or-death moment, a sudden idea struck him. He quickly rummaged through his suitcase,

pulling out an item and handing it to Vivienne.