The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 119

Vivienne took a glance at the pasta in front of her, deciding it might be better to let someone else be the guinea pig. She stood up, carrying five plates of pasta to the kitchen to dump them out. "I'll give it another shot."

Though it was her first time cooking pasta, she had often watched Cordelia cook. She should be doing things right. However, fifteen minutes later, Percival and the others were once again staring speechlessly at the pasta in front of them. "Did you add too much vinegar this time?" Leopold grimaced, struggling to understand the overwhelming sour taste.

Vivienne's face fell. "I'll try again."

"No!"

Before the others could stop her, she was back in the kitchen.

Throughout the night, she was in a competition with herself, continuously cooking pasta. Percival and the others were forced to be her testers, tasting until they were pale and miserable.

"I'm tired, and I'm not hungry anymore. Can you ask Thomas to take me to my mom's?" Isolde was the first to surrender, wishing she could have left earlier.

"I'll take you!" Leopold immediately stood up, afraid Vivienne might stop him, and he quickly left with Isolde.

"Ah, I just remembered, the boss' car needs gas. There's a fifty percent discount at the gas station by the east gate. I need to fill up before midnight." Thomas made up an excuse, clearly upset that Leopold had taken his chance, and left as well.

Soon, only Vivienne and Percival were left at the table.

Upon seeing Vivienne staring at the pasta with a look of determination, Percival couldn't help but chuckle. It was amusing to discover something this girl wasn't good at.

"I'll teach you." He stood up, wrapping his uninjured left arm around her waist from behind. His smile was radiant as he leaned on her shoulder.

"You know how?" Vivienne glanced at him, looking somewhat unconvinced.

Percival led her into the kitchen, directing her to light the stove, start the pot, make the soup, and add sliced beef and vegetables. He grabbed her left hand and cracked two eggs into the pot, guiding her step by step to make two plates of pasta.

When it came to seasoning, he noticed Vivienne mistook sugar for salt and quickly stopped her. He then saw her about to add pepper to the pot.

He shook his head and finally understood why her pasta tasted so weird.

After stopping Vivienne's "bold" attempts several times, the pasta were finally ready.

Back at the dining table, Vivienne cautiously eyed the plates of beef pasta in front of her. It looked delicious, but so did the pasta she had made before, which Percival and the others claimed were awful. She pushed the pasta towards Percival. "You eat first."

She had decided not to try it herself.

"Alright." Percival found her childish gesture amusing.

If he had known Vivienne would be different after moving in, he would have convinced her to move in sooner.

He said okay but didn't move his fork.

Vivienne knew what he meant. Although she had seen how nimble his left hand was in the kitchen, she didn't call him out. Instead, she picked up some pasta with her spoon and fed him. After eating, Percival opened his mouth to indicate he wanted more.

"You're not tricking me, are you?" Vivienne skeptically fed him another bite. "Is it really edible?"

"Why don't you try?" Percival used his left hand to pick up a couple of pasta, feeding them to Vivienne. "This is the first meal we've cooked together. If you don't try it, I'll be upset." Vivienne hesitated for a moment and then reluctantly took a bite.

Five seconds later, her eyes lit up. She nodded at Percival, indicating she wanted more.

Percival gave her a doting smile, feeding her another mouthful. The two of them took turns feeding each other until they finished the two plates of pasta.

When she put the dishes in the dishwasher, Vivienne felt a bit more confident about cooking. "Cooking is like making pills. There's no difference. I can do it more often."

Percival watched her from the kitchen doorway with a mix of amusement and disbelief on his face. If she continued to season the way she had, she could ruin any delicious meal.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Vivienne dragged her suitcase around and looked around Percival's large apartment.

Percival's apartment at Bay Estates was a duplex located on the top floor, occupying the entire floor with over a dozen rooms.

The decor was a black, white, and gray Nordic style. The floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room offered a stunning view of most of Havenwood's nightlife.

"Where am I staying?" Vivienne looked around. There were indeed many rooms, but none were fully furnished.

Percival led her upstairs to a room, indicating she could stay there.

Vivienne took a look. The room was spacious and tidy; even the bed was neatly made with not a wrinkle on the sheets. There was a large balcony on the north side.

She set down her suitcase, opening the glass door to the balcony. From there, she could see the green trees and lake of Bay Estates and the bustling crowd and lights of the bar street, which was a completely different view from the living room.

"Do you like it?" Percival asked from behind her. "Though no one has lived here before, it's cleaned every day."

He didn't tell Vivienne that since the day they got engaged, he had prepared a room like this in all of his residences.

They were cleaned and freshened every day, waiting for her to move in.

"Why this one?" Vivienne turned to look at him as the night breeze blew through her hair, carrying her scent straight to Percival's nose.

She had seen two spacious rooms along the corridor.

"My room is next door." Percival involuntarily stepped closer to her.

Vivienne paused and then gave him a faint smile. "Are you planning to sneak into my room in the middle of the night, Mr. Ellington?"

Percival was speechless.

Was he really that bad in her eyes?

He cleared his throat, his face suddenly turning red. "Vivienne, it's kinda risky around my place. For safety's sake, why don't you crash next door? That way, I can protect you whenever."

Vivienne fell silent.

Did she look like she couldn't handle a knife?

It seemed like everyone thought she was just a frail woman.

Sigh...

It was all because she had been too busy enjoying life since she got off the mountain, not focusing on her career. Now everyone thought she needed extra protection.

"Any other rooms?" Vivienne didn't really care where she stayed. But Dorian was right. It was better for a man and woman to keep a certain distance when they were alone. Who knew what Percival might pull in the middle of the night?

It wasn't like she would actually let Percival force her into anything, but even so, she found it necessary. She preferred not to stir things up. That was how she did things.

"Other than this room that has a quilt, only my room's left." Percival reached out, pulling her into his arms by the waist and taking in her hair's sweet scent. "So, Vivienne, you wanna share a bed with me, huh? didn't think you'd be that forward."