The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 1196

Maddox finally figured out what was happening on the other end of the room. He had initially wanted to stay out of it, but his wife, being the sensitive soul she was, left him no choice but to clear his throat loudly. The sound startled the two gossiping women into silence, their heads bowed, daring not to glance in Maddox's direction.

Floyd, noticing Maddox's intervention, was taken aback. Suppressing his distaste, he nodded and offered Maddox a small, albeit forced, smile.

Maddox, uninterested in responding, turned back to continue his conversation with Willa, leaving Floyd to scan the room, his gaze lingering on the party guests.

"Better keep your wits about you, none of you might make it through the night," Floyd muttered to himself, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

After his cryptic remark, the hall burst back into its usual lively chatter. Not long after, Floyd made his way to the secluded garden, replaceing solace in its solitude as he waited for someone.

Juliette, passing by, noticed his lone figure and approached, tapping him on the shoulder. "What are you doing out here all by yourself? Aren't you going to join the party inside?"

Floyd, his grip tightening on the object in his hand, barely glanced her way. "I'll head in later, it's a bit stuffy inside for my liking."

"Alright, just don't catch a cold if it gets windy," Juliette muttered as she returned to the festivities, unaware that her brief interaction had allowed her to plant a listening device on Floyd. Her actions were far from coincidental; she had been seeking Floyd out for quite some time, even while he dealt with some nuisances upstairs, all under Juliette's watchful eye.

Now, within the grand hall, Juliette swayed her drink leisurely as she approached Vivienne, who was taking a moment to herself.

"Did he suspect anything?" Vivienne asked, propping herself up on the couch, her interest in the party's frivolities long gone, replaced by a desire to thwart an impending plot.

"Don't worry, Mom, he's clueless about our suspicions. Probably too caught up in his own delusions," Juliette couldn't help but feel elated discussing their covert operation. "So, what exactly is his plan? Why choose tonight of all nights? It's all so bizarre."

"You mean to tell me he's planning to use bombs?!" Juliette was visibly shocked. If Floyd's intentions were as Vivienne suggested, then the situation was far more dire than anticipated. "He must have rigged the entire place; can we disarm them in time?" Vivienne, staring out the window with a grave expression, remained silent.

The responsibility of intervening had never been her desire, but the potential loss of lives forced her hand against Floyd's dangerous scheme.

Griffin, on her way to the restroom, detected the unmistakable scent of gunpowder-a familiarity bred from her family's business in explosives. She immediately alerted Vivienne, causing a delay in the event's commencement.

Upon inspection, they discovered the first bomb, eerily similar to Griffin's family-designed Sunfloria, hidden within the restroom.

"This is madness; these bombs are a

hazard beyond measure!" Griffin exclaimed, realizing the

modifications made to her original designincreased their destructive potential without regard for safety standards.

Vivienne's deep gaze then shifted to the event's coordinator, demanding to know the origin of the bombs.

Sweating profusely, the coordinator was at a loss for words, knowing full well the gravity of crossing the Perez and Ellington families.

"Who else has been here? Who had access to this restroom before today?" Griffin pressed, his impatience growing as the complexity of the bomb's installation suggested premeditation.

The coordinator, trying to recall any previous visitors, hesitated under Vivienne's intimidating stare, his attempt to speak stifled by fear.

"Why are you staring at me? Spit it out if you've got something to say!" Vivienne's frosty demeanor left the manager weighing his options before he decided to lay all his cards on the table.

"A few days ago, Floyd stopped by, brought a bunch of stuff claiming he needed to set up the venue. We had quite a crowd here, and many saw him. Want me to round up some folks for you to question?" Vivienne's voice was firm, "Do it!"

The manager dashed off, quickly gathering a group of witnesses. As they lined up, Vivienne signaled Leopold to grab some paper and a pen.

The person at the end of the line caught a glimpse of a bomb in the corner, his heart skipping a beat before he calmed himself and waited his turn to be interrogated by Vivienne.

Leopold, ready with the supplies, stood by Vivienne, "Whenever they mention a place, jot it down. We'll check these spots later for any issues."

"Got it, Vivienne!" Following her lead, Leopold started to question the witnesses one by one.

"I saw Floyd in the kitchen. He claimed to be checking the freshness of the ingredients and asked some routine questions."

"I encountered him in the lounge on the second floor. He was setting up the place. I didn't want to interrupt him, so I left immediately."

"The backyard. He spent a lot of

time there. Almost every time I went,

I could spot him just standing

around doing nothing. I wanted to ask but feared I'd be prying, so just

glanced over whenever I passed by."

"He was also in the lobby for quite a while, seemed to be everywhere. We even commented on how dedicated and serious he appeared to be."

By the time it got to the last person, he took a moment before speaking up, "I'm a server here. The day he came, he greeted me and asked me to store a box of red wine in a room on the second floor. I suggested keeping it downstairs, but he insisted on the upper floor so I just went along with it."