The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 130

A week later, at Bay Estates.

"Haha, old man! You're such an old man!" Leopold was pointing at Percival's ashy face, laughing so hard that his whole body was shaking.

"You've been laughing for a full week. Haven't you had enough yet?" Percival's forehead was throbbing, and his austere face was as black as coal. Ever since Vivienne announced the name of her new perfume, he had been the target of continuous ridicule for a week.

First, it was Cecilia and Leopold who couldn't hold back their laughter, almost bursting into hysterics in the auditorium of Cloudcrest High School.

Then his sister, a young miss who was a little more reserved in her laughter, but her teasing was still sharp and precise.

She innocently said, "But brother, compared to Vivienne, you are quite old."

He immediately made a decision. He brought Isolde, who had been avoiding Vivienne for a week, back to Bay Estates, forcing her to eat Vivienne's cooking three times a day without his guidance. Isolde made several video calls back to Rivenwood, tearfully complaining about her situation.

Also, in addition to his grandfather's mockery, he also received greetings from various relatives.

Some even sent over a variety of supplements, worried that his previous disability might be causing some issues, leading Vivienne to consider him "old."

The most infuriating thing was when someone unexpectedly sent a box of libido-boosting pills and aids. The worst part was that it was Vivienne who opened the package that day.

"An old man is an old man. We have to accept our age." Leopold said, feigning sympathy while slapping Percival's shoulder and trying not to laugh.

"Your little fiancée is ruthless! Creating a perfume inspired by you and then giving it such a name. Was it intentional or just a coincidence?"

He sniffed Percival curiously, exclaiming, "Oh, you're actually wearing it? Timeless Man Cologne suits the old man perfectly!"

"Let's get to business!" Percival kicked him onto the couch.

The perfume Vivienne designed, inspired by him, was certainly meant for him exclusively.

Not only that, but there were only a little over fifty bottles of Vivienne's new creation sold, all of which he bought.

So the Timeless Man Cologne disappeared from the market as soon as it was released.

This caused outrage among perfume collectors, including Cecilia, who managed to snatch a bottle from Percival after a big fuss.

Despite its unfortunate name, the cologne's scent was to his liking.

After using it, he even felt like his sleep had improved.

It was as if it was designed specifically for him.

But he still felt bewildered. He was only twenty-eight, just nearly ten years older than Vivienne. How was he old?

As soon as they started talking business, Leopold straightened up. "Our guys still haven't found out where Elijah is hiding."

Kidnapping and illegal detention were criminal offenses, especially when the victim was a minor, so Elijah couldn't be bailed out.

However, he was severely injured that day in the auditorium and was sent to the hospital by the police. Surprisingly, he escaped from the hospital.

For the past week, not only were the police looking for him, but so were they.

They had previously discovered that Elijah might be involved with a certain organization.

"What about the Hawthorn family?" Percival asked, frowning.

"They're also in hiding." Leopold said with his face not looking much better. "They probably guessed we would trace the vine back to the melon by using the Hawthorn family to replace him."

Percival pondered. If Elijah was indeed associated with an organization, he might have been killed or taken away by the organization since they wouldn't want their people to fall into the hands of the police.

...

East District, in a basement.

"Vivienne, you wretch! I'll kill you one day!"

Arabella was lying on the bed in pain, letting Elijah slap her while he was on top of her. She could only grit her teeth, say nothing, and bear it.

Her long hair had been completely cut. She now sported a short haircut after the attack on her in the auditorium.

That time, she was so angry that she wanted to call the police, but the auditorium was too chaotic at the time, and the surveillance cameras didn't catch the girls she accused of hitting her, so the matter was dropped.

Then, she was taken to this dark and damp basement by Elijah's people, along with Beatrice, Michael Hawthorn, and Joseph Hawthorn. She never went back to school; instead, she was being used as Elijah's punching bag every day.

What made her most angry was that Elijah always treated her as a substitute for Vivienne, venting all his hatred for Vivienne on her.

She was abused by him to the point where there was hardly a patch of unbruised skin on her.

Why?!

Why should she be Vivienne's substitute and suffer this kind of torment?!

But she could not resist. The first time she resisted, Elijah beat her half to death, threatening to throw her to his men for their amusement.

In addition to hating Vivienne, Elijah also blamed her for everything, thinking that if it weren't for helping her, he would not have ended up in this state.

He even showed her the debt contracts from when he helped the Hawthorn family pay off their debts, telling her that unless she could pay off these debts one day, she could never leave.

But this wasn't her debt. It was the Hawthorn family that borrowed this money, so why should she have to pay it back?

After Elijah finally let her go, Arabella went to her room.

As she passed Beatrice's room, she suddenly heard Michael say, "Mom, you shouldn't have treated Vivienne that way. If you were nice to her, we wouldn't be in this mess. What's the point of you always favoring that Arabella? She can't even play the courtesan role properly. Elijah doesn't seem too fond of her either. Vivienne would be a better choice. She is a dual doctorate degree holder and is also known as the Scent Maestro, Master Q. If she's willing to help us, the Hawthorn family's perfumes could be world-renowned."

"What's the use of talking about this now?!" Beatrice shot Michael a fierce glare. "Vivienne, that little illegitimate child, doesn't have our interests at heart! You think being nice to her would make her help us? Our family's hope of bouncing back relies solely on Arabella pleasing Elijah!"

"What's the use of pleasing him? He's got his own problems." Michael grumbled. "We'd be better off begging our younger brother. At least there's a glimmer of hope there."

"Shut up! That family of heartless wolves won't help us! Haven't we begged before?"

Arabella listened with a cold gaze, noticing that, despite Beatrice's stern response, there was doubt in her heart.

She smirked inwardly. She was using her body to please Elijah, just so they could live comfortably here, and now they dared belittle her?

She glanced at the basement exit, thinking that Michael was right. Elijah was in deep water himself, so how could he help them?

Was she really going to be trapped here without freedom for the rest of her life?

No, she wouldn't!