The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 144

His voice held a rare tinge of vulnerability. After a moment of hesitation, Vivienne moved to his side, allowing him to wrap his right arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and in no time at all, Percival drifted into sleep.

Vivienne gently removed his arm and dialed Matthew's number.

"I couldn't replace the two ingredients you asked for on the black market." Matthew informed her over the phone.

"Keep looking." Vivienne commanded him. After pausing briefly, she said, "Put the word out that anyone who has these ingredients and is willing to part with them will be owed a favor by me."

Her favors were rare and precious. They were sometimes powerful enough to cheat death.

She believed that once this message was out, the items she sought would replace their way to her.

"It seems you do care a lot about your fiancé." Matthew commented after an unexpected pause.

Vivienne didn't confirm or deny it. She simply hung up.

She glanced at Percival, who lay on the couch with his eyes closed.

Did she care?

Perhaps.

After all, he had always been good to her.

"Percival." She murmured while gently patting his face.

There was no response. He was running a low fever from the poison, and she could feel the heat radiating from him.

"Mr. Wolf." Vivienne called softly.

Percival opened his eyes slightly to look at her. She helped him up. "Let's get you to bed."

He nodded. His lips pressed together as she supported him up the stairs to the bedroom. His nearly six-foot-three frame weighed heavily on Vivienne.

Finally, she managed to get him into the room and settled him onto the bed, where he promptly fell back into slumber.

After a moment of hesitation, she fetched a basin of warm water from the bathroom. She used a wet towel to carefully wipe away the sweat on his face and body, then placed a damp cloth on his forehead to bring down his temperature.

Just as she was about to pull away, Percival grabbed her hand, mumbling while half-sleeping. "Vivienne, don't go."

Vivienne froze. She then sighed and lay down beside him, fully clothed, allowing him to hold her hand.

Late into the night, Percival suddenly spiked a high fever, and Vivienne had to administer fever reducers.

He was delirious for most of the night, refusing to let go of her even in sleep. Vivienne was forced to stay awake and keep watch over him.

As dawn approached, Matthew called.

"We have leads on the Star Grass and the Seven-Poison Flower."

"Is the owner willing to part with them?" Vivienne asked eagerly.

"They are, but..." Matthew began hesitantly.

"Speak your mind." Vivienne urged him impatiently.

"The Seven-Poison Flower is with Brody."

Matthew let out a long sigh. "Brody is a nutcase. Ever since you beat him once, he's been looking for a rematch. If you win, the flower is yours. But if you lose..."

"He wants me to be his guinea pig?" Vivienne scoffed.

"No, he wants to turn you into a specimen."

Vivienne remembered how Brody had once stormed a high-security prison, using almost a hundred inmates as test subjects. By the time the Nine Mystics Society arrived, the scene looked like it was straight out of the horror game 'Resident Evil.' Many were so horrified that they vomited on the spot.

They had been trying to capture him ever since, but he was elusive. Now, he was practically delivering himself to them.

"I'll take him on." Vivienne laughed coldly. "The higher-ups have been wanting to nab him, right? Prepare to capture him once the match is over. That way, I wouldn't have to break my promise." Matthew paused before replying, "As for the Star Grass, it's with the Owl."

The Owl was a high-ranking figure in GTO. His exact status within the organization was unknown.

His appearance, age, and abilities were all mysteries. He was a man who left no traces, a hallmark of GTO's upper echelon.

"His terms?" Vivienne asked coldly.

"He didn't specify but said that he's keeping this favor for later." Matthew knew how much Vivienne despised GTO because of her mother's experiences.

"I agree." Vivienne replied after a moment of silence.

Matthew sighed. Technically, with Vivienne's medical skills, they could wait for the ingredients. However...

By agreeing to this, she would owe the Owl.

But Vivienne didn't seem to want to dwell on this. "As for Brody, set up a time with him. The sooner, the better."

"He's a lunatic and a sadist." Matthew cautioned her. "Be careful."

"You should worry about Brody." Vivienne retorted casually.

"I'm just worried that you'll let your feelings cloud your judgment." Matthew sighed.

Vivienne glanced at Percival beside her. He was asleep, but his brows were furrowed in discomfort while his right hand still held on to her left. Would she let her feelings get in the way?

Two hours later, the Star Grass was delivered. Vivienne inspected it carefully, ensuring that it hadn't been tampered with, before notifying Matthew. The meeting location with Brody was also set. The address Matthew sent made her pause. N&S Psychiatric Hospital?

So that freak, Brody, had been hiding out in Havenwood, tucked away in the N&S Psychiatric Hospital, huh?

Quite the coincidence, wasn't it?

And their showdown was set for tonight.

Percival has been out cold all day. Vivienne, concerned about his strength, hooked him up to an IV drip and changed the dressing on his wounds.

The lingering effects of the poison still left a tinge of blue-purple on his arm.

When Leopold saw this, he felt a chill run down his spine. Thank God for Vivienne. The doctor he brought yesterday wouldn't have been able to save Percival's arm.

As the time for her appointment with Brody approached, Vivienne handed over the care of Percival to Leopold and prepared to leave.

"Who's this guy you're getting the antidote from? It's not dangerous, is it?" Leopold asked, a trace of concern in his voice.

"Just another nut job." Vivienne replied.

Leopold blinked in surprise.

Vivienne added, "As for danger... it's just a bit."

But a defeated enemy was hardly a threat to worry about.