The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 161

Percival's eyes fluttered open to the soft light of dawn filtering in from the balcony.

Propping himself up on his elbows, he saw Vivienne seated in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass door, engrossed in the minicomputer in her hands.

The morning sun draped her in a gentle halo, making her seem ethereal.

She had been staring at the name 'Wolf' on the screen for a long while before her gaze shifted towards Percival, lying on the bed with an inscrutable expression in her eyes. Matthew had once told her that the code-name of the new team leader who had taken over her mother's team after her mother's demise was Wolf.

Could it be that Percival was Wolf?

He was her mother's colleague?

"What's wrong, Vivienne?" Percival asked as his handsome face bathed in the warm morning light and a soft smile played on his lips.

Vivienne paused for a moment before turning the tiny computer screen towards him. "Who are you, really?"

The sight of the black interface and the striking red 'Wolf' on the screen didn't surprise Percival.

He had known from the start that Vivienne wasn't living in his home to take care of his injuries or to court him. She was here to investigate him.

So, he had been waiting for her to unravel the truth herself.

His room was never locked at night, and he had deliberately changed his phone passcode to her birthday. He was aware of her snooping around but pretended not to notice. He was sure of her identity now. He had no secrets from her.

"Frost."

Vivienne stiffened. The playful smile faded from her face, replaced by a deadly seriousness. "Who are you?"

'Frost' was her nickname.

Only her mother used to call her that.

No one knew about this nickname, not even Dorian.

It was the name she had taken after leaving the Hawthorn family when her mother and she were being pursued.

She had watched helplessly as her mother fought off their attackers, and she had wanted nothing more than to tear them apart.

But her mother told her that violence wasn't always the solution and that it was crucial to remain calm to come up with a better plan. They were up against a formidable opponent, and they needed to keep their heads cool.

Vivienne was prone to acting impulsively, so to remind herself to stay calm, she had asked her mother to call her 'Frost.'.

Even to this day, her calm and composed demeanor was a result of constantly reminding herself of that nickname.

But how did Percival know about it?

For a moment, the usually composed Vivienne felt a surge of murderous intent.

Percival felt the chill radiating off her. He pursed his lips and, after a long while, managed to croak out, "Don't you remember me?"

Vivienne frowned as her brows knitted together in thought.

She scrutinized Percival from head to toe and back again.

She was absolutely certain that she had never met him before their recent encounter.

"I want an explanation." She demanded with her voice firm.

Percival gently patted her head, his voice soft and soothing. "Frost, I'll buy you a strawberry cake every year."

Vivienne's eyes lit up. Her earlier cold demeanor vanished instantly as her voice went higher than usual. "Mr. Wolf? Is that you?"

Percival choked on his own saliva, nearly drowning himself.

Mr. Wolf?

That was a name from a long time ago.

Up until now, only she had ever called him that.

And the reason why?

Well, when he first met her, she was only two, and he was already twelve.

He was a full decade older than her.

And after numerous failed attempts by her mother to get her to call him 'brother,' she brazenly declared that someone ten years older shouldn't be referred to as 'brother.' So, Mr. Wolf, it was. Since she always said that he was a wolf, why not call him Mr. Wolf?

And that was how he had never mentioned his real name to her.

But she had used that nickname for only a year.

He later adopted the code-name 'Wolf' in memory of that time.

"Frost, I thought you had forgotten about me." Percival murmured, breaking away from his thoughts.

Vivienne flashed a genuine smile, the likes of which she hadn't sported in a long time. "I could never forget. I've always remembered."

This was the heartwarming feeling of meeting a long-lost relative. A reminder that she still had family in the world, and through him, she could still feel her mother's presence.

Percival was different from Dorian.

Dorian loved her mother, but he had a family of his own now, and he didn't remind Vivienne of their mother as much.

But Percival...

She was only two when she met him, but she had an unusually good memory and remembered everyone who had ever been a part of her life.

Mr. Wolf was the kindest person to her, after her mother.

He would spoil her just like her mother did. He fulfilled all her whims and fancies, tolerating her tantrums and mood swings.

She could be her unguarded self around them.

But she hadn't seen Mr. Wolf since she turned three.

It had been so long that he had changed completely, and she hadn't recognized him at all.

Percival's heart melted at the sight of her smile. He ruffled her hair and promised, "I'll bake you a strawberry cake tomorrow. I owe you for all these years. I'll make it up to you."

"Okay." Vivienne agreed, her smile still in place.

There was a moment of silence between them.

Vivienne finally broke the silence. "Mr. Wolf, why were you investigating my mother? How did you get her pendant? Lark was her code-name."

"Lark was my mentor." Percival replied, his eyes full of adoration as he ruffled her hair.

"Mentor?" Vivienne was taken aback.

She hadn't known that Percival was her mother's student. She had thought he was just a friend.

"Yeah." Percival said as he pulled Vivienne closer to sit down with him. "When I heard that you guys were in trouble, I rushed to your aid, but I was too late."

Ten years ago, he had been promoted to a certain team. He, the young heir of the Ellington family was given a clandestine task to investigate Lark's crew and retrieve a certain elixir for the nation.

Lark wore many hats, including being the leader of a unique team. And the person who mentored Percival was a woman named Hannah, who was also Lark.

That was why it took him a while to realize that Vivienne, who'd been around him for a long time, was Hannah's daughter.

After listening to Percival, Vivienne fell silent. "So, you want the elixir?"

"Yes." Percival lifted his gaze, looking at her earnestly. "Vivienne, this elixir is of great importance to the nation. I must take it."

He didn't need to spell it out. Vivienne understood.

She knew he was aware that she had the elixir.

Vivienne didn't say anything.

Percival didn't rush her either.

After a while, Vivienne began. "My mother told me there were two elixirs, one with me and one with the Hawthorn family. I haven't been able to replace the one with the Hawthorns, and Mr. Hawthorn isn't willing to reveal anything."

She paused. "But I think my mother lied to me. There should be at least five elixirs."

Percival nodded. "Right! The mother of that girl at Cloudcrest High School has one, too."

Vivienne pressed her lips together. "I can hand over the elixir, but I want to meet the former colleague of my mother's team. I want to know about my mother's past."

"No problem."

Percival fell silent for a moment before looking at Vivienne. "Do you know her real name?"

Lark was a mystery to everyone.

She could be Lark from some team.

She could be his mentor, Hannah.

Or Dorian's ex-wife, Evelyn.

To date, no one knew her real name.

"Karen."