The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 17

The room fell into silence!

It took a long time for Joseph to regain his composure, and hurriedly asked, "Did you guys make a mistake? My son Andrew took the exam, not Thaddeus."

The two teachers looked at each other, then opened the acceptance letter to check the name, and said seriously, "No mistake, Thaddeus is indeed the one who got admitted."

After a pause, one of the teachers seemed to recall something and said, "Oh, Andrew, I remember him, he didn't make it."

Even though no one physically touched him, Joseph felt as if he had just been slapped across the face in public!

How painful! How embarrassing! Thaddeus was never favored in the Hawthorn family, but was admitted to Imperial Blossom Nursery. What the hell?

Beatrice couldn't hold back anymore, stood up, and asked, "Could you please double check? Thaddeus didn't even take the exam, so how could he possibly be admitted to your school? Did you get the names mixed up?"

The two teachers, who worked at Imperial Blossom Nursery, must have had top-notch work and judgment skills. They quickly figured out what was going on and said very seriously, "Thaddeus took a special exam that the principal personally arranged for him last night. There's no mistake with his name or the acceptance letter. Please don't doubt our work."

In fact, they didn't know whether Thaddeus took the exam or not. But that was what the principal said, and the acceptance letter was personally sent by the principal. So they naturally didn't ask any further questions.

"I didn't mean that..."

Before Beatrice could finish her sentence, the teacher asked, "Is Dorian around? Could you call him, please?"

"Why do you want that guy here? He doesn't even live here!" Joseph's tone was quite rude.

The teacher frowned but didn't say much. Then he took out his phone and dialed the number on the list.

Soon, the call was picked up, and the teacher immediately asked, "Hello, is this Dorian? We're here to deliver the acceptance letter. Don't you live at the Hawthorn family's house?"

After hearing something from the other end, the teacher replied, "Tranquil Estates 1601, right? Okay, we'll be right there."

Upon hearing this, Beatrice and the others were shocked.

Tranquil Estates? How could it be? How could they live there?

After hanging up, the two teachers prepared to leave. Arabella quickly stepped forward and said, "Are you going to see my parents? Can I go with you?"

She didn't mishear, Tranquil Estates! Why would Dorian be living in Tranquil Estates? She had to figure out what was going on.

The teacher thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

On the way there, Arabella still couldn't believe that Dorian could be living in Tranquil Estates. But when they entered the neighborhood, her face was filled with disbelief. She could actually get into this neighborhood.

They arrived at 1601, and Arabella was still skeptical. But a minute later, when the door opened and she saw Dorian and Cordelia, Arabella felt like her world had collapsed. Her mind was in total chaos. It wasn't until the teachers handed over the acceptance letter and left that she regained her senses.

"Dad, Mom, why are you living here?" Arabella couldn't help asking.

Dorian glanced at her calmly, "We rented a place here."

They didn't tell Beatrice after moving in, in order to prevent her coming here. They didn't expect such an unusual situation to occur, and yet Arabella was the first to know. Now that she knew, Beatrice would definitely replace out too.

Perhaps out of nervousness, Arabella's tone unintentionally became a bit sharp. "You rented? How is that possible? This is Tranquil Estates. They don't rent out to the public."

Cordelia's face turned sour, and she said coldly, "Why not? The landlord thought we were decent people and was willing to rent us the house at a relatively low price. Is there a problem with that? Arabella, although we're not your biological parents, we did take care of you for a few years. Can you not stand us living a slightly better life?"

Arabella turned pale. "I, I didn't mean that..."

Cordelia glanced at her, didn't bother with her anymore, but didn't ask her to leave either. After all, she was a child they had raised. Although Arabella had disappointed them over the years, there were still some feelings left.

She turned around and put away the acceptance letter. Even though it was just a kindergarten, the acceptance letter from Imperial Blossom Nursery was indeed prestigious. Dorian didn't say anything else, he just went back to the couch and continued watching TV.

Arabella glanced inside the house. Vivienne and Thaddeus were playing with toys on the balcony, Dorian was watching TV, and Cordelia, after tidying things up, went to join Vivienne and Thaddeus on the balcony.

The scene was peaceful and full of warmth. This was the kind of family life she had always envied. When Dorian first adopted her, she also had such warm feelings, but unfortunately, as time went on, her mindset changed.

Arabella bit her lip lightly, walked over to the couch, and sat down, speaking softly, "Dad, Thaddeus got into Imperial Blossom Nursery. I should be happy for you, but have you considered the fact that the tuition for this kindergarten is very high and you're currently out of work? Can you afford Thaddeus' tuition?"

Dorian's hand holding his cup paused, then he looked up at her and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

Arabella put on a sweet and sensible act. "To ensure Thaddeus' education is funded and stable, you should agree to the marriage with Mr. Ellington. After all, with the support from the Ellington family, the tuition would be no issue."

Dorian scoffed, "So what you're saying is, I should sell my daughter off to cover my son's tuition?"

Arabella bit her lip, saying nothing.

Dorian was deeply disappointed. "Arabella, when I brought you home, things were tough. But your mother and I persisted, even if we had to endure hardship, we wouldn't let you suffer. I might not be some big shot, but I'd never trade my own child for so-called glory. Do you understand?"

"Dad, I..."

Arabella was about to say something, but Dorian cut her off. "Alright, we're heading out, you should go home."

Arabella's hand unconsciously clenched. She sneered inwardly. Though they claimed to treat her as their own, they're leaving the house, and she's being told to go home. They'd never considered her part of the family. She didn't say another word, turning to leave.

After she left, Dorian set his teacup on the table and let out a deep sigh. Cordelia, watching this, asked, "What happened? Why the sigh?"

Dorian replied, "Arabella was right. Even though Thaddeus has been accepted, the tuition is too expensive. We need so much money per year. Now my mother's meddling, and I can't replace work in Havenwood. don't know what to do."

Cordelia sighed as well, not responding.

Vivienne, who had just finished helping Thaddeus with the last piece of his puzzle, looked up at them and slowly said, "Don't worry. I can work and support you guys."

Dorian's mood lightened up, and he laughed. "Alright, then, I'll rely on you."

Vivienne smiled, "Okay." Then she said, "I'll look for work on social media."

Having said that, she took out her phone and made her first social media update ever. "Looking for a job. Hope someone can help me."

After sending the update, she put her phone away. Little did she know that her phone was about to be bombarded with messages after her update.