The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 177

A subtle smirk crossed Percival's face as he realized his darling Vivienne could now feel jealous when it came to him.

"I'm not fond of you keeping secrets with other men either. Was that Debra whom you were exchanging glances with?"

"He's just a friend." Vivienne responded indifferently, offering no explanation.

Percival's gaze shifted, sweeping over Scott, who was standing not far away. "The head of the Brooks family has been eyeing you as well."

Vivienne's cool gaze followed his, colliding with Scott's stare.

Perhaps it was her icy expression that caused Scott, who was accustomed to others cowering before his authority as the long-standing head of the Brooks family, to look away. However, he couldn't resist sneaking another glance.

For some reason, even though he had never met Vivienne, she seemed eerily familiar.

He thought he saw a shadow of Karen in her.

"Scott." After noticing Scott's continuous gaze on Vivienne, Beatrice began feeling a surge of anxiety. She stepped forward, trying to squeeze a smile onto her gloomy face, intentionally distracting him. "Arabella is about to take her college entrance exams. Have you discussed with her which university she's considering?"

"She's interested in Rivenwood University." Scott politely responded. Engaged in conversation with Beatrice, his gaze finally left Vivienne and settled on Arabella on the stage.

Arabella, reaching the climactic part of her performance, abruptly lifted her hand. The room fell silent as the piano music dramatically halted. As Arabella stood up to bow, the crowd applauded generously. The first thing Arabella did was look for Percival's reaction, hoping her piano performance had moved him.

Regrettably, Percival's attention was solely on Vivienne.

Biting her lower lip, she didn't step down from the stage. Instead, she smiled towards Vivienne in the crowd. "Your turn, sister. I'm eagerly waiting for your gift."

Everyone's eyes turned to Vivienne, waiting for her response.

"Arabella." Judith's face fell. "If Ms. Hawthorn doesn't wish to play, don't pester her. It's impolite."

Judith was a tough woman. She had fought alongside Baron during the family feud. In the end, their efforts made the Brooks family the heads of the Hawthorn clan.

She could see through Arabella's petty games, and naturally, she stepped in to protect Vivienne, her savior.

Arabella went a bit pale. She hadn't anticipated that Judith would publicly reprimand her to protect Vivienne.

This was her banquet!

She was the star of the show!

And yet, Judith accused her of being rude?

"Ms. Hawthorn, it's our fault for not disciplining her properly. Please don't take it to heart." Judith apologized to Vivienne.

"And if I do mind, what then?" Vivienne's eyes narrowed, her gaze on Judith was enigmatic.

"This..." Judith hesitated. "I'll make sure to discipline her properly when we get home."

"There's no need." Vivienne's gaze fell on Arabella as her lips curled into a smile. "Seeing as we're kin, I'll do the disciplining."

She emphasized the word 'kin' heavily.

A puzzled Judith didn't quite understand what she was up to.

Before she could react, Vivienne was already heading towards the stage.

The crowd was taken aback, and they began to whisper among themselves.

They had initially assumed Vivienne couldn't play the piano since she was reluctant to accept Arabella's invitation. But now that Judith had stepped in to help her save dignity, why was she heading to the stage?

They all knew that with Arabella's impressive performance leading the way, unless Vivienne could match Debra's skills, she would only end up being a laughingstock.

"Sister." Arabella watched Vivienne step onto the stage, feigning a mix of surprise and delight. "I knew you'd grant my wish."

"Is that so?" Vivienne's smile turned colder. "Then enjoy my gift."

Arabella's face flushed with embarrassment. She clenched her teeth and descended from the stage. She watched as Vivienne gracefully sat before the piano, testing the keys casually and flexing her fingers. Arabella, observing Vivienne's amateur attempts at tuning, scoffed at her audacity. A girl who grew up in the country dared to play the piano after her performance, a national award winner.

No matter how well Vivienne could play, she knew she could never surpass her.

This was precisely why she chose to perform first. With her excellent skills setting the bar, anything Vivienne played afterward would be overshadowed.

A triumphant smirk slowly spread across her lips. However, it froze in the next second.

Vivienne, having loosened her fingers, began to slowly play the black and white keys. A soft melody, slowly gaining momentum, filled the banquet hall.

The melody started as gentle as a morning breeze. It was like a calm stream, then it gradually quickened and intensified, transforming into a roaring storm and raging tides, resonating in the ears and hearts of the audience.

"Is this Rhapsody of Marland?" Melissa Brooks whispered.

Anyone with a basic knowledge of piano could recognize that Vivienne was playing the renowned and notoriously difficult piece, Rhapsody of Marland.

The composer was inspired to create the piece after experiencing a hurricane disaster and a passionate love affair during his trip to Marland.

The complex techniques and varied emotions encapsulated within the piece have always been daunting for many pianists.

Nobody expected that Vivienne could play the piano. But they were left dumbfounded by her skills.

In fact, her performance could be said to be no less impressive than Debra's earlier, and maybe even a tad better.

Arabella's face had turned ashen a while ago. The piece she had played earlier was called "Summer Dance." It was renowned for its challenging emotional nuances. Not many could play it well, so it was supposed to be an adequate showcase of her talent at this kind of occasion.

However, "Summer Dance" was nothing compared to "Rhapsody of Marland" in terms of both renown and difficulty.

She watched Vivienne play with an air of disbelief.

Helen approached her and asked, "Arabella, what's going on? Didn't you say your elder sister has always lived in the countryside and never learned the piano?"

"I... I don't know when she learned." Arabella managed a forced laugh.

That was right. Vivienne grew up in a monastery, so she never imagined that Vivienne would know how to play the piano.

But now Vivienne's divine piano skills were like a slap in the face.

She thought she could make Vivienne embarrass herself on stage and use her as a foil, but it turned out she herself became the foil.

She had shot herself in the foot.

"Arabella, it seems your sister plays the piano way better than you," sneered Ashley, who had come over. "I thought she didn't know how to play, and you were intentionally making things difficult for her."

"I didn't expect that you sincerely invited her to perform on stage. You even warmed up the stage for her with your own performance to better highlight her excellence."