The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 178

Ashley's words cut straight to Arabella's heart, stepping on her sore points.

Arabella's face turned a ghastly green, while Judith, standing next to her, apologized, "Arabella, I misunderstood you before. I thought you were trying to make things difficult for your sister." This apology was sincere, but Arabella felt like she was going to spit blood.

She had laid all the groundwork just to make things difficult for Vivienne, but who could have guessed that it would turn into a stage for Vivienne to show off her talent? "Vivienne sure plays the piano beautifully." Melissa said in surprise. "I wonder who she learned from. With such piano skills, why has she been so low-key?"

She couldn't understand. She herself was quite accomplished on the piano, and to her ears, Vivienne played even better than Debra.

In fact, it reminded her of someone else.

Scott looked at Vivienne with complex emotions. The spotlight on the stage enveloped her, making her silhouette appear both real and ethereal. He could see Karen in her again. He had once listened to Karen play Rhapsody of Marland. Like Vivienne, she sat in front of the piano with intense concentration, as if nothing else in the world could disturb her. "Your granddaughter is quite a catch, Aunt Beatrice." Timothy said, praising Vivienne to Beatrice.

Beatrice sneered, her gaze sweeping over Judith and Scott.

Every time she heard someone praising Vivienne, it was like a stab in the heart, as if they were reminding her of how blind she had been.

Arabella felt even worse. She had showcased her piano skills, but instead of earning a single word of praise from the Brooks family, they had started praising Vivienne in front of her.

But she had to keep her feelings under wraps. She forced a smile and said, "Indeed, my sister plays the piano wonderfully."

Her eyes drifted to Percival, who was looking at Vivienne with admiration. The affection in his eyes was so thick that anyone could see it.

Cecilia, standing beside Percival, was listening to Vivienne's piano playing with a dreamy look on her face. Suddenly, she sighed and said, "Son, what are we going to do? I'm a bit worried." Percival looked at her quietly, waiting for her to continue.

"I feel like you might not be good enough for Vivienne."

It wasn't that she was belittling her son. It was just that Vivienne was shockingly outstanding.

Not to mention her perfume blending and clothes designing skills, her piano skills alone would probably attract countless admirers. And she was so humble about it.

"I feel the same way." Isolde said, counting on her fingers to Percival. "Vivienne is a doctor, a perfume blender, a clothes designer, and a double major doctorate. And she plays the piano so well." She looked up at Percival innocently. "Brother, what else can you do besides cooking better than Vivienne?"

Percival fell silent.

He wasn't good enough for Vivienne?

No way!

He wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with her and win everyone's admiration.

He suddenly stood up and walked towards the stage.

He was the center of attention, and every move he made attracted everyone's gaze. Now everyone was watching him curiously.

Under everyone's gaze, he strode over to Vivienne and sat down. After exchanging a glance with her, Vivienne moved slightly to make room for him. The rhythm of her playing slowed down, and the melody became more gentle.

Percival lifted his hands and placed them on the black and white keys, playing a duet with Vivienne, following her rhythm.

The Rhapsody of Marland was originally composed by a composer who had experienced disaster and love. When Vivienne was playing alone, the melody was like one person's call and confession to another. But when Percival joined, the melody turned into a pursuit in a storm and an entanglement in the raging waves.

The man and woman in the melody were dancing in the same way that Vivienne's and Percival's fingers were dancing on the black and white keys. They chased each other, hid from each other, stood side by side, and shared weal and woe.

"Oh my god!" Someone exclaimed. "This is the first time I've heard the Rhapsody of Marland played in such a beautiful way."

"I didn't know Mr. Ellington could play the piano so well!"

"Some people say Vivienne is not good enough for Mr. Ellington, but I think they look quite compatible."

"Yeah, there's a word for how they look together. What's it called?"

"Equals!"

Everyone watched the two on the stage. The only spotlight in the room shone on them. They sat side by side, their movements perfectly synchronized.

Their understanding of each other was so good that it seemed as if they were two people with one soul, so they never lost track of each other.

The Rhapsody of Marland was difficult to play. When Percival first came up to join the fun, Vivienne thought about slowing down the pace to accommodate him.

But she didn't expect that not only could he keep up with her rhythm, but his every note and every emotional expression was in perfect harmony with hers.

She couldn't help but look at Percival in surprise. With just one glance, she fell into the deep affection in his eyes, and her heart started to beat along with the passionate sounds of the piano.

The look they exchanged stung Arabella, who was standing below the stage. She couldn't help but imagine herself sitting next to Percival, playing a duet with him.

If Vivienne hadn't returned to the Hawthorn family...

If Vivienne had died somewhere out there...

The place next to Percival should have been hers!

It was Vivienne's appearance that took everything away from her!

Her envy of Vivienne and her longing for Percival had long made her forget that she was the one who had refused to marry the handicapped Percival. She was the one who had given up on this man, who was outstanding to the extreme.

Ashley's gaze on Percival was also complex. She glanced at Vivienne by his side and had to admit that her excellence was very enviable.

Arabella's face was distorted by jealousy, her features twisting into an unrecognizable mask.

No matter what the audience thought, on the stage, Vivienne and Percival were immersed in their own world.

They communicated through the rhythm of the piano, pouring out all their emotions.

The piano music echoed in the entire banquet hall, reaching a peak, then calming down slowly and gently, like a breeze after a storm, like the tide after crashing waves, or like the tranquility after a disaster, ending at the most concise point.

When the music ended, there was silence in the banquet hall, followed by thunderous applause.

This applause was not the kind of flattery given to Arabella earlier, but a genuine feeling of being moved and conquered by their passion. It was sincere admiration from the bottom of their hearts. Percival held Vivienne's hand and stood up with her. Her gaze met Arabella's hateful stare on the stage.

She smirked at Arabella. She didn't really enjoy public performances, but she disliked the way Arabella had looked at Percival earlier even more.

With her talent, she told Arabella that her man was off limits.