The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 199

Felix's heart skipped a beat as he realized the implications of his previous words. He had told Vivienne to treat him, not necessarily to heal him.

Vivienne, her hands in her pockets and the smile gone from her face, turned her piercing gaze towards him. "You should be grateful that I owe you a favor. It is the only reason you're getting off this easy." With that, she turned to leave.

Felix, seething with rage, tried to call out to her but found that he was voiceless. He struggled to follow but ended up collapsing to the ground, left to watch helplessly as Vivienne walked away.

Outside the cabin, Vivienne emerged into the darkness where Draven had been waiting. She issued a cold command. "Lock the door."

"Understood." Draven obediently responded.

As Vivienne left the farm, she looked up at the night sky, where stars twinkled like scattered diamonds, a sight she couldn't enjoy in the light-polluted cities.

"You still love stargazing, huh?"

In the shadow of the trees outside the farm, a black Lincoln was parked. Percival, leaning against its body, was barely visible in the darkness. His eyes shone brighter than the stars as he watched Vivienne. "And you still love following me?" Vivienne quipped, tilting her head to look at him with a smile.

Percival walked over to hold her hand as they both looked at the sky, pointing to the five stars in the shape of an M above the North Star. He asked, "Do you remember?"

"Cassiopeia. Mr. Wolf, you taught me." Vivienne replied while looking at the stars. "Quite ironic that the queen only became truly perfect after losing her beauty."

"Vivienne." He squeezed Vivienne's hand. "I can't claim to be a perfect man, but I promise to be your perfect lover."

Taken aback, Vivienne found herself wondering how they had gone from talking about the stars to him professing his love for her.

Percival, however, didn't wait for her response. Instead, he gently led her towards the Lincoln, thoughtfully opening the backseat door for her.

"Ms. Hawthorn." Thomas, sitting in the driver's seat, greeted Vivienne with a somewhat weary expression.

After a long day and an exhausting night due to Leopold's interference, he was tired and just wanted to sleep. Yet he had been roused by Mr. Ellington to tail his fiancée. However, he didn't dare voice his complaints and put on a cheerful front when Percival got in the car.

"Mr. Ellington."

"Back to Tranquil Estates." Percival ordered.

The car started, and perhaps because of Percival's presence, Vivienne felt secure enough to relax and fell asleep on the seat.

As she dozed off, her head tilted to rest on Percival's shoulder.

Percival looked down at her peaceful sleeping face and couldn't help but smile. He lightly kissed her forehead and pulled her closer to him, allowing her to sleep more comfortably.

Upon reaching Tranquil Estates, Vivienne still hadn't woken up.

Percival, not wanting to disturb her, carefully carried her upstairs.

As he was carrying her to her room, he realized that Vivienne's unusual compliance was a sign of her complete trust in him.

He used the passcode Vivienne had given him to enter the Hawthorn family's apartment and silently carried her to her room, gently placing her on the bed.

After making sure that the air conditioning was at the right temperature and tucking her in under a blanket, he turned around only to replace his future father-in-law, Dorian, standing in the doorway with a shocked expression.

Percival, not wanting to wake Vivienne, quietly stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"You, you, you actually sneaked into Vivienne's room in the middle of the night?!" Dorian pointed at him, his hand trembling. Cordelia, who had come out of her room to use the bathroom, was taken aback by Dorian's words and froze in the hallway. "Speak up!" Dorian demanded, glaring at Percival with a malicious look. "What stage have you and Vivienne reached?" "We're at a stage where we can get married." Percival ambiguously answered.

Dorian misunderstood, and his eyes widened in shock and anger.

"Don't just stand here; let's go to the living room to talk." Cordelia suggested, not wanting to wake Vivienne and Thaddeus, as she shot Percival a look. Percival's eyes glinted with amusement as he obediently followed Dorian and Cordelia to the living room.

Once they were seated, Dorian and Cordelia turned their stern gazes towards Percival.

Cordelia asked, "Now that you and Vivienne have crossed the line, what are your plans?"

"I plan to marry Vivienne as soon as she turns 20." Percival answered with a smile. "Don't worry, I'll give Vivienne the grandest wedding."

After hearing this, Dorian's expression softened a little, but he still looked at Percival as if he were a beast. "Vivienne is so young; how could you..."

How could he take advantage of her?

His little girl was now truly taken by this man.

"I couldn't help myself." Percival responded seriously.

"Well, since you have made up your mind, that's fine. Vivienne's 20th birthday is only half a year away." Cordelia sighed, then added a little awkwardly, "But Vivienne is still young. Don't rush to have children after getting married. Make sure to take precautions."

"Don't worry, I will." Percival assured them.

Vivienne had no idea that, as she innocently slept, Percival, in cahoots with her father and stepmother, had already fixed the date for their wedding.

The next day.

Vivienne was awakened by Draven's call. He was succinct and straight to the point. "Felix passed away this morning."

"Um, make sure to clean up all traces of him." Vivienne replied nonchalantly before hanging up the call.

Since she was still dressed in yesterday's black attire, she decided to freshen up and change into new clothes.

Just then, Cordelia came knocking at her door. "Vivienne, are you up? Breakfast is ready."

"I'm up." Vivienne answered, opening the door to meet Cordelia's unusually complicated gaze.

Cordelia scrutinized her meticulously, her eyes reflecting a mix of relief and regret. Finally, she let out a soft sigh and made her way to the dining room. Vivienne was puzzled.

By the time she got to the dining room, Percival was already there, setting the table. After seeing her, he shot her a warm smile.

Dorian, who was seated on the side, had a similarly complex look on his face as he watched Vivienne. One part frustration, one part reluctance, one part melancholy, and a touch of relief. He let out a heavy sigh and said, "Sit down. You're all grown up now, so it's about that time."

Vivienne was now even more puzzled.

She felt as though she had missed something.

When she looked questioningly at Percival, he simply smiled and ladled porridge into her bowl without a word.

Vivienne sat there, sipping on her porridge with a perplexed expression, feeling as though Percival's grin was loaded with the satisfaction of a successful schemer.