The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 22

Inside the crib of the Hawthorn fam.

In the hall, Beatrice, Joseph, Michael, and Arabella were all seated, looking all serious. They were all glued to the phone in Arabella's hand.

Herman personally cleared Vivienne's name, saying she didn't steal anything, and Coral was now under arrest for making false allegations. Plus, Jaylan and three other cops had been suspended because they screwed up the case.

Arabella thought she had finally shaken off Vivienne's shadow, but in a few short hours, Vivienne was released. Even the big shot Herman stepped in to clear her name.

"Gran, did the Ellington fam bail Vivienne out?" Arabella pocketed her phone, her eyes losing their resentment. She was all sugar and spice. "Didn't expect the Ellingtons to care that much about Vivienne." Her voice was filled with bitterness, and she was feeling all sorts of uncomfortable. She didn't believe Percival had the juice to get Vivienne out of the police station. In her eyes, he was just a loser. Except for Richard from the Ellington family, she didn't think anyone else could've pulled it off. But she just couldn't wrap her head around why the Ellingtons would still bail out Vivienne after she was exposed for theft. Did they really care about Vivienne that much? Who in their right mind would be interested in Percival, that loser? Even if some were, they probably didn't come from fancy homes.

The Hawthorns were a pretty decent catch. So, naturally, Richard wouldn't want Percival to miss out. With that thought, Arabella's mood brightened up a bit.

"Now that Vivienne is released, and the Ellingtons didn't call off the engagement, we've got to stick to the plan." Beatrice never thought Vivienne would be let out.

She already contacted the media, planning to make a big fuss about it. But before she could even start, Vivienne was released. All her plans were messed up, and it was getting on her nerves. "But what can we do if Dorian and Vivienne are dead against it?" Michael furrowed his brows.

"Yeah, they've already rented a place at Tranquil Estates, so housing is no problem. They would never agree to it now," Joseph chimed in.

"Yeah." Michael complained.

Hospital.

Vivienne was supposed to apply an ointment for Isolde yesterday, but Arabella and Coral's mess got in the way, so she couldn't make it.

Today, she got there bright and early. Usually, at this time of the day, Isolde's family wasn't around. Just as she got to the hospital entrance, she ran into Percival and Leopold.

"Ms. Hawthorn?" Leopold was a bit surprised. "You're at the hospital this early? Not feeling well?" It was just eight, and the outpatient doctors had just started their shift. Vivienne looked up, her voice barely above a whisper, "What did you call me?"

"Ms. Hawthorn? Is there a problem?" Leopold was clueless. The girl didn't seem so happy.

Vivienne gave him a long, hard look, her lips tightening into a thin line. After a long silence, she finally said, "No problem. Good job!"

Ignoring his elders! Arrogant and rude!

Good! She now had a bone to pick.

Leopold, "Is this Ms. Hawthorn a bit off her rocker?"

Percival was sitting in his wheelchair, his gaze drifting between them. His narrow eyes were cold. His fiancée and his brother were ignoring him? "Do you feel unwell? Need me to call a doctor?" Percival's voice was incredibly soothing, and the cold look in his eyes had disappeared.

"No need! I'm not here to see a doctor!" Vivienne said and was about to walk in.

Percival suddenly stopped her. "Ms. Hawthorn!"

Vivienne stopped, and turned around to look at him. "What's up?"

"What's your decision about the engagement?"

Vivienne slightly composed herself, then looked up at Percival, and said in a whisper, "Agreed! Let's postpone the engagement by half a month."

No celebrations until then.

The reason she agreed to the engagement with Percival was that she wanted to replace out how he got the pendant. Did he steal it or snatch it from her mother? As for his claim that it was a gift from a friend, she wasn't buying it!

Percival's lips curled up into a smirk, "Sure, as you wish."

Vivienne glanced at him, her lips curving into a smile. She then moved closer to Percival, her voice filled with a wicked tone, "Mr. Ellington, watch out, I'm toxic!" After saying that, she turned around and left. Percival watched her retreating figure, his smile deepening.

Toxic? Indeed. Someone who could effortlessly defeat a world-renowned assassin was definitely toxic.

But she reminded him of someone. Even their appearances were somewhat similar. If it weren't for the fact that she's a Hawthorn, he would've thought Vivienne was that person's daughter. Suddenly, Percival's gaze changed. He pulled out the pendant from his pocket, and a vague emotion filled his eyes.

"Mr. Ellington, there's a response from the other side. They still couldn't replace any leads on the kid." Thomas looked serious. "There's too little information about the kid. After so many years, her appearance has changed, and it's difficult to track her down."

With a slight pause, Thomas added, "I've asked around the neighborhood where they used to live, but no one knows where the kid is now. They were using fake names back then, so I didn't replace any useful information."

They walked to the car, with Leopold and Thomas helping Percival get in.

Out in public, Percival was always seen as a 'cripple', so he couldn't get in the car by himself.

Percival sat in the back seat, Thomas drove, and Leopold sat in the passenger seat. Once the car started, Leopold turned to Percival and asked, "Mr. Ellington, do you reckon that girl is dead by now?" "They were being hunted down years ago. Her mom is dead. Where could a nine-year-old girl run off to? I bet she was caught by those people long ago."

Leopold continued, "I think you should stop looking for her. The priority now is to treat Isolde's illness. Plus, the higher-ups have given us orders to replace that drug ASAP. If GTO gets to it first, it's gonna be a disaster."

Percival leaned back in the seat, closing his eyes. He didn't say anything, seeming lost in thought. After a moment of silence, he slowly opened his eyes, his voice hoarse. "I might have found her." Both Leopold and Thomas were shocked. They stared at him in disbelief. "Found her? Who?"

Percival lowered his head, looking at the pendant in his hand, "I'm not sure yet."

He put the pendant in his pocket, rolled down the window, and looked outside with squinted eyes. His voice was flat. "The last place the drug appeared was in Havenwood. Send someone to check it out. Thoroughly investigate every outsider that has shown up in Havenwood in the past twenty years."