The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 252

"Huh?" Percival rested his hands on the arms of his chair, leisurely adjusting his cuffs, before rising to his feet and sauntering towards Paula.

He exuded a powerful aura, and with each step he took, Paula felt as if a weight of a thousand pounds was pressing down on her chest, making it difficult to breathe.

Percival frightened Paula, but she was not willing to back down, so she raised her voice even higher. "What do you think you're doing? This is our home; it's not your place to cause trouble!"

After looking at Paula's panicked expression, Percival curled his lips into a charmingly wicked smile. "Don't worry, I'm a bit of a neat freak. I don't lay hands on mad dogs!"

"Percival!" Paula's face turned red with anger.

This insolent man! He dared to call her a mad dog!

Percival nonchalantly slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "I'm not one for settling matters diplomatically, but my dear Vivienne prefers a more civilized approach, so we'll do things her way."

With that, he dialed a number.

The call connected immediately, and Richard's voice echoed through the phone. "Percival, you finally remembered to call me! Where did you take my granddaughter-in-law? Hurry up and bring her to see me!" "Grandpa." Percival's eyes flicked upward as his gaze swept casually over the faces of the Brooks clan. "I've invested 30 million for Vivienne to purchase a piece of gemstone, and now the Brooks family wants her to hand over the gemstone. They think I can't afford the sum and that Vivienne and I have been lying."

The entire Brooks family fell silent.

Was he really tattling on them again?

Did he have no shame?

Couldn't he just let things be?

Was it a habit for him to always snitch?

"Rubbish!" Richard's voice roared over the phone. "My grandson might be broke, but my granddaughter-in-law, Vivienne, absolutely cannot be! 30 million is nothing! I can afford a hundred billion!"

"You people have some nerve. You expect Vivienne to hand over her hard-earned gemstone to you? Keep dreaming!"

"What are you trying to do? You take Vivienne in, then harass her? You don't like the sight of her? You think I, Richard, am dead?"

"Wait! Just you wait! I'm coming to get Vivienne right now!"

"Sweetheart, you're not staying in that godforsaken house any longer. Grandpa is sending a car over for you right away!"

"No way! I'm so angry, I can't breathe! I need to go to the nursing home to curse Baron to death!"

The Brooks family was once again rendered speechless.

Without giving them a chance to respond, Richard hung up the phone.

The entire Brooks family was utterly dumbstruck.

Why was Richard so explosive? Was he a lit firecracker?

Was he sick or what?

Every time something happened, he'd run off to replace Baron. If he went again, Baron would surely tear them apart.

Judith massaged her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She turned to Paula. "Are you satisfied now?" Paula shrugged. "I did nothing wrong."

She couldn't care less whether Vivienne stayed at the Brooks Mansion. All she wanted was to make Scott miserable.

Judith was annoyed, but there was nothing she could do about her daughter.

For the past few years, because of her missing daughter, Paula would often return home and cause trouble for the family.

Everyone had been putting up with her to some extent because of what happened in the past, but now she was becoming more and more unreasonable. Forget it!

She was beyond control. They'd just have to wait for Richard to deal with her.

Judith looked at Vivienne apologetically. "Vivienne, don't mind your aunt. She doesn't think before she speaks. I'll talk to her later."

Then she turned to Percival. "Percival, please put in a good word for us with your grandpa. Regardless of whether you're the one who paid for the stone, I never intended for Vivienne to hand it over to us." Percival leaned back in his chair, his expression indifferent. "Judith, you misunderstand me. I'm not capable of making decisions; the one who can is my grandpa. As for Vivienne and my little household, she's the one in charge."

Judith was left speechless.

It was clear now.

He was just a tattletale.

...

At the Ellington family's home.

After hanging up the phone, Richard roared, "Ivan, get the car ready!"

Cecilia had just come downstairs when she saw Richard fuming. She hurried over and asked, "Dad, who upset you? Why are you so angry?"

"Who else could it be? It's those damn Brooks!" Richard spat out, donning his coat as he spoke.

"The Brooks family?" Cecilia paused. "What did they do to you?"

"They didn't do anything to me, but they bullied my granddaughter-in-law, your daughter-in-law!"

At that moment, Ivan pulled the car up to the entrance of the house.

As Richard strode towards the car, he filled Cecilia in on what had happened.

"What?!" Cecilia was instantly enraged. "They dared to bully my daughter-in-law? Do they think I, Cecilia, am just for show? Dad, wait up; I'm coming with you to pick up Vivienne!"

Instead of heading towards the Brooks Mansion, Richard first made his way to see Baron.

As soon as he arrived and saw Baron, he didn't give him a chance to speak. He immediately launched into a tirade. "You old fool! Look at what kind of people you've raised! They don't have any skills, so they bully my granddaughter-in-law, Vivienne, huh?"

"Do you think I'm too old to fight back? Does everyone think they can walk all over me? I hardly have time to pamper Vivienne, and yet your family bullies her? Do you think your lives are too long? I'll send you to the grave!"

"Listen here, Baron. I'm heading out right now to pick up Vivienne. I don't have the best temper, you see, and if I accidentally hurt someone, don't come crying to me for medical bills. I'm broke as a joke!" Richard rambled on, letting off a string of profanities, while Baron didn't utter a single word. When he was done, he just stormed off with Cecilia, leaving without a backward glance.

It took a while for Baron to process what had just transpired, and when he finally did, he cursed under his breath. "Richard! You ever-loving pain in the ass! Can't you give me a moment's peace?" Remembering his priorities, he quickly yelled, "Steven, Steven! Get the car ready. We're headed back home!"

Over at Brooks Mansion, the moment Richard announced he was coming to fetch Vivienne, everyone was on high alert. They huddled in the living room, waiting anxiously.

Richard was notoriously bullish. His tantrums were legendary.

They had no idea how to handle him when he arrived.

Aside from Paula, Mila, and Calista, everyone else was on edge.

Paula looked indifferent as she provocatively stared at Scott and Vivienne.

Mila's gaze kept wandering to Scott's face. Every look she gave him made her fall for him even more.

Calista, on the other hand, was fixated on the sight of Percival and Vivienne's intertwined hands. The jealousy and bitterness in her eyes were practically tangible. She clenched her fists so tightly that her sharp nails dug into her soft skin, but she seemed unaware of the pain.

Suddenly, the sound of a car horn broke the silence, and everyone in the Brooks family sprung to attention.

Soon, a deep voice echoed from outside. "Vivienne, your granddad's here to take you home!"