The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 266

The Brooks Mansion.

When Vivienne and Percival returned, the great hall of the mansion was filled with people.

The patriarch, Baron, sat at the head of the table, surrounded by members of the Brooks family.

Upon seeing the pair enter, Baron gestured towards them. "You two are just in time. Come and sit. We have matters to discuss."

Vivienne nodded, taking a seat with Percival on the empty chairs to Baron's right.

Once everyone was present, Baron spoke, "Now that we've found Vivienne, it's time to organize a reunion banquet. Scott, take care of it. Send out invitations far and wide, and ensure the feast is grand." Scott nodded. "I'm on it. The preparations have already begun."

Baron grunted in approval, then turned his gaze towards Vivienne. "If you have any friends you'd like to invite, let your father know so he can send out the invitations promptly. The 15th is a good day, so we'll have it then."

Today was the 10th, so that left five days.

"Alright." Vivienne had no objections.

"Do you have any requirements for your attire or jewelry?" Baron asked next.

He was aware that Vivienne was a top-tier fashion designer.

Her designs were unparalleled; even the best designers they could hire couldn't come close.

"I'll take care of my dress and jewelry."

That was the expected answer, so Baron just nodded. "Alright. Then it's settled."

Once that was sorted, Baron turned his attention to Percival. His gaze had grown increasingly disdainful, but he continued nonetheless. "Although you two are engaged, her immediate family wasn't involved. You'll have to go back and talk to your grandfather, so you can ask him to organize an engagement party for you two in Rivenwood."

In Havenwood, the engagement party was hosted by the bride's family.

But in Rivenwood, both the engagement and wedding parties were the groom's responsibility.

"My grandfather has already arranged it." Percival replied calmly. "If all goes well, it should be the day after tomorrow."

His engagement to Vivienne was already official. There was no need for another ceremony.

But his grandfather just wanted to host a party to introduce Vivienne to the other major families.

Upon hearing this, Baron huffed. "Richard, that old man, always trying to one-up me!"

He then turned to Scott. "You need to speed things up. Have the family reunion banquet tomorrow." Scott fell silent.

Was this a casual dinner at a restaurant?

Can we just decide this on a whim?

He felt guilty for having mistaken another girl for Vivienne and had planned to make up for it with a grand family reunion banquet. The scale of the banquet couldn't be any less than what was planned for Arabella.

If they rushed it and had it tomorrow, how could it be grand?

Even the world-renowned figures he had invited might not be able to make it in time.

Scott rubbed his temples in frustration. "Percival, could you ask your grandfather to postpone your family's party by a few days? There's no need for another engagement party. The one hosted by her foster parents counts. Just a simple party will do."

Percival's lips twitched upwards slightly as he replied, "This would be the first party we host for Vivienne, and you want it to be simple?"

Given the competitive tension between his grandfather and Baron, there was no way the party would be anything less than grand. Scott was truly at a loss.

Did Richard have to compete with them?

Did he have to compare everything?

Seeing that the tension was rising, Timothy quickly intervened. "Let's leave the parties to the respective families. We just need the Ellingtons to postpone theirs a bit. Percival, let your grandfather know that he should host the feast after our family reunion banquet."

"Alright." Percival didn't argue.

With that settled, Baron glanced at Percival, speaking in a neutral tone. "Pack your things and head back to the Ellington residence later. It won't do Vivienne's reputation any good if people replace out you're living together."

Percival was speechless.

He knew it.

These fools were up to no good.

A moment later, he nodded. "Alright."

His presence there was preventing certain foxes from showing their true colors.

Afterward, Baron inquired about the company's affairs.

With Scott at the helm of the Brooks family, he was responsible for the company's affairs, but most of his duties were delegated to Ronald.

Ronald was a prodigy since he joined the company at a young age. Even before replaceing Vivienne, Scott had treated Ronald like a son and intentionally groomed him to be his successor.

Ronald briefed the old man on the company's current state of affairs, to which he expressed satisfaction.

Despite relinquishing his position as head of the family, he still needed to keep tabs on the family's affairs.

"Dad, should we invite the Miller family to the family reunion banquet?" Melissa suddenly asked.

Baron banned Paula from returning home, but the Miller family was still related to the Brooks through marriage. There were some mutual interests between the two families as well.

If the head of the Brooks family was hosting a family reunion feast for his biological daughter, it was only natural to notify all the major families. If they purposely left out the Miller family, it might look bad.

Baron's aged eyes narrowed slightly, then he turned to Vivienne. "Vivienne, what do you think?"

Vivienne's lips curved into a slight smile. "If I say don't invite them, will you agree?"

Baron was taken aback. He met Vivienne's cold gaze, feeling like she could see right through him.

He shifted his gaze, falling silent for a moment before speaking. "In the business world, the Millers and us have ongoing projects together. It's alright if you don't invite Paula, but the head of the Miller family must be invited."

In the circles of the truly wealthy, which family could exist in isolation?

Every family, more or less, had interests intertwined with others.

It was just a matter of degree.

He might not care about Paula, but he couldn't ignore the collaboration between the two companies.

The Hawthorns were an old-money family, so he always had to consider their long-term development.

A deeper smile crept onto Vivienne's face.

See!

No matter how nice they sound, their actions reveal their true intentions. They always gave off the illusion that they adored her.

Unfortunately, she was not a naive little girl like Arabella.

She was not that ignorant.

Vivienne turned her gaze to Scott, waiting for his opinion.

Scott felt a jolt in his heart as he met her gaze, and he instinctively explained, "Vivienne, the collaboration between us and the Millers involves billions of dollars."

He didn't need to spell it out. He knew Vivienne would understand.

Vivienne raised an eyebrow, her smile becoming more ruthless. "I see! Well then invite them?"

In her time with the Brooks, she hadn't probed deep into the past, but she could read a lot from their attitudes.

She began to understand why her mother had fled on her wedding day.

Scott?

Was he worthy?

If it had been Dorian making this decision, he would have rejected inviting the Millers without hesitation. Despite his weakness, Dorian could unabashedly protect her, even though he was a person with no blood ties to her.

What should she do?

Suddenly, she found herself missing Dorian.

She still owed him a 'Dad.'