The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 287

She pried open his mouth, revealing a mouthful of teeth stained with a deadly poison.

When Matthew caught the man, the first thing he did was remove all traces of poison from his mouth, preventing any chance of him committing suicide.

But he hadn't expected the man to be so thoroughly prepared. The man had left himself no room for survival when he realized that he had no chance to escape.

Vivienne fed him a life-saving pill and pulled out a silver needle to seal his key pressure points. "Matthew, keep an eye on him while I research the antidote." She said coldly.

The poison he'd ingested was extremely potent. It was nearly as potent as her own concoction, shadow venom. She could neutralize it, but she needed a few specific herbs. And herbs were exactly what she lacked at the moment.

The man had stopped breathing momentarily, but since Vivienne had already fed him a life-saving pill and sealed his heart meridian with a silver needle, it wouldn't be that easy for him to die. Extracting information from him, however, would take some time.

Vivienne's expression darkened as she thought about this.

"It's alright." Percival wrapped his arm around her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "At least now we know that I'm their target."

"These people are going too far." Vivienne's gloom had not faded in the slightest.

"Are you worried about me?" Percival asked. He chuckled after noticing how angry she really was. "I never thought you would be the one to protect me."

"You're my fiancé." Vivienne grabbed his collar and pulled him close.

Upon seeing her serious expression, Percival couldn't help but smile and pull her closer into his arms.

"You're right, Vivienne," he said, "but I can't always be just your fiancé, can I? When can I become your husband?"

He'd already half-tricked and half-begged Dorian into agreeing. As long as Vivienne agreed to marry him, he could register their marriage as soon as the date arrived.

"We'll see." Vivienne didn't intend to give in just yet. She played with the silver needle hidden up her sleeve. "If I'm not satisfied with you, a single needle can solve the problem."

Percival whispered in her ear, "Vivienne, are you planning to murder your husband?"

Matthew watched from the side, suddenly understanding how Leopold must feel when he's around them. These two could be so sweet and indulgent to each other that they completely ignored the presence of others.

"Vivienne." He coughed lightly, reminding them of his presence. "Do we need to continue investigating this matter?"

Vivienne snapped back to reality and pushed Percival away. "Yes."

Since the attackers had made their move, they wouldn't stop until they reached their goal. They needed to act first and clear out any unnecessary obstacles.

"I'll have other disciples assist you." Vivienne took out her phone and quickly typed out a few messages. "This villa will be your temporary base. Without my orders, don't act rashly."

Matthew nodded. "Understood."

"What about the Ellington family?" Vivienne asked, looking at Percival.

There was a cold smile on Percival's face. "It seems like someone's getting impatient."

Just as he was "recovering," someone made a move on him. They underestimated him.

"I'll have someone keep an eye on the Ellington family." Percival's eyes were deep and unreadable as he said this.

Vivienne looked at him. "Do you already have an answer in your mind?"

Percival didn't answer immediately, only saying, "I still need evidence."

He never fought a battle he wasn't sure he could win. Now that they attacked him, they would have to pay severely for their actions.

After leaving the man in the basement for Matthew to deal with, Percival took Vivienne back to the Brooks Mansion.

It was already eleven o'clock at night when she got home. Most people were already asleep, so the mansion was quiet.

"Miss, the master asked you to visit his study." A servant told her.

Vivienne didn't expect Scott to be awake at this hour, but she still went to his study as requested.

The Brooks family knew about Richard's situation, so naturally, Scott had to ask about it. "How was the surgery? Has the old man woken up?"

"Yes."

Vivienne's indifferent demeanor still hadn't changed. It was as if she didn't care about Scott being her father at all.

Scott's face fell slightly, and a hint of bitterness appeared in his expression.

Vivienne had been home for a while, and they'd even held a reunion banquet for her, but, even now, he still felt distant from his daughter. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to get close to her. "You're much like your mother. She never needed me to worry about anything too." He couldn't help but sigh. "If only she were still here."

The moment Vivienne heard him mention her mother, her eyes tightened, and her face darkened.

She stood up, not sparing him another glance. "I'm tired."

"Alright." Scott said helplessly. "Get some rest. We can talk about this tomorrow."

Vivienne scanned the room silently before returning to her own room.

After locking the door, she took out a miniature detector from her pocket, looking at the display with a raised eyebrow.

The detector showed that there were at least four surveillance devices in Scott's study, which covered all directions.

Vivienne clenched the detector in her hand as deep and thoughtful emotions began to well up in her heart.

At two-thirty in the morning, everyone in the Brooks Mansion was asleep. The mansion was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Vivienne slowly opened her eyes, got out of bed, and pulled out a small laptop hidden under her bed.

With a few clicks, she easily disabled the surveillance in Scott's study.

The whole process took less than five minutes. Afterward, she quietly left her room and went to Scott's study, but it was locked. Vivienne picked the lock and slipped inside, starting her search from the left side of the room to right.

The room didn't seem to have any hidden doors, but there was a photo of her mother on the desk.

Vivienne slowly walked over to the desk as her hand hovered over the photo, and her eyes filled with a deep longing and anger.

The beauty of her mother, forever captured in photographs, could never be erased by sorrow or pain.

She was no longer there, so what was the point of pretending to be sentimental with a mere picture?

As her fingers traced the frame, she suddenly discovered a hidden compartment in the desk.

Vivienne scrunched her eyebrows and opened the compartment to replace a peculiar safe.

This safe was fireproof, waterproof, and particularly secure. She knew how to crack it open, but she would need the right tools.

After examining the safe, Vivienne decided to leave it for now. She planned to return later with the right tools.

Before leaving the study, she wiped away all traces of her presence, restoring everything she had touched to its original state.

After securing the room, Vivienne turned to head back to her bedroom. As she stepped into the hallway, however, she heard a faint rustling sound.

Someone was there.

Just as Vivienne was about to slip into the shadows, she heard a suppressed gasp.

"You scared me!"

Upon seeing that it was Vivienne, the late-night intruder, Kala Brooks, heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God it's not my parents, or I'd be in deep trouble!" She loudly whispered. "Hey, what are you doing here?" Kala had snuck out for a night on the town and was just returning home. She wasn't expecting to run into Vivienne.

"I'm thirsty." Vivienne answered calmly, smoothly changing the subject. "I'm heading to the kitchen for a glass of water."