The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 316

Percival was driving Vivienne towards the city center.

Noticing Vivienne's low spirits, he gently asked, "Feeling down? Is it because of that person from earlier?"

What was her name? Miss Penny?

He had forgotten already.

"No."

Vivienne stared out the window with a somber expression on her face.

Indeed, she was upset, but not because of Calista.

Calista couldn't stir any emotional response from her.

Her frustration was due to the fact that, despite the long duration of her research and having found the necessary cobra grass, the study was still at a standstill.

The GTO organization had begun to infiltrate her surroundings. If her pace in developing an antidote didn't surpass GTO's development of their poison, she feared that the organization would resort to more drastic measures.

She wasn't worried about herself, but she had people she wanted to protect now.

"You mentioned you had something to show me?" Vivienne, not wanting to talk about it, changed the subject.

On the way to the research facility, Percival sent her a message, hinting at some mysterious secret.

"Relax. It's something you'll love once you see it."

With a smile on his face, Percival looked at her affectionately and said, "Leave your worries behind for now."

Vivienne hummed in response. She somehow felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders.

She didn't know why, but Percival always somehow seemed to soothe her.

"Sleep for a bit. I'll wake you when we arrive." Upon seeing the fatigue etched on Vivienne's face, Percival felt his heart ache.

She was such a strong-willed girl, so she always kept her problems to herself.

"Okay." Only when she was with Percival did Vivienne let down her guard. She closed her eyes and fell into a light sleep.

Vivienne slept for half an hour in the car. When she woke, they had parked on top of a hill.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

Noticing that they had been parked for a while, Vivienne stretched and straightened her posture.

Percival had draped his suit jacket over her to keep her warm. She didn't know when he had draped it over her. She hadn't even noticed.

"I didn't have the heart to wake you. You looked so peaceful." Percival replied with a smile. "Come on, let's see the surprise I've prepared for you."

He opened the car door for Vivienne and led her to the top of the hill.

"What is it?"

Just as she asked, a loud noise echoed through the sky.

Streams of light shot into the air, and a spectacular display of fireworks lit up the night sky.

Vivienne had seen fireworks before, but she had never seen fireworks as dazzling and stunning as this.

The fireworks lasted for a full twenty minutes, lighting up her heart with their brilliance.

She turned to look at Percival, who was only showing his profile, yet he still looked captivating.

Her eyes traced down his face to his delicate lips, and on a whim, she tiptoed and planted a kiss on him. Caught off guard, Percival froze for a second before wrapping his arms around her, deepening the kiss. Under the shower of fireworks, the atmosphere between them intensified.

After a while, Vivienne pulled away from Percival and softly said, "Thank you, Mr. Wolf."

From a young age, her heart had been hardened like steel. It was rarely affected by anything.

But ever since she left the Emerald Monastery, she found her heart softening unexpectedly.

The warmth from Dorian and Cordelia, the affection from Percival...

It turned out that even the deepest part of her heart needed tenderness.

She was only nineteen. She wanted to be like other girls her age. She wanted to have simple likes and dislikes and do what she wanted to do.

Percival raised his hand and gently stroked her head as a faint smile spread on his lips. "Vivienne, I can be your rock. You can trust me with your back. I won't let anyone hurt you." He had never dated anyone before. He didn't really know how to make his girlfriend happy.

Especially Vivienne, a truly resilient woman.

Taking her to watch the fireworks was an idea he got from a picture he saw on his phone. He thought she would like it, and it seemed like he was right.

Vivienne looked up into his deep eyes and smiled. "Okay, Mr. Wolf, from now on, you'll protect me."

Percival held her close and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Okay."

For the sake of protecting his girl, he needed to get to work.

After the fireworks ended, Percival drove Vivienne back to the Brooks Mansion.

Once Vivienne was inside, Percival drove away.

Halfway through his drive, Percival narrowed his eyes. He slowed down and lit a cigarette.

The car moved slowly down the road, filling with swirling smoke.

He rolled down the window, stubbed out his cigarette, pulled over, and got out.

While leaning against the car, he bathed in the moonlight, making his silhouette look long and straight.

He cast a casual glance at the distance and spoke in a calm tone. "You've been following me the entire time. Isn't it time to make a move?"

As soon as he said this, more than a dozen men in black appeared and surrounded Percival.

The man leading them eyed Percival warily. "How did you spot us?"

He never expected Percival to discover them.

They were the cream of the crop at the assassination organization. Normally, no one could detect them.

Percival gave him a small smile. "Is it hard to notice you?"

The man sneered. "It seems the person who wants you dead underestimated you."

"Oh?" Percival raised an eyebrow. "How did the other party describe me?"

"She said you're more than meets the eye and that you're not a pushover." The man answered straightforwardly.

Percival's lips curled into a small smile. "That someone must know me well. So, you believe her?"

"Of course!" The man said seriously. "We're now the third group sent by our organization. Apparently, everyone before us failed."

The man kept his eyes on Percival. He was constantly on guard.

Anyone who could detect them so easily was a dangerous character.

"Enough with the chitchat. Someone's put a price on your head, and if you don't meet your maker today, we're done for." With a nod of his head, the man gave his men the go-ahead. "Let's get this over with." Almost instantly, the group of men sprang into action.

But just as they took their first step, Percival suddenly yelled, "Hold on!"

The group paused, and the man in charge furrowed his brows at him. "What is it now?"

He didn't understand what was happening. Usually, when he was on a job, even if the target found out, there wouldn't be much of a conversation. They'd simply get down to business.

But somehow, this man always seemed to control the narrative.

"What's the price on my head? How much did they offer you?" Percival casually lit another cigarette as he asked.

"30 million!" The man didn't hesitate.

Percival took a drag from his cigarette as a smirk played on his lips. "My life is worth only 30 million?"

The man was momentarily speechless.

Was he complaining that the price on his head was too low?

"100 million. Would that be enough to get you lot to switch sides?" Percival nonchalantly said after extinguishing his cigarette.

The man and his crew were stunned into silence.