The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 321

Ryan's face suddenly fell. He might have thought his son was a good-for-nothing, but that didn't give anyone else the right to criticize him, especially an outsider like Vivienne. He said, "Dad, I've always respected your wishes, but today Vivienne has crossed a line! Shouldn't you make a stand?"

"Yeah!" Cathy chimed in defiantly. "She's been targeting us this entire time. I don't know if it's because she's jealous or if someone's been pulling her strings!"

Pulling her strings?

That was a clear jab at Percival.

Vivienne was the daughter-in-law of Richard's third son, namely Percival's father, so naturally, she would side with Percival.

Her current feud with Paul was clearly a fallout between Richard's third son and first son.

"Enough!" Richard was so angry that his voice was shaking. He was still recovering from his illness and didn't have the strength to physically intervene. "Ryan, don't think I don't know about your targeting of Percival and Vivienne! The last time I assigned you as a security guard, it was to teach you a lesson!"

Richard shook his head in disappointment. "And what did you learn? Nothing! You're even dragging your own son into your schemes against Vivienne!"

"Dad, Ryan didn't mean any harm! He just wants what's best for the Ellington family!" Cathy tried to defend her husband, but the old man was done listening.

"I might be old, but I'm not blind or deaf. I've turned a blind eye to your past actions, but now that you've dared to scheme against Vivienne, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Richard spoke, then turned to his butler. "From today on, Ryan's family is not allowed to stay in the mansion. Without my permission, they are not allowed to return. This is your responsibility, so make sure it's done!"

Ryan, Cathy, and Paul were all stunned.

What?

They weren't allowed to return to the mansion?!

Wasn't this an indirect way of saying that he had lost Richard's favor and was no longer considered one of the heirs of the Ellington family?

"Dad, I was just confused for a moment. Don't hold it against me." Ryan quickly apologized; seeing that the old man remained unmoved, he desperately grabbed Paul and scolded him, "Aren't you going to apologize to your grandfather?!"

"Why should I apologize?! It's Grandpa who's being biased!" Paul stubbornly refused to admit his mistake.

Ryan was so angry that he was about to spit blood. He raised his hand and harshly slapped him several times, pushing him to kneel on the ground.

Paul was dizzy from the blows. He struggled to remain kneeling as his body constantly swayed.

"Why are you hitting him?!" Cathy was heartbroken, but she didn't dare argue in front of Richard. She whispered, "Paul didn't say anything wrong."

Ryan ignored her and swallowed his humiliation. He pulled his son to apologize to the old man. "Dad, we're all family. There's nothing we can't get past. It was all Paul's misunderstanding. It has nothing to do with Vivienne. We won't hold it against Vivienne, so please calm down."

Richard laughed in anger. "You won't hold it against her? You've caused such a disgrace! You've caused chaos in the family, and you have the audacity to say you won't hold it against her?"

He pointed at Paul, coughing and cursing. "You say I'm biased towards Vivienne; well, let me tell you, I am! Having a child like Vivienne marry into the Ellington family is a blessing. It's an honor for us. If anyone dares to make trouble for Vivienne in the future, they'd better get out of the Ellington family!"

Ryan knelt on the ground, unable to believe that Richard would truly favor an outsider over him, his eldest son.

Paul, his face swollen and his brain fuzzy from the beating, was even more unable to swallow this bitter pill.

He had been beaten and scolded, but the old man still refused to forgive them. He showed no sign of changing his mind.

"It's all your fault! You damn bitch!" Enraged, he stood up and charged at Vivienne.

He wanted to throttle her and give her a taste of her own medicine.

However, Paul barely got close to Vivienne when Percival kicked him hard in the groin.

"Ah!" Paul screamed in pain while clutching his crotch as he fell to his knees.

The kick was so brutal that he felt like he had been crippled.

Percival looked down at him coldly, as if he were a mere insect. "This is what you get if you try to lay a hand on my Vivienne."

"Paul!" Cathy was frightened out of her wits. It took her a moment to rush over and check on her son.

Paul was so pale and sweaty from the pain that he couldn't even answer her. He just opened his mouth in a silent scream.

"That's enough." Richard glanced at him with a grave expression on his face. "Take him to the hospital first. If you dare to plot behind my back again and do such disgraceful things, don't blame me for being harsh!"

The old man's intentions were clear. He was protecting Percival and Vivienne.

If anyone dared to lay a hand on Vivienne, they'd have to get past him first.

Ryan glared at Richard and Vivienne, then asked the butler to replace some servants to carry Paul to the car and take him to the hospital.

"Vivienne, I'm sorry for what happened." After dealing with the situation, the old man turned to Vivienne.

"My eldest grandson is a hopeless case." He said with regret all over his face. "I thought as he grew older, he would become wiser, but he's still as arrogant as ever."

Vivienne, who had enjoyed the show, didn't take it to heart. "Grandpa, it's okay."

Richard had made his stance clear, and there was no need for any self-reproach.

"Yeah, Paul deserves to be punished when he screws up, Vivienne. Don't be too upset." Fiona stepped in, trying to ease the tension. "There's an art exhibition coming up. Why don't we all go together? Consider it an apology from the Ellingtons."

The atmosphere finally lightened a bit, and Richard nodded in agreement. "That's right. You youngsters should go together. Fiona has a good eye for art, so you could learn a lot from her."

Vivienne used to enjoy visiting art exhibitions, but as her schedule got busier, she had less time for such activities. Now that Fiona had brought it up, she didn't mind giving it a go. "Sure, I'm up for it."

"Yes, yes, it's good for both families to interact more. After all, we are going to be one big family." Dorian, who had been standing on the sidelines all this time, finally saw an opportunity to step forward. "I was scared to death just now. I'm glad you're okay, Vivienne."

This was the Ellington's turf, and when Ryan and Paul stirred up trouble, Dorian had no chance to intervene, nor did he dare to meddle in the Ellington's family affairs.

Now that those who needed to be dealt with were taken care of, he finally stepped up and put on a show of concern.