The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 347

Just as Vivienne had anticipated, Scott stepped out of the police station really quick.

In no time, the police issued a statement clearing Scott of any criminal involvement in Karen's deaths.

Mila, too, was under scrutiny, yet no suspicious behavior was found.

Despite the police's announcement, the netizen group wasn't that easily swayed.

Everyone posted that while Scott and Mila might not be murderers, their affair was undeniable. Scott's betrayal of Karen was just as damning. The scandal continued to sizzle online.

Scott and Mila's reputations plummeted.

Meanwhile, Richard only found out about Calista being Scott's daughter the next day over lunch.

Being a man of certain age, he rarely surfed the internet. Besides, he had spent the previous day outdoors with an old friend. The folks of the Ellington family, who wouldn't want to bother Richard with such matters, had chosen to keep it a secret.

By the time Richard returned home, the news had exploded online. There was no way he could ignore it now.

Furious, Richard stormed off to the nursing home to give Baron a piece of his mind.

Baron was so startled by Richard's outburst that he nearly passed off.

Fuming, Baron shot back at Scott at the Brooks Mansion, announcing that he would not attend Calista's reunion banquet. After venting his anger, he returned to the nursing home.

Upon his return, his fury had not subsided. To make matters worse, he found his room had been stripped bare!

Not even a bed was left in the room.

Baron roared in anger, "Richard! You old fool, may lightning strike you down!"

Two days later.

The online slander against Scott and Mila had quietened down.

Meanwhile, Scott had been making frequent trips to the hospital to visit Calista.

Excluding Kala, Ronald, and Carl, the Brooks family's enthusiasm for Vivienne had dwindled all of a sudden. They would greet her out of courtesy but the conversations remained short and superficial. Vivienne, however, was totally unfazed by their attitude.

She had found a tutor for Thaddeus, who was Charlotte Redwood!

Originally, she had planned to ask Mr. James to help replace a tutor for Thaddeus. But with Mr. James preoccupied with solving the mystery of Atticus' lineage and personally fetching Ondine from the mountain region, Vivienne had to make other arrangements.

Ondine, William's childhood sweetheart and Mr. James's adopted daughter, had chosen to teach in the mountain region after graduation. She had been there for twenty years.

The place she taught was thousands of miles away from Rivenwood. Concerned for her safety, Mr. James had fetched her personally.

On top of that, Atticus had been overseas for an academic competition. It was only recently that he started making his way back.

With Ondine and Atticus, mother and son, preparing to reunite with William, Mr. James was also busy preparing. Vivienne decided to replace a friendly, patient tutor to help Thaddeus, who had been traumatized for several times by his experiences in Havenwood and Rivenwood. His physic trauma was so intense that he had backed away with contact.

Charlotte volunteered to become the tutor when she heard about this.

Without hesitation, Vivienne agreed.

As this year's college entrance test champion, Charlotte was not only academically gifted but also possessed a good character. Vivienne felt at ease with Charlotte teaching Thaddeus. Just as Vivienne had settled Thaddeus, Percival called.

"Vivienne, I've arrived." Percival's voice was gentle and filled with an irresistible charm.

Humming in acknowledgment, Vivienne rose from her seat and headed for the door.

Percival's car was parked in front of the Brooks Mansion. It was the same inconspicuous sedan.

As she was about to fasten her seat belt, Percival beat her to it.

As he leaned over, a faint scent of tobacco emanated from him, not unpleasant at all.

Vivienne glanced at him, "Has Fiona left?"

Fiona had invited her to an art exhibition previously. While Vivienne had no particular interest in art, she accepted the invitation out of respect for Richard.

The exhibition was originally scheduled for a few days back but was postponed to today due to unforeseen circumstances.

"Yes." Percival started the car, his voice neutral. "She left with Jeffrey."

Vivienne paused, "Jeffrey is going too?"

"The exhibition is organized by Jeffrey." Percival replied, unperturbed.

"He's quite the artist!" Vivienne quipped, smiling.

Percival chuckled, "Henry's people have been causing some trouble recently."

Vivienne raised an eyebrow at that, "So, Mr. Wolf, do you want me to help you fight off these troublemakers?"

Percival cleared his throat, "Ahem! Vivienne, someone from the Ellington family is still hiding in the shadows. I haven't found out who it is yet." Vivienne's lips curled up in understanding, "Got it."

They did not say much after that.

Soon, they arrived at the art museum.

Fiona and Jeffrey were already waiting at the entrance.

Seeing them approach, Fiona greeted them with a warm smile, "Percival, Vivienne, here you are."

Jeffrey merely glanced at Percival and Vivienne with an eyeful of impatience. He didn't even want to greet them.

"Yes. Let's go in." Percival responded. He was apathetic and almost expressionless while leading Vivienne into the exhibition hall.

Looking at their retreating figures, Fiona's eyes narrowed momentarily before she quickly regained her composure and followed them inside. Jeffrey, of course, followed suit.

Inside the exhibition hall.

The hall was exquisitely decorated. The paintings hung on the walls were clearly high in value.

Fiona spotted a few familiar faces and went to greet them.

As the owner of the gallery, Jeffrey had to attend to some matters and stepped away momentarily.

That left Percival and Vivienne alone.

As they strolled deeper into the gallery, Vivienne glanced at the various artworks, then turned to Percival, asking, "Did he create all of these?"

Had she been out of touch for so long? She recognized several paintings on the wall from somewhere.

But the artists' names didn't seem to read Jeffrey!

"Some are by artists he's signed, a few are his own creations," Percival replied as he motioned towards a display case nearby, "let's just say those ones." Following his direction, Vivienne looked over and took in the eclectic collection. She was speechless as her brows juddered a little, "Definitely his style!" Percival's lips curled up slightly, "Indeed."

Vivienne continued on, not particularly interested in these less-than-masterful pieces.

Whispers suddenly filled the gallery, "This painting is a real gem, probably the best one here."

"Why hasn't the artist's name been mentioned? I'd like to request another piece from them."

"Can you really request a specific artist? I want to do the same!"

Vivienne looked in the direction of the voices.

A crowd was gathered around a particular artwork, lavishing it with praise.

Intrigued, Vivienne wondered what sort of painting had captured their attention.

While many pieces in the gallery could dupe the untrained eye, those same folks wouldn't be arguing over who'd get to commission the artist.

With that thought, she stepped towards the commotion.

Percival followed Vivienne's pace.

When Vivienne reached the painting, she halted; her gaze intensified as a hint of hostility emanated from her.

Percival noticed her reaction and raised his eyes. His pupils shrunk.

Indeed, the painting was remarkable.

It depicted a figure's silhouette from the back. Despite its simplicity, it conveyed a sense of profound solitude.

Both color scheme and composition were superior to most works in the gallery.

However, the person in the painting was Karen!