The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 426

At a quaint little farmhouse.

Finnian, scrolling through Twitter trends, clicked his tongue in annoyance. "That damn girl! It's just a bit of debt. Does she really need to chase me down for so long?"

Next to him sat a man in his mid-forties wearing a tracksuit.

The man glanced at his phone, then at Finnian. "Told you not to gallivant around, but no, you wouldn't listen. Did you really think she wouldn't replace you?"

Setting his phone aside, Finnian poured himself a glass of whiskey and downed it before facing the man. "What does it matter? I would never have left my precious disciple for so long if it wasn't for you. After all these years, not a soul came to check in on me. I'm starting to miss the kid's medicinal cooking. Of course, her usual meals were delicious, too."

The corner of the man's mouth twitched. "You sure you can call that food?"

Finnian's eyes widened. "Cut the sarcasm. My disciple's cooking was delicious. It's just you unappreciative folks who would say otherwise."

"Fine! As long as you're happy," the man replied, clearly ending the conversation.

Finnian grumbled and took another swig of whiskey, then after a moment of silence, he said, "Look, how long are you gonna keep this up? Don't outsmart yourself. That girl's got a fiery temper. I tricked her once, and she nearly dug up my grave. With you... Well, you're in for it!"

The man chuckled dryly. "You better worry about yourself. She's found her way to Rivenwood. You can't keep hiding forever."

Finnian scowled. "If you've got nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all! Such a buzzkill."

The man just shrugged and ignored him.

...

At the Ellington Group.

Fiona was clearing out her desk. The design department staff greeted her warmly, clearly sad to see her go.

"Make sure you all keep up the good work after I leave, and get those new products launched soon," Fiona instructed her coworkers.

"Don't worry, Fiona. The new line's already out. Mr. Ellington brought it in himself, a masterpiece from Master Jessica."

A flicker of jealousy passed through Fiona's eyes, quickly masked by her composure.

So well masked, in fact, everyone thought she was pleasantly surprised.

"Fiona loves Master Jessica's work. Now that she's met the legend herself, she must be thrilled."

"Yeah, Fiona, what does Master Jessica look like? Can we have a meet-and-greet?"

"You think she's a celebrity or what? Just get me an autograph, Fiona, will you?"

The staff at the company were not aware of Vivienne's true identity as Master Jessica, and Percival had made sure those who did know kept it under wraps.

Fiona forced a smile. "If Master Jessica were that easy to meet, she wouldn't be a master. Now that I'm leaving the company, I have even less chance of seeing her again. I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

The staff did not press the issue but were visibly disappointed. Fiona had been incredibly popular at the company. With her departure, there was uncertainty about who would lead the design department. If a less amicable boss took over, their good days might be over.

After leaving the Ellington Group, Fiona made a call.

"Do it!"

Astrid and Vivienne were heading out.

"Vivienne, have you discussed this with Percival? If you officially join the lab, you won't have the same freedom as you do now," Astrid said, looking at Vivienne with concern. "Yeah," Vivienne replied, her eyes closed, arms crossed, her face weary.

Seeing this, Astrid did not press further.

She dropped Vivienne off at the lab, saying, "Take care, Vivienne. I've got other tasks to attend to, so I'll leave you to it."

Vivienne waved her off and slipped on a pair of white gloves, which snugly wrapped around her slender fingers, a mix of restraint and temptation.

After Astrid left, Vivienne turned to the team behind her. "Let's begin."

Meanwhile, at the Ellington Mansion.

Richard suddenly fell ill, collapsing unconscious. The private doctor could replace no cause, and even the renowned doctors summoned from all over Rivenwood were stumped.

"Where's Vivienne? Doesn't she have some medical skills? Why not call her over?" Henry muttered, but seeing Percival's stern face, he did not dare raise his voice.

Percival's brow was furrowed. "I can't reach Vivienne right now."

"At a crucial time like this, none of you are of any use. What good was it for my dad to care for you?" Henry scoffed, then cried out towards Richard's room. "Dad, if only Jeffrey were well, he'd have gotten you the best doctor."

That was when Fiona hurried in. "Excuse me, let Calista have a look."

Calista stepped out from behind Fiona. "Mr. Ellington, let me try," she said.

Without waiting for a response, Heloise pushed Calista into the room. "Go on, Calista. Dad can't wait much longer. Are we supposed to wait for Master Jessica to come and show him her designs?" With her medical kit in hand, Calista pressed her lips together and entered the bedroom.

Fiona let out a relieved breath. "Sorry, Percival. I was with Calista when I heard it, so I asked her to come. Grandfather's health is paramount."

Percival did not respond, just silently watching the closed door to Richard's room, his deep eyes reflecting a stormy light.

Soon, Calista emerged from the room.

"Is that medicinal herb I brought for Grandfather the other day still here?" Calista asked urgently.

"Still here," Aurelia called out from her vigil by the door, swiftly fetching the prescribed medicine. Calista took a whiff of the concoction. "This is it. Brew it into a broth, and make it snappy." "Alright, alright," Aurelia nodded vigorously, taking the medicine to prepare it.

While waiting for the brew, Calista explained to everyone, "Richard's illness didn't just appear out of nowhere; it's been building up over time. Has Grandpa acquired any new items recently? Or eat anything out of the ordinary?"

"Grandpa's food is always meticulously selected by Percival; there's no chance of a mistake there. But if we're talking about new items, there's only..." Fiona trailed off with a meaningful glance towards Percival.

Richard's gifts were all stored in the gift room; he rarely wore anything else into the house.

The only item he currently wore was the bracelet that Vivienne had given him.

All eyes in the room turned to Percival.

Suddenly, Heloise exclaimed, "Could it be the bracelet that's causing the problem?"

Fiona pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

Calista stood agape as if she wanted to speak but could not replace the words.

Heloise's anger flared. "Well, isn't this just lovely! I knew that girl was up to no good, and here's the proof. Percival, is she your fiancée? Your grandfather has been nothing but kind to her, and she repays him by trying to kill him?"