The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 450

Kala felt a twinge of guilt twisting in her stomach. She took out her phone and found Vivienne's chat but was at a loss for what to say. She typed a few words, only to delete them all.

'Thank you' seemed too trivial.

In her heart, Vivienne still irked her, yet there she was, offering help unconditionally.

She did not feel she had the right even to utter those words of gratitude.

After hesitating for a long time, Kala exited the chat and dialed Vivienne's number instead.

"Hello?"

Vivienne's calm voice came through, and Kala bit her lip before speaking up, "Vivienne, I... Thank you."

Vivienne chuckled softly. "Thank me for what? Aren't you my sister?"

The whole Brooks family debacle had started because of her.

Nonetheless, Vivienne genuinely treated Kala's family as one of her own.

Vivienne's circle was small; she valued those who were sincere to her and was always ready to reciprocate.

Besides, the acquisition was a minor matter for her. So minor it was almost trivial.

Kala paused, then suddenly laughed, "Right, I am your elder sister, and you'll always be my little sis."

Who cared about blood relations? She and Vivienne could still be sisters, best friends even.

Vivienne laughed again, "Just don't let me lose money, sis. I'm broke!"

Kala snorted with laughter. "Boss, I'll make sure every dime you spent acquiring the Glory project comes back to you with interest. I'm not any less capable than Stephen." Vivienne's voice was cheerful as she said, "Great, I'm looking forward to your success."

Another money-maker on the team!

Not bad at all!

After hanging up, Vivienne put away her phone.

Outside her office, Anna knocked on the door. "Ms. Vivienne, it's time to head out."

Vivienne snapped back to reality and stepped out.

Anna still wore her nondescript clothes and those signature black-rimmed glasses, her hair lazily draped over her shoulders.

Vivienne frowned. "Can't you try a different look?"

Now that Anna was with her year-round, she no longer needed such disguises.

Anna sheepishly scratched her head, saying, "I guess I'm just used to it."

Vivienne took off Anna's glasses. "After the lab, let's get you some new clothes."

They were spending money before it was even earned - not exactly cost-effective! Anna nodded.

She had to follow Ms. Vivienne's lead; that was the first rule handed down by Wolf when she took on the assignment.

In the YQ lab, everyone was busily engaged in various experiments.

Only Rex, with his signature silver-rimmed glasses, squatted on the floor, studying a potion's decomposition simulation. He seemed out of place, like a misfit.

"Why is it like this? Why are only three components separated? It's a toxin; how can it have healing properties?"

Rex mumbled to himself, oblivious to Vivienne's approach.

Vivienne bent down beside him, looking at the simulation. "All drugs have their poison. Even the best medicine can harm if misused. Is that so hard to understand?" Rex did not even look up, "No, no, no, I mean, it shouldn't be producing a healing effect. The dosage, this data... And a toxin seeking to heal what, exactly?" Vivienne's lips curled slightly.

The potions left by her mother were lethal; a mere milliliter could kill a robust adult, even more potent than Boar Poison.

That was why, over the years, she had been developing an antidote.

In the analysis process, she discovered that the potion produced a healing effect under certain accidental conditions.

With this discovery, she combined multiple viruses with the potion.

The viruses were not decomposed; they were consumed by the potion, forming new strains.

And these were even more virulent.

There was no denying that the potion's healing effect consumed the viruses, but the new strains were far too aggressive to be beneficial.

Rex's question was precisely what she had sought to understand for years.

Vivienne glanced at Rex. "Figuring out what it truly wants to heal will take time."

Rex nodded. "You have a point."

As he finally turned to look at Vivienne, his eyes lit up. "It's you! I knew you'd be the only one in the lab who'd understand what I'm talking about." Vivienne's smile deepened. "You're a genius."

"That's what they say." Rex preened, confident in his abilities.

Vivienne eyed him. "Never met your match, I take it?"

Rex's expression darkened.

Jealousy, anger, and frustration flickered in his eyes. Clearly, he was holding back rage, crushing his grievances in his palm, "No, I've met my match." Vivienne narrowed her eyes slightly. "Well then, good luck."

With that, she left the YQ lab with Anna.

Anna tried to make sense of the potion's decomposition simulation in the car but could not see the pattern.

"I'm still too green," she admitted, comparing herself to her mother, who had been a key aide to Lark, while she could only learn from Vivienne's side.

"Don't worry, genius isn't an easy path," Vivienne said, her gaze flicking to the rear-view mirror.

Anna's mouth twitched. "Are you showing off?"

Vivienne cornered with a sleek drift, "Nope, just telling it like it is."

Anna looked up, finally noticing something amiss. She glanced back, her eyes narrowing. "Got a tail again?"

"Yep, let's play a little game." Vivienne stepped on the accelerator, heading towards the city center mall.

Behind them, Rex followed in an unremarkable white sedan, keeping a discrete distance, a faint smile on his lips that sometimes slipped into something more sinister.

Vivienne drove leisurely into the mall's underground parking, then took the elevator up with Anna.

As the elevator doors slid shut, Anna caught a glimpse of an inconspicuous white sedan gliding into the parking lot alongside them.

Walking with a heightened sense of alertness close to Vivienne, Anna felt a reassuring pat on her shoulder. "Ever heard how Leopold lost track of his tail?" Asked Vivienne, a playful twinkle in her eyes.

Anna shook her head.

"It's because he was too anxious," Vivienne said radiantly. "Relax a little. The real show is just getting started."

To Anna's surprise, Vivienne really did mean to relax.

She was whisked from one dressing room to the next by Vivienne, and in less than an hour, the shopping bags were brimming, all filled with new clothes for Anna.

Percival was in the middle of a video conference on the other side of town.

Notification after notification of payment alerts popped up on his phone.

Thomas and everyone else in the meeting teased, "Percival, you sure your credit card hasn't been compromised?"

But Percival just chuckled.

The little lady was finally spending his money.

This was a splendid beginning!

He muted his phone and sent Vivienne a quick text, [Get something for yourself too.]

At the mall.

Anna wobbled the shopping bags in her hand. "Ms. Vivienne, I think I've shopped for all my eighteen years in one go." Vivienne handed Anna an iced latte.

With a silent sigh, Anna took the cup, noticing Vivienne's fingertips touch the cup lightly in several spots. Anna's gaze sharpened.

Poison!

But Vivienne, unaffected, placed a pair of freshly bought sunglasses onto Anna's face. "You do it," she said.