The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

Percival had already scooped up Isolde before she even got close to Vivienne and then gave Iris a nod. "Iris, you guys chat. I'm gonna take Isolde and Thaddeus to play." Without waiting for a reply, he took off with Isolde.

"Hey, bro, put me down! I wanna be with Vivienne!" Isolde was kicking her tiny legs in the air.

Lately, her mom not only forbade her from going to the Hawthorn family's home but also badmouthed Vivienne in front of her. She was even encouraging her to ruin the relationship between Vivienne and her brother.

Every time, she had to ignore all this as she chanted in her heart. "I can't hear. I can't hear."

She even thought about snitching on her mom to Richard because her mom was seriously getting on her nerves. Her ears were practically numb.

Today, she finally got the chance to hang out with Vivienne with the help of her brother, but then her brother also did this.

She was boiling mad!

"Behave." Percival tapped her little butt and gestured at Thomas, who then escorted a confused Thaddeus away.

Percival knew Vivienne had something to discuss privately with Iris, so he offered to look after the kids.

Of course, he claimed to be babysitting, but in reality, Thomas was doing all the work.

Percival just stood there, keeping an eye on the two kids to make sure they didn't run rampant.

Thaddeus was well-behaved and not naughty.

Even though he had already played a round in the playground, when Isolde arrived, he still happily accompanied her and played till she finally laughed, because he loved his little sister the most.

Vivienne and Iris found a bench to sit on.

The fireworks in the distance were still going on. The dazzling light fell on Iris's face, revealing a degree of embarrassment and awkwardness. She hesitated for quite a while before Vivienne spoke first. "Iris, I have something to ask you."

"Go ahead."

"Did my mom leave you anything?" Vivienne added. "When my mom died, I was too young, so she didn't leave much behind. So, over the years, I've been looking for her belongings, so I can keep them as a memento."

She didn't hold much hope, but since her mother mentioned that the item was with the Hawthorn family before she died, she wanted to ask around.

"No, she didn't." As expected, Iris shook her head. She was very fond of her sister-in-law, Evelyn.

Back in the day, when she encountered trouble and was nearly violated, it was Evelyn who saved her, for which she had been forever grateful.

She couldn't help but laugh as she spoke of the past. "Your mom and I were both weak women back then, but she had the courage to venture into that bar alone to save me."

Hearing the phrase "weak woman" made Vivienne's eyes flicker.

"I was drugged at the time, so I don't remember the details. I just remember the strength your mom suddenly displayed. She carried me and started running."

She sighed deeply. "Vivienne, I know the Hawthorn family has wronged you and your mother. If you two hadn't been kicked out by your grandmother, maybe your mom wouldn't have died so young. Also, this incident is Arabella's fault. Your grandmother has already made her clarify the situation on social media and apologize to you. Can you ask Percival to let the Hawthorn family off the hook?"

There it was.

"Aunt Iris, there's a price to pay for doing wrong." Vivienne's tone was very calm.

She could ask Percival to let the Hawthorn family off, but she herself would not.

Vivienne never needed to rely on Percival.

Unfortunately, the Hawthorn family didn't understand. But they didn't need to; they just needed to accept their punishment.

"I understand. But the Hawthorn family has already paid a price. Can you let them off this time for my sake?" Iris pleaded.

Vivienne lifted her eyes to look at Iris while pursing her lips. After a while, she took out her phone and opened up Arabella's apology video.

"Take a look at this first."

Confused, Iris took the phone. Iris' face turned sour as she watched Arabella apologize and clear things up while looking helpless in the video.

She headed straight to meet Vivienne after leaving the hospital and then went to pick up Thaddeus from Imperial Blossom Nursery. She primarily used Facebook and Instagram since she lived overseas and hardly used Twitter, so she didn't know about the video Arabella posted.

"She hired people to pretend to be the netizens attacking me online and caused trouble at my house and Thaddeus' school." Vivienne spoke calmly, as if she were discussing something irrelevant. "What?!" Iris was shocked. Beatrice hadn't mentioned this when she explained the situation.

"Defaming me is one thing." Vivienne looked directly at Iris. "Cordelia is usually the only one at home, and Thaddeus is still so young. If anything happened to them, the Hawthorn family's troubles would be more than just bankruptcy."

Vivienne side-eyed Iris. "Don't think I'm heartless. Though this mess was caused by Arabella, Beatrice was also involved. Arabella is the adopted daughter of the Hawthorn family. If she screws up, it's the Hawthorn family's responsibility to clean up after her. I think that's fair."

Iris opened her mouth to speak but found herself at a loss for words.

She saw the coldness in Vivienne's eyes and suddenly realized that the little girl she had once held in her arms had grown up. She was no longer the naive child who was easily swayed by so-called blood ties. "I wasn't aware of these things." Iris confessed as she felt guilt filling her heart. "I'm sorry."

She wasn't dense. Despite Beatrice's affection for her, she knew her mother's true colors.

How could she not have thought about where Arabella got all that money to stir up trouble? Surely Beatrice must have had a hand in it.

It wasn't surprising that Vivienne was so cold toward the Hawthorn family.

They deserved it.

"Vivienne!"

A delighted Isolde launched herself at Vivienne, burying her head in her chest. "I missed you so much! Brother wouldn't let me talk to you before!"

"Isolde." Percival shot her a sideways glance. "Who bought the ticket for your outing? Who bought your ice cream? You turn around and badmouth me, huh?" "Thomas did!" Isolde replied confidently.

Percival was left speechless. "With my money!"

Thomas had to bite back a laugh.

He had never seen Percival argue with his sister before. Ever since Vivienne appeared, Percival had changed a lot.

It was like his icy nature was slowly melting.

"This kid is adorable." Iris tousled Isolde's hair with a smile.

"Of course! Vivienne personally treated me. No wonder I'm cute." Isolde grinned, revealing her small teeth.

Iris felt a warmth in her heart and suddenly missed her son back in Ozoria.