The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

Percival seemed to have anticipated Vivienne's needs well in advance, leading her to Carly's backyard with a knowing smile.

"These were left behind, not yet destroyed. Thought you might need them," Percival said, rummaging through the bags to pull out two smartphones. "The black one belonged to the town mayor, the other to his wife." Vivienne accepted the phones, planting a soft kiss on Percival's cheek as she prepared to step back and examine them. But in that moment, Percival wrapped his arms around her waist, deepening their kiss. Passersby, seemingly accustomed to their public displays of affection, glanced their way before promptly diverting their eyes.

As the kiss ended, Vivienne caught a glimpse of emotion in Percival's eyes, a smirk playing on her lips as she whispered, "We'll talk tonight, let's deal with this first."

"Whatever you say," Percival murmured, his hands lingering on her waist.

Whether it was Vivienne's imagination or not, she felt warmth radiating from where Percival had touched her, though he appeared innocently unaware of the effect he had on her.

Clearing her throat, Vivienne moved to message someone, easily unlocking the town mayor's phone.

His phone was straightforward, containing only WhatsApp conversations and contacts with Connor, a familiar face that sent a chill down Vivienne's spine.

She opened a message Connor had sent that morning.

"How's the situation?"

Vivienne replied to Connor.

"Everything's set. The linchpin can be activated at any time."

Upon receiving the message, Connor's expression in his office fluctuated unpredictably. After a moment of hesitation, he dialed the town mayor's number.

The sudden ringtone echoed through the yard, with Vivienne answering calmly, "Sir."

It was the town mayor's voice.

Connor paused before speaking, "Why did it take so long to reply?"

"They were more troublesome than expected. Our plans were discovered, and evading them took some time," Vivienne responded, her tone serious, dispelling any doubts Connor might have had. As they spoke, the town began to evacuate, and soon it was deserted.

"Hmph!" Connor scoffed upon hearing this. "Once this is over, they won't be able to gloat ever again. I'll make sure of it."

Vivienne, hiding her disdain, continued, "You're right, sir. Their days of gloating are numbered."

"Let's leave it at that for now. Contact me if there's anything else."

The moment Connor hung up, an explosion rocked Luck Village, with bombs raining down and the mayor's mansion the first to be destroyed.

Vivienne watched dispassionately, her only concern now the secrets held within the lab.

"Young Master, these are backup copies of the lab's documents, all stored on these two USB drives, named according to their system," Draven said, handing them to Vivienne as he jogged over. Vivienne pocketed them lightly, "Let's retreat. We can head back now."

That night, Vivienne and her team headed back to Havenwood, with Connor none the wiser about the day's events.

When Connor arrived at the Perez family home, Jasper was joyfully reuniting with his grandchildren, the house buzzing with happiness.

Connor sensed something was off from the moment he entered; wasn't the family supposed to be in mourning? Instead, the house was filled with light and laughter.

While Connor puzzled over this, Jasper approached him from behind, "Ah, Connor, why are you standing out here? Come on in and sit down."

Jasper's sudden appearance startled Connor, who greeted him with an uneasy smile, "Grandfather."

Jasper could tell something was amiss and looked at Connor with concern, "You look pale. Are you not feeling well? What brings you here so late?"

Before Connor could sense anything amiss, Jasper answered his barrage of questions, confirming the children had been safely returned.

Connor's smile froze as he saw several figures approach from behind Jasper.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

Percival was there, holding one child and leading another by the hand, with Vivienne standing right beside him!

"How is this possible?!" Connor was incredulous, unable to fathom Vivienne's presence.

Vivienne's laughter at his astonishment broke the tension, "Why not? Did you really think those fools could trap me? It seems you've learned nothing from lurking by my side these past five years." "How did you know?" Connor's façade crumbled, his expression souring.

"From the day you appeared at my side, I was wary. Though I didn't know your identity then, it didn't take long to figure things out. Have my five years of acting been convincing?"

Connor, realizing his cover was blown, dropped the gift he had been carrying with a loud thud.

His face contorted with rage, "So, you've been toying with me all these years?"

"Of course," Vivienne said, taking a few steps forward to stand in front of Connor. "You think you can just show up here and try to pull a fast one on me? You've got more nerve than anyone I've ever met."

With a scoff, Connor flung a packet of powder towards Vivienne, but his efforts were futile against her. His movements blurred and then he was gone, but Vivienne wasn't rattled in the slightest. She glanced in the direction Connor had disappeared, then helped Jasper back to the living room.

"You've got a plan for this, don't you?" Jasper asked, taking a sip of his coffee after they sat down.

"Yep." Vivienne got some snacks for the kids and settled herself on the couch with a slice of strawberry cheesecake, eating nonchalantly. "He can run, but he can't hide."

Vivienne had cleverly planted a

tracking chip on Connor. It was designed to merge with his skin upon contact, and in his agitated state, Connor hadn't noticed a thing. Vivienne smiled to herself, thinking about her strategy.

After a light meal, Vivienne took the kids to their room early to get ready

Qu

for bed. The incident at Luck Village had left the children even more attached to Vivienne, and it was clear to Percival that neither child had much concern for their father's Whereabouts.

"Mommy, what story are we going to hear tonight?" Juliette asked, kicking her legs as she lay on her bed, not looking the least bit sleepy.

Isaiah lay quietly on his side, his eyes, identical to Percival's, fixed intently on Vivienne.

"What do you usually listen to?" Vivienne asked, sitting on the floor as she pulled out a book from the cabinet.

"We don't usually listen to anything because godfather never tells us stories!"