The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

Arthur couldn't contain his excitement until Vivienne stood up to leave, turning towards Sasha with a proud grin, "Honey, did you see that? Our daughter finished the spaghetti I made." Sasha patted his hand encouragingly, "I told you, sweetheart. You do have a knack for cooking. On just your second try, you've already won our daughter's heart. It's not as hard as you imagined." "Our daughter will warm up to you soon."

When Vivienne returned to grab her lunchbox, she couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow at their hopeful chatter, leaving them with a dry comment, "Next time, maybe cook with reading glasses on." "Is our daughter hinting I'm getting old?"

Arthur's heart sank once again, "Or was there something wrong with the spaghetti?"

He peered into the bowl, finding nothing amiss after a long search. Unsure of Vivienne's vegetable preferences, he had cautiously avoided adding any, sticking to a seasoning technique he learned from the Brooks family cookbook.

Seeing Arthur so anxiously ruffled, Sasha tried to reassure him, "Sweetheart, she's just teasing. The spaghetti looks delicious..."

Her voice trailed off as realization dawned on her, but out of love for Arthur, she offered a supportive smile.

"I think it's fine."

Arthur, skeptical, tasted a spoonful himself, his face, dusted with flour, froze in surprise.

The sauce was sweet!

So was the pasta.

Had he mixed up sugar and salt?

That seemed impossible; he was meticulous to a fault, capable of distinguishing the smallest details in machinery. How could he mistake sugar for salt?

Arthur was baffled.

Sasha wrapped her arms around the bewildered man, her voice soft with empathy, "Sweetheart, don't be discouraged. It's only your third attempt. We'll have plenty of chances to get it right. This one time doesn't matter."

Arthur's heart melted at her words. He hugged Sasha close, his forehead resting against hers, "You're right, love. If not this, there's always something else. I've learned quite a few tricks from the Brooks family cookbook about bonding with Vivienne."

If Vivienne had known about Arthur's relentless optimism, she might have reconsidered making that deal with her mom - a pyrrhic victory at best.

Outside, Vivienne was about to call Percival when Draven's call came through unexpectedly, "Miss, the entire village disappeared overnight, including all their hidden items."

Vivienne frowned, "Understood. I'm on my way."

After informing Percival about the situation, he asked her to wait at home for him to pick her up.

As they were about to hang up, Percival's tone darkened suddenly, "Vivienne, another female body was found in the south side of town, making it two."

Vivienne got into the car, and Leopold immediately asked, "Vivienne, where to?"

He had overheard the entire conversation. With the village mystery still unsolved and now a new incident in the south, things seemed too coincidental.

Without hesitation, Vivienne decided, "South side first. We have someone watching the village."

Leopold hesitated, "Vivienne, could this be a diversion, meant to confuse us and further their own agenda?"Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Vivienne's lips curved slightly, "All the more reason to check it out."

Leopold was more confused than ever.

Percival shot a glance through the rearview mirror, his tone unyielding, "If even you can see through their tactics, why worry?"

Leopold was speechless.

Business was business, but personal attacks were unnecessary.

In the backseat, Percival pulled Vivienne closer, showing her the latest update on his phone, "Judging by the wounds, the attack happened last night." Vivienne glanced at it, "The village also went silent last night. They couldn't even wait a bit longer, something big must have happened."

Percival agreed, "The more they act, the more they expose. It works in our favor."

Vivienne turned to look at him, caught by the confident aura surrounding him.

Indeed, her Mr. Wolf was the most handsome man in the world.

Her lips parted slightly as she wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up with sparkling eyes, "Mr. Wolf, did you miss me last night?" The question darkened Percival's gaze instantly, shocking Leopold who couldn't help but feel singed by the sudden switch in atmosphere. Again?!

Weren't they just discussing a case?

How did things flip so quickly?

One second they were strategizing, and the next, they were all wrapped up in each other!

Leopold, mastering the art of discretion, pulled the privacy curtain closed and kept his eyes fixed on the road, mentally reciting a mantra for calm. Minutes later, Percival exhaled deeply, pressing his forehead against Vivienne's, "You've opened a whole new world for me already."

Vivienne, cheeks flushed but voice steady, teased, "Doesn't Mr. Wolf want it?"

Percival paused, his face coloring.

He had been playfully teased by his own wife.

Vivienne, seeing his reaction, couldn't help but smile, playfully touching his ear, "Mr. Wolf, why are your ears so red? They look so enticing..."

"Vivienne!"

Percival caught her hand, his expression one of restrained patience, "Stop."

"Alright, if Mr. Wolf says stop, then we stop."

Vivienne straightened up, her expression as serious as if the previous moment had never happened.

Percival was speechless.

He wasn't objecting; he was worried about losing control.

Seizing the moment, Vivienne lifted the curtain to pass the lunchbox to the front, "Leopold, please return this to Cordelia for me."

Leopold nodded thoughtfully, then

turned towards the rearview mirror and asked, "Hey Vivienne, Cordelia's cooking is amazing, isn't it? Just the

smell

efit had me drooling yesterday. If it's not too much of detour, mind if I swing by for

dinner?"

"And hey, if it's cool, could you pack some for Griffin Martinez too? Haven't seen him in ages. Wonder if he's been surviving on takeouts and microwave meals again." Living alone just gets you worried about these things.

Without someone to look after him, he might just end up in the ER from some dodgy food experiment gone wrong.

"Oh, it's delicious, alright. If you're going, grab a portion for me too, will you?"

Leopold's little schemes were

transparent to Vivienne, who caught his reflection in the mirror. But she wasn't in any position to tease. Just the thought of having to survive on Arthur's culinary disasters made her yearn for Cordelia's home-cooked meals even more.

Whatever Arthur was attempting in the kitchen, Vivienne was sure only his mom could stomach those.

How can someone lack cooking skills to the point of transforming ingredients beyond recognition?

And with a love-struck mom watching over, refusing to eat wasn't even an option.

Lost in his own thoughts, Leopold

missed the look in Vivienne's eyes entirely "Don't worry, Vivienne, I'

make sure to bring the best ingredients, so Cordelia won't be shortchanged."