The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Yuri glanced upward as the ceiling trembled, instinctively wrapping Zelda in his arms. “Maddox, take Willa and Vivienne out of here.

I'll figure something out. Natalia and Yasmine are your responsibility now outside.”

Zelda immediately understood his implication, her eyes welling up with tears. “No, you can’t stay here. Natalia and Yasmine are

still outside. You can’t stay for the kids’ sake either.”

“I'm not going to make it out anyway. Stop worrying about me. You all need to leave; we can’t all be trapped here.”

Yuri couldn't bear to hear this, his brows furrowing. “What are you talking about? There's no way I'm leaving you behind.”

Vivienne spoke up, “Uncle Yuri, we really can’t wait any longer. Please step aside, Mr. Wolf and | will figure something out.”

Then to Zelda, she said, “Mom, we wouldn't just stand by and watch, no matter who it was.”

Vivienne and Percival exchanged a look, each understanding the other's plan.

Percival activated his supernatural ability, emitting a powerful energy wave to shield them.

Meanwhile, Vivienne cleared the rubble at Zelda's feet.

Yuri quickly scooped Zelda up.

The house began to shake.

Vivienne’s eyes turned cold, using her powers to blast open a path, only retracting her force when they were safely outside,

returning to Percival’s side.

“Mr. Wolf, it's clear now.”

Percival wrapped an arm around her waist, channeling his inner energy to its peak. Just as the house was about to collapse, he

used his power to ensure they reached safety.

They regrouped in an open area, Zelda panicking upon not seeing the kids.

Vivienne reassured her, “Sasha took them. They're probably with grandpa now.”

This eased everyone's nerves.

Maddox suddenly exclaimed, “Oh no, what about Fredrick?”

Vivienne reassured him, “Mom and dad went to check on him.”

Just then, Sasha called to say they'd rescued everyone, but grandpa had a sudden health scare and they'd rushed to the hospital.

At the hospital, they arrived just as Jasper was being wheeled into surgery.

Maddox urgently asked, “What happened to dad?”

Luke, looking worried, replied, “Dad found out about the house being bombed, and it triggered his heart condition.”

Maddox's expression hardened, and he turned to leave, only to be stopped by Luke. “Where do you think you're going?”

Through clenched teeth, Maddox said, “I'm going to find out who did this and make them pay for upsetting dad.”

Fredrick stepped in, “Don’t be rash; dad's still in surgery.”

Willa also tugged at his sleeve, “Listen to our brothers.”

Maddox finally calmed down.

Vivienne glanced towards the surgery room, intending to approach, but Sasha's look stopped her. “No, you're pregnant. It's not

safe for you now.”

Hearing Sasha, the aunts also chimed in, “Yes, Vivienne, grandpa has always been strong. He'll be okay. You're carrying a baby;

you need to avoid stress.”

Just then, Willa cried out, “Blood! Vivienne, you're bleeding?”

Percival’s face paled, and he swiftly carried her to a ward, whispering, “Don’t be afraid, Vivienne, I'm here.”

Vivienne wanted to reassure Mr. Wolf she was fine, but her eyelids becincredibly heavy, and she couldn't utter aplete

sentence.

When she woke up, it was the next afternoon.

Seeing the familiar surroundings, Vivienne sat up abruptly.

How did she end up at home?

Percival entered, almost dropping the soup he was carrying at the sight. “Why are you up? Lie down right now.”

Vivienne then remembered she had been bleeding, her anxiety returning as she lay back down.

Percival checked on her before relaxing, “The doctor said you need to rest for a while. Stay in bed these next few days, no moving

around.”

Vivienne nodded, sipping the soup Percival handed her, then asked, “How's grandpa? And Uncle Luke and mom, are they okay?”

Percival assured her, “Mom's fine; nothing to worry about.”

He blew on the soup, adding, “But you, having stressed yourself out, need to avoid any further excitement.”

Vivienne knew her emotional outburst the previous night was to blame, so she quietly continued drinking her restorative soup.

After finishing, Percival’s worry seemed to lessen.

Vivienne inquired, “How's the investigation with the Perez family going?”

Percival placed the bowl back on the tray, “Uncle Luke and dad are handling it, don’t worry.”

“Dad?” Vivienne was taken aback.

When had he be so influential in the Perez family?

Understanding her confusion, Percival explained, “Yeah, it was dad’s men who got the news first that night. So, Uncle Luke really

trusts dad now, plus with dad's resources, the investigation's going smoothly.”

As things settled, Vivienne’s hand moved to her slightly swollen belly. “The baby’s okay, right?”

Though she was a doctor and could sense her own physical condition, she was still cautious about the baby.

Percival held her hand, “Nothing serious, but the doctor said you need to rest to avoid affecting the later stages of your

pregnancy.”

Vivienne nodded, “Okay.”

Percival then mentioned, “But you should be prepared, grandpa and your parents are on their way.”

Vivienne was surprised, “How did they know?”

Grandpa Ge heard about what happened at Vivienne's family's place and rushed over first thing in the morning. Upon hearing

about your condition, he's already on his way here.

Vivienne, "..."

She sighed, "Guess it's impossible to keep my pregnancy a secret now, isn't it?"

Percival tucked her hair behind her ear, indulging her, "Looks like the cat's out of the bag."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Percival motioned for her not to worry, assuring her that he'd handle the situation with Grandpa and her parents.

In the living room,

Richard immediately asked his grandson, "How's Vivienne? What's this about her feeling unwell? Is everything alright?"

Percival reassured him that there was no cause for alarm; Vivienne and the baby were both fine.

Richard finally breathed a sigh of relief.

His son helped him to sit down on the couch.

He wanted to give his grandson a piece of his mind but then thought better of it, not wanting to stress Vivienne out in the

bedroom. He decided to let it go.

Meanwhile, Cecilia, who had been holding her tongue the entire journey, finally found her chance and pulled Percival aside to the

balcony.

Still, she lowered her voice to ask, "Percival, have youpletely lost your mind? Why didn't you tell us something as big as this!"

"Do you have any idea how worried your father and | have been all this way?"

"This is the Ellington family's first great-grandchild, our very first grandchild, and you couldn't bring yourself to say a word to us?"

Percival sighed in resignation, "Didn't | already tell you, | don't need that medication!"

Cecilia, "..."

Was the baby already on the way then?

She paused, "How many months?"

"Over three months."

"Three months?"

Cecilia was taken aback, "So that was before the wedding..."

Percival nonchalantly replied, "Mom, it's not a big deal. It's not like you and dad didn't..."

"Cough!"

Cecilia's face turned red, "What nonsense are you spouting? That's not what | meant. | was just trying to figure out when the baby

will be born so | can start preparing things for my precious grandchild."

Percival shook his head, "No need, I've got everything covered."

Cecilia huffed, "That's not good enough. Your preparations are yours, and mine are mine."