The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Percival's interrogation left Floyd speechless and visibly shaken.

Juliet never expected Floyd, on his very first visit, to be so bold, let alone tamper with her mom's belongings. This pretty much

ensured they couldn't back him up now.

Isaiah merely observed Floyd, his gaze aplex mix of emotions, suspicion not least among them. After all, their visit to his

house had coincided with a family argument, plus finding him alone by the roadside - on reflection, it all seemed too coincidental.

Coincidences, after all, tend to raise more questions than answers, right?

"What are you doing here?" Percival's tone hardened seeing Floyd's hesitance.

Startled, Floyd stepped back, tears pooling in his eyes, "I... | was just following Juliet's instructions to fetch something. | noticed the

study light was on and thought to turn it off for you. These things were scattered on the floor, | just took a glance, and then you all

arrived."

Overwhelmed, Floyd broke down, his tears streaming freely. Percival, who had been gentle moments ago, suddenly seemed a

different person, triggering in Floyd memories of his own father.

Hearing his daughter's name, Percival looked towards her, "Is that true?"

"He's not lying, daddy, at least about the first part. Isaiah and | were building a Lego tower and asked him to fetch a missing piece.

We thought you had already sent him home."

Percival, despite Juliet's words, remained unimpressed.

"I'm so sorry, truly. | didn't mean to pry." Floyd sobbed, apologizing profusely.

Percival, standing at the doorway, felt at a loss. Inspecting the items, he noticed only one document seemed disturbed. "Let's get

you home," he finally said.

The incident made Floyd wary of getting too close to Percival thereafter.

Noticing Floyd's deliberate distance, Percival drove him back to his house in silence.

As Floyd entered his home, Percival caught a glimpse of a painting in the living room, its symbols eerily familiar.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Ellington. We wouldn't have known what to do without you," the housekeeper said, expressing her

gratitude as she saw Percival off.

Floyd's disappearance into a blind spot of the surveillance had left her anxious, especially with the young master and the lady of

the house quarreling, paying no mind to the situation.

"It's nothing, just... take better care of the kid's mental health. Let's avoid such situations in the future," Percival advised before

leaving.

Percival's parting glance at Floyd was meaningful.

"Isaiah, do you think Floyd is really here to spy on us?" Juliet's mind was far from her Lego bricks, still troubled by the day's events.

If she hadn't been lazy, none of this would have happened. She bore sresponsibility too.

Yet, she found herself trusting the boy at that moment.

Isaiah set his Lego piece down, glancing out the window to see Percival had returned from dropping off Floyd.

"lI don't know, but he doesn't seem all that innocent," Isaiah said before heading upstairs, leaving Juliet alone with her thoughts.

Vivienne returned late into the night, to find Percival waiting, enveloping her in a warm embrace.

"What's keeping you up so late?" she asked, surprised.

"Waiting for you. Can't sleep without you," Percival said unabashedly.

Vivienne, turning to reciprocate the embrace, asked, "What's wrong? You seem off. Did something happen at home?"

Sensing his mood, she gently stroked his hair.

Percival led her to the study without a word, showing her the documents he had ranized on the desk.

"Staying up late to dig into this?" Vivienne laughed, unaware of the situation.

Percival shook his head, pointing at the documents, then recounted the day's events.

"When | walked in, the kid was closely examining a report," Percival massaged his temples, troubled.

"Do you suspect him?" Vivienne raised an eyebrow.

"Yes." Percival didn't deny, his gaze fixed on the reports. "He was absorbed, not at all like someone who couldn't understand. Juliet

and Isaiah need a dictionary, but he... he was thoroughly engrossed."

Vivienne's brows furrowed in concern, "So, you think he knows what it means?"

"It's highly likely." Percival paused, recalling a moment. "When | dropped him off, | saw a painting in his living room with symbols

very similar to these!"

The room fell silent as they contemplated the implications.

They hadn't entered the Field family's hduring their visit, only catching a glimpse when the housekeeper opened the door for

Floyd.

"At that moment, we thought it was just family troubles, but now... it seems like they might be hiding something."

"If that's the case, he's definitely suspicious," Vivienne met Percival's gaze. "But, there's also a chance he could help us."

Vivienne felt an inexplicable familiarity with the boy, as if they had met before, yet couldn't place where or how.

In the grand Walker Estate, Floyd was tossing and turning under the covers, unable to fall asleep. His mind was still on those

mysterious runes he had seen at Juliette's place. Why would her family have the ssymbols his family did?

But wasn't today their first meeting?

Lost in these thoughts, Floyd eventually drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, as usual, the nanny drove him to school. Before leaving, his parents had yet another argument over breakfast, a

scene that had be all too familiar. In the end, Floyd finished his meal alone.

After the events of the previous night, Vivienne decided not to let Percival out of the car this morning. She walked the two kids

toward the elementary school entrance, timing their arrival perfectly to bump into Floyd again.

Seeing Vivienne and the kids, Floyd's first instinct was to look down, remembering the unpleasantness at their house the night

before.

Vivienne approached him. "Did you have a good tplaying with Juliette and the others yesterday?"

Floyd, not daring to say otherwise, nodded shyly.

"Well, you're wee toe over again," she said.

Floyd was taken aback. Why would she invite him after last night? Shouldn't she be telling him to stay away?

Before Floyd could gather his thoughts, Vivienne was already ushering the kids inside, reminding them, "Remember what | told you

in the car, don't et."

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