The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Chapter 206

The crowd fell silent in unison. All eyes gravitated towards Arabella, whose face had paled dramatically

Even Arabella’s usual sycophants were dumbstruck. They were unsure whether to follow the script that

Arabella had been playing out so far

“Mr. Ellington, what do you mean by this? Scott asked with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He

wasn’t particularly fond of Arabella, but he was her father, after all, and he wouldn’t stand for someone

tarnishing her reputation.

“Scott, you’re not in the loop?” Percival, with his arm around Vivienne and the other hand in his pocket,

replied with a condescending sneer “Your daughter was confirmed to be pregnant over half a month

ago at the city hospital

Arabella’s face lost even more color as her hand instinctively reached for her stomach She had paid a

substantial sum to keep her hospital visit confidential and couldn’t fathom how Percival had found out

She had initially planned to terminate the pregnancy as soon as she found out, but with the college

entrance exams just over a week away, she didn’t want to risk any post–procedure complications that

could affect future pregnancies. So, she had gritted her teeth and decided to postpone it until after she

had taken the exams

However, right after the exams, the Brooks family had been unable to find the renowned Specter

Healer and had instead enlisted the help of the world–renowned Pendleton family, one of the four great

families of Rivenwood who specialized in medicine, to treat Tristan

The prodigy of the Pendleton family was Calista Pendleton. She had chosen to specialize in medicine

and had quickly built a reputation as a medical genius. At the young age of twenty–two, she had

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already become a well–respected doctor with many high–impact papers and medical awards to her

name

The Brooks family brought Calista to Havenwood to treat Tristan

Ashley Edwards, who was acquainted with Calista, had been asked to accompany her

Arabella had hoped to terminate her pregnancy during this time, but Ashley’s constant surveillance had

made that impossible

She was constantly worried that Calista, with her exceptional medical skills, would notice her condition

and tell Ashley, which would have inevitably led to her secret being revealed.

But she hadn’t expected Percival to expose her in such a ruthless manner.

“Arabella?” Scott initially wanted to clear the air, but considering the surrounding onlookers, he decided

it would be better to discuss the matter at home

“Let’s go home.”

However, one of Arabella’s sycophants suddenly blurted out, “Arabella, is the baby in your belly Mr.

Ellington’s? Otherwise, how did your bracelet end up with him?”

The sycophant then turned to Percival. “Mr. Ellington, if you’re the father of Arabella’s child, you can’t

just deny it!”

Percival shot him a cold look, silencing him instantly

The crowd began to whisper among themselves, clearly believing the sycophant’s words

“You expect me to take responsibility for this? You’re not worth it Percival retorted with disdain as his

eyes fell on Arabella. 1 wouldn’t mind waiting until you’re seven weeks pregnant to do a DNA test. I’d

be more than happy to help you find the real father of your child.”

Arabella stared at Percival in horror, as if she were looking at a monster

She couldn’t possibly agree to a DNA test, let alone allow Percival to investigate the paternity of her

unborn child

If it were discovered that the father of her baby was a patient from the N&S Psychiatric Hospital, her

reputation and future would be ruined

“Dad” Arabella grabbed Dorian’s hand. I’m not feeling well, can we go home?”

Scott glanced at Percival, sensing that he knew something about the father of Arabella’s child. But he

didn’t want to risk any more scandals today

For the sake of the Brooks family’s reputation, he decided to leave

“We’ll go home and talk about this He said, nodding at Arabella

Arabella felt a chill down her spine. She knew that once she returned to the Brooks family’s mansion,

she would be thoroughly questioned about pregnancy She would have to come up with a convincing

story about the father of her child

With a mix of resentment and defiance, she shot Percival a glance gritted her teeth, and discreetly sept

a few messages on her phone

Percival watched with a steely gaze as Scott left with Arabella

Vivienne, who was nestled in his arms, suddenly broke the silence. You really care about her, don’t

you? You even know exactly how many weeks she’s suspected to be pregnant?”

For some reason, she said this with an unnerving calmness

Percival thought he detected a hint of danger in her lone

Thomas “He promptly dialed his trusted associate need you to ensure that the scandal of Arabella’s

pregnancy does not get swept under the rug”

1 got it, Percival Thomas responded before Percival disconnected the

He looked at Vivienne, noticing the threat in her demeanor had mysteriously vanished He couldn’t help

but chuckle inwardly

His precious little Vivienne had quite the jealous streak

To make Arabella’s commute to Cloudcrest High School easier. Scott bought back the Hawthorn

Mansion that Beatrice had sold to pay off her After the family reunion, Judith and her brood planned to

return to their home in Riverwood.

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However, Arabella had requested their presence for her graduation ceremony.

Thus, Judith, Timothy Brooks, Ronald Brooks, and Melissa Brooks were all present in Havenwood.

Arabella and Scott hadn’t returned to the Hawthorn Mansion yet.

Ashley, who was engrossed on her phone, suddenly jumped up, yelling, “Grandma, Mom, come look at

this! Arabella is trending on Havenwood’s Twitter again!”

Timothy and Ronald, who had just entered the room, were startled by her outburst.

“Arabella is trending again for what?”

Judith and Melissa, who were arranging flowers, frowned at the commotion.

Melissa tried to hush Ashley “Keep your voice down, Ashley. Why the big fuss about a Twitter trend?”

“Look! She’s pregnant! Ashley handed over her phone. “She’s only eighteen and fresh out of high

school, but she’s already expecting? She’s making a mockery of our family name!”

“How can that be? Melissa looked at Ashley’s phone skeptically. “Arabella has always been so well–

behaved. Are you sure this isn’t fake news?”

Judith, the matriarch, silently put on her glasses and bent over to examine Ashley’s phone.

Meanwhile, Timothy and Ronald each pulled out their phones to check the trending news on Twitter

The video on the news showed Arabella intentionally dropping her bracelet at Percival’s feet.

This was followed by a clip of one of Arabella’s sycophants spinning a tale of a secret affair between

Arabella and Percival, only to have Percival publicly expose the truth about her pregnancy.