The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Chapter 44

Right at that moment, the doorbell rang.

Cordelia got up to answer it and was a bit taken aback when she saw who was at the door. But she

quickly regained her composure and greeted with a smile, “Richard, you’re here? Come on in.”

Since they were discussing the marriage between the two families, the presence of an elder was

necessary. Percival alone wasn’t enough.

Richard was a bit older and was expected to arrive at noon, but he showed up before nine.

Upon seeing Richard, Dorian immediately stood up and greeted him respectfully, “Richard, have a

seat.”

Although he was reluctant about Vivienne marrying Percival, Richard was a respected elder and

deserved respect.

Vivienne also greeted, “Hi, Mr. Richard!”

At the same time, Percival, Leopold, and Thomas also greeted Dorian and the others, “Mr. Dorian, Ms.

Cordelia, howdy.”

They nodded to Vivienne as a courteous greeting.

Everyone sat down after exchanging greetings.

Cordelia went to get some coffee. Their family wasn’t wealthy and couldn’t afford the good stuff on a

regular basis. Dorian was the main coffee drinker. Now that they had guests, it wouldn’t be appropriate

to serve this grade of coffee.

But it was too late to buy new coffee beans, so she had no choice but to serve the brewed coffee, “I’m

sorry, all we have is this regular coffee. If you’re not used to it, I can go get some right now.”

Richard picked up the coffee, sniffed it, then took a sip, “This coffee is great, rich and slightly sweet. It’s

better than what I usually drink. Where do you get it? I’d like to get some for myself.”

Dorian and Cordelia were quite nervous initially, but they relaxed upon hearing this. Their impression of

the Ellington family greatly improved.

Their impression of Percival also got better.

If it were other people, they might have found the coffee not good enough.

But they not only didn’t think so, but also showed a warm smile on their faces.

“We grew these coffee beans ourselves. We could give some of them to you if you enjoy it.” Cordelia

said.

“Is it coffee beans grown at your place?” Richard said with surprise, “Great! I love to drink this natural

coffee. I won’t stand on ceremony then.”

“Sure.”

With Richard saying so, the two families felt even closer.

The engagement of Percival and Vivienne was set for ten days later, but three days had passed since

that point.

So according to the current timeline, the engagement would be in seven days.

“We, the Ellington family, are offering a check of ten million as a wedding gift, along with three

Rivenwood properties, as Vivienne’s personal wealth. Two cars, also for Vivienne. After the wedding,

they can live with me if they want, or they can stay in Percival’s villa.”

The gift for Vivienne, in addition to the ten million cash, was much better than what was given to

Arabella.

It was evident that they put thought into it.

Cordelia and Dorian looked at each other, neither of them rushing to respond.

Richard didn’t urge them either.

Percival, Leopold, and Thomas were all sitting quietly.

Marriage was a serious matter and had to be decided by the adults.

After a while, Cordelia started talking, “Richard, Dorian and I discussed it last night. Vivienne’s mother

is deceased, so Dorian has entrusted Vivienne’s marriage to me.”

Richard nodded, signaling her to continue.

Cordelia went on, I think the young couple’s wedding should follow our local tradition. Our country

weddings usually cost nearly one hundred thousand, city ones about one hundred and fifty thousand.

We’re okay with a wedding budget of eighty–eight thousand.”

Richard and Percival were both surprised to hear this.

Vivienne was also taken aback.

She had no objections to Cordelia deciding on her marriage, as she could feel Cordelia’s sincerity.

Even if the other party offered ten million for her wedding, she felt it was deserved.

What surprised her was Cordelia only needed eighty–eight thousand.

During this time, in order to cover family expenses and Thaddeus‘ tuition, Cordelia had used up Astrid’s

savings, almost a hundred thousand.

Eighty–eight thousand wouldn’t even be enough to compensate Astrid’s savings.

“As for the money we’ll contribute, we’ll prepare a property and a car worth around one hundred

thousand for Vivienne. These are her premarital assets, hers alone. Besides, we’ll also prepare a ring

worth eight thousand for Mr. Ellington, as well as a suit worth five thousand.”

After Cordelia finished, the room fell silent, the ticking of the wall clock the only sound.

Richard and Percival were completely stunned by Cordelia’s words.

They had never seen such a stepmother.

She wasn’t greedy, she considered everything for her stepdaughter.

Her generosity was unmatched even by many noble families.

Tears were already welling up in Vivienne’s eyes.

She lost her mother when she was nine. Apart from the warmth in her memories, she couldn’t feel the

warmth of the world, she found, it cruel.

Cordelia, however, was like a beam of light, suddenly illuminating her inner world.

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After a moment of silence, Richard suddenly slapped the table and said, “Good! Very good! Cordelia,

you’re one of the few people I’ve ever met who really impressed me. Let’s do it your way.”