The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

"Hey, hey!" Griffin nudged the completely petrified Leopold, but getting no reaction, finally yelled into his ear, "What are you daydreaming about?! Let go of me, everyone's gone, stop taking advantage of me!" Leopold jerked back to reality, only then noticing his hand was still on Griffin, "No, I'm sorry. I, I just... I didn't mean to..." As Sophie walked away, Leopold's memory gradually returned, and he started panicking at the thought of what he had just said.

His handsface turned beet red as he hurriedly tried to explain, terrified Griffin might misunderstand.

The girl's previously amused expression faded a bit, and Thomas wanted to give his brother a smack for being so clueless. He totally deserved to be single! To thank Griffin for stepping in and saving him from being paired up with Leopold, he opened his mouth to help say something.

But Griffin beat him to it: "I know. I was just trying to help you out. If Thomas hadn't texted me, I wouldn't have known you were here." "Alright, alright, as long as you know." Leopold wasn't sure what he was thinking, hastily agreeing.

Meanwhile, he glanced back at Thomas, who was silently questioning how the two had becso close.

But, he didn't voice his doubts.

First, he politely made sure Griffin got into a cab, and only after she was out of sight did he turn to Thomas for sanswers, "How do you have Griffin's number?! And why did you call her?" "Not call her? And just let that lunatic pairup with you?" Thomas rubbed his arms, "You might not mind, but I'd rather not catch that bad vibe!" Leopold bristled at that, his competitive spirit flaring up instantly, "What bad vibe?! How can you even say that?" Thomas: "No, I didn't mean any disrespect to any minority. I just have an issue with you. Let's go, the family's waiting." He rolled his eyes, not wanting to waste more ton this trivial matter. "We have that lawsuit with Harrison coming up. We need to beef up security at the mansion today. Wouldn't want the Abernathys sneaking around for our witnesses. And, we have to pick up that little girl tomorrow. Let's move." Leopold was successfully sidetracked, "I almost forgot about that witness. I wonder if Vivienne can really cure Percival's aunt." "Don't you always trust Vivienne's medical skills?" Thomas gave him a surprised look. When Leopold didn't recognize Vivienne, he was her number one fan.

How could he have doubts now? Leopold felt Thomas's scrutinizing gaze and quickly tried to cover up, "I didn't mean it like that. It's just, with Percival's aunt's condition, surviving would be a miracle. Waking up seems nearly impossible." Thomas gave him a dismissive glance, not wanting to indulge in his negativity.

Elsewhere, in the lab, Vivienne, unaware of Leopold and Thomas's discussion, was reviewing Holly's medical records prepared by Brody.

After a moment of thought, she addressed the squestion posed by the men.

Brody's eyes widened as he looked back at the woman lying in the hospital bed, "Not that hard?! Considering the poison in her system and her current physical state, even if she wakes up, ovelrehabilitation would be a massive challenge!" Patients waking up after years of coma usually needed extensive recovery teven when their muscles weren't atrophied due to regular care.

Holly had been neglected for over a decade in horrendous conditions.

Even for him, a complete recovery seemed out of reach.

Yet, Vivienne, the Specter Healer, seemed unfazed.

Her confidence puzzled Brody, "How can you be so sure?" Vivienne's lips twitched into a strange smile, "What if the coma was caused by the poison itself?" "I know that," Brody responded matter-of-factly. "In fact, if it weren't for the poison, she would have died long ago." He had initially worried that the Specter Healer might inadvertently cause Holly's death by removing the poison.

But seeing Vivienne's calm demeanor, he thought she might have another plan. Instead, he found her belief astonishingly unrealistic.

Percival, listening from the side, summed up their conversation to a grim reality: despite Vivienne's belief, Holly might never fully recover even if she awoke.

His heart sank further, his resentment towards Gavin deepening.

Closing his eyes to suppress his turmoil, he solemnly stated, "No matter what, as long as my aunt lives, everything else is secondary." "Mr. Wolf, you too doubt me?" Vivienne slammed the file down.

Hands on her hips, she gave Percival a menacing look.

Caught off guard, Percival stuttered, "Vivienne, I didn't mean—" Vivienne wasn't having any of it, covering her ears and shaking her head in an exaggerated gesture, "I don't care, you've hurttoday, and you owe me." Not in the mood to witness the couple's banter, Brody quietly took the medical file Vivienne had been working on and slipped away with Brian, keen to avoid being dragged into their . Once alone, Vivienne clung to Percival's arm, demanding indulgence, "I want hot dogs and BBQ, as compensation, you're treating me. Hurry up, I'm starving!" At that moment, how could Percival not realize that Vivienne was just trying to comfort him? His usually icy gaze melted into warmth in an instant, and he wrapped his arm around Vivienne, “Alright, whatever you want, I'll buy it for you." As they walked away, gradually disappearing from the vicinity of the lab, Brody, who was engrossed in his research files, didn't cout to see them off.

Meanwhile, when Victoria received a text from Vivienne, the anxiety that had been weighing on her heart finally eased. Her solemn expression lightened a bit.

At the head of the conference table, Arthur Linklater noticed the change in her demeanor. His sharp gaze swept over her, "You seem quite happy lately, don't you?" Victoria's expression stiffened again, fearing she'd been caught slacking off during the meeting. She quickly replied, "No, it's just that the e Abernathy family has finally stopped pestering me, so I feel a bit relieved." "Is that so?" Arthur's words carried an ambiguous tone, "I heard that Gavin's brother was kidnapped by Vivienne. They didn't approach you to negotiate with the Ellingtons for his return?" Privacy