The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 352

Percival froze for a moment.

Vivienne's mentor?

Wasn't he dead?

After a beat, his eyes narrowed and he grabbed his phone to call Jerry.

He had saved the contact info from the last time they had dug into Vivienne's fellow disciples.

As soon as the call connected, Percival blurted out without waiting for Jerry to speak, "Vivienne said she saw your mentor. Go find him!"

He could grasped Vivienne's implication in a moment. Though she hadn't explicitly asked Jerry to search, he knew she was desperate to find her mentor.

On the other end, Jerry's fingers stalled. But he quickly responded, "Got it."

After hanging up, Jerry sent a message to the group chat. [All hands on deck. Vivienne spotted our mentor within Rivenwood territory. Search party, assemble!]

The message detonated a bomb in the chat.

Dawson: [Did the old coot pull a Lazarus on us?]

Eric: [Just squashed a lab rat and my eyes are acting up. Jerry, are you sure your text said Vivienne saw the mentor?]

Brian: [I get it. The old man's playing us for fools! By pretending to take his own life with poison, he was just testing his latest concoction. He was playing dead before he skedaddled!]

Leopold: [That heartless geezer. I was in bits when I heard the news! He's actually been toying with us! You owe me a river of tears, my mentor!]

The chat blew up with message after message.

Jerry, somewhat exasperated, typed: [Enough chit-chat. Let's start the hunt! If Vivienne didn't call herself, it means the old man's bolted.]

Leopold immediately fired up. [Exactly! We can't let him get away; we need answers!]

Nine people sprang into collective action, dividing and conquering in the pursuit.

At the art gallery.

Percival called Thomas, asking him to join forces with Jerry in the search.

Vivienne had dashed off too quickly. By the time Percival notified everyone, she was out of sight. So he decided to wait for her return.

About an hour later, Vivienne came back with a scowl.

"Lost him?" Percival asked.

She shook her head, her expression sour, "He sure is spry for his age!"

She was confident in her chasing skills. But in front of the old man, she felt like an amateur.

She had chased him through several streets, and he had vanished right in front of her eyes!

It wasn't that she couldn't catch up. He just disappeared. He was performing some kind of street magic trick!

Percival looked up at her, "Did you always know he wasn't dead?"

Vivienne dialed Jerry, instructing them to call off the search, before turning back to Percival, "I knew."

She thought her mentor had kept his secret well. But she had sensed something amiss long ago.

Her mother's grave was next to her mentor's. When she visited her mother's grave, she noticed that the soil on her mentor's grave seemed disturbed.

Finnian had his fair share of enemies.

Worried someone might have desecrated the old man's resting place, she exhumed the grave only to find an empty coffin!

The old man had pulled the rug from under her, leaving her the Emerald Monastery while he set off for greener pastures.

"He probably has his reasons for not wanting to meet. When he's ready, he'll show up," Percival tried to console her softly.

Vivienne paused, then straightened up her face, "Who wants to see him? I just want my money back. He borrowed a thousand bucks before he 'died' and never paid it back!"

Percival was momentarily speechless.

Vivienne! Let's be a bit more generous! I'll give you a thousand bucks instead. He thought.

It seemed she read his thoughts; her delicate face suddenly fell, "That was my salary from Emerald Monastery! The old man paid me twenty bucks a month and it took five years to save so much money!" Most of her time before earning her own money had been spent in Emerald Monastery. She rarely left, except for necessary exams or research. That thousand truly was a fortune to her.

The old man was unethical!

He swindled her out of a thousand bucks and then 'died'!

Percival cleared his throat, "Next time we run into him, I'll help you catch him. Make him pay you back a hundredfold!"

Vivienne smiled slyly, "I could get behind that!"

It was nearing dinner time.

Percival took Vivienne out for a meal at a cozy diner before dropping her back at the Brooks Mansion.

He was eager to have Vivienne move in with him, but with pressing matters at hand, affairs of the heart had to wait.

After seeing Vivienne to the Brooks Mansion, Percival headed to his private flat.

Dorian and Cordelia had been staying there and lying low for the time being, seldom venturing out.

Percival would check on them periodically and assist Dorian with work matters.

Dorian's company was now running smoothly, though he was not yet ready to step back into the public eye. For now, Percival managed all the business on the table.

The grand opening would be scheduled once everything settled down. Currently, the main focus was on factory production and operations, which weren't too demanding.

...

At the Brooks Mansion.

Upon Vivienne's return, Judith was in the living room, speaking with Timothy Brooks and his wife Cheryl.

Judith glanced up when she saw her, "Back so soon?"

Her demeanor towards Vivienne had cooled significantly since their last encounter.

Timothy and Cheryl also just nodded in acknowledgment.

Vivienne returned the gesture with a noncommittal, "Yeah."

Without lingering for small talk, she headed straight upstairs.

As she reached the staircase, she overheard Judith say, "I understand. I'll discuss it with her."

Vivienne paused mid-step and glanced back at Judith, her eyes narrowing briefly. She didn't linger and headed straight for Thaddeus's room.

As she approached the doorway, laughter spilled out from within.

Charlotte and Thaddeus were both inside, seeming to get along famously.

Having Charlotte tutor Thaddeus was turning out to be a great idea.

After a moment of silence, Vivienne turned and retreated to her own room. Just as she entered, Matthew climbed through the window. Vivienne looked up at him and poured a glass of water, "Any news?"

Matthew took a gulp and nodded, "Yeah, Brody just rolled into Rivenwood and headed straight to the Brooks family's private clinic." He glanced at the clock, "By now, he should be starting treatment on Calista."

"Right! I get it," Vivienne said, not surprised at all.

"Brian's back too, tailing Brody," Matthew set the glass on the table, "Caught him on the way here. What's the plan for Brian, Vivienne?" "Let him rest for now. I'll figure out what to do with him later," Vivienne instructed.

"Got it." Matthew hesitated, then added, "Brody's medical skills could definitely save Calista. Are we just going to let him do his thing?"

Vivienne's lips curved into a slight smirk, "Let him treat her. Calista isn't the priority. The important thing is I've got the answer I was looking for."