The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Juliette's hand barely grazed the cake box when it was abruptly stopped by another. The unexpected action made both of them instinctively look up.

"Dad? What are you doing?" Juliette asked Percival, puzzled. Was the cake meant for Vivienne? While she pondered, Vivienne emerged from the kitchen, savoring a slice of strawberry cheesecake, deepening Juliette's confusion. "Isn't Mom eating it?" Not just Juliette, even Floyd didn't grasp Percival's sudden intervention.

The aligned gazes turned towards Percival, momentarily embarrassing him. Yet, heposed himself quickly and pointed at the strawberry cheesecake, "Strawberries haven't been very sweet lately. The local bakeries might not use the best ones. If you want some, there's more in the kitchen." Percival's remark made Floyd raise an eyebrow, "Good point. I ot about that. Better head to the kitchen for it, then." Floyd stood up, grabbing the strawberry cheesecake, and headed out, soon discarding it.

No sooner had he returned than Isaiah walked in.

Noticing the slightly awkward atmosphere in the living room, Isaiah inquired, "What were you guys up to?" Juliette briefly explained, and when Isaiah looked at Floyd, he spread his hands in resignation, "My bad for not thinking it through when buying it. But, I've already tossed it." Isaiah remained silent, his thoughts occupied with the conversation he had overheard before leaving his lab.

After dinner, Floyd greeted everyone, "I'm done for tonight. Need to refine today's report before sending it off. Callif needed." The hallway fell silent until Floyd's door was confirmed shut five minutes later. "Ma'am, he's indeed retired to his room," someone reported from upstairs.

Vivienne nodded, and Isaiah started discussing the day's events.

"I followed him out today, even placed a tracker on him. He spent the entire day at the lab without leaving. On his way back, I overheard his conversation with a colleague." Isaiah's expression wasn't pleasant, hinting at trouble.

"What did he say?" Juliette urged Isaiah to continue.

"He told his lab mate to avoid contacting him for the next few days because he wanted to celebrate our birthdays undisturbed. He mentioned though we're not blood-related siblings, we're just as important to him, so he hoped for understanding. If anything urgent, to email him." "Did he really say that? What do you think?" Juliette looked at Isaiah.

Isaiah shook his head, "Unclear, but let's not drop our guard. There's a lot we can't immediately understand, so it's better to be cautious." Listening in, Floyd couldn't help but smirk. Vivienne, after all these years, had been nurturing a thorn in her side. He wondered how she'd feel knowing all this.

Floyd's anticipation grew.

That night, when darkness engulfed the estate, Floyd was about to open his eyes when he sensed someone in his room! He rolled over, pretending to sleep. He felt the person's gaze fixed on his back.

Though unsure who it was, Floyd knew better than to open his eyes then.

The visitor lingered for half an hour before leaving. Floyd maintained his pose until sure of their departure, then finally opened his eyes in the dark.

He didn't rush to inspect the room but lay in bed a while longer.

The next morning, Floyd's attempt to grab his phone resulted in shattering a glass on the floor, waking him fully. Annoyed, he cleaned up the mess.

Juliette, observing from afar, frowned. Her overnight setup was ruined by Floyd's clumsiness.

Yet, seeing Floyd's genuine reaction, she regretted acting impulsively. Had she thought it through, she wouldn't have placed the object there.

After cleaning up, Floyd's expression turned irritable as he entered the bathroom. His annoyance wasn't just with the early mishap but with the continuous probing. It felt like a challenge to his patience and boundaries.

Downstairs, Juliette shared the night's events with Isaiah.

Isaiah immediately cautioned her, "Don't act rashly again. Had he any suspicions, you could've been in danger. Avoid direct confrontations, especially when he hasn't slipped up." Juliette wanted to argue but held back as Floyd appeared.

Noticing them up early, he casually asked, "Up so early? Insomnia?" Juliette replied without missing a beat, "Been sleeping too much, waking up early." "Oh? That's good, I guess." Floyd poured himself a coffee and settled on the couch.

The silence of the spacious living าวน room was abruptly shattered by the ringing of a phone, creating an unexpected disturbance. Juliette cast a quick glance at her mobile device and then shot a look towards Floyd, making the decision to answer without any hesitation. en.kikistories "Grandma." "Hey, Juliette, it's you and your brother's birthday tomorrow, right? Your granddad and I are going to head over to the estate later. Make sure you tell Claire not to sleep in would you? We don't want to arrive and find her still in bed." Sasha Perez and Arthur Linklater were already packing their car with an assortment of bags and boxes for the trip. en.kikistories Juliette was pleasantly surprised by the news. "You'reing over today?!" "What's that tone for? You're not happy to see us?" Arthur feigned offense upon hearing Juliette's reaction.

"Of course not, it's just a bit unexpected. It's really great you can make it." After exchanging a few more words, Juliette hung up the phone.

"Grandma and Grandpa areing?" Isaiah looked up, intrigued.

Juliette nodded. "I'm going to let mom and dad know." She moved towards the stairs, leaving Floyd, who remained indifferent, showing no reaction to the news of Sasha and Arthur's impending visit Their presence, it seemed, would hardly make a ripple in his world, en.kikistories