The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Maddox's eyes lit up the moment he saw Willa returning home.

He hurried over to her, barely containing his excitement. "Willa, you're back?" He was so close that his warm breath tickled her face, stirring something unfamiliar within her.

She coughed lightly, pushing him away with a finger. "Back off! You reek of sweat!" "Huh?" Maddox sniffed himself. "Do I? But I just showered this morning!" The summer heat made sweating inevitable, prompting him to adopt a twice-daily shower routine.

Willa, uninterested in engaging further, walked straight to Jasper. "Dad, I'm home." Jasper nodded. "Good to have you back. Sit down. We were just discussing whether Vivienne should acknowledge her father. You should weigh in!" Willa had barely approached her chair when she paused, confused. "Vivienne's father?" "Yes," Yuri chimed in. "Today, Vivienne's biological father showed up. DNA tests confirm it's Arthur. He's planning to marry Sasha and wants to officially recognize Vivienne." As soon as Yuri finished, Willa's expression darkened. "No way!" Vivienne sent Willa a smile of admiration.

Jasper and the others were taken aback but soon Jasper said, "We were leaning towards refusal too, but after thinking it over, he is Vivienne's father, after all. It seems wrong not to acknowledge him." Willa scoffed. "Sfather! Where was he all this time? Now he decides to show up like he's picking out a bargain at a flea market!" Willa was known for her aloofness, rarely swearing.

Her outburst left the Perez family speechless for a moment.

Maddox snapped his fingers. "Exactly, Willa! I knew we were on the spage. They were all for it, but I said no. We're truly family." Willa gave him a glance, her expression unreadable.

Arthur's paternal claim over Vivienne sparked a debate. "Arthur is Vivienne's father. It's not up to us," Luke interjected.

"Remember, he's a decorated war hero. If the authorities find out he has a daughter he hasn't acknowledged, they won't just let it be!" "What, so if we don't acknowledge him, they'll lock us up?" Maddox rolled his eyes.

Luke glared at him. "Be respectful!" Shrugging, Maddox fell silent.

Luke continued, "The authorities won't imprison us over this, but they'll surely try to persuade Vivienne. Do you want them pestering us day in, day out?" Maddox admitted, "That would be annoying." Willa, looking past her cousins to Vivienne, asked, "What do you think, Vivienne?" Vivienne had been up early, caught up in court hearings and dealings with the Grimshaw family, and had dozed off amidst the family's discussion.

Woken by Willa, she immediately said, "I've already said I won't acknowledge him." Then, looking at Maddox, she added, "Uncle, you're wrong about one thing. If my mom wakes up, she'd definitely marry him." "Why would she?" Maddox was puzzled. After being abandoned? Vivienne sighed, "Because she's blindly in love!" She had often heard her mother speak of her deep feelings for Arthur, though she'd never understood the allure.

Now, knowing Arthur, it made sense. Perfect as a partner, perhaps, but not as a father in her eyes.

The Perez family exchanged looks of disbelief.

Maddox, snapping out of his surprise, asked, "So what now? Do we actually have to accept this guy as part of the family?" Willa's glare was warning enough. "Try it and see." Maddox quickly backtracked. "No, no, I never said we'd accept him!" After further discussion, no consensus was reached. Finally, Jasper looked meaningfully at Vivienne. "You actually want to acknowledge him, don't you?" Though not long acquainted, Jasper understood his granddaughter well. She was not one to indulge in matters of no interest to her, yet her involvement in this discussion spoke volumes. Her actions betrayed a soft heart beneath her tough exterior. Deep down, she knew Arthur wasn't the villain she portrayed him to be.

His years on the battlefield, not forgetting her and Karen, were testament enough to his character.

The conversation turned to Sasha's name, hinting it might be tfor a change now that many issues were being handled by Vivienne and Percival, and with Sasha's condition unchanged. Vivienne, avoiding a direct response to Jasper's observation, simply stated, "Grandpa, I'm hungry." Acknowledging her evasion, Jasper didn't press further. "Alright, let's leave the decision to Vivienne. For now, let's eat." Willa's return was a cause for celebration, and the dinner table was lively with conversation and laughter. Even Vivienne, who seldom drank, enjoyed a few beers in the joyful atmosphere. At the Perez family dinner table, you wouldn't find any beer. It was all about red wine, white wine, and various spirits.

But Willa, she just couldn't get into those. Her drink of choice was beer.

Vivienne had initially wanted to sip on sred wine, but after a taste, she found it bitter and switched to beer.

Before she knew it, she'd downed five bottles and was feeling quite woozy.

Right then, Vivienne's phone began to ring, but she acted as if she didn't hear it, delaying her response.

Percival called out, "Vivienne, your phone's ringing." Vivienne flashed him a smile, didn't pick up the call, and went back to her beer.

The phone kept ringing, and Percival, thinking it might be urgent, picked it up. Seeing it was Jerry calling, he answered, "Vivienne's having a drink. What's up?" Jerry, usually calm and collected, let out an incredulous shout, "What do you mean, Vivienne's drinking?" "Yep!" Percival frowned and pulled the phone away from his ear a bit.

"How much has she had?" Jerry struggled to swallow, hardly believing Vivienne was drinking.

"This is her sixth beer!" Percival glanced back at Vivienne.

"Damn!" Jerry exclaimed and then abruptly hung up the phone.

Percival was left puzzled, "??"