Vivienne cast her eyes down to see a personal photo album of Darren’s.
A twitch flickered at the corner of her mouth. Who asked for his pictures?
Darren thought she was pleased with the gift since she had gone silent. He shamelessly emphasized, "It's signed by me, you know?"
Vivienne remained silent.
With a slap, the album was thrust onto Darren's face before she strode away.
Darren heaved a sigh. Had Vivienne finally let him go?
...
Elsewhere.
Mila and Calista sat in their car with their faces grim.
They had heard that Scott had reclaimed his real daughter and rushed over to strengthen the relationship.
To their surprise, Scott's actual daughter was Vivienne.
Even worse, Vivienne was extremely cold-hearted. She humiliated them in front of everyone without giving them any face.
"What's so great about that girl? Percival already lost his soul to her, but how could Richard be so foolish?" Calista reflected on the day’s events with eyes clouded over with bitterness.
"I'll head to the hospital." Calista announced suddenly.
"Why the hospital at this late hour?" Mila questioned.
"I'm going to check on Tristan." Calista answered.
Although she hadn't managed to teach Vivienne a lesson at the gemstone gambling place, she was confident that few could match her in the medical field.
Tristan was recovering well under her care. He was the best proof of her prowess.
With a bit more effort, she could restore Tristan back to his prime. Then, the Brooks family, and even Percival, would realize her worth.
Vivienne may have had people spoiling her, but her value was not comparable to Calista's skills and knowledge.
Mila, while not fully understanding her daughter's thoughts, knew her daughter was resolute and didn't question her further.
After the driver dropped Calista off at the hospital, Mila gave Paula a call.
"Paula, how are things on your end?"
Just hearing that made her recall the humiliation Eddy suffered. He was forced to perform such crude acts by Vivienne and Percival's gang.
Living a privileged life, she had never encountered such filth. Even the thought of it now made her feel nauseous.
It seemed every time she saw Eddy from now on, she'd feel queasy.
But she had to maintain good relations with Paula, considering she needed Paula to get close to Scott.
"Vivienne, that little wretch, I won't let her off! My biased parents, ungrateful big brother…" Paula swore relentlessly over the phone.
Mila held the phone slightly away from her ear, waiting for Paula's rant to subside.
"So, how are things really?" She asked again.
Paula gritted her teeth. "How do you think? I got a severe scolding from my husband. He cut off my card and banished me from the house."
Mila frowned. "He really treated you like that?"
"He even warned me to stay away from Vivienne. I'm Paula Brooks! I won't be defeated by a mere girl!"
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Million-Dollar Heart