The Million-Dollar Heart novel Chapter 3

Over at Prominent Estates.

Dorian was about to call off the engagement with the Ellington family when a sudden ring of the doorbell interrupted him.-

Dorian and Cordelia immediately got up to answer the door. Vivienne also got up, seeing as it was basic etiquette to greet the guests.

The visitor turned out to be Arabella. Dorian and Cordelia were taken aback, and even Vivienne raised an eyebrow. Weren't they just at the Hawthorn Mansion and here Arabella was already on their doorstep?

"Dad, Mom, I came to visit you, and also to see my sister. I brought her some clothes." Arabella was dressed in a light-colored dress, her hair pulled to the sides, and she wore a sweet smile on her face. She had an air of refined tranquility about her.

Cordelia glanced at the bag in Arabella's hands and her expression immediately changed. These clothes were bought by Beatrice for Arabella; many were only worn once and never again.

"You're so considerate." Cordelia took the bag from Arabella and casually placed it on a cabinet.

"What brought you here all of a sudden?" Dorian glanced at the bag in Arabella's hand, and his expression turning serious.

Arabella's gaze shifted slightly, she looked up at Dorian, her eyes welling up with tears, and said in an aggrieved tone, "I know you just found my sister and you want to spend more time with her. I understand if you don't want to see me, but granny told me to come to teach my sister some manners."

Dorian frowned, his gaze on Arabella laced with impatience. Well, here we go again. Over the years, every time she came over, she would be in tears, as if someone had mistreated her. Wasn't she the one who looked down on them as foster parents after she got Beatrice's favor? Who was she putting on this act for now?

Dorian got suddenly upset, "What manners to teach? Vivienne's manners are just fine; she doesn't need anyone to teach her. She's not marrying into the royal family. Why the need for all these manners?"

"Ha ha!" Vivienne couldn't help but laugh at Dorian's comment. Dorian sure had a sense of humor.

Arabella's beautiful face suddenly turned red as she lowered her head and bit her lip, "Dad, that's not what I meant. I just..."

"Alright, go tell your granny, I'm calling off the engagement with the Ellington family. Since she looks down on Vivienne, then she shouldn't care whether she has manners or not," Dorian said somewhat irritated.

"What? Call off the engagement?" Arabella couldn't keep up her act, her hands clenching her skirt, hatred almost spewing from her eyes.

What a joke! He sure treated his biological daughter differently.

When the Ellington family thought she was the one engaged to Percival, she had subtly expressed her reluctance to marry Percival, but Dorian had said that it wasn't up to him to call off the engagement, as it was Beatrice's decision.

And now?

Vivienne just came back, and Dorian was in a hurry to call off this engagement. How come he wasn't saying it wasn't up to him this time?

"Yes, Vivienne is only nineteen. I've only just gotten her back, and I'm not going to let her get married," Dorian said seriously, "Go tell your granny that she should stop getting any ideas to marry Vivienne off."

He knew what Beatrice was thinking. He might have listened to her in the past, but on the matter of Vivienne's marriage, he would make no concessions. If anyone dared to have any designs on Vivienne, he would sever ties with them.

Arabella said, looking at Vivienne and softly saying, "You don't want the Hawthorn family to be in trouble, do you? This is the result of our grandfather's lifetime effort. If because of you..." She didn't finish her sentence, deliberately leaving it hanging.

Hearing this, Vivienne slightly lifted her eyes, her red lips curled into a smile, "Yes, I don't want to get married. Do you?"

Arabella was stunned, her expression turning sour. Was she to marry that disabled Percival? She was the talented girl of Havenwood, she had made great achievements in various fields, and now she was an honor student, her future bright. Why would she ruin it by marrying that disabled man?

What did Vivienne mean by that? Was she deliberately trying to make her sick?

"This joke is not funny at all," Arabella managed a smile, looking quite uncomfortable.

Vivienne blinked, tilting her head to look at her, "I'm not joking."

Arabella almost couldn't help slapping Vivienne. "You're the real Miss Hawthorn." Arabella's tone suddenly became high-pitched, and the malice in her eyes grew stronger.

"Well." Vivienne replied nonchalantly, "So you're teaching me, the real Miss Hawthorn, how to handle things?"

"You!" Arabella's hands were clenched tight, and she took a deep breath and said with a light laugh, "You misunderstood, how dare I teach you anything? It's granny who said that the engagement with the Ellington family is important, especially since after the engagement, they will invest a sum of money in our company, so we can't call off the engagement."

Without waiting for Vivienne to speak, Arabella stood up, "Dad, I have to go to the company later, I can't stay long. Granny said that she didn't agree with sister and Mr. Ellington calling off the engagement. If you insist on doing this, she'll take back this apartment."

Beatrice didn't actually say this; it was all Arabella's own words. But she could change Beatrice's attitude before Dorian could see Beatrice.

Dorian's expression changed, he was about to say something, but Arabella had already left.