Vivienne observed the excitement grow on their faces, causing a subtle stir of emotion within her.
"Vivienne, how about a few rounds?" Fergus suggested after some small talk.
"No thanks." Vivienne declined. "I'm just here to observe today."
Fergus was slightly disappointed but understood. Vivienne had been missing for a few years, so she must have had a lot on her plate. Her presence here was more than enough.
"Vivienne, when can we start training?" Aaron asked impatiently.
Vivienne paused for a moment before responding, "No rush. I have to set up a training schedule first."
"Alright!"
They chatted for a while before Vivienne's phone suddenly rang. After seeing Matthew's name on the caller ID, she answered the phone.
"Vivienne, Thaddeus is back." Matthew informed her.
"Okay, got it."
After hanging up, Vivienne informed Aaron and the others that she had some stuff to take care of. "I have to go. I'll be back once I set up the training schedule."
"So soon?" Aaron, who had finally managed to get her to come, was reluctant to see her leave.
Vivienne nodded. "Yes, I have something to take care of."
"Vivienne, if you have things to do, go ahead. We'll wait for you." The others chimed in.
"Okay."
After leaving, Vivienne headed straight back to the Brooks Mansion.
As soon as she stepped into her room, she saw Thaddeus. The boy had been through a lot. In just a few months, his plump little face had lost much of its fullness, and his body was covered in bruises. It was clear that he had been reprimanded and beaten.
Upon seeing the injuries on Thaddeus, Vivienne's face immediately darkened.
She pulled up his sleeve to check him out. Her voice was cold and devoid of warmth as she asked, "Did your aunt and cousins do this to you?"
Thaddeus, upon seeing her, immediately welled up with tears and timidly answered, "Yes... they didn't feed me and hit me."
He was constantly bullied by his cousins, and he lived in constant fear.
Although she had heard about it from Matthew, after seeing and hearing it from Thaddeus directly, Vivienne felt a surge of rage overwhelm her. Her fingers clenched tightly and became burning fists.
"Don't be afraid." She gently comforted the terrified Thaddeus. "No one can bully you now. You can live here peacefully."
Before his return, she had prepared his favorite dishes. She led Thaddeus to the dining room and had Dorian and Cordelia called over.
Ten minutes later, when Dorian and Cordelia saw Thaddeus sitting in the chair eating chicken wings, they were taken aback. "Thaddeus? How did you get here?!"
Vivienne observed their expressions and coolly asked, "What? You didn't want to see Thaddeus?"
"Of course not!" Dorian quickly explained, "We're just so happy. We didn't expect Thaddeus to be able to come to Rivenwood, let alone live in the Brooks' house!"
"Indeed! Our good fortune is all thanks to Vivienne."
Vivienne watched Dorian and Cordelia coldly. "Thaddeus has lost so much weight; don't you care?"
Dorian's expression faltered, and he awkwardly laughed. "Thaddeus is our son; how could we not care?"
"It's normal for kids to lose a bit of weight during their growth period. Vivienne, I know you care a lot about Thaddeus, but there's no need to worry this much." Cordelia added with a smile.
Vivienne's eyes narrowed. Was it normal for a child to lose a bit of weight this fast?
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