The Million-Dollar Heart novel Chapter 384

Scott had mulled over the idea of bringing Brody into the fold more than once, but the folks he had sent out to extend the olive branch had all met untimely ends, and a few had even vanished without a trace, their bones yet to be found.

Those in the know about Brody understood one thing clearly: He was not beholden to any organization. It all hinged on whether he was interested, and no one could force his hand to save or snuff a life.

Calista sucked in a sharp breath, the memory of Brody's brutal methods during her treatment sending a shiver down her spine.

Scott exhaled slowly. "You should head back. Get the job done as soon as you can. Once you're back with the Brooks family, don’t breathe a word of seeing me. You know what's at stake."

"Yes, I understand." Calista quickly rose, snatching her purse and scurrying out the door.

The room lapsed into a moment of silence as Scott leaned back on the couch, a frown creasing his forehead.

He had overplayed his cards this time.

Vivienne had played him like a fiddle.

The lab had been a pet project of the boss, meticulously overseen to completion. Neither sensor probes nor thermal imagers could detect an exit.

Vivienne had been calm, deliberately cryptic.

And with his cover blown, he had mistakenly thought the lab's location had been compromised.

To think he had actually led Vivienne and Percival straight to the lab.

What a blunder.

Scott chuckled wryly, a shade of melancholy crossing his face as he murmured, "As expected from your daughter, Karen.”

At Percival's private clinic, Vivienne treated two children whose lives had been hung by a thread.

Thankfully, they were regaining vitality, and their hearts were beginning to regenerate.

With close observation over the next few days, they could be discharged.

The children's parents had been located and were en route.

"It's wild. I can't tell these kids are twins. Aren't twins supposed to be spitting images of each other?" Leopold peered through the glass of the incubator at the two infants.

Vivienne playfully smacked his head. "Ever heard of fraternal twins?"

Leopold rubbed the back of his head. "Vivienne, you must’ve struck me dumb.

"No, you're just plain dumb," A man and a woman said in unison.

Leopold, taken aback, eyed the pair—Vivienne and the unwilling-to-admit-it Percival. "Alright, a duet you two make."

"We're just in sync," Percival said, his arm around Vivienne's waist. She looked every bit the intelligent beauty in her white lab coat, her hair pinned up in a bun, loose strands framing her face.

She was a sight to behold. His wife was beautiful in every way.

Just then, Thomas approached. "Percival, the kids' parents have arrived."

"Yasmine, Natalia."

A sobbing female voice echoed from behind Thomas.

Looking over, Vivienne saw a woman in her mid-thirties, dressed simply yet in fine fabric.

"Zelda, keep it together. We need to be sure first."

Behind the woman stood a man in a suit, none other than Yuri Perez, the fourth son of the old man Jasper, who had recently bought the plagiarized painting at the gallery.

"You must be Vivienne, hello. I'm Yuri, and we're the children's parents," Yuri said as he supported Zelda, politeness in his eyes despite the evident anxiety.

Vivienne nodded. "Yes, the children are here. Have a look, but they can't leave just yet. They need more treatment."

Vivienne stepped aside to let Yuri and Zelda see their children.