Percival tightened his embrace, resting his forehead just above Vivienne's brows, whispering tenderly, "Looking at my Vivienne."
My Vivienne.
Few words in the world could send Vivienne’s heart fluttering quite like those.
She felt as if she had plunged into a pool of spring water, her entire being drenched in its soothing embrace.
Their gazes locked, neither willing to take a step closer.
In their eyes, there was only each other, each deeply etching the other's features into their memory.
They tugged at each other, eyes speaking volumes.
Creak...
The lab door swung open, and Karen marched in, dragging Rex by the ear, the awkwardness in the room thick enough to cut with a knife.
Karen was the first to snap out of it. "Carry on, lovebirds. I've got a bone to pick with this good-for-nothing apprentice!"
Vivienne watched as Karen pulled Rex aside and, with a swift kick, sent him sprawling.
Meanwhile, she and Percival were still wrapped up in each other, fingers interlocked.
"Boss, your daughter's over here making goo-goo eyes, and you're not saying a peep? She's underage and being seduced by an older man—aren't you gonna do something about it?"
Rex’s outburst was swiftly silenced by Karen's expert move.
"If you don't spill the beans on all those toxins you've been cooking up over the years, you might as well forget about talking ever again."
Karen had zero tolerance for her underlings causing trouble.
If she had known Rex was actually Brody, she would have cut him down long ago!
Vivienne pursed her lips, conceding that when it came to inner strength, her mom was unbeatable.
"Old man, gonna let go, or do you want to play a live show?" Vivienne teased, pulling away with a mischievous wink.
Percival let go, touched his nose awkwardly, and stepped forward, handing Karen a stun baton. "Master, this might come in handy."
The stun baton, a creation of Brody's, could discharge a burst of high voltage at the push of a button and was designed to simulate the debilitating force of a hurricane.
Karen gave the baton a twirl. "Not bad at all!"
Brody shot Percival a look of utter despair.
Alright, he got it.
Birds of a feather flock together—Karen was shamelessly cunning, Percival was sly and ruthless, and Vivienne was wickedly sharp. None of them were saints!
After enjoying his moment of revenge, Percival, with Vivienne in tow, left the lab.
On the way, Vivienne relayed the events that had unfolded at Mara’s house to Percival, "Looks like they're targeting the Miller family again, trying to use them to stir up trouble within the Nine Mystics Society and destabilize us."
Vivienne had said a lot, but all Percival heard was: “Something, something... Aaron saw me today, something, something...
"Alright, I got it."
Vivienne paused, "Got what, exactly?"
Percival flashed a sly grin, deftly changing the subject, "Thomas called me earlier and said Gillian has already reported to headquarters."
"That quick? What position?" Vivienne inquired.
"She's on par with Vance, appointed as the new Secretary-General. Officially, she's there to learn, but reality is she's the main office's eyes in Rivenwood."
Ever since Percival left, Rivenwood's Vanguard Agency became a thorn in Sea City's side.
Everyone knew that the agents of Rivenwood's Vanguard Agency were Percival's people. Even with him gone, their loyalties had departed with him.
To prevent Rivenwood from becoming entirely Percival's domain, a new overseer was necessary.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Million-Dollar Heart