The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne) novel Chapter 701

Percival stared at Arthur with an intensity that seemed to cut right through him as if trying to read his soul.

But Arthur was an enigma, a book whose pages refused to be turned.

Despite Percival's knack for sizing people up, Arthur, the revered War God of Veridia, remained an untold story to him.

With just a side glance, Arthur seemed to catch onto Percival's musings and let out a derisive chuckle. "You're wondering why I know about the elixir of life? Why I brought it up in front of you? Whether I'm a traitor?"

Percival was speechless, thinking, "Can you read minds or what?"

Wait a second.

Why did his tone sound so familiar?

Arthur stood up, his gaze icy as he gave Percival a once-over. "Kid, you've got a lot to learn. Some things aren't as simple as they appear on the surface!"

With that, Arthur turned on his heel and strode away.

Pausing at the doorway, he seemed to remember something and looked back at Percival. "The Vanguard Agency? It's history as of today!"

Without another word, Arthur left.

Percival watched Arthur's retreating figure, his eyes shadowed with thought.

After a moment, he looked up at the Vanguard Agency, then walked away.

Meanwhile, Vivienne had made her way to the Frostfire Intelligence Agency, insisting that Matthew focus on finding her father.

After Matthew briefed her on recent missions, Vivienne left. With Percival tied up in work, she suddenly realized she had nowhere in particular to go.

Then it struck her – she hadn't taken the Thaddeus and Isolde out for fun in ages. With a free day ahead, she decided to treat the kids to a day out.

Her place was just a stone's throw from the Hawthorns, so she headed over to pick up Thaddeus.

As Vivienne arrived, only Cordelia was home.

Upon seeing Vivienne, Cordelia's face lit up with surprise, quickly followed by a warm smile. "Vivienne! What a pleasant surprise!"

Ever since Dorian launched his boutique fragrance business, he had been swamped. Vivienne, too, had her plate full, and visits to the Hawthorns' had been scarce.

Dorian had tried inviting Vivienne over for a family dinner a few times, but she was always tied up.

Cordelia had been planning to visit Karen in the hospital and was taken aback to see Vivienne turn up first.

With a bright smile, Cordelia welcomed Vivienne in. "Come in, dear. You really should give us a heads-up next time so I can whip up something nice. We've got nothing in the kitchen right now. Tell you what, I'll call your dad and have him come home for lunch. We can all go out for a meal!"

Since the company took off, not only Dorian but also Cordelia had been busy helping out. With Thaddeus now in boarding school during the week, the house was quiet except on weekends.

After working late the previous night, Cordelia hadn't yet had the chance to shop for groceries. Thus, there was literally nothing in the kitchen.

Vivienne chuckled, "No need, Cordelia. I was thinking of taking Thaddeus out for a bit of fun today."

Ever since Vivienne reconciled with Karen, she had taken to calling Dorian and Cordelia by their first names – not out of distance, but for clarity's sake. It avoided confusion during family gatherings when she was calling out for 'mom' or 'dad.'