The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne) novel Chapter 780

Percival came thundering down the stairs, his brows knitted in frustration, and without a word, he aimed a swift kick at Emrys. His icy gaze glided over Victoria with chilling indifference, the frost thawing slightly as his eyes settled on Vivienne.

"The jig is up," he said coolly. "You're like a fish on a chopping board now. What good does it do me to lie to you?"

Vivienne stroked his back soothingly. "Don't stoop to his level. If he had any sense, he wouldn't have been played by Gavin for all these years."

"Emrys, think about it. Gavin's the head of the Abernathy family now. That Littleton scandal's been cold for over a decade. If he wanted you back, would he have let you flounder this long?

As one of the top five influential families, you don't think the Abernathys have the means to hide you in the big city, do you? Besides, he's now under Grimshaw's thumb."

With a mocking smile, Vivienne added, "He's played you for a fool, and yet here you are, guarding his secrets like a loyal hound. I've seen many lapdogs, but one who would send his own mother to perdition? You're a first."

"Shut up!" Emrys roared, nearly delirious, thrashing on the ground.

The commotion woke everyone upstairs. Leopold and Matthew, without even bothering to put on their jackets, bolted down the stairs and landed their feet squarely on Emrys' face.

"Damn it, shut it! You've disturbed my beauty sleep!" Leopold growled, the very picture of a man not to be trifled with when sleep-deprived.

Matthew, still half asleep, overheard Emrys' muffled groan and delivered another kick. "Enough already! Chasing you lot kept me up all night. Just as I'm about to catch some Z's, you wake me. Shut it!"

Watching the sleep-deprived pair, Vivienne's lips twitched. She waved them off. "Go back to bed. I'll take care of him."

"Let me do it, ma'am," Thomas volunteered, brandishing a roll of duct tape.

Vivienne wouldn't refuse. She considered Emrys, who was now a bloodied mess on the floor, and decided not to let this valuable asset against Gavin die an ignoble death. She loosened the tape a bit and popped a pill into his mouth before sealing it shut again.

"Now, you have two choices," she said methodically. "One, I can arrest you right now for unlawful detention and let you rot in jail. Or two, you can rat out Gavin. Get a lighter sentence, maybe even a plea bargain. And who knows, maybe they'll even let you walk free."

"What reason do I have to trust you?"

"You old fool!" Victoria's eyes flashed with anger as she lunged forward, only to be caught by Vivienne.

"You're asking why you should trust me?" Vivienne's smile deepened, her delicate fingers tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Because I'm the one who poisoned you, and only I have the antidote."

Emrys' eyes rolled frantically; his fingernails dug into his palms as he considered his options. Finally, at Victoria's impatient look, he nodded, reluctantly agreeing to Vivienne's terms. He didn't care about Nimue or anyone else's fate, nor his own chance of a reduced sentence. He was driven by a simple desire for revenge against Gavin, to see that hypocrite suffer.