The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne) novel Chapter 956

Alyssa choked on her words, her face painting a picture of utter helplessness in front of Arthur. "How could you think I wanted this? You said..."

Vivienne's lips curled into a mocking smile. "I never said she'd die. But you, you seemed awfully keen on the idea."

Alyssa's heart skipped a beat, but confident in her own innocence, she managed to hold her composure. "What are you blabbering about, Vivienne? Winston is my brother. No one wishes for his well-being more than I do..."

A flicker of scorn passed through Vivienne's eyes. "Blabbering, am I?"

"You..."

Alyssa's finger pointed accusingly, but before she could utter a word, Arthur stepped in front of her, his voice cold. "If you don't value your fingers, just say the word. My daughter is not someone you can just point at."

Arthur's face darkened.

His beloved daughter, whom he could hardly raise his voice to, was being disrespected. What right did Alyssa have to point fingers?

Biting her lip, Alyssa looked pitifully at Arthur. "Do you have to be so cold to me, Arthur? It's me, Alyssa."

A sneer came from behind them.

Arthur felt a shiver down his spine, his disdain for Alyssa growing. "I don't care who you are. Don't try to cozy up to me. At your age, shame seems to be a foreign concept!"

Alyssa's face turned an ugly shade of red.

At that moment, the operating room doors swung open, and the medical staff emerged.

Alyssa rushed to intercept them, desperate to know Winston's condition. "Doctor, how's my brother? Is he alright?"

The doctor glanced at Vivienne, then oddly at Alyssa. "Why are you only getting here now? The patient is out of danger and has been moved to the ICU."

ICU?

Alyssa bit her lip, refusing to believe Winston could be so lucky.

She had instructed the driver to leave no survivors.

How could he be so hard to kill!

Noticing Alyssa's stupor, the doctor spoke before leaving. "What are you waiting for? Go settle the medical bills. We can't have outstanding surgery fees."

Alyssa turned to Arthur, clenched her teeth, and reluctantly followed to make the payment.

Sasha, silent till now, spoke coldly from behind her. "You better hope Winston is fine, or you'll be paying with more than money."

Alyssa shuddered.

Yet, she maintained her façade. "Ms. Perez, you seem to be mistaken. Winston is my brother. No one wishes for his well-being more than I do."

Sasha gave her one last cold look and turned away.

Alyssa felt as if Sasha's gaze had pierced through her, seeing her true intentions.

Only after hastily leaving did that feeling slowly fade.

Once Alyssa had gone, Vivienne noticed a shadowy figure darting away. It seemed to have noticed her before deliberately vanishing.

She frowned, exchanged a brief greeting with Arthur and Sasha, "Mom, you guys head back."

Vivienne followed the figure, but it disappeared.

She planned to hack the hospital's surveillance to find out who it was when her phone buzzed with a mysterious message.

"Tomorrow at 10, Café Verde, upstairs."

The figure vanished, and immediately a message was sent to her.

Clearly, they came prepared.

The next day, at ten o'clock, Vivienne arrived at Café Verde on time. The waiter asked if she had a reservation.

"Upstairs," Vivienne stated.

The waiter led the way, guiding her to the last private room.

Vivienne pushed the door open to find an antique screen blocking her view.

Circling it, she saw the man seated there.

He wore a crisp white shirt with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. His complexion was sickly pale, but his lips were a stark, healthy red – a sign of long-term medication and lack of sunlight.