The Million-Dollar Heart

Chapter 16

Day two

Just past eight in the morning, Dorian and his family were having breakfast when his cell phone rang. The caller ID showed a number he didn’t recognize Lately, Dorian had been getting a lot of calls from unknown numbers, so he was used to it. Most of them were from companies responding to his job applications. Usually, it was something like, “Sorry, Mr. Hawthorn, you don’t meet our recruitment criteria.”

Dorian sighed and answered the call.

“Are you Thaddeus‘ father?” The person on the other end of the line asked, in a friendly tone.

1 am Who’s this?” Dorian responded, while passing Vivienne her breakfast.

Tm the assistant principal at Imperial Blossom Nursery. We’d like to invite Thaddeus to join our school. Is that OK with you?”

Dorian froze, fork in hand. After a pause, he asked, his voice shaky. “Who did you say you are?”

Tm the assistant principal at Imperial Blossom Nursery.” The voice on the other end was still friendly.

Dorian’s mouth dropped open, and he jumped up excitedly. “Imperial Blossom Nursery? You mean, you want my Thaddeus to join your school?” Cordelia also jumped up, equally excited.

Vivienne just looked up and continued to enjoy her fried egg. She turned to Thaddeus, who was looking at her, passed him a piece of toast, and moved the blueberry jam in front of him, whispering, “Eat up, you’re too skinny”

and said

and switched his phone to speaker

files, and he meets our admission criteria. Do you agree to his enrollment?” The assistant principal asked, sounding a tad exasperated. Any other person, and she would not have repeated herself

agreed!” Dorian was so afraid that she would change her mind that he answered

to deliver the related documents to

arm. “Dorian, is it true? Is

Blossom Nursery! That was a school that money couldn’t buy! A school that even

many strings. Rumor had it that Joseph’s son

he was dreaming. He never thought that such unbelievable good fortune would come their

not only moved into

Sensing her intentions, Vivienne thought to herself, “Please

In the afternoon.

family’s old

sat at the head of the table, with Joseph and Michael on either side of

on with Dorian? Why haven’t we heard anything?”

Dorian to agree soon, or

to say that their plan had failed. The three people they had hired had been arrested, and the principal and the teacher had been fired. As the mastermind, she had to

Monastery since she was a child? She had heard that Vivienne hadn’t left there for ten years and probably hadn’t been to school, so

this,” Michael said anxiously. “Ever since Dorian refused to share the perfume formula, the company’s performance has plummeted. Now, only

her eyes and said in a low voice, “What’s the rush? Haven’t I taught

your relationship with Dorian is still good.