The Million-Dollar Heart

Everyone looked up as Vivienne walked in, her pace slow and measured. Clad in a plain tee and jeans, the simplicity of her attire was offset by the icy expression that seemed permanently etched onto her

delicate features.

Kala watched her, emotions churning within her.

After a moment, she spoke up, "No need. I'll handle it myself."

She was at a loss for how to treat Vivienne now.

After all, it was not Vivienne who had affected her work, but there was an undeniable discomfort whenever she saw Vivienne.

Did she blame Vivienne?

No.

After all, her grandmother had genuinely committed murder, and not just once, but tenfold.

For twenty years, the families of the victims had been deprived of the truth.

Her grandmother's fate was deserved.

She just could not face Vivienne.

It seemed ever since Vivienne's return, everyone she was close to had changed.

Vivienne approached her, her face serious. "Judith's death was a consequence of her actions. If she hadn't resisted arrest, she wouldn't have been shot in front of you. And the media exposure you faced wasn't my doing. I covered your penalty fees as a gesture of goodwill. You were the only one who treated me with genuine kindness after I joined the Brooks family."

When the Brooks first took her in, everyone had been considerate, but there was always an ulterior motive.

had been genuinely kind

to ignore

was somewhat related to her,

assist Kala, but she would never blame herself for what had

Vivienne, unsure of what to

word, Vivienne walked over to Baron and stated flatly, "Baron, I'm here to pack up. I won't be staying at the Brooks household any longer." Baron scoffed, "What, you think you can just bail when the going gets tough? I'm not dead yet. Even in hard times, I wouldn't let

you and Percival, I wouldn't have spared her. This case... Richard and I have been investigating it in the shadows for years. If we

raised an eyebrow, genuinely

and don't worry about anything else," Baron said with finality. "We're discussing the future of the Brooks family. You should listen in. You're nearly twenty. It's time you learned about the company." Vivienne smirked,

glared at her. "Do

over at

peers wore embarrassed expressions. It was not that they blamed Vivienne; it was just hard

now, Timothy was coming to

all, the old lady had ten lives on her conscience, and she could not escape death in the

had done

fell on Scott, who remained silent with a stern

and took the seat next to

continued, "Kala, now that Vivienne has paid the penalty fee, it's up to you whether you want to stay

badly, especially with that black card filled with funds, and with the backing of the Ellington family,

Kala nodded. "Alright."

the crux of the matter. "Since Judith was one of our own and made a mistake, we can't shirk responsibility. I'll issue an apology and provide compensation for the victims' families. On top of that, we need to push

She had assumed Scott would be the one

was

quite unexpected. Griffin, from

all. I'm tired and need to rest," Baron said,