The Million-Dollar Heart

Vivienne did not reply immediately. Instead, she simply gazed at Astrid, waiting for her to continue.

Feeling a bit anxious, Astrid elaborated, "Don't get me wrong, Vivienne. I'm not saying that Percival isn't treating you well. I'm just thinking, with the Ellington family being such a prestigious and influential family it's a complex world out there. If you had enough confidence and strength, you wouldn't need to put up with any discomfort there."

Vivienne nodded slightly, "You make a good point."

Astrid let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you understand what I'm getting at. I hope I haven't overstepped."

"Not at all," Vivienne replied, taking a sip of her drink, "I can contribute some innovative fragrance formulas at the company, which could quickly build a reputation for us."

Astrid felt an awkward sense of being seen through and could only force a chuckle, taking a sip of her water to cover her nerves. "You're right. It's a win-win situation, isn't it?" Vivienne raised an eyebrow, a subtle gleam in her eyes.

After dinner, it was getting late. Alfred pulled the car up to the mall to pick up Astrid.

"Vivienne, let me drive you two back," Alfred called out, rolling down his window.

"No need, we drove here," Vivienne declined coolly.

"Alright then. Take care," Alfred waved and drove off with Astrid.

Watching their car disappear into the distance, Vivienne's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

Percival draped his jacket over Vivienne's shoulders, his fingertips lightly touching her cheek, "Getting impatient?"

She nodded. "More than I expected. It's quite dull."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and ushered her into the car, saying, "Then let's take our time. As long as you're happy."

A grin spread across Vivienne's face. "Sounds good to me!"

pulled over to the side

she agree?" He

joining the company soon. She's a natural at this, so coming up with a few perfume formulas will be a breeze. Now, it's just a matter of how much she's willing

eyes curving into a

Astrid had anticipated, taking an active

It's going to be hard work. Why

do you think I can't

you to overwork yourself. You're young. You should be enjoying yourself, not trapped

joining the company, she also moved

always kept her room ready, furnished just how she liked it, so she

Dorian and Cordelia were

were constantly discussing and verifying various reports, barely able to catch their

waiting for his parents to

lightened their load considerably, especially regarding

Karen's legacy of perfume formulas was enough to sustain the company, Dorian still

and enduring. I like

think this one is also fitting. It has a natural, earthy

and while they could launch both, the startup costs for two new perfumes

both formulas. The numbers of the formulas were very detailed, and the ingredients

both great. Why not ask Vivienne which

his Lego, Vivienne heard Astrid mention her and said, "Thaddeus,

one of the crumpled papers on the

We'll launch this one. I'll immediately discuss the launch strategy with the

the fragrance decided, Dorian also had to discuss production schedules with the factory. "Astrid, Vivienne, we're off to

cash on