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!"

over to

she agree?" He

formulas will be a breeze. Now, it's just a matter of how much she's willing to contribute." Alfred smiled contentedly. "She's a genius. Having someone like her on

at Alfred, her eyes curving

anticipated, taking an active role at

to be hard work. Why not wait until things are more stable before you join? It would be

I can't help stabilize the company?" Vivienne

You should be enjoying yourself, not

the company, she also moved back

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

Cordelia were

and verifying various reports, barely able to

go hungry, waiting for his parents

load considerably,

of perfume formulas was enough to sustain the company, Dorian still wanted to develop more

smells like a fresh rainfall, rich and enduring. I like it," Cordelia announced, marking one of the formulas with

this one is also fitting. It has

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

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

suggested, "Mom, Dad, I think these two are both great. Why

his Lego, Vivienne heard Astrid mention her and said, "Thaddeus, let's draw

picked one of the crumpled

Thaddeus picked her favorite. "I win! We'll launch this one.

Vivienne, we're off to the company. Stay safe at home, and if you're hungry, order some

Dorian left some cash on the table and hurried