The Million-Dollar Heart

Two days later.

Dorian's company had finalized their new perfume line, and Vivienne found herself with some free time to visit the hospital.

Anna had already returned to school, but Natalia and Yasmine were still hospitalized, though they had been moved from intensive care to a regular VIP ward.

Jasper sat beside the crib with two plush toys in hand, smiling at the sight of his granddaughters' joyful faces, an involuntary chuckle escaping his lips. Vivienne knocked on the door. "Excuse me, sir."

Jasper's face lit up with excitement. "Ah, young lady, you've finally made it. I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me."

"How could I forget such a charming gentleman?" Vivienne teased.

It was the first time Jasper had been described as charming, and he basked in the novelty, "My, my, your words warm an old man's heart." Vivienne smiled.

Just then, Yuri and Zelda came in, and Jasper immediately boasted. "Vivienne just called me charming. Take that, you bunch of brats who always call me stern. She doesn't think so."

He then turned to Vivienne. "I can call you Vivienne, right? It feels more personal."

"Of course," Vivienne replied with a laugh.

Yuri sighed, "Vivienne, my dad's only ever this happy when he's chatting with you. When he talks to me, he's far from charming."

"Cheeky boy, go fetch Vivienne's gift, will you? That's all you're good for," Jasper scolded, glaring at Yuri.

This boy was no good!

"Dad, I've brought everything. Don't look at him. He's useless," Zelda said, also shooting Yuri a teasing glare. Yuri muttered to himself, feeling like the black sheep of the family.

Zelda retrieved a mahogany box from the cabinet, its craftsmanship clearly that of a master's touch.

but please accept this small token of

Hope Blue Diamond jewelry in gold, which had sold for 80 million dollars at an auction the year before, the

collection, there was only one such

She had helped save Natalia and Yasmine as a byproduct of trying to rescue the captured babies; it was all in a day's work. There was nothing she had done that could justify her

"You can't

added, "Please, Vivienne, take it. We can't imagine what our girls would have gone through without

insist on personally delivering it to your house," Yuri joked, holding his twin

but not too hard. "Who said you could

hold my daughters? Dad, you're being too harsh. Vivienne, you have to back me up

Vivienne finally accepted, then said to Yuri, "Mr. Perez, they say you owe a favor to the hand that gives. I'm afraid I can't help

a sense of peace settling in her heart. Unconsciously, she had come to think of this room as her sanctuary, where she could just

hospital, it was getting dark. Percival was waiting downstairs and approached her as soon as she

of cold wind blew, and Vivienne wrapped her coat tighter around

see you sooner," Percival said, taking Vivienne's hand and noticing the bag she was

glanced at it and smiled. "It's an apology

had secretly collected her DNA to conduct a paternity test

seen as an offense, hence the gift as a form

to find their daughter, perhaps noting some resemblance between her

not the

mother was not

she never spoke of her biological family.

paternity test report, a deep regret filling his

so much like

showed no genetic link between them at

How could this be?