Outside, Vivienne wasn't eavesdropping on the conversation; she just happened upon it quite by chance.
Who would have thought that Maddox, the proverbial prodigal son, would be so out of his depth in front of Willa?
Their chat was all kinds of odd.
Peering through the glass, Vivienne observed Willa.
Willa seemed oblivious to matters of the heart as if she had no clue what feelings really were.
Toward Jasper, it wasn't kinship but a gratitude that had to be repaid.
Toward Maddox, there was a vague sense of romance, yet she could not fully comprehend it.
She wasn't obsessed with being the Perez heiress like Diana, nor did she harbor an unswerving affection for someone like Vivienne did for Percival.
Even the most obtuse wouldn't be this clueless, right?
"What are you thinking about?"
Behind her, Percival suddenly appeared, carrying a box of strawberry cheesecake.
Vivienne turned and leaned half against him, gesturing lazily toward the hospital room. "They're playing lovey-dovey in front of my mom."
Percival wrapped one arm around Vivienne's waist and sat down, planting her securely on his lap.
"No, they haven't fallen for each other yet. There's no lovey."
Vivienne chuckled. "If Uncle Maddox heard you say that, he would hold a grudge."
alright, we're family." Percival rested his chin on Vivienne's shoulder, threading his hands around her waist to untie
hands, pale and slender, stood
reflecting his refined
not denying it. Vivienne always had a
it to her lips. "It's alright; today, I moved Flynn, and he asked about Grandpa's
bite he offered. Instead, she took his wrist and guided
her arms around Percival's neck,
up. I'm sharing
for a moment before bursting
Vivienne was willing to share her strawberry cheesecake, how could he afford to stay downcast? "Yeah, I'm
fleeting touch that didn't cross boundaries.
then, Maddox stepped out and caught this tender moment. He sighed heavily and sat down
What a cruel twist of fate! Vivienne remained seated on Percival's lap, nibbling on the cheesecake he fed her, and asked, "Uncle Maddox, was Aunt Willa always like this, even
snapped back to attention.
not quite understanding affection, whether it's
spent much time
people. It seemed she didn't know how to
in his chair, pondering for a moment, then said, "You know, now that you mention it, Willa was much worse as
into Percival's embrace without
made her sit properly. "You, stop pawing at my
Maddox. Next time, I'll tell Grandpa that you won't let me marry
taking things out of context; that's
Maddox back to the topic. "Uncle
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