The Million-Dollar Heart

Maddox's eyes lit up the moment he saw Willa returning home.

He hurried over to her, barely containing his excitement. "Willa, you're back?"

He was so close that his warm breath tickled her face, stirring something unfamiliar within her.

She coughed lightly, pushing him away with a finger. "Back off! You reek of sweat!"

"Huh?" Maddox sniffed himself. "Do I? But I just showered this morning!"

The summer heat made sweating inevitable, prompting him to adopt a twice-daily shower routine.

Willa, uninterested in engaging further, walked straight to Jasper. "Dad, I'm home."

Jasper nodded. "Good to have you back. Sit down. We were just discussing whether Vivienne should acknowledge her father. You should weigh in!"

Willa had barely approached her chair when she paused, confused. "Vivienne's father?"

"Yes," Yuri chimed in. "Today, Vivienne's biological father showed up. DNA tests confirm it's Arthur. He's planning to marry Sasha and wants to officially recognize Vivienne."

As soon as Yuri finished, Willa's expression darkened. "No way!"

Vivienne sent Willa a smile of admiration.

Jasper and the others were taken aback but soon Jasper said, "We were leaning towards refusal too, but after thinking it over, he is Vivienne's father, after all. It seems wrong not to acknowledge him."

Willa scoffed. "Some father! Where was he all this time? Now he decides to show up like he's picking out a bargain at a flea market!"

Willa was known for her aloofness, rarely swearing.

Her outburst left the Perez family speechless for a moment.

his fingers. "Exactly, Willa! I knew we were on the same page.

a glance,

up to us," Luke interjected. "Remember, he's a decorated war hero. If the authorities find out he has a daughter he hasn't acknowledged, they won't just

don't acknowledge him, they'll lock us up?" Maddox

at

Shrugging, Maddox fell silent.

authorities won't imprison us over this, but they'll surely try

"That would be

cousins to Vivienne,

early, caught up in court hearings and dealings with the Grimshaw family, and had dozed

Willa, she immediately said, "I've already said I won't

you're wrong about one thing. If my mom wakes up, she'd definitely

Maddox was puzzled.

"Because she's blindly in

deep

Perfect as a partner, perhaps,

exchanged

we actually have to

warning enough. "Try

"No, no, I never said

no consensus was reached. Finally, Jasper looked meaningfully at Vivienne. "You actually want

not long acquainted,

was not

to her, yet her involvement in

down, she

years on the battlefield, not forgetting her and Karen, were testament enough

conversation turned to

be time for a change now that many issues were

to Jasper's observation, simply

Jasper didn't press further. "Alright, let's leave the