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.

the same page. They were all for it, but I said

gave him a glance, her

a decorated war hero. If the authorities find out he

so if we don't acknowledge him, they'll

at him. "Be

Shrugging, Maddox fell silent.

surely try to persuade Vivienne. Do you want

"That would

to Vivienne, asked, "What do you

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

"I've already said I won't acknowledge

looking at Maddox, she added, "Uncle, you're wrong about one thing. If my mom wakes up, she'd definitely

would she?" Maddox was

"Because she's blindly in

deep feelings

Arthur, it made sense. Perfect as a partner, perhaps, but not as a father

Perez family exchanged

we actually have to accept this guy as part of

warning enough. "Try it and

quickly backtracked. "No, no, I never said

consensus was reached. Finally, Jasper looked meaningfully at Vivienne. "You actually want

long

well. She was not one to

to her, yet her involvement

beneath her tough exterior. Deep down, she knew Arthur wasn't the villain she

her

conversation turned to

time for a change now that many issues were being handled by Vivienne and Percival, and

avoiding a direct response to Jasper's observation, simply

further. "Alright, let's leave