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

gave him a glance, her expression

over Vivienne sparked a debate. "Arthur is Vivienne's father. It's not up to us," Luke interjected. "Remember, he's a decorated war hero. If the

if we don't acknowledge him, they'll

at

Shrugging, Maddox fell silent.

try to persuade

admitted, "That would be

Vivienne, asked, "What do

up early, caught up in court hearings and dealings with the

said, "I've already said I won't

wrong about one thing. If my mom

Maddox was puzzled. After being

she's blindly

often heard her mother speak of her deep feelings for Arthur, though she'd never understood the

it made sense. Perfect as a partner, perhaps, but

exchanged

of his surprise, asked, "So what now? Do we actually have to accept this guy as part of the

warning enough.

backtracked. "No, no, I never

looked meaningfully at Vivienne. "You

not long acquainted,

his granddaughter well. She was not one

yet her involvement in

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

her

conversation turned

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

direct response to Jasper's observation, simply stated,

her evasion, Jasper didn't press further. "Alright, let's leave the decision to