The Million-Dollar Heart

After the photo shoot, Vivienne was left speechless.

Out of the dozen people, she and her mentor, Dawson, stuck out like sore thumbs.

And of course, they had been placed right in the middle.

Like two overly festive "clowns" in a sea of subtlety.

The rest of the group, however, lit up at the sight of the photo, eagerly asking for copies.

Dawson, ever the eccentric, and Vivienne, not much for frivolities, made this gathering a first for their group, Emerald Mountain. This photo was, in a way, their "family portrait." Dawson glanced at the photo now set as his screensaver, nodding in approval, "Leopold, well done, lad. Much appreciated!"

"I'll have to get this printed and hung by my bed. Leopold, you've outdone yourself this time."

Leopold beamed with pride.

Seeing the leftover tear streaks on Leopold's face from the ceremony, Griffin's heart softened. She passed him a tissue under the table, "Here, wipe it off before the others start teasing." Finnian, overhearing, let out a hearty laugh, "Oh, come on, we all know Leopold's strengths. Nothing we haven't seen before."

Leopold's cheeks flushed, "Master, could you not bring up my past blunders today, especially not in front of Griffin!"

Finnian laughed even harder, "Alright, alright."

A student grows, and pride must be preserved.

But as a mentor, Finnian felt certain responsibilities, especially with Leopold being the first among them to get married. He had to share some wisdom.

"Leopold's partner..."

Griffin straightened up, ready to listen, "Yes, Master?"

most guileless-naive, to put it bluntly. If he ever gives you trouble, don't hold back. A

in agreement, solidifying

mentors joined

just reach out. If Leopold dares to cross you, he'll have us

If Leopold ever slacks off, just one call, and we'll sort him out without needing Master or Vivienne to step

them for assigning him all

going a step further while serving Vivienne some food, casually mentioned,

was much harsher

not a

warning made him wonder if they remembered he was the

for the tissues, not

Master, Vivienne, and all my brothers-in-law. You might have heard of me; I'm straightforward. I genuinely love Leopold, and chasing him for twenty years proves it." "I'll treasure his virtues and work through his flaws

downed her glass of strong spirits in one

in time,

was strong spirits, not something one should simply gulp

except for Vivienne and Percival,

envious glares turned

and was so

drinking continued, Leopold was soon too drunk to hold

focusing on their own drinks and conversations. Percival, ever attentive to Vivienne, sampled dishes, ensuring nothing upset her again. Once Vivienne indicated she was full, Percival helped clean up, asking softly, "Feeling

of her favorites, "Mr. Wolf, your

her hand, sharing a tender

and Griffin were eventually called away, leaving Leopold regretting

support, he managed, a testament to the strong bonds formed within this