The Million-Dollar Heart

Five years later.

At the Rivenwood Public Kindergarten, in the office.

"Snap!"

"I'm at my wit's end, just look at this! How many times has it been?"

The headteacher's face was a palette of frustration, sitting at her desk, eyes blazing with anger.

What on earth had she done in her past life to deserve dealing with these two little reincarnations of mischief?

Leopold glanced at the photo on the desk, his mouth twitching in annoyance, yet he managed to maintain his composure. "Kiera, please, calm down. Have some tea. Whatever the cost, we'll cover it twice over. Kids will be kids, after all. Please be patient with them." Outside the window, two kids in red uniforms were tiptoeing to peek inside, watching Leopold bending over backward to smooth things over.

One whispered to the other, "Sis, think Uncle Leo can smooth things over with Kiera this time?"

Juliette blinked her eyes, a relieved expression on her face, "Uncle Leo's handled this stuff loads of times. Piece of cake. Besides, who else could we possibly call?"

Isaiah, his face betraying a maturity beyond his years, countered, "But what if Uncle Leo goes back and snitches to Mom again?"

At the mention, Juliette's eyes sparkled with mischief, mirroring the look of their mother Vivienne, "I have a plan, guaranteed to keep Uncle Leo from breathing a word of this."

Isaiah, skeptical, moved closer to hear her out but was already doubting the feasibility.

"Are you sure?"

"Remember last time? Uncle Leo tried to cover for you, and mom gave him one look, and he spilled everything. We ended up kneeling at the door for an entire afternoon. Forgot about that?"

If it weren't for grandpa stepping in, sending grandma to plead on their behalf, they'd have been kneeling till midnight, thanks to mom's temper.

Juliette raised an eyebrow, confidence oozing, "This time it's different. Uncle Leo will definitely agree."

Inside the office.

much persuasion and promises from Leopold,

couldn't

your responsibility to

this continues, I can't keep them here. What kind of kids manage to blow a hole in the

now understood what Vivienne meant

holding

had pegged him as the go-to uncle,

he to complain

they accidentally set fire to their master's residence and then turned a library into their coloring book, his fellow disciples had been overly

of the kids for two days

bitterness, "Don't worry, I'll talk to them. It won't

calling out to the window, "Juliette, Isaiah, get in here and apologize to

to a steady 30 mph for the sake of

are we taking

wanted to be left

not planning to get rid

frustration peaked, "Get

you? After

who'd take

schools into your playgrounds. If I brought you home, there'd be

telling Vivienne about this, see

up, "Uncle Leo, do you not want us anymore?" "Stop playing the victim.

vented, "Count them.

starting preschool, how many

Six! And last month, if I hadn't intervened, you'd have led a whole kinder-garden on a wild goose chase. The principal called

alone

fancy kindergartens in Rivenwood wary of accepting

left with no choice but to turn to public schools that

face looked up, "They wanted to see the ocean, so we went. It's

about being

send them back to Vivienne and