The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

For the next hour, Arthur was practically doing sprints between the bathroom and the living room of the Perez household. No sooner had he plopped down on the couch than he was rushing off to the bathroom again. The rest of the Perez family had settled comfortably on the sofa, watching Arthur's frantic dashes with a calm detachment, thankful for his misery sparing them from drinking the laxative-laced sugar water Vivienne had prepared. Maddox, ever the loose cannon, had even asked Vivienne why Arthur got a special drink and they didn't. Jasper, livid, was about to unleash a tirade when Vivienne coolly remarked, "You don't need sugar water. That's for heartbreakers." Jasper and the rest of the Perez men erupted in approval, "Sweet revenge!" Percival, ever the joker, chimed in, "Thanks for taking the bullet fo us, future father-in-law!"

After countless trips to the bathroom, Arthur was at his wits' end, pleading, "Vivienne, please, I can't take it anymore! Give me the antidote or I'm done for!" The agony of wiping was all too real for him. Vivienne fixed him with a serious stare, "You're not my dad!" "Okay, okay! I'm not just give me the antidote. Whatever you say goes!" Arthur was beyond caring about pride at this point; stopping the diarrhea was his only concern. "Whatever I say?" Vivienne's eyes sparkled mischievously. Arthur felt like he'd boarded a pirate ship, but with no other options, he nodded. Vivienne smiled, produced a pill from her pocket, and popped it into Arthur's mouth. Soon after, Arthur's stomach calmed down.

Post-antidote, Vivienne stood up, a sly smile on her face, "Just wait here." She returned shortly with a makeup kit in hand and approached Arthur with a commanding tone, "Sit!" Arthur obeyed. Vivienne, opening the makeup kit—a gift from Kala Brooks that had gone almost unused for a year-began to work on Arthur's face with a foundation brush. The Perez family gathered around, curious. But when they recognized the pattern emerging on Arthur's face, laughter erupted. Maddox couldn't contain himself, "Oh my goodness! Vivienne, are you drawing a turtle on Arthur's face? It's hilariously fitting!" Arthur, clueless about the artwork being performed on his face, could only sigh, knowing all too well that Vivienne's swift antidote provision came with strings attached.

who rarely smiled, found amusement in the scene. Maddox, thrilled, started snapping photos for Facebook, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime shot!" Arthur's face twitched in annoyance. Noticing Maddox's glee, Arthur remarked dryly, "Don't celebrate too soon." Maddox

Maddox's smile froze, "Ah, Vivienne, I think I'll pass." Arthur couldn't help but laugh at the irony. But Vivienne was having none of it, "Sit!" Maddox, realizing he couldn't win against his niece, made a run for it, only to swallow something tossed into his mouth by a swift figure. Seconds later, his stomach revolted. Cursing, Maddox dashed for the bathroom. Jasper, learning quickly, sat down immediately, "Vivienne, I'm all yours. I'm a good listener!" Vivienne smiled, pleased, "That's more like it!" She proceeded to paint Jasper's face, opting for a gentler design-a

bathroom. After about an hour, Vivienne's impromptu art session was complete, leaving a living room full of painted faces and one person still battling the effects of a laxative-laced drink. Aside from Arthur, who was stuck with the unfortunate look of a green turtle, everyone in Percival's crew, including the Perez clan, was quite a sight for sore eyes. Percival

"Vivienne, I give up, please give me the antidote. You can paint whatever you want on my face, even a pile of poop, and won't complain!" "Sure thing!" Vivienne replied with a gleeful squint. Maddox instantly regretted his words! He was certain Vivienne would take him up on his offer. And sure enough! After handing Maddox the antidote, Vivienne began to work her magic on his face with the ease

end, Vivienne suddenly let out a mischievous giggle, then burst into song and dance! "Shimmy-shimmy, whoa, shimmy-shimmy!" "Riding on my