The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

Vivienne's heart couldn't bear it any longer; she waved at Natalia and Yasmine. "Come over here, sweeties," she said, her voice a soothing lullaby in the tense atmosphere.

Natalia and Yasmine glanced at Zelda, who gave them a reassuring nod. They then scurried over to Vivienne, each grabbing one of her hands, their little faces etched with worry. "Are you really okay, sis?" they asked, their voices barely above a whisper. Vivienne gently patted their hands, assuring them that she was fine and that she probably just had a reaction to some pollen in the air.

Natalia, looking somewhat relieved but still concerned, whispered, "But, you know, Uncle Percival looked really scary earlier, and we got so scared we went to tell mom and dad."

Vivienne chuckled softly, "You did the right thing, loves. But I promise, I'm not sick. No need to worry."

Natalia and Yasmine exchanged glances with each other and then with Percival, seemingly convinced.

When Finnian arrived, a simple exchange of looks with Vivienne told him all he needed to know.

Before he could speak, Jasper barked an order, "You better keep a close eye on her. If anything, and I mean anything, happens to Vivienne, you're going to pay it back with all those treasures you took from me."

Finnian retorted with confidence, "My apprentice is fine. It's your constant worrying that's going to make her sick, not the other way around."

Jasper snorted, hinting at a slip of the tongue Finnian had made the night before, prompting Finnian to quickly change the subject, "Alright, alright, I'll watch her. No need to make a fuss."

Then, Finnian went over, sat down, and gestured for Vivienne to extend her hand. "Let me check your pulse, apprentice," he said, as if it was their little ritual.

After a brief examination, Finnian stood up, addressing the room filled with anxious faces, "See? I told you she's in perfect health. Now, give us some space. You're making the air stuffy with all this worrying." The room breathed a collective sigh of relief, trusting Finnian's judgment due to his close relationship with Vivienne.

before Vivienne could fully relax, Natalia and Yasmine inadvertently blurted out, "But sis threw up just

She ran to the bathroom right after smelling our flowers," Yasmine

look, realizing the gravity of the children's

implications, their minds racing with possibilities but hesitant to voice their thoughts for fear of

however, couldn't contain his concern any longer, pressing Finnian for

suggested it might have been a simple case of feeling unwell, perhaps due to something she ate or a slight cold, trying to deflect

room's faith in Finnian's assurances dwindled, their hopes and

of the Ellington family. The

the speculation and secrecy, cleared

control of the conversation. "Grandpa, what do you want to ask?" Jasper, cutting straight to the point, expressed his concern that Vivienne might have been injured on a mission and was hiding it from the family. Percival quickly reassured him, "Grandpa, you're

sensing something was off, pressed further, asking if Vivienne's mother knew about her condition. Vivienne,

boss We'll have Uncle Luke call the doctor over to check on you. We have everything you need at home, so just focus

Vivienne was speechless.

even

but shoot Mr. Wolf a look. Percival got the message. The morning's scare had been enough for him; he couldn't bear to refuse

it's not what you think. Vivienne hasn't

stuck in a whirlwind of sorrow,

lost in his wild thoughts, and said directly, "Grandpa,

was stunned

Grandpa hear you