The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

Leopold's face instantly soured by another degree at the mention of a pound of salt. He quickly diverted

Vivienne's attention. "Did you hear about the incident at N&S Psychiatric Hospital yesterday?"

Percival lifted his gaze, signaling him to continue.

"They say a patient died inside and two escaped." Leopold said with an air of mystery.

"Isn't it common for people to die in N&S Psychiatric Hospital?" Thomas asked.

"This time it's different. When the police arrived, everyone in the hospital was unconscious on the floor."

Leopold said as he continued to eat his breakfast.

"The one who died from poisoning was found at the front door. When they asked the people in the

hospital what had happened, not a single person could recall last night's events."

"What about the two who escaped?" Percival, more interested in the escapees than the deceased,

asked.

"They haven't been found yet." Leopold shook his head. "So the police will be busy for a while. Security

in the city will also be tightened."

Vivienne remained silent. The two escaped mental patients were clearly referring to Brody and Brian.

Leopold suddenly recalled as he slapped the table and addressed Percival. "Arabella, who was thrown

in there, was also rescued by the police."

Percival was startled, only then remembering that he had instructed Leopold to have Arabella admitted

to N&S Psychiatric Hospital. "What happened to her?"

"She's in a pretty bad state." Leopold spoke while glancing at Vivienne, who was quietly eating. After

all, Percival had done this to win Vivienne's favor, so he had to make Arabella's situation sound as dire

as possible.

And so he exaggerated. "When she was rescued, she was beaten beyond recognition. Not only was

she covered in bruises, but she also had two holes in her stomach. Her intestines were almost

exposed. When she woke up, she was raving mad, constantly claiming that there was a bomb in her

belly.”

"Oh, and one of her legs was also amputated."

"Are you sure the wounds on her abdomen were big enough to expose her intestines?" Vivienne grew

more skeptical as she listened. "And her leg… It was just broken, right? Not amputated."

It couldn't be that after she left, Draven and the others decided to take revenge on Arabella again?

She didn't think this was something Draven would do.

"How do you know?" Now it was Leopold's turn to look at Vivienne in confusion.

The incident at N&S Psychiatric Hospital was classified, so no news had been released yet. Even he

only knew about it through internal channels.

Vivienne lowered her eyelids, quietly finishing her breakfast.

The small hole in Arabella's abdomen was her doing. How could she not know?

"What's being done with her now?" Percival asked as he shot a meaningful glance at Vivienne.

"She's been taken to the hospital." Leopold chuckled. "She ran into N&S Psychiatric Hospital herself,

so we're not implicated. Besides, I think she's almost a mental patient herself now."

At the city hospital, Arabella was indeed almost a mental patient, or at least the police thought so.

No matter how much she insisted that two lunatics had implanted two bombs in her body for a bet while

she was in N&S Psychiatric Hospital, the police didn't believe her.

That was because they found no trace of the miniature bomb or the laparoscopic surgery equipment

she mentioned in the hospital.

As for her claims of being tortured by patients at N&S Psychiatric Hospital, the police couldn't do

anything about it. After all, they were mental patients and not legally accountable for their actions.

When Beatrice heard about this, she was still lying in her hospital bed, not yet discharged.

All the paperwork was handled by Michael.

The police visited Beatrice's room once. After hearing the details, she could only ask the police to

ensure the confidentiality of Arabella's identity.

Otherwise, if word got out about her ordeal at N&S Psychiatric Hospital, she wouldn't be able to show

her dignity in Havenwood.

After the police left, Beatrice asked Michael and Joseph in annoyance, "Why didn't you answer the

phone when Arabella called you that day?"

"Mom, I was with you all day. When I got back, I went straight to bed." Joseph replied in a low voice.

"I figured she wasn't coming to take care of you, so she couldn't be in any trouble. I didn't bother

picking up." Michael retorted with a cold laugh.

"Besides, she said she was going to confront the man in black but ended up in N&S Psychiatric

Hospital. Even if I had picked up the phone that day, I wouldn't have been able to rescue her."

What a joke!

N&S Psychiatric Hospital was no ordinary place. Just looking at how Arabella, a delicate young girl,

was tortured into a ghastly state after just one day inside, one could imagine how terrifying the patients

in there were.

Risking his life to save someone? No!

Moreover, Arabella was just a foster daughter of the Hawthorn family. Even if she were his own

biological daughter, he would have to weigh the pros and cons of saving her.

"Mom, what are we going to do now?" Michael asked cautiously, "With Arabella in this state and the

man in black not showing any concern, it's clear that we've been abandoned."

His tone held a trace of resentment as he continued, "You listened to him and framed our brother, but in

the end, not only did we ruin our reputation, but we also severed ties with our brother completely. On

top of that, the promises he made to us have all fallen through."

"Are you blaming me?!" Beatrice glared at Michael in anger.

Michael didn't dare voice his thoughts, but his expression said it all.

"I've been putting everything on the line, working my tail off for our family, and all you guys do is

complain!" Beatrice scoffed. "But don't worry; as long as I’m still alive, the Hawthorns won't hit a dead

end."

"Mom, do you have a plan?" Michael's eyes lit up instantly.

Joseph also looked up at Beatrice, his face full of anticipation.

"I didn't want to resort to this, because doing so would mean bowing down to the folks at Rivenwood." All content is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

Beatrice chuckled scornfully. "But we're at our wit's end now. We have no choice but to seek their aid."

Michael and Joseph were stunned. They had branched off from the Brooks family in Rivenwood, and

the split, as far as they knew, had been anything but amicable. The two families have been at odds

ever since.

Now, Beatrice was suggesting they should seek help from the Brooks family. They couldn't help but be

taken aback.

"Have you two visited Arabella yet?" Beatrice asked again.

Michael and Joseph exchanged glances, but neither of them said a word.

"Fools! Arabella will be of great importance to us in the future!" Beatrice glanced at her two sons with a

stern expression. "Help me up. Let's go see Arabella!"