The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

Carly scribbled away with a pen on a piece of paper, and in just a few minutes, a basic map emerged from her doodles.

Vivienne was somewhat taken aback by Carly's drawing skills. To think someone from such a humble village had such talent, it seemed like fate had its favorites.

Logan, looking at the lifelike sketch on the paper, was equally surprised. In just ten minutes, Carly had managed to create something so detailed. Given more time, she could probably map out the entire Oakwood Hamlet.

Ignoring Logan's astonished look, Carly lifted the map and pointed to a fork in the road, "Just follow the village road straight until you hit the fork. Take the path less traveled, and you'll find their mechanism. Trigger it, and a new path will reveal itself."

Carly had seen those people walking on the barren, grassless land. She watched as they squatted down, and after manipulating something, a staircase rose from the ground.

Following in their footsteps, she found herself in front of a woodland. Pointing towards it, she said, "There are many paths through the woods, and you'll need to cross a rapid stream to get to the other side. The current's strong, and if you don't figure out the trick, you'll end up like me." Carly laughed helplessly, recalling her own mishap for not paying attention.

Just as Carly was about to continue, she noticed Logan's gaze on her and felt compelled to explain, "The stream's noise is loud. Even when I fell, no one noticed."

"Go on," Vivienne tapped on the table, urging her to continue.

Gathering her thoughts, Carly proceeded, "The woods are home to numerous wild animals, all kept by them. Seems they play a significant role, so be cautious to avoid any encounters."

"Once in the woods, you're getting closer to where they're holding the captives. I couldn't make it a few steps without being discovered. The first time, a rabbit luckily distracted their attention, but I've never dared to enter the woods again after that." Carly's voice trailed off, sounding utterly drained.

She slumped over the table, the roar of a black bear echoing in her mind. Even now, she could sometimes hear various roars near the woods, startling her awake and causing her body to tremble uncontrollably.

Noticing Carly's distress, Vivienne glanced over to see sweat beads on her forehead and her increasingly labored breathing.

"Ms. Vivienne, something's off with Carly," Logan remarked, frowning at Vivienne, clearly seeing Carly wasn't okay.

"Just let her lie down here, a few stitches and a pill should do the trick," Vivienne replied, too preoccupied to give Carly a thorough check-up.

She instructed Logan and then turned her attention back to the map, analyzing the terrain based on Carly's narrative. Given Carly's movements these past days, it was odd they hadn't detected her. Animals are highly sensitive to scents; it was improbable they'd overlook an intruder for a rabbit.

Was Carly lying, or was Mayor Thompson playing a game?

Meanwhile, Mayor Thompson was on the phone.

"Sir, all is well here, just awaiting your orders."

"Didn't the village experience water poisoning recently? Has that been resolved?"

"The Thousand-Hands Healer and his apprentice are still detoxifying the villagers, but it should all be cleared up by tomorrow."

"Oh? Since when did the Thousand-Hands Healer have an apprentice?"

Caught off guard by the question, Mayor Thompson realized he had forgotten to mention this development to his boss, given the sudden nature of the events and Vivienne's seemingly minimal threat.

"What's going on?" The tone on the other end of the line shifted, sensing something amiss.

Mayor Thompson quickly recounted the full story.

After a moment, the man on the phone let out a restrained laugh, "You fools!"All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

Mayor Thompson was still

recovering from the sudden change in mood when he heard the continued scolding, "You can't even recognize who she is. If I hadn't called today, your plan would've been completely ruined, do you

understand?!"

It took a while for the man's anger to subside before Mayor Thompson realized the woman in question was Percival's wife, Vivienne. He was shocked, staring at Vivienne's photo in disbelief. "Did she show any reaction upon seeing Sebastian?"

After a moment's recollection, Mayor Thompson replied, "No, sir. She acted very calmly, as if she didn't recognize him."

The man on the phone fell silent, his eyes narrowing before abruptly ending the call. In that instant, he swept all the documents off his desk in frustration.

The sound of contracts and the

latest aircraft reports scattering filled the room as Connor Boyd glared coldly, tearing up Vivienne's photo So you dared to sneak fight under my nose. Seems you haven't learned your lesson!"

Sitting in front of his computer, looking at Sebastian's report, Connor's suspicions grew. He promptly sent a message to Mayor Thompson.

"Let's suss out if Sebastian is legit or pulling a fast one. As for Vivienne, keep playing the game without tipping them off."

Upon receiving the message, Mrs.

Thompson, the wife of the town's mayor, passed her phone to Mayor Thompson like it was a hot potato The mayor quickly grasped the situation after reading the message, though Sebastian's involvement was a curveball they hadn't anticipated.

"Why do we need to dig into Sebastian?" Mayor Thompson asked, puzzled.

Mrs. Thompson, clearly annoyed, snatched back the phone and snapped, "Just do as we're told, will you? Since when do you question the boss's orders?"

"Don't you find it odd?" Mayor Thompson frowned, looking at his wife. "Sebastian has been around us for years. If something was off, we'd have noticed straight away. And now the boss suspects him." True, Sebastian bore an uncanny resemblance to Percival, but he was notorious for his unique, poisonous dealings - not something anyone could replicate easily.

In the midst of his confusion, a lightbulb went off in Mayor Thompson's head, his eyes widening in realization.

"What is it?" Mrs. Thompson asked, seeing his reaction.

"Do you remember Vivienne, Percival's wife? She's a Specter Healer!" Mayor Thompson blurted out, his face pale with shock.

For others, duplicating those poisons would be nearly impossible, but for a Specter Healer, it was child's play. There was no toxin known to man that she couldn't neutralize. Even Brody couldn't hold a candle to her capabilities.

"Are you suggesting the boss thinks Sebastian has been swapped with Percival?" Mrs. Thompson stood up, alarmed. "But the boss personally orchestrated that plan."