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Chapter_553
Without a word, Percival stepped forward and yanked the man being pecked at by the parakeet away
from Birdie.
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The man, powerless against the bird and certainly unable to resist Percival’s grip, allowed himself to be
escorted to the lounge.
“Old Geezer! Old Geezer!” The parrot squawked triumphantly upon reaching Vivienne, ceasing its
pecking frenzy to perch atop the man’s head, its tiny head held high in a display of pride as if to say:
“Praise me, come on, praise me!”
Fuming, the man plucked Birdie from his head and, gripping its neck, growled menacingly, “You dumb
bird, I should’ve wrung your neck when I had the chance. You ungrateful creature, what made you
betray me this time?”
Flapping its wings in a futile attempt to escape, the parrot broke free and landed on Darren’s shoulder.
“Chicken tenders, chicken tenders!” It chirped.
Chicken tenders were Birdie’s favorite, and Darren had stocked up on them at home, dedicating half
the freezer to the bird’s preferred snack.
Pounding his fist in frustration, the man lamented, “All for some chicken tenders, Darren? After all
these years, couldn’t you have spoiled it with something fancier?”
The treacherous bird, selling him out for mere chicken tenders, just like that wretched girl!
Darren, still puzzled, asked, “Excuse me, sir, do we know each other?”
Percival, unfazed, stepped forward and ripped off the man’s disguise, revealing his true face.
Darren nearly collapsed in shock.
It was Finnian, Vivienne’s elusive mentor whom she had been hunting down for debts!
“Holy smokes! Finnian! Is that really you?”
Although Darren was a mere associate member of the mentorship, having fled the fold soon after
joining, Finnian was still his mentor.
Caught off guard by Percival’s bold move, Finnian scrambled to cover his face with his elbow,
exclaiming, “Wrong guy, you’ve got the wrong guy!”
Vivienne gritted her teeth fiercely. “Finnian! Put your hands down!”
Everyone in the room, including Percival and Finnian, was taken aback.
Those familiar with Vivienne knew she was genuinely enraged.
Seeing his upset disciple, Finnian quickly tried to smooth things with a sycophantic smile. “You silly
lass, I was just pulling your leg. Why the long face?”
“Pulling my leg? You faked your death for this long, and you tell me it was a joke?” Vivienne stood up,
her eyes brimming with tears as she glared at Finnian.
Finnian, always fond of Vivienne, felt a pang of guilt seeing her cry and hurried to comfort her, “Oh, look
at you, shedding precious tears. I’m fine, see? Stop crying, and come check the injury that dumb bird
inflicted on me; it hurts like hell.”
Vivienne sniffled, standing up to inspect Finnian’s head, but to everyone’s surprise, she suddenly burst
into heart-wrenching sobs.
“You lied again. You’re not hurt at all!”
Finnian was in a fluster, pulling out tissues and wiping away tears while apologizing profusely, “I’m
sorry, I’m sorry! Oh dear, I haven’t seen you in a while, and you’ve become such a crybaby. Please,
stop crying, be a good girl.”
Darren was too shocked to utter a word.
Vivienne crying?
The merciless Vivienne, weeping uncontrollably?
Was this not entirely out of character?
Meanwhile, Percival lounged casually on the sofa, pulling out a piece of paper and scribbling a few
lines before silently sliding it in front of Vivienne.
Finnian, too busy pacifying his disciple, paid no heed to Percival’s action.
However, the weeping Vivienne suddenly grabbed Finnian’s hand, sliced his finger just enough to draw
blood, and pressed it onto the paper with such speed that Finnian was taken by surprise.
Vivienne stopped crying, softly kissed the paper, and flicked away her remaining tears. “Finnian, this is
what you owe me. Don’t forget to pay up!”
Finnian, gobsmacked, looked closely at the document.
It was an IOU for 80 million dollars!
“You… you ungrateful girl, conspiring with this outsider to swindle my money!”
Vivienne pocketed the IOU, her face devoid of any sorrow, replaced by a sly and triumphant smirk.
“That’s where you’re wrong. Mr. Wolf here is my fiancé, not an outsider. And don’t you think it’s fair to
add a little interest to that thousand dollars you’ve owed me for so long?”
Finnian pointed an accusing finger at Vivienne. “A thousand dollars… Just a thousand, and you’ve been
fixated on it for years! And now you’re charging me this outrageous interest, you ungrateful child!
Oh heavens, why don’t you strike me down and save me from this ungrateful girl’s treachery? Why is
my life filled with such suffering!”
Vivienne ignored his dramatics, even taking the time to pour Finnian a glass of water so he would not
get hoarse from all the shouting.
Percival watched the scene, reminded of his grandfather. It seemed that the older generation all
fancied playing the mischievous old rascal.
Finnian then pointed an accusing finger at Percival. “You dare to collude with this ungrateful girl to steal
my money? You will never be welcomed into my home! I’ll never approve of your marriage!”
Percival was momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered.
Placing Finnian’s hand gently down, he smiled. “I’ll pay that 80 million dollars for you.”
Finnian’s face-switching was so rapid that even Darren, seasoned in the acting world, had to applaud.
It appeared that Finnian had not wasted his time in solitary; his acting chops were as sharp as ever.
They were all performers at heart.
Percival smiled at Finnian, finally understanding where Vivienne got her mercenary nature.
Vivienne waved at Darren. “Go tell Kala I had to jet early, okay?”
Darren knew, without a doubt, that Vivienne needed a private chat with Finnian. Besides, he was no
longer Finnian’s disciple anymore; it was not his place to eavesdrop. Coոtent of Drąмąոovеls.cоm
He left, his arms cradling Birdie, whose thoughts were probably all about chicken tenders, and
thoughtfully shut the lounge door tightly behind him.
Now, it was just Vivienne, Percival, and Finnian left in the lounge.
Vivienne’s expression grew serious. “Finnian, don’t you think you owe us an explanation?”
The day Finnian had unexpectedly kicked the bucket, they had wept as though their world had ended.
Vivienne, though not as overtly devastated as the other nine, had shed her share of tears, too.
“Come on, Vivienne, you know there was a good reason for all this,” Finnian said, sipping his water.
After all the shouting, his throat was indeed parched.
