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Chapter_664
Outside, Vivienne wasn’t eavesdropping on the conversation; she just happened upon it quite by chance.
Who would have thought that Maddox, the proverbial prodigal son, would be so out of his depth in front of Willa?
Their chat was all kinds of odd.
Peering through the glass, Vivienne observed Willa.
Willa seemed oblivious to matters of the heart as if she had no clue what feelings really were.
Toward Jasper, it wasn’t kinship but a gratitude that had to be repaid.noveldrama
Toward Maddox, there was a vague sense of romance, yet she could not fully comprehend it.
She wasn’t obsessed with being the Perez heiress like Diana, nor did she harbor an unswerving affection for someone like
Vivienne did for Percival.
Even the most obtuse wouldn’t be this clueless, right?
“What are you thinking about?”
Behind her, Percival suddenly appeared, carrying a box of strawberry cheesecake.
Vivienne turned and leaned half against him, gesturing lazily toward the hospital room. “They’re playing lovey-dovey in front of
my mom.”
Percival wrapped one arm around Vivienne’s waist and sat down, planting her securely on his lap.
“No, they haven’t fallen for each other yet. There’s no lovey.”
Vivienne chuckled. “If Uncle Maddox heard you say that, he would hold a grudge.”
“It’s alright, we’re family.” Percival rested his chin on Vivienne’s shoulder, threading his hands around her waist to untie the box of
strawberry cheesecake.
His hands, pale and slender, stood out starkly against the cheesecake, dazzling.
Half-leaning on Percival, Vivienne’s bright eyes lifted slightly, reflecting his refined profile. “Mr. Wolf, something on your mind?”
Percival paused, not denying it. Vivienne always had a knack for detecting his worries.
He forked a piece of the cheesecake and offered it to her lips. “It’s alright; today, | moved Flynn, and he asked about Grandpa’s
condition.”
Vivienne didn’t take the bite he offered. Instead, she took his wrist and guided the cake to his mouth.
Then, she wrapped her arms around Percival’s neck, enveloping him in her embrace.
“Mr. Wolf, cheer up. I’m sharing my strawberry cheesecake with you.”
Percival was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter.
If his Vivienne was willing to share her strawberry cheesecake, how could he afford to stay downcast?
“Yeah, I’m already happy.”
Percival tilted his head back and gently pecked Vivienne’s lips, a fleeting touch that didn’t cross boundaries.
Some kisses convey deep love without the need for passion.
Just then, Maddox stepped out and caught this tender moment. He sighed heavily and sat down beside them.
At over forty, he was still teaching his beloved what liking someone meant, while this twenty-something-year-old girl was already
in the throes of cuddles and endearments. What a cruel twist of fate!
Vivienne remained seated on Percival’s lap, nibbling on the cheesecake he fed her, and asked, “Uncle Maddox, was Aunt Willa
always like this, even as a little girl?”
Maddox snapped back to attention. “Like what?”
“Indistinct about feelings, not quite understanding affection, whether it’s familial, romantic, or friendly.”
Although Vivienne hadn’t spent much time with Willa, she felt it.
Willa had her own approach to people. It seemed she didn’t know how to relate to others.
Maddox leaned back in his chair, pondering for a moment, then said, “You know, now that you mention it, Willa was much worse
as a child.”
Vivienne was stunned, nearly retreating entirely into Percival’s embrace without realizing it. “What? How was she worse?”
Seeing enough, Maddox pulled Vivienne from Percival’s embrace and made her sit properly. “You, stop pawing at my niece in
front of me, or I’ll skin you alive!”
Pure jealousy!
Percival shrugged. “Alright, Uncle Maddox. Next time, I’ll tell Grandpa that you won’t let me marry Vivienne.”
“You’re taking things out of context; that’s outright slander!”
Vivienne pulled Maddox back to the topic. “Uncle Maddox, you’re getting sidetracked!”
Maddox relented and continued, “Do you know why Diana is so afraid of Willa?”
“Diana’s afraid of Aunt Willa?” Vivienne hadn’t noticed that.
After all, she had never seen Diana and Willa together nor heard anyone mention it.
Maddox nodded. “Yes, in the Perez family, the one person Diana wouldn’t dare cross was Willa. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have
schemed to send Willa away from the family.”
“What happened?” Vivienne asked.
“When Willa came to our house, | was six, and she was about one, the same age as Sasha. She was such a quiet baby, never
crying or fussing, even when she fell while learning to walk. When Sasha tried to play with her, she ignored her, even pushing
her away with apparent disdain.”
“We brothers thought maybe Willa was just shy, but years went by, and she stayed the same, only she stopped pushing Sasha
away. Later, Diana joined our family. You know, kids tend to emulate their older siblings, and Diana copied Sasha in everything,
including trying to be close to Willa.
One year, when | was in middle
school, and Sasha was not at home,
it was just Willa and Di na around
r semper Bian pling with her pet
pafakeet when it nipped Willa.
Without a blink, Willa just snuffed it
out and shoved Diana away, leaving
her in tears. Then she just walked off,
stone-faced.” Please read the original
content at .
Maddox recalled the memory without a hint of horror, just a twinge of sorrow.
Percival mulled over the story for a moment. “Uncle Maddox, you don’t have a thing for Aunt Willa’s icy demeanor, thinking it’s
cool, do you?”
“Of course not!” Maddox feigned a
scare at Percival and continued,
“When Sasha got back and h
about it, s ghag@rstenith Willa. |
dont kh Ww what she said, but Willa
apologized to Diana afterward. But
from that day on, Diana couldn’t bring
herself to play with Willa again. She
just grew up scared of her.” Please
read the original content at
.
Vivienne nodded thoughifully. “So what changed? How did Aunt Willa transform?”
Maddox rubbed his chin, respect
flickering in his eyes. “I’m not too sure
of the details, but Sasha always had
the patience of a saint ith her she
C by benno rratte what she did.
é memory that sticks out to me
was during Halloween. Our gang of
kids was watching a horror flick
together—’Saw’, real gory stuff. Even
Sasha was hiding behind a book. But
Willa? She watched the whole thing
without flinching. | thought, man,
Willa is so badass!” Please read the
original content at .
Percival chimed in dryly, “So it is because you think she’s cool.”
“Zip it, Percival!” Maddox couldn’t hold back and aimed a kick at him, which Percival nimbly dodged.
Finally, Vivienne got it. “She has emotional detachment.”
“Emotional detachment? What’s that?” Maddox inquired.
