Chapter 389


    Scott suddenly grabbed Calista''s neck, pulling her roughly toward him as his eyes zed with a chilling


    intensity.


    "No? Then you’ll die for it!"


    Calista''s eyes reddened with fear, and tears streamed down her face instantly.


    She knew Scott was serious—he would undoubtedly let her die.


    Disgusted, Scott pushed Calista away and wiped his hands with a tissue. "Brody has bugged you. Get


    back to theb tomorrow, work on that virus with TIC Research Institute, and don''t screw up."


    Calista nodded in understanding. "Yes, I''ve got it."


    Scott gave Calista a cold nce that carried the same annoyance as he felt with her mother.


    Then, donning his mask, he stood up and left. He still had to track down Rowan and Ismene.


    Those two had betrayed the organization, and they would not be forgiven.


    In the restaurant, Vivienne bit into a juicy steak, scrolling through messages on her phone.


    [Vivienne, Timothy''s fine. The Brooks family business is a bit messy, but Baron''s in charge, so it''s


    stable. Timothy''s been auditing thepany ountstely.]


    While chewing on her steak, Vivienne replied. [If Timothy''s alright, then check on Carl. Make sure their


    whole family''s safe.]


    Matthew responded promptly. [On it.]


    Vivienne was engrossed in her phone, oblivious to Percival''s longing gaze from across the table.


    It was not until Vivienne reached for the next dish that she noticed Percival''s eager eyes.


    "Mr. Wolf, do I look that appetizing to you?"


    A shadow flickered in Percival''s eyes, which seemed to linger on Vivienne. "Yes, you do look quite


    appetizing."


    "Then eat up. You''ve got a match this afternoon." Vivienne forked some sd into her mouth.


    Percival raised an eyebrow. "You know?"


    Vivienne nced up. "Snake lost their championship chance in the team match three years ago, but a


    C0pyright ? 2024 N?v)(elDrama.Org.


    monthter, they came back and took six titles in a row. There’s no way they did that by themselves."


    After all, as Hawk''s top coach, Vivienne knew all about the history of her old rival, Snake.


    Snake, though fresher with new bloodpared to Hawk, stillgged in skill.


    Back in their prime, Bet and his team could outy many professional gamers worldwide.


    But with slower reflexes now and Hawk''sck of funds to attract promising new yers, they were in


    decline.


    Meanwhile, Snake had the backing of Keh''s financial empire, willing to spend and nurture talent.


    With a mysterious coach joining three years ago, they quickly surpassed old rival Hawk to be the


    top in the nation.


    Vivienne had been curious about this secretive coach. She had sent Matthew to investigate but to no


    avail.


    Now that she had met Percival, the pieces fell into ce.


    She had never imagined facing off against Mr. Wolf.


    Percival no longer hid his intentions, switching his finely cut steak onto Vivienne''s te and raising his


    juice ss in a toast. "Then, Vivienne, good luck."


    Vivienne licked the sd dressing from the corner of her mouth, her eyes sparkling mischievously. She


    raised her ss and clinked it lightly against his. "Mr. Wolf, Hawk won’t hold back."


    ...


    The teams for the group stage were announced on the first day of the qualifiers.


    Hawk and Snake both made it to the group stage but were not ced in the same group.


    Keh smirked at the grouping information, taunting Bet across the room, "Tell Aaron we''ll see


    him in the finals—if you guys make it that far."


    Bet pocketed the information and said with a nonchnt smile, "Why don''t you tell Aaron yourself?


    I saw you carrying Aaron back to the lounge at lunch. Seems like you’re quite close."


    With that, Bet left the drawing room with a flourish.


    Everyone present knew about the tension between Keh and Aaron.


    But now, Keh looked like Aaron''s "littleckey," carrying him back to the lounge.


    Everyone knew about the fiery temper of Keh, the young heir of the Ellington family.


    "You!" Keh was so enraged he nearly choked.


    It was ast resort!


    No way would he let his brother get his hands dirty.


    Keh clenched his jaw fiercely. "Just wait until we meet in the match—your whole team will be


    packing their bags!"


    The next day, both Hawk and Snake had a breather from the qualifiers. Vivienne and Percival set up


    training tasks for their teams and headed to the hospital together.


    Though there was no real reason for Percival to go to the hospital, he felt he had to.


    Just to prevent some people from distributing business cards willy-nilly.


    But Percival was overthinking it; the one prone to careless card distribution, Yuri, was busy pacifying


    his father.


    "Dad, I realize I was wrong."


    "What good does knowing you''re wrong do? Can it spare my granddaughters any suffering? You''re


    good for nothing but trouble. If your brother hadn''t let it slip, I''d still be in the dark about my dear


    granddaughters being in danger. Have you be so bold as to keep secrets from me now?"


    Jasper ranted, pounding his cane, his eyes reddening with anger.


    Yuri stood silently, not daring to breathe too loud while his father ranted.


    "If outsiders didn''t know better, they''d think the Perez family is cursed, always losing our treasures.


    Why can''t you careless boys get lost instead? It''s infuriating!"


    Jasper''s heart ached for his granddaughters, and his thoughts turned to his daughter.


    The thought of something happening to her...


    He could not bear to think of it.


    Sasha...


    Yuri could see the distant look in his father''s eyes; it was clear that his father was thinking of Sasha


    again.


    He knelt before Jasper, saying, "Dad, don''t be mad, alright? You can yell at me, or heck, give me a


    whipping. I''ll buy a hundred belts, and you can keep going until you''re satisfied. How about that?"


    Jasper grunted, but anger would never drive him to actually whip his own son.


    Flesh and blood, after all, was flesh and blood.


    "Get out of here. What use is whipping you? Just make sure Zelda is alright. She must be scared out of


    her wits. Look after your wife, and don''t worry about me."


    Yuri chuckled. "Yeah, I got it, Dad. I''ll follow your wise words to the letter."


    "Scram."


    During their exchange, Vivienne and Percival had also approached.


    "Mr. Perez," Vivienne called out.


    She looked up, taken aback.


    This was the elderly gentleman who wanted to buy a painting that day!


    Jasper''s eyes lit up at the sight of Vivienne, "Oh, it''s you, youngdy."


    "Yes, we meet again, Mr. Perez."


    For some reason, Vivienne felt a flicker of excitement.


    Why did a chance reunion move her with a man she had only met once?


    Jasper stood up, expressing his gratitude. "Youngdy, you saved my granddaughters, Natalia and


    Yasmine Perez. They owe their lives to you. I can''t thank you enough."


    Vivienne stopped him. "No thanks are necessary, Mr. Perez. You''ve already given me a reward."


    Yuri helped Jasper steady himself, "Dad, let Vivienne check on Yasmine and Natalia first. We can catch


    upter. Please, have a seat."


    "Thank you, youngdy," Jasper said, looking intently at Vivienne with increasing fondness.


    In the past, if anyone stared at Vivienne like that, they would have been in for a world of trouble.


    But now, all she felt was warmth.


    She could sense the kindness and love of the elderly in Jasper''s eyes.