Chapter 424
Calista could imagine the frosty reception she would receive from the Ellington family, but she never
expected to be met with such outright disdain.
Of course, it was all because of Vivienne!
"Grandpa, please keep it. Don''t disregard Calista''s thoughtful gesture," Fiona chimed in, ying
peacemaker, and managed to diffuse some of the awkwardness.
Cecilia scoffed disdainfully, eyeing Calista with contempt. "Calista, my father already has a Specter
Healer''s bracelet, a gift from our dear Vivienne. Your little present is redundant at the moment."
Calista''s heart skipped a beat.
Specter Healer!
How did Viviennee to possess something from the elusive Specter Healer?
The entire medicalmunity knew of Specter Healer''s enigmatic reputation, never leaving a trace.
How could they have possibly left something personal behind?
Where did Vivienne acquire it?
What infuriated Calista even more was the fact that Vivienne dared to give away something as coveted
as a Specter Healer artifact!
Those were treasures she could only dream of obtaining!
As Calista grappled with shock, Cecilia''s smirk widened.
"Come on, Vivienne, let''s go have some fun," Cecilia said, pulling her away.
Vivienne did not resist, allowing Cecilia to lead her off, only sparing Fiona a fleeting nce as she
passed.
Fiona suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, unsettled by the prating gaze of Vivienne''s eyes.
She felt she had been seen through for some inexplicable reason.
It was not until Vivienne and Cecilia had ascended the staircase that Fiona''s shiver subsided.
She could not shake the feeling that she had seen those eyes somewhere before.
Percival stood up, briefly ncing at the herbs in Calista''s hands.
Coming back to her senses, Calista was about to greet Percival when he abruptly spoke, "Aurelia,
make sure to properly inspect anything brought into the Ellington home from now on. We can''t just
ept things from anyone."
"Yes, sir." The household staff, especially Aurelia, had served the Ellingtons for over forty years.
She knew precisely how to read the Ellingtons'' moods.
They made no secret of their disdain for Calista, and Aurelia was more than willing to demonstrate her
loyalty.
Aurelia promptly took the herbs from Calista. "Please let me inspect them."
Calista, feeling her cheeks burn with embarrassment, managed a strained smile. "Of course, Aurelia.
Thank you."
True to her word, Aurelia called the family doctor before Calista to check the herbs.
Calista fumed silently, forced to endure.
Percival, uninterested in the spectacle, followed Vivienne upstairs.
Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.
Clutching the banister, Calista''s fists tightened as she watched his retreating figure.
It was all because of Vivienne!
Had it not been for Vivienne, she would not have suffered such humiliation.
After the family doctor confirmed the herbs were harmless, Aurelia returned them to Calista.
After recovering from the snub, Fiona sat next to Calista and ced the box of herbs in Richard''s
hands.
"Grandpa, this is a token of Calista''s respect for your birthday. You can''t just turn it away, right? Please
ept it."
"Fiona, even if you''re not working at thepany, you can''t just loaf around and bring troublemakers
around. I''m tired. It''s time for you to go," Richard grunted, tossing the box aside.
Just yesterday, Fiona had been ousted from thepany, but as Richard''s granddaughter, he showed
a modicum of grace.
But as for Calista, Richard had no such consideration.
Fiona did not expect Richard to be so unyielding. After all, Calista was visiting under her friend''s name,
yet he refused to show a shred of courtesy.
What spell had Vivienne cast upon the Ellington family to have them so entirely under her sway?
As Richard dismissed them, Fiona and Calista had no choice but to leave.
At the entrance of the Ellington Mansion, Fiona saw Calista off.
Calista pressed her lips, apologizing, "Fiona, I''m sorry for the trouble I''ve caused."
Fiona''s fingers clenched the box tightly, yet her face remained serene.
"Don''t worry, it''s not your fault. If only we could havee sooner," Fiona said, her head bowed in
feigned contrition.
"Don''t me Mr. Ellington. It''s all that woman''s fault. If not for her, Richard would have never treated us
this way."
In just a few words, the me was squarely ced on Vivienne''s shoulders, as if by mutual unspoken
agreement.
...
Somewhere within the secretive Rivenwood research facility.
Vivienne was led blindfolded by Astrid to the heart of theb.
"Here we are." Astrid removed the blindfold, "Wee to ourb. These are all our researchers."
Vivienne took in her surroundings: masked faces, whiteb coats, impassive stares.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Vivienne I''ve told you about. The perfume form that I brought
back? She''s the author," Astrid announced.
Only then did the researchers show interest. "You''re the legendary Vivienne! Please, could you share
some insights with me?"
"Me first, me first, please give me a hand here! I''m at my wits'' end with this one."
"Ma’am, take a look at mine, it''s urgent."
Looking over the data, it was clear there had been no progress for quite some time.
She etched every figure and detail into her memory, a faint smirk of irony lighting up her eyes.
Then, she addressed the questions that had been thrown at her, pointing out a few key areas.
With her guidance, it was as if a lightbulb went off in everyone''s heads.
One by one, they followed Vivienne''s instructions and restarted their experiments, and sure enough,
they made headway.
Smiles spread across their faces as if by some unspoken agreement.
"So that''s the underlying principle! I can''t believe I''ve been so blind to this issue for so long. Ma’am, you
truly are on another level." Updated at Draмаnоvеls.cоm
Amid the chorus ofpliments, Vivienne remained calm andposed.
Astrid said with a smile, "Vivienne, having you on board is like giving wings to a tiger."
Vivienne nced at her, corners of her mouth ticking up slightly, "Let''s talk after theb tour."
"Of course."
Astrid then led Vivienne through the rest of theb facilities.
Thoughpact, theb was bustling with a variety of experiments.
After spending the entire day in theb, Vivienne and Astrid finally headed home.
"How was your day, Vivienne?" Astrid inquired.