Chapter 426
At a quaint little farmhouse.
Finnian, scrolling through Twitter trends, clicked his tongue in annoyance. "That damn girl! It''s just a bit
of debt. Does she really need to chase me down for so long?"
Next to him sat a man in his mid-forties wearing a tracksuit.
The man nced at his phone, then at Finnian. "Told you not to gallivant around, but no, you wouldn''t
listen. Did you really think she wouldn''t find you?"
Setting his phone aside, Finnian poured himself a ss of whiskey and downed it before facing the
man. "What does it matter? I would never have left my precious disciple for so long if it wasn''t for you.
After all these years, not a soul came to check in on me. I''m starting to miss the kid''s medicinal
cooking. Of course, her usual meals were delicious, too."
The corner of the man''s mouth twitched. "You sure you can call that food?"
Finnian''s eyes widened. "Cut the sarcasm. My disciple''s cooking was delicious. It''s just you
unappreciative folks who would say otherwise."
"Fine! As long as you''re happy," the man replied, clearly ending the conversation.
Finnian grumbled and took another swig of whiskey, then after a moment of silence, he said, "Look,
how long are you gonna keep this up? Don''t outsmart yourself. That girl''s got a fiery temper. I tricked
her once, and she nearly dug up my grave. With you... Well, you''re in for it!"
The man chuckled dryly. "You better worry about yourself. She''s found her way to Rivenwood. You
can’t keep hiding forever."
Finnian scowled. "If you''ve got nothing nice to say, don''t say anything at all! Such a buzzkill."
The man just shrugged and ignored him.
...
At the Ellington Group.
Fiona was clearing out her desk. The design department staff greeted her warmly, clearly sad to see
her go.
"Make sure you all keep up the good work after I leave, and get those new productsunched soon ,"
Fiona instructed her coworkers.
"Don''t worry, Fiona. The new line''s already out. Mr. Ellington brought it in himself, a masterpiece from
Master Jessica."
A flicker of jealousy passed through Fiona''s eyes, quickly masked by herposure.
So well masked, in fact, everyone thought she was pleasantly surprised.
"Fiona loves Master Jessica''s work. Now that she''s met the legend herself, she must be thrilled."
"Yeah, Fiona, what does Master Jessica look like? Can we have a meet-and-greet?"
"You think she''s a celebrity or what? Just get me an autograph, Fiona, will you?"
The staff at thepany were not aware of Vivienne''s true identity as Master Jessica, and Percival
had made sure those who did know kept it under wraps.
Fiona forced a smile. "If Master Jessica were that easy to meet, she wouldn''t be a master. Now that I''m
leaving thepany, I have even less chance of seeing her again. I''m sorry, but I can''t help you."
The staff did not press the issue but were visibly disappointed. Fiona had been incredibly popr at the
less amicable boss took over, their good days might be over.
After leaving the Ellington Group, Fiona made a call.
"Do it!"
...
Astrid and Vivienne were heading out.
"Vivienne, have you discussed this with Percival? If you officially join theb, you won''t have the same
ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .
freedom as you do now," Astrid said, looking at Vivienne with concern.
"Yeah," Vivienne replied, her eyes closed, arms crossed, her face weary.
Seeing this, Astrid did not press further.
She dropped Vivienne off at theb, saying, "Take care, Vivienne. I''ve got other tasks to attend to, so I''ll
leave you to it."
Vivienne waved her off and slipped on a pair of white gloves, which snugly wrapped around her slender
fingers, a mix of restraint and temptation.
After Astrid left, Vivienne turned to the team behind her. "Let''s begin."
...
Meanwhile, at the Ellington Mansion.
Richard suddenly fell ill, copsing unconscious. The private doctor could find no cause, and even the
renowned doctors summoned from all over Rivenwood were stumped.
"Where''s Vivienne? Doesn''t she have some medical skills? Why not call her over?" Henry muttered,
but seeing Percival''s stern face, he did not dare raise his voice.
Percival''s brow was furrowed. "I can''t reach Vivienne right now."
"At a crucial time like this, none of you are of any use. What good was it for my dad to care for you?"
Henry scoffed, then cried out towards Richard''s room. "Dad, if only Jeffrey were well, he''d have gotten
you the best doctor."
That was when Fiona hurried in. "Excuse me, let Calista have a look."
Calista stepped out from behind Fiona. "Mr. Ellington, let me try," she said.
With her medical kit in hand, Calista pressed her lips together and entered the bedroom.
Fiona let out a relieved breath. "Sorry, Percival. I was with Calista when I heard it, so I asked her to
Percival did not respond, just silently watching the closed door to Richard''s room, his deep eyes
reflecting a stormy light.
Soon, Calista emerged from the room.
"Is that medicinal herb I brought for Grandfather the other day still here?" Calista asked urgently.
"Still here," Aurelia called out from her vigil by the door, swiftly fetching the prescribed medicine.
Calista took a whiff of the concoction. "This is it. Brew it into a broth, and make it snappy."
"Alright, alright," Aurelia nodded vigorously, taking the medicine to prepare it.
While waiting for the brew, Calista exined to everyone, "Richard''s illness didn''t just appear out of
nowhere; it''s been building up over time. Has Grandpa acquired any new items recently? Or eat
anything out of the ordinary?" New ch?pter av?ble o? NovelDrama.Org
Richard''s gifts were all stored in the gift room; he rarely wore anything else into the house.
The only item he currently wore was the bracelet that Vivienne had given him.
All eyes in the room turned to Percival.
Suddenly, Heloise eximed, "Could it be the bracelet that''s causing the problem?"
Fiona pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
Calista stood agape as if she wanted to speak but could not find the words.