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 Wi?


    Their chat was all kinds of odd.


    Peering through the ss, Vivienne observed Wi.


    Wi 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.


    Toward Maddox, there was a vague sense of romance, yet she could not fullyprehend 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, gesturingzily toward the hospital room. "They''re ying lovey-dovey in front of


    my mom."


    Percival wrapped one arm around Vivienne''s waist and sat down, nting her securely on hisp.


    "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.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Mr. Wolf, cheer up. I''m sharing my strawberry cheesecake with you."


    Percival was taken aback for a moment before bursting intoughter.


    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''sp, nibbling on the cheesecake he fed her, and asked, "Uncle Maddox, was Aunt Wi


    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 Wi, she felt it.


    Wi had her own approach to people. It seemed she didn''t know how to rte to others.


    Maddox leaned back in his chair, pondering for a moment, then said, "You know, now that you mention it, Wi 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 nder!"


    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 Wi?"


    "Diana''s afraid of Aunt Wi?" Vivienne hadn''t noticed that.


    After all, she had never seen Diana and Wi together nor heard anyone mention it.


    Maddox nodded. "Yes, in the Perez family, the one person Diana wouldn''t dare cross was Wi. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have


    schemed to send Wi away from the family.”


    "What happened?" Vivienne asked.


    "When Wi 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 y with her, she ignored her, even pushing


    her away with apparent disdain."


    "We brothers thought maybe Wi 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 emte their older siblings, and Diana copied Sasha in everything,


    including trying to be close to Wi.


    One year, when | was in middle


    school, and Sasha was not at home,


    it was just Wi and Di na around


    r semper Bian pling with her pet


    pafakeet when it nipped Wi.


    Without a blink, Wi 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 NovelDrama.Org.


    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 Wi''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 Wi. |


    dont kh Ww what she said, but Wi


    apologized to Diana afterward. But


    from that day on, Diana couldn''t bring


    herself to y with Wi again. She


    just grew up scared of her." Please


    read the original content at


    NovelDrama.Org.


    Vivienne nodded thoughifully. "So what changed? How did Aunt Wi 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


    Wi? She watched the whole thing


    without flinching. | thought, man,


    Wi is so badass!" Please read the


    original content at NovelDrama.Org.


    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.