The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

Outside.

Charlie and Oliver were led by Sophia into Grandpa Henry's prized greenhouse by their cousin Juliette.

Amidst the room filled with expensive plants, the two boys dared not move a muscle.

They had been here once before, when they needed to feed their newly acquired rabbit with some "grass".

That very night, their father was summoned to Grandpa's study and didn't emerge until after a stern hour-long lecture.

From then on, they knew to recognize the value of these plants and were strictly forbidden from touching them, as they were Grandpa Henry's pride and joy. Clearly, Juliette was blissfully unaware.

She moved freely around the greenhouse, turning to find the two boys frozen at the door, giving them a curious look.

"Charlie, Oliver, why aren't you moving? Grandpa's flowers are beautiful, look! I'm not stingy, come here, and I'll pick the reddest one for you."

The two boys shook their heads in terror.Belongs © to NôvelDrama.Org.

They dared not.

Juliette, thinking they might run away again, plucked two flowers and stuffed them into their hands, "Here, consider the face-pinching incident forgotten. Don't be mad at me, okay?"

Charlie and Oliver's eyes widened, not at the sight of the flowers, but at the thought of Grandpa Henry's explicit instructions. Even the least expensive plant in the greenhouse was worth a year's supply of their favorite cheese sticks. Cheese sticks were their most cherished snack.

Holding these flowers... would they ever get to eat snacks again?

Grandpa Henry slowly made his way out of the room, spotting the group of kids in his greenhouse.

Just then, a flash of red caught his eye.

Grandpa Henry squinted, turning to his butler, "What are Charlie and Oliver holding in their hands?"

The butler, following closely, took a careful look and cautiously replied, "Sir, the young masters are holding your three-year-old begonias!"

Grandpa Henry closed his eyes briefly, deciding to address the root of the issue, "Let their father know he'll need to make it up to me. What's the point of having him if he can't even watch over a couple of kids?" The butler hesitated but decided to speak up for their father, "Sir, their father isn't here."

Grandpa Henry snorted, "A child's failure to behave is the father's failing."

"Crash!"

Grandpa Henry felt a sudden tightness in his chest, "What now?"

The butler adjusted his glasses, seeing the situation inside, "... Miss Juliette accidentally knocked over the lotus orchid Luke had brought you the day before yesterday!" Grandpa Henry pursed his lips, serene, "No matter, it's broken, it's broken. We'll make room for a new one; have him bring another."

The butler, "..."

If it were that easy to replace, Luke wouldn't have had to secure one from an auction.

"Crash!"

Before the butler could speak, Grandpa Henry stopped him, "Never mind, I'd better go lie down. My heart suddenly feels uneasy." The butler stood there, his own heart in knots. Each of those plants was pampered and nurtured by Grandpa Henry himself. "Should I ask Miss Juliette and the boys to come out?"

"For what?"

Grandpa Henry declared righteously, "What's wrong with a girl liking flowers? Let her play. How much can it possibly cost?" The butler, "..."

Grandpa Henry's heart was tilting so far it might as well have reached the Pacific Ocean.

Poor their father.

Just the other week, he had dipped into his savings to compensate for a rare orchid, and now it seemed he'd have to "splurge" again. When their father caught up, he found the children huddled on the ground, whispering amongst themselves.

Approaching, he asked, "Juliette, what are you all looking at?"

Hearing their dad's voice, Charlie and Oliver shifted, tilting their heads to look at him.

Blinking up at their father, Charlie pointed and whispered, "Daddy, the grass..."

Oliver, pointing at the orchid, remembered the most important word, "Expensive!"

Their father was confused, but as he came closer, he nearly choked on his own breath.

Hearing Oliver call the "grass" expensive, Juliette patiently explained, "Oliver, you're still young, let me teach you. Grass isn't valuable. Look, there's plenty of it outside..." en

As she spoke, she was about to throw it away.

Their father waved his hand frantically, taking a deep breath to keep his voice calm for the children's sake, "Juliette, put that down for now." Innocently, Juliette asked, "Uncle, do you want to throw it away?"

Their father felt his heart bleeding, resorting to his phone for help while instructing Juliette, "Don't touch it. I'll call Luke to help..."

Juliette found it strange, "No need, Juliette can do it herself."

With that, Juliette grabbed the orchid, yanking it out of the pot, roots and all.

Their father felt as if his mind had snapped along with it.

He knew that flower.

His brother had spent a fortune to acquire it, and it hadn't been in his father's possession for three days before it was gone. Just like that, gone!

Charlie and Oliver, seeing their dumbstruck father, reminded him in their sweet, milky voices, "Daddy, aren't you calling Uncle?" Juliette answered for them, "We don't need to bother Luke over such a small matter."

With that, she also grabbed a neighboring unflowered "weed" intending to throw it away too.

Suddenly, Isaiah added, "Weren't we going to see Grandpa?"

Juliette smacked her forehead, "Ah, I almost forgot. Let me pick the prettiest flower for Grandpa's room."

Before their father could say a word, Juliette was already reaching for the nearest imperial flower.

"Let's go see Grandpa."

At this point, their father was nearly in tears.

Seeing his distress, Juliette asked, "Uncle, what's wrong?"

"Just tired," he managed to say, holding back his emotions.

Charlie and Oliver came over to comfort him, "Daddy, don't cry. Mommy has money."

Their father felt even more heartbroken.

Gathering one child in each arm, he glanced around and hurriedly made for the exit, "Juliette, let's not tell Grandpa I was here. I'll pretend I never saw any of this, and we'll have someone clean it up later."

The thought of being linked to this disaster was no laughing matter.

Isaiah gazed at the scattered petals and torn leaves strewn across the floor, then turned to his equally perplexed cousin, "Do you think Uncle Bob just didn't want to clean up? Why the rush, though?

Inside the house.

Juliette bounced in, holding a bouquet up for Jasper to see, "Grandpa, do you like these flowers? I picked them out just for you." Jasper's eyelid twitched at the sight, but he managed a smile, "They're beautiful, Juliette. Anything you choose is beautiful to me." Juliette, beaming with joy, placed the flowers in a vase.

The housekeeper pressed his lips tightly together, not daring to make a sound.

Of course, they weren't just any flowers. The greenhouse temperature was meticulously controlled daily just for them.

But Jasper didn't mind. He called the two over, softly inquiring about their recent days.

Learning that they had switched preschools again, he frowned slightly, "If you really don't like it, you could always come stay with me. I'll find you a good school myself." "Grandpa, it's okay. We really like our new school. Juliette is happy there."