The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

Vivienne wasn't quite buying what Carly was selling. After all, she had crossed paths with too many deceivers, each one cloaked in a veneer of sincerity.

Besides, with the eagle eyes of the townsfolk on them, how could they possibly let Carly sneak in messages?

Seeing Vivienne's silence, Carly grew desperate to prove her identity. "Don't you believe me? The guy you're looking to rescue isn't the mayor's son. He's an outsider, just like you!" At Carly's words, the atmosphere around Vivienne shifted dramatically, her hand swiftly moving to Carly's throat.

"Who exactly are you?!"

The tightening grip turned Carly's face pale, her struggles growing weaker.

Just before Carly could pass out, Vivienne released her, causing Carly to collapse on the ground, gasping for air and looking up at Vivienne.

"I know you still, still have your doubts, but I'm really not like them," Carly managed to say with her remaining strength.

Vivienne pondered for a moment before giving Carly a pill. In seconds, the suffocating feeling vanished.

Looking down at Carly, Vivienne said, "Spill everything you know. If you lie, I won't hesitate to kill you."

Carly was visibly shaken by the cold determination in Vivienne's eyes. It took her a moment to nod in agreement.

"I didn't recognize him as not being Sebastian at first..."

Carly had learned the truth three years ago. She had adored Sebastian from a young age, memorizing all his likes and quirks.

When Percival first appeared, Carly, like everyone else, didn't notice anything amiss, partly because she hadn't had the chance to interact with him one-on-one.

"Even though Sebastian was involved in the drug trade, he wasn't cold to me in private. He could laugh and show emotions just like anyone else," Carly said, tears welling up in her eyes.

She had known about the mayor poisoning Sebastian and had grown close to him from that point on.

Both of them despised the gloomy atmosphere of Luck Village but felt powerless to change it.

During the two years Percival had taken Sebastian's place, Carly had little opportunity to see him, which delayed her realization that something was off. It wasn't until she finally got the chance that she instantly noticed the difference. "I've been secretly meeting with Sebastian all these years, so the mayor and his cronies don't know about our relationship. That's how I could tell he wasn't Sebastian," Carly said, her voice choked with emotion.

She clenched and unclenched her fists, overwhelmed by painful memories.

"It took me a long time to be sure this Sebastian wasn't my Sebastian, until I heard them mention Percival. That's when it hit me; he had changed."

Vivienne wasn't entirely convinced

by Carly's story. After all, Carly was just a young girl. Could she really have kept her relationship with.

Sebastian hidden from the man

a

swnl

man known for his meticulousness?

Carly looked up at Vivienne, insisting, "Sebastian and I had a pact. We didn't want to see Luck Village destroyed by the mayor's schemes. We've been planning how to derail their so-called grand plan." "This Sebastian not only forgot about the past but also became colder and even took other actions. You're like me, aren't you? You want to stop all this, right?"

Carly's eyes were filled with hope; she longed to hear Vivienne agree, to join forces and witness a new dawn for Luck Village.

Vivienne stared at Carly for a long moment. Some things might be hidden, but Carly's minute gestures while recounting her story were too genuine to be fake. After a brief silence, Vivienne finally spoke up, catching Carly's eager gaze, "Do you know about the fifty women recently taken in Luck Village?" Carly was surprised that Vivienne was aware of this incident.

For a moment, Carly looked at Vivienne with newfound respect; she was definitely more than just Logan's apprentice.

From the moment she had walked in, it had been her doing most of the talking, and Logan's gaze towards her was filled with respect.

Knowing there was no point in lying to Vivienne, Carly admitted, "Yes, I'm aware of it, and they were all women, right?"

Vivienne neither confirmed nor

denied but listened as Carly

continued, "It was before dawn when

I heard the commotion outside.

Peering through the window, I saw

them transporting the women. There were many, guarded by several villagers. I just watched them pass by; following them was out of the question."

Most of Luck Village's residents drank the milk provided by the mayor every night. Carly, however, had been cautious that day and hadn't swallowed it completely.

She had hoped to uncover something new that night, only to accidentally witness the transportation of the women.

"Do you have any idea where they might be held?" Vivienne asked, gently sipping from her cup.

Carly shook her head, "They just passed through here. This road leads to many places; where exactly, I couldn't say."

The trail seemed to go cold there, and Vivienne sat back, a thoughtful frown creasing her brow.

Seeing how things had progressed, Logan decided it was no longer a time for secrets in front of Carly. He moved closer to Vivienne and whispered a suggestion to her.

Vivienne didn't respond immediately. Her gaze shifted to Carly, silently conveying a message.

Carly caught on instantly. "If you've got something to ask, just spit it out. I'm in this fight against these scoundrels just as much as you are. We need to work together to take them down."

"We need you to find where those

people are being held," Vivienne said, her eyes piercing into Carly's. "You know the layout of Luck Village better than any of us. Entrusting this task to you would save us a lot of time, time we don't have to spare. We still need to care for others, and Mayor Thompson is counting on us to cure Sebastian."

The urgency and gravity of Vivienne's request were not lost on Carly. After all, the fate of Luck Village and the well-being of Sebastian rested heavily on their shoulders.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.