The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne) novel Chapter 1193

Vivienne quickly grabbed a cup of coffee and a bagel for breakfast when the sound of a car engine announced the arrival of guests. Juliette and Isaiah were already at the door, buzzing with excitement.

Sasha and Arthur got out of the car, smiles spreading across their faces at the sight of the grandchildren. "Look at you two, Juliette and Isaiah, growing more beautiful and handsome by the day!" Sasha exclaimed.

Arthur beamed at Isaiah, "Just look at my grandson, growing up so strong and handsome. Come here and let grandpa take a good look at you!"

Sasha took Juliette's hand while Arthur ruffled Isaiah's hair as they made their way inside.

Floyd stood a bit apart, his face a mask of indifference despite the warm scene unfolding before him. He maintained a polite smile, albeit reluctantly.

Sasha caught sight of Floyd and greeted him, "Floyd, it's been too long."

"Grandma, grandpa," Floyd nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"You've been abroad for years without a visit, but finally, we got you back this year," Arthur said, clapping Floyd on the back as they walked inside. "How's everything going at the base?"

"It's going well, I should be moving up by the end of the year if things continue this way," Floyd replied.

"That's my boy, making contributions to the country. You'll come back home after your project, right?"

"Yes, once the experiment is done."

Arthur seemed pleased with Floyd's response and after a brief chat, joined Sasha in catching up with Vivienne.

"Mom, Dad," Vivienne greeted, guiding Sasha to sit down on the couch.

The conversation turned to family matters as Arthur started unloading gifts he'd brought for the children.

"Come check out what we've got for you. Your grandma and I spent ages picking these out, but we ended up just bringing everything over."

Juliette and Isaiah glanced over nonchalantly; they were used to their grandparents' extravagant gestures. Vivienne had tried to warn her parents to keep it simple this year, but to no avail.

Floyd watched from a distance, his expression unchanging.

"Mom, I told you to keep it light. Birthdays happen every year; there's no need for such grandeur," Vivienne sighed, rubbing her temple.

Arthur waved off her concerns, "As long as my grandkids are happy, that's all that matters. They deserve to enjoy every year to the fullest."

Noticing Floyd standing aside, Arthur tried to include him, "Floyd, there's something for you too. Don't be shy, have a look."

Floyd politely declined, "It's their day, not mine. I shouldn't intrude."

Arthur thought Floyd was just being modest, but Sasha intervened, supporting Floyd's decision.

"Understood," came the reply.

Floyd looked impassively at the message, sitting on his bed, silently hoping for the dawn of tomorrow. How many would meet their end then? He couldn't say for sure.

Come dinner time.

Floyd had no choice but to descend from his room. The moment he stepped into the dining hall, he was bombarded with greetings from all around, his dazed expression not escaping notice.

"Didn't I hear that Haonan is working at an overseas research facility?" Jasper said, using his fork to transfer a rib to his plate. "You've been quiet about what kind of experiments you're up to."

Floyd put down his fork, a serious tone taking over. "We're delving into some cryptanalysis, revisiting texts that have ties to our family's history."

Everyone was taken aback by Floyd's candidness. After all, this was a closely guarded secret, something they'd rather feign ignorance about than confront head-on. Yet, Floyd didn't afford himself the luxury of denial.

"You mean the family archives? Why dig up those old bones?"

"I guess we're trying to understand why my dad made the choices he did back in the day."

"Any news about your mom's situation?"

This casual, yet intense exchange unfolded amidst the clinking of cutlery and low hum of conversation, revealing the complexities and unspoken tensions that lay within the fabric of their seemingly conventional American family dinner.