After a thorough check-up at the hospital, Percival was discharged.

Even the doctors were astounded. How could a man who had been buried in a mine for two days walk out without a scratch? What kind of physique did he have?

Leopold and Thomas, who had been part of the rescue operation, were exhausted and had to be admitted to the hospital, too.

Leopold kept begging Vivienne to give him an injection, convinced that one of her shots would revive him instantly.

But Vivienne refused.

Her services came at a steep price, one that Leopold could not afford.

Once they left the hospital, Vivienne and Percival returned to the Ellington Mansion.

In the car, Percival tenderly changed the dressing on Vivienne's fingertips. "Don't be so reckless next time. I told you, with you waiting for me, I could hold on."

Vivienne looked at her injured fingertips, wounds that could easily be healed, but she let them heal naturally.

Otherwise, Mr. Wolf would not be there to tend to her.

How considerate of her.

Vivienne curled her finger, watching Percival apply the ointment. "You're not allowed to worry me like that again."

Percival pulled her close. "Never again."

Back at the Ellington Mansion.

Flynn had just signed some documents when Percival burst through the door.

Sunlight streamed in, casting a square of bright light on the floor.

Flynn stepped forward, standing at the edge of the light, looking worriedly at Percival. "Percival, where have you been these past few days? Do you have any idea how worried everyone's been? Did something happen?"

"Don't you know where I've been, Uncle Flynn?" Percival replied with a smile, a hint of mirth in his eyes.

Flynn paused, then chuckled. "How would I know where you've been? I've been going mad looking for you. There's been a lot of trouble at home. Let me fill you in."

Vivienne stepped beside Percival at the doorway, taking over the conversation. "We're aware of the car accident and robbery in front of Isolde's Daycare."

Flynn's smile froze as he stepped back into the shadows.

"Since you know already, there's not much to say."

Footsteps echoed from behind Flynn.

Two figures appeared, holding Imogen and Kenneth at gunpoint, explosives strapped to them.

Imogen's face was streaked with tears, disbelief in her eyes. She never imagined facing such a predicament.

Kenneth was in shock.

Nathan had taken him in as his foster child, and even though he had been raised in a distant part of the family, Flynn was still his father in his heart. Why would his father aim a gun at him?

Percival and Vivienne seemed to have expected this, showing no surprise.

"Percival, I must admit, you're quite clever. You're tough to deal with, and now you have an even tougher fiancée. You really give your uncle a headache."

Flynn removed his glasses, pulled a cloth from his pocket, and meticulously cleaned the lenses.

Percival chuckled. "Uncle Flynn, you handed me the clue on a silver platter. Otherwise, I wouldn't have noticed."

"Really? When did I slip up? I've been careful," Flynn said with a slight smile, sliding his glasses back on and looking at Percival and Vivienne.

"It wasn't romance when you were flirting with Ms. Imogen in the living room, squeezing her palm. It was a signal-your life was in danger."

Understanding dawned on Flynn. He had absentmindedly squeezed Imogen's hand earlier, and though it seemed flirtatious, he was filled with disgust.

If not for the need to maintain his cover, he would not bother keeping a little girl happy.

Without realizing it, he had given away a code, which Percival had caught in that fleeting moment.

Flynn smirked. "I was careless. Next time, I'll be more cautious."

Percival raised his gun towards the man he had respected all his life, the uncle who had always been peaceful. "There won't be a next time, White Tiger!" Flynn was Fiona's boss, the mastermind behind CK, having built it from the ground up. When Fiona turned against him, he lured her into becoming his substitute. All these years, Fiona's actions had been for Flynn.

On the surface, it looked like Fiona wanted Percival dead, but the real threat to his life was Flynn!

Unfazed by the gun in Percival's hand, Flynn said, "Percival, I hold two lives in my hand. Are you sure you want to gamble with me?"

Vivienne suddenly laughed, gesturing behind them. "Maybe you should take a look behind you."

Confused, Flynn turned to see.

The supposed kidnappers had revealed their true identities.

It was Draven and Matthew!

The bombs strapped to Imogen and Kenneth were fake, and they were now under the protection of Draven and Matthew.

Flynn licked his lips and nodded, a sinister glint in his eye. "So, the shrimps have turned."

Then, Flynn's laughter ceased. He pulled out his phone and played a video.

It showed Richard and others.

"Percival, did you really think they were my only hostages?"

Percival looked at Flynn calmly. "That's your father."

"Heh, nice words. My father? Have you ever seen a real father who'd willingly hand over the Ellington family to some wet-behind-the-ears kid, totally disregarding his own son's well-being?" Flynn's eyes were bloodshot, like a beast on the brink of eruption. He glared at Percival with a seething rage that seemed to pierce the very air between them.

"Percival, before you were even of age, my father-your grandfather had already planned to pass the Ellington family on to you. He made a point of telling me to guide you, to mentor you, so you could take the reins of the Ellington family as soon as you came of age. But he was blind! Blind to the fact that I was the one who truly deserved to inherit the Ellington family!"

The serenity, the life of a botanist? None of that mattered!

All he craved was the right to inherit the Ellington family!

Percival, filled with that boundless hatred, met Flynn's gaze and sighed silently. "Grandpa, Uncle Flynn's bitterness... now you know."

Flynn's brow twitched as he glanced at his phone. Richard was being held captive. What was Percival talking about?

Suddenly, from outside the door, a deep, slightly hoarse voice broke the silence. "Now I know."

Flynn could hardly believe it.

How could this be?

There was Richard, his eyes brimming with tears, slowly appearing at the doorway, supported by Nathan. He looked at Flynn, his youngest and most cherished son. "Flynn, if you wanted to inherit the Ellington family, why didn't you just tell me?"

The surveillance feed on Flynn's phone switched, all of it a sham.

It dawned on Flynn-Percival had known his intentions all along. Every move he had made was no secret to his nephew.

Flynn did not answer Richard's question. Instead, he turned to Percival, "Knowing I wanted you dead, why would you still go down into the mines?"

"I did not anticipate that."

Percival and Vivienne had prepared for everything except Flynn's ability to take control of the Vanguard Agency's headquarters.

Otherwise, so many days would not have been wasted.

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