Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 521

Coleen spun around, her eyes drilling into Vivian with an intensity that could cut through steel. It was like staring down a lie detector on full blast. Vivian knew one slip-up would be her undoing.

"I swear, Aunt Maggie, I'm telling the truth. She told me herself that she's got her sights set on Chade Inc. She even said that if you don't hand it over, she'll use the Cedillos' influence to take it and sell it off." Coleen's face remained stony, the undisputed matriarch of the Byrne family. Her word was final when it came to family matters.

Turning to her son, she asked, "Have you finished looking at the photos?"

What unsettled Coleen the most was her lingering doubts about Molly's feelings for Chad. She had always thought her daughter was too innocent, too oblivious to matters of the heart. But tonight's photos told a different story, especially that kiss-it was undeniable. Kendrick had been at a dinner party when his wife's urgent call pulled him away. Seeing the photos, he too began to question their authenticity.

Grandma Aubree and Grandpa Elmer were the first to see the photos, and their silence spoke volumes.

Chad, after seeing the photos, began to see Molly in a new light. How could she turn a tired study session in a hotel room into a soap opera?

He handed his phone to Vivian, his demeanor devoid of the "nervousness" or "anxiety" the family expected. "Can you send me those photos? I want to keep them," he said coolly.

The room was stunned!

Vivian was floored; Chad hadn't denied anything.

"Chad, are you two... an item now?" she asked.

Chad ignored her question and turned to his parents, "Is there anything else, or are we done here?"

Coleen stared at her son, her face white with shock.

"Chad! How far have things gone with you and Molly?" Kendrick's voice thundered with rage.

Chad stood silently in the living room, his thoughts a mystery to everyone.

The Byrne family, the Cedillos, Molly's two brothers...

Chad's mind raced, searching for a way to win Molly over. It felt like walking a dangerous tightrope, but maybe, just maybe, it was an opportunity. After a tense five minutes of silence, Chad spoke softly, "We... slept together."

Everyone, including Vivian, stared in disbelief.

Kendrick was livid. He stormed over to his son and slapped him hard across the face. "You... you... are you even human?"

Kendrick had never laid a hand on his children before. Now, as Molly's father, he was striking the man who had tarnished his daughter.

Chad felt the sting of his father's fury; the slap turned his face aside, and a metallic taste filled his mouth.

He looked up, his deep eyes meeting his mother's.

Coleen was beside herself with anger, while Grandma Aubree and Grandpa Elmer regretted their naivety, slapping their knees. "Damn it, Chad, you've always been such a good boy. How could you be so foolish? She's your sister!" The Byrne family struggled to accept the truth.

Only Vivian, in disbelief, kept shouting, "It's a lie, it can't be!"

Chad remained calm, his mind replaying the accidental encounter with Molly tonight. There was also the birthmark only she and her mother knew about. "Molly's birthmark is under her right breast, hidden, about the size of a thumb." As a police officer, he never forgot a detail.

Kendrick looked to his wife, waiting for confirmation.

Coleen had bathed her daughter since she was a child and sometimes even scrubbed her back as she grew older; she knew of the mark's existence!

If anyone else knew about it, it would mean...

"Chad, Molly's called you 'brother' for sixteen years." Coleen spoke through tears.

In that moment, the room believed Chad's claim.

He stood up, looked at his mother, and said, "Mom, take care of yourself."

He moved past her, seemingly ready to leave, then deliberately turned upstairs, entering his sister's bedroom, which he had locked himself. He gathered a few of her clothes and a nightgown from the wardrobe. Lastly, his gaze fell on her more intimate garments, which he took without hesitation, adding to the bag. This act further solidified the idea of his relationship with Molly.

Chad descended the stairs, "Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, I'm leaving."

After Chad left, Coleen clutched her chest, gasping for air.

Vivian trembled with rage at her side. How could this happen so fast?

It was only a matter of days!

It had to be a lie!

"Aunt Maggie, it's impossible, the day Molly came to me, she and Chad were still..." Vivian's words were cut short by a sharp slap to her face.

Coleen rose from the sofa, her venomous eyes fixed on Vivian. She pointed to Vivian's face and warned, "If I hear one more word from you, I'll make sure you disappear from this world!"

Vivian was terrified into silence.

Kendrick escorted his wife back to their bedroom.

Vivian looked at Grandma Aubree and Grandpa Elmer, her frown deepening. She couldn't believe Chad and Molly could have had such a relationship.

Chad drove through the bustling city, the streetlights casting stars of light on his car, the yellow glow illuminating his face.

The slap from his father left a mark on Chad's cheek as he pulled up to the hotel. After turning off the engine, he leaned back in the driver's seat, not ready to get out just yet.

Once the arrow is shot, there's no turning back.

Chad's gaze steadily hardened, a clear testament to the gravity of the situation. He had deliberately stepped into a complex game, where even the slightest misstep could spell disaster. Everything was on the line.

The original blueprint for his life had been tossed aside, crumpled by the unexpected illness of his mother, the sudden involvement of Vivian, and the pressure from family elders. His path was no longer his to chart alone.

His flirtation with Molly had escalated far beyond his initial projections. Waiting until he was 30 to make a move on Molly was now out of the question. By that time, he'd be seen as a problematic bachelor past his prime, and Molly, tainted by years of ambiguous relations with him, would likely drift away. And then there was the formidable hurdle of the Cedillo family.

Chad's mind was a chessboard, upon which he was meticulously plotting his next moves.

At midnight, carrying a set of pajamas for Molly, Chad made his way to her room once again.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, he gently pulled back the covers that shrouded her and tapped her shoulder. "Wake up, I've brought you some sleepwear."

But waking Jade was a challenge; she was a heavy sleeper, the kind who wouldn't stir easily.

Amidst the silence, Chad dropped a bombshell. "Vivian says she wants to marry me."