Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 543

Colleen gently patted the child and said, "Hansen, Molly is your own flesh and blood. No trick can take her away from you."

Hansen wasn't in the mood for such platitudes.

Leo, standing nearby, listened intently to what the Byrnes were saying, as well as to Chad. He looked so serious, like he was soaking it all in.

Kendrick chimed in, "The kids have naturally gotten to this point. As parents, what can we do besides support them? I'm Molly's father too. At first, I was against it, just like you. I wanted to give Chad a piece of my mind. But... if I had hit Chad, Molly would've been upset." Hansen was blunt, "My girl wouldn't care."

"Dad, I would be a bit upset," Jade, freshly showered and changed, chimed in, her voice trailing off.

She moved decisively towards the Byrnes, as if planning to sit with them.

Naomi, noticing her father-in-law's brewing anger, cleared her throat to remind Molly. "Ahem! Hmm!"

But Jade continued her path unabated, heading straight for the Byrnes.

Hansen's face darkened like burnt toast!

Mia, however, wasn't nervous. She waited for her best friend's next move.

As expected, Molly walked over, not to sit, but to lift her nephew from Colleen's arms-the Cedillo family's little bundle of joy.

The chubby cherub, with bright, shiny eyes like glass marbles and tender, milk-scented cheeks, looked up at his beautiful aunt. He was quiet and content in her arms.

The little guy was something the Cedillo clan couldn't pry away for all the world.

Holding her nephew, Molly glanced at Chad, who smiled back, his lips slightly curling, as he reminded her, "Hold the kiddo tight."

Molly turned and sat down next to Hansen.

Hansen's charcoal face returned to its normal shade.

Mia knew her sister wouldn't be foolish enough to go against the Cedillos at such a crucial moment.

Sitting beside Hansen, Hansen wanted to snatch the little guy but had to maintain his stern facade. He resigned to just looking at his grandson and kept a cool face.

Anya's phone rang again-the Gordons were urging her to return home, or Mr. Calder would come to Havenbrook to fetch his daughter.

She was looking at plane tickets when Leo noticed. He stood up, taking Anya with him, "Mom, Dad, Grandpa, I'm taking Anya out for a bit."

Molly, her long hair hiding her face, made faces at her nephew: Your aunt's future is at stake, and you're leaving?

Leo exchanged a glance with Mia, who was also looking at him: With Mia here, what's there to worry about?

Mia blinked rapidly: I'm not a miracle worker.

Anya, observing their silent exchange, blinked in confusion: What's going on?

Finally, Leo turned to Hansen and said, "It's iffy."

Everyone except Mia and Molly was left in a fog.

"Let's go, you all have a chat," Leo said, taking Anya's hand and leaving.

Once in Leo's car, Anya buckled up and asked, "Chad, what did you mean by 'iffy' just now?"

Leo drove away from the Cedillo estate. "Your aunt wanted me to stay and help her, I said Mia was there, Mia said she wasn't reliable, they wanted me to stay too. I saw your grandpa's face and figured today's talk wouldn't conclude well. Sounded too boring for me; today was just a start, so I said 'iffy'."

Anya thought back. Was all that said just now? Did she have a memory lapse?

"Chad, where are we going?" Anya asked, puzzled.

"Continuing our shopping for your trip back home. You've stayed in Havenbrook so long, might as well bring some local goodies," Leo said, accelerating.

The Cedillo estate was located in a serene suburb, a prime piece of Havenbrook real estate. Two decades ago, a rumor spread that Havenbrook sat on a dragon vein, which the Cedillos had claimed.

The gossip disappeared before it could stir up Havenbrook and was eventually forgotten, treated as an unsubstantial piece of trivia.

Leo had stumbled upon this gossip in high school while being a computer whiz, always glued to his screen.

To the uninitiated, Naomi only knew her son was particularly rebellious in high school, always gaming and sometimes not showering for days.

Andre had to intervene once, and after the resulting punishment, Leo sobered up and lost his computer addiction.

That was when he discovered the deleted Cedillo news and learned of the gossip.

Without realizing it, Leo's car merged into the traffic.

Anya, watching the busy road, said, "Chad, let's not buy anything else. I can hardly manage two suitcases and two backpacks, let alone local specialties."

Leo glanced at her. "Why are you bringing so much stuff home for the holidays? Trying to lose weight by lugging luggage?"

Anya fiddled with her seatbelt, recalling her parents' words, "Mom said she'll come to stay with me later this year, Dad's already bought a villa in the new Cedillo Group development. Next year, I won't be living here." She felt a pang of reluctance to leave. "When my parents come next year, they can buy local products if they're interested. I can't manage it all on the plane, Chad."

Leo drove on, "Who said you're flying? I've got nothing to do at home lately, and my mom won't stop nagging. This time you go back, I'll drive you all the way."

Anya's eyes widened in shock, "Chad, are you saying you'll drive me there?" That was a long trip...

Leo glanced at the astonished Anya, blunt as ever: "It's not about driving you, it's about escaping my mom. Taking you is just convenient. Don't flatter yourself thinking I'm making the trip just for you." Anya: "..."

But why did she feel like Chad had gone out of his way just for her? Was she being vain again?

Upon reaching downtown, they strolled leisurely, their carefree demeanor clashing with the tense atmosphere back home.

"Chad, do you think Aunt Julie and her brother should be together?" Anya asked curiously while they were window-shopping.

Leo replied, "I'm all for them being together, but think they should take their time before tying the knot."

"But Grandpa and Uncle Bob are totally against it."

"Then you just watch and see how Aunt Julie and Aunt Sally handle the situation."

After hanging out for a couple of hours and learning that the Byrne family had left, they decided to head back.

Leo could tell by the looks on his family's faces that things hadn't gone as hoped.

Anya went straight to Mia to snatch the baby away. The little one had been nursing and wasn't full yet when Anya scooped him up, causing Henry to burst into tears.

With his little face all scrunched up, the hot-tempered child was about to let out a big cry.

Andre quickly took his son, picked up the bottle from the table filled with his formula, and tried to trick him into drinking.

Henry took a few sips, realized it wasn't the same taste, and his temperament, just like his mother's, kicked in. He opened his mouth and cried loudly, his face turning red with frustration. Mia tried everything but couldn't calm him down, and in the end, she had to lay him back in her arms.

Only then did the crying start to fade.

The little guy's routine was simple: sleep, eat, and be merry. Wake up if someone else held him, and cry if he was put down.

If you said he was hard to handle, he'd flash you a smile.

If you said he wasn't, he'd make sure you wouldn't get any sleep.

"Andre's son is just like him, impossible to figure out," Mia complained, including her husband in the jest.

Andre glanced at his father, Hansen, and said, "What are you looking at me for? Mia's griping about you and your son, not us."