Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 560

Henry was halfway through his juicy watermelon slice when it was unceremoniously discarded. "..."

So that's what they call love moving on, huh?

Dad's trying to be charming, mom's touched, and there I am, abandoned in the pool with no one to fuss over me. ""Ah, man!"

Cold water-ever heard of it? Thanks for nothing, unreliable parents!

Henry made a valiant effort, belting out a couple of indignant "Wahh!" cries, before finally kicking furiously in the water, flailing his little arms in protest, stirring up enough of a commotion to win back his parents' affection.

In the end, his efforts paid off, capturing his mom and dad's attention.

Turns out, as long as it wasn't about money, he was mommy's favorite little munchkin.

Mia, with her eyes still teary, hurried to scoop up her little champ from the water.

"Honey, I forgive you," Mia said, cradling her slippery son, addressing her husband.

The little rascal was a mix of fury and wails, almost as if he was accusingly saying he had not forgiven his dad for that unceremonious dunk! If it weren't for the diaper safeguarding his tiny bottom, he'd be blowing bubbles underwater right now. Andre, having tackled a tough issue, felt a weight lifted off his chest. His son's "speech" was nothing more than playful banter between father and son.

Now, he had time to give his boy a bath.

Meatball was hoisted up by dad once more, flipped over to rest on his father's forearm, as Andre began to scrub his back.

One arm wasn't quite enough to handle him, Andre remarked, "The kid's too chunky, all chubby and needs both hands to hold him steady, or he'll slip right into the tub." The little guy in question: "Ah-ee-ya-ya-ya," was ready for a father swap!

Mia was mid-bath with her son, her cry from earlier not quite faded, tears still clinging to her lashes when she suddenly froze, staring at the little chunk, forgetting to move. She had an epiphany, "Honey, your son doesn't have a neck!"

After saying that, she burst into laughter, pointing at the little one still in his father's grip, "Haha, he's so plump he's lost his neck!"

The little one: "..." was ready for a mom swap!

Andre was momentarily bewildered, then he turned the bathing bambino to face him, looking down at his little bundle of joy, who really seemed to be... neckless. Henry, already uneasy from the bath, now faced his mom who was laughing at him and his dad examining him with such seriousness that he burst into tears.

What was supposed to be a delightful bath and a merry time eating his parents' metaphorical melon had turned into a series of unfortunate events: tossed aside and now ridiculed!

He no longer wanted to be the darling son of this couple; he was absolutely livid.

Tears of anger spilled as his mom chuckled and wiped his cheeks.

"Look how upset you are, and mommy didn't even say anything wrong," Mia consoled, after the bath, dressing her son in a onesie, cradling the clean little guy and looking at her adorable son. "You have to recognize your own flaws." The little one closed his eyes, refusing to listen.

With her husband having apologized, Mia wasn't one to hold a grudge. The lessons of the past days were enough, and if she said she forgave him, she really wouldn't bring up the past.

She carried her son to her husband, "Honey, hold him. I'm going to take a shower."

Andre cradled his disgruntled son with one arm, earnestly examining his little face, then his gaze drifted down to the little guy's chin.

He gently pinched his son's chubby cheek, tilting his face slightly upward, in search of the elusive neck.

And eventually, he found it.

To appease their little one, the couple reluctantly admitted, "Our son has a neck, it's just well hidden."

Hearing this, the little one managed to hold back his tears.

Little did he know, after he drifted to sleep late at night, his parents stayed up, secretly getting out of bed to study him.

His mom even took to her phone in the wee hours, typing into the search engine: "Will a baby without a neck grow up to be unattractive? Mom was the campus beauty, and dad was the domineering heartthrob."

Later, Mia whispered to her husband in bed, "Honey, we've got to start saving money. If our son ends up too unattractive to find a wife, at least he'll have wealth."

Oh, right.

The reconciled couple had already put the troublesome son to bed at the edge of their own.

In his dad's arms lay his mom, not him!

Molly had been hiding out at the Byrne residence for a few days, relishing the moments when Chad was too busy at work to come home.

Her comfort was short-lived, though, as she soon accompanied Coleen on a visit to Chad Inc.

"Others would kill to take over your mom's company, and here you are, the odd one out, turning it down when it's handed to you," Coleen chided her unambitious daughter.

The quintessential rich second-generation Molly retorted, "I'll take it, but I think I can still have fun for a couple more years."

Coleen asked, "And how long do you plan on 'having fun'?"

"Till I'm 40."

Coleen: "..." That's two years? More like nearly two decades! "Graduate and go to the company, and that's final!" Coleen gave her ultimatum.

Back at the Byrne house, Chad, who had been working night shifts, also returned.

Molly habitually went to sit beside Chad, but remembering the late-night incident from a few days ago, she decisively got up and sat far away from him.

Chad merely glanced at her and continued discussing with his parents the need for another visit to the Cedillo family. "Mom and Dad, it's been a while, and the Cedillos are probably cooled down by now. We shouldn't delay any longer; it wouldn't look good. I've switched shifts, so we can visit the Cedillo family in the next few days." Molly, resting her hand under her nose as if Chad's bride-to-be wasn't her, kept silent.

While the Byrne family discussed the gifts for the visit, Molly played on her phone, lost in a mobile game, then asked Mia through the game world, "How's dad's mood?"

"Since you left, we haven't received any deliveries for a few days."

With one sentence, Molly grasped the state of affairs at the Cedillo household. If the old man with a shopping addiction could resist for nearly a week, she must have really gotten under his skin last time.

At nine o'clock, Molly went upstairs to rest.

Chad passed by her bedroom on his way up and knocked on the door, "Molly, you asleep?"

Molly didn't respond, and Chad tried the doorknob, finding it locked.

Chad called out, "I know you're not asleep, open up."

Molly lay on her bed, legs crossed, defiantly not opening the door.

After a moment of silence, Chad's voice came again, "New Year's is coming. Want to shop for new clothes? I'm free tomorrow."

Soon enough, the door clicked open, and Molly peeked out, asking, "Did you get your paycheck?"

"Just got it today, and there's a bonus too."

Molly perked up a bit, "How much?"

Chad fished out his latest paycheck from his pocket and handed it over without a fuss. "Not too shabby, huh?"

Molly glanced at the string of digits on the stub, her voice dripping with honey, "Goodnight, bro. See you tomorrow."

After all, she'd be spending his money the next day; a little sweetness could go a long way.

Jade had this whole charming act down pat - slick as a whistle.

Molly wasn't going to dodge Hansen's wrath forever; sooner or later, she had to face the music. With the holiday season just around the corner, it was time to head home.

So, picking a day when the sun was shining and the birds were singing, Jade slipped back home after a few days on the lam.