Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 565

Lounging back without a care for appearances, Leo drawled, "Mia, thanks for having such faith in me. So, I'm some kind of superhero in your eyes, huh?"

Mia blinked her sparkling eyes, still a bit uncertain. "Did I guess wrong?"

Molly propped her chin in her hand, eyeing Leo with all seriousness. "I can't picture you being that accomplished either."

Leo: "..."

Andre traced his fingers over his son's tiny palm, playing with the little guy nestled in his arms. His gaze fell on Leo, eyes cool, voice firm. "What were you up to this afternoon?" "Arguing with trolls online."

Leo whipped out his phone, pulled up his account, and handed it to Andre as if to show he was seriously taking on his critics.

Naomi massaged her temples, exasperated. "Andre, would you please deal with Leo? He's in his twenties and hasn't got a thing to show for it, just fooling around. Get him to come to the office and do some actual work with you." Leo: "I'm not going."

"Who's going to take over the business if you don't?" Andre's displeasure was palpable.

Leo glanced at his baby brother. "Well, there you go. Keeping it in the family."

Andre looked down at his son, who was yawning adorably with his tiny mouth, Henry's crystal-clear eyes staring back at his father in a daze.

Mia chimed in, "My husband's been grooming you for over a decade. If you don't step in, all his hard work goes to waste."

Leo shrugged. "Uncle's still young; he can groom another."

Naomi questioned her son. "What will you do when you're old, having wasted your life away?"

Leo smirked. "I'll have Henry support me."

At that comment, a thump landed on Leo's back from his mother. Naomi's frustration was evident. "Why did I even have you!"

As the Cedillo family began to eat, the room filled with the clatter of cutlery.

Andre spoke up. "You're coming with me to the office tomorrow." His statement, devoid of any particular address, was clearly directed at one individual.

Leo, always defiant, softened his tone only for Andre, his fear of his uncle since childhood evident. "I don't want to."

Andre met his gaze with icy firmness. "Did I ask for your opinion?" Again, it wasn't a question.

Andre's words always carried weight. The noisy dining room instantly fell silent.

Mia sent Leo a sympathetic look. She was lucky to be Andre's wife, able to push back a little. Had she been in Leo's shoes with an "older brother" or "uncle" like Andre, she doubted she'd ever escape his grip. The little one in Andre's arms kicked his legs for a while before deciding his father's embrace was too comfy. His eyes slowly drooped, and he drifted off to sleep.

After dinner, Chad called Molly. "Molly, can you send me Anya's number? I need to ask her something."

Molly was territorial. "No way. Whatever you need to ask Anya, I'll pass it on."

Leo, half-reclining on the couch, overheard and decided to step away to the bathroom.

Chad said, "The evidence Anya gave me today, I suspect it wasn't obtained through normal channels."

At the Gordon family's lavish home.

Anya, dressed in a pink cotton nightgown, was sitting in the living room when her phone rang with an unfamiliar number.

Answering the call, she pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

Chad's voice came through. "Anya, it's Chad, your Aunt Molly's..."

"Uncle, I know it's you." Anya cheerfully acknowledged with a bright tone.

Chad: "..."

People always enjoy hearing pleasant words, and even the composed Officer Chad found himself charmed by the endearing "uncle." He couldn't help but smile. His impression of Anya was improving by the minute.

"Anya, uncle wants to ask you something," Chad's voice softened.

Obediently, Anya replied. "Are you asking about my friend? Uncle, please don't go after him. He just did me a small favor today; he didn't do anything wrong."

Chad reassured her with a chuckle. "Uncle won't go after him, just wants to remind him not to take the wrong path. If you don't want to tell uncle who he is, then please convey the message for me." "Sure, I will, goodbye, uncle."

"Goodbye."

Hanging up, Chad hadn't found out who the hacker was, but his mood was surprisingly light. "Anya's a good kid!"

Back at the Gordon residence, Anya quickly redialed Leo.

Then she whispered, "Chad, I did as you said, kept calling him 'uncle,' and he actually didn't pursue who you are.' Leo: "Well done."

"Thank you for the praise, Chad." Leo's compliment was sweeter than any candy Anya could taste.

Leo chuckled too. "After the New Year, I'll come to fetch you."

"

...

Barbara's venomous fans had found their supply chain, and Molly had been eager to learn of Barbara's fate. Her source of information was Chad, who, in turn, was keen to impress his future bride, so he often called his colleagues in the narcotics team for updates. "Information from Jillian Marshal?" Chad recognized the name; it struck a chord, recalling Brian Marshal, whom he had arrested personally.

Since Brian's incarceration, Jillian had fled abroad. The Marshal family had fallen; their distant relatives were scattered and disorganized. Barbara was the only one in contact with Jillian, who had successfully emigrated to a country where drugs were legal. Jillian, once scorned by the wealthy elite at home, had been so low, flitting from man to man, seeking refuge and a shred of dignity. They all played her, and when Jillian learned her sister was involved with a man from her past, she couldn't hold back. "Barbara, he'll never marry you." Previously, Barbara's clubbing was for fun; now, it was for survival. "I don't need him to marry me, as long as he pays up."

Under the cloak of night, Jillian's lips curled into a vengeful smile. "But I can make him marry you. You're my sister. If you marry well, I can rest easy."

Barbara's heart stirred, the thought of marrying into wealth flickered like a beacon of hope. It promised a return to the days of old, the comfort and glamor she once knew... "Sis, what do I do?"

Jillian advised her with a sly grin. "Keep him wrapped around your finger, and he'll never be able to escape your grasp."

This so-called "keeping him wrapped" was nothing more than ensnaring him with the chains of addiction.

And Barbara did just that, following Jillian's sinister blueprint to the letter. She learned the dark art of manipulation, the secret of how to "control" someone utterly.

Jillian's initial motive was revenge against the man who had toyed with her heart. But as fate would have it, she stumbled upon a truth as old as sin: vice pays, and it pays well.

Slowly, her intentions grew tainted. "Barbara, remember, it's not them who brought us to this low place. It's the Cedillo family, it's Mia.

If it weren't for the Cedillo family, our own Marshal clan wouldn't have faced ruin. If it wasn't for Mia, you wouldn't have fallen to where you are now. Therefore, our sights must be set far and wide."