Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 587

By mid-morning, everything was set, and by the afternoon, Andre headed back home.

Before he arrived, the house was bustling, with everyone circled around Andre's son in the living room. "Mia, what's got our little munchkin all cranky and pouting again?"

Mia looked down at the chubby, discontented face of her son. "When I was changing his diaper, I gave his little bum a wash, and look at him-he's so grumpy. He's going to be as temperamental as his dad," she said playfully. The little guy turned his face away, no longer wanting to look at mommy.

Grandpa Hansen, as if his grandson could understand every word, gave him a serious talk, "Henry, my boy, we need to be a sweetie pie, not a stinky bug."

Leo chimed in, "Grandpa, do you really think he understands a word you're saying?"

Hansen, quick as a whip, picked up his cane, ready to playfully strike his eldest grandson. But Leo, adept at dodging, rolled to the side with practiced ease.

Anya, used to her brother Chad's sharp tongue, was unfazed by the occasional scolding he received. In her mind, as long as Uncle Hansen didn't scold him, there was nothing to worry about.

His mother, Naomi, could hardly stand the sight of her son Leo, puzzled as to why her brother-in-law insisted on keeping him around. "Leo could skip a meal, but he can never hold his tongue," she griped. Hansen wholeheartedly agreed, "That mouth of his is the only problem."

The lively living room fell silent at the sound of a car engine shutting off in the driveway. All eyes turned to Mia, knowing well that the sound heralded the arrival of her husband.

His car's engine shutting off was a sound she knew better than anyone in the house.

She, too, quieted down.

Then, as one, the family rose from the couch, even Hansen, leaning on his cane, moved to the window to see how many checks the returning man would bring today. "Huh, he brought a whole pack of checks?" Hansen wondered aloud.

Although curious, Mia, the person concerned, maintained her composure, cradling her son on the couch, waiting for her husband to come inside.

Soon, Andre pushed the living room door open with one hand, and after changing his shoes at the entryway, he turned to see his entire family staring... at his hands. "What's up?"

Hearing his father's voice, the little guy immediately turned his head, searching for his beloved dad. He hated mommy's cleaning sessions, but dad coming home was the highlight of his day.

In Mia's arms, he began to make adorable noises to catch his father's attention.

Andre, tall and dressed in a dark trench coat, looked sharp and all-business.

Yet, hearing his son's calls and seeing his wife's silhouette, he couldn't help but smile. He took off his coat, hung it, and walked toward the living room.

He sat next to his wife, watching their son struggling to find him, then leaned in and scooped the soft bundle from her arms.

The little one stopped pouting and turned his pink, cherubic face toward his father, lying contentedly in his arms at last.

Then, Andre placed a red envelope in his wife's lap.

"Mia, open it up, let's see what he's got for you," Hansen, ever the spectator, urged.

The crowd by the window returned to the couch, their eyes fixed on the red envelope in Mia's hands.

"Honey, if that's a check, you don't love me."

Andre: "It's not a check."

Feeling the envelope, Mia confirmed it didn't feel like a check. Under her family's watchful eyes, she opened the red envelope. She kneeled on the floor, placed the envelope on the coffee table, and tilted her head to see what was inside. Money? Multicolored bills? Even a one-dollar bill and a dime?

Confused, Mia looked back at her husband, "What's this, are we broke?"

Andre: "...Not quite."

Hansen's curiosity peaked, "Mia, what is it? Let dad have a look."

Mia reached in and pulled out the money, a mix of loose bills and coins spread across the table, leaving everyone with question marks above their heads, "Are we really broke?"

Perhaps it's true that men understand each other best. Leo, looking at the assortment of money, knew there had to be a reason. "Mia, count how much it is."

Andre looked at his nephew with approval.

With some bills unbound, Mia had to count by hand. Her fingers deftly sorted through the cash as she counted like a seasoned bank teller, "One, two, three... fourteen."

After counting, Leo paused for a moment, then had a lightbulb moment, "Mia, add it all up."

Mia, still a bit confused, began tallying on her fingers, "131452.1?"

She turned to her husband, her expression a mirror image of her son's pout, "Honey?"

Andre nodded awkwardly, "Yes."

Mia picked up the dime, "If it weren't for you, I'd barely even recognize what a dime looks like anymore."

Andre: "..."

Hansen, both critical and curious, asked his son, "Andre, why not just give a straightforward million-plus? Why this odd amount with a dime at the end? Are you short on cash?"

Mia, too, looked at her husband with curiosity, her lips pursed in anticipation of his explanation.

Andre had his reasons, "A million is too much for a red envelope; it wouldn't fit, and we'd have to use a safe. Who gives a safe as a New Year's gift?" So he chose an odd amount that still fit the tradition of the red envelope. "Honey, who would ever complain about too much money? I'd take the safe over the envelope," pouted Mia, missing her chance at a million.

Andre realized his miscalculation, "...Next year, a safe then?"

Mia was now even more disappointed, "But now that you've said it, there'll be no surprise next year."

No matter what he said, Andre couldn't win.

In the end, Mia 'reluctantly' accepted the quirky gift, and that night, Andre wasn't banished from the master bedroom.

"Leo, how's it going?" Andre suddenly inquired.

Caught off-guard, Leo replied, "It's started."

The family's chief inquisitor piped up, "Honey, what did you have Leo do?"

Leo explained, "A couple of days ago, Uncle Andre asked Anya's hacker friend for a favor, and I'm the go-between."

Anya, quick on the uptake, added, "Anya's hacker friend, right? They agreed that fast?"

Leo simply nodded and said, "Yeah," opting not to elaborate further.

Jack's eyes widened as he realized he had blurted out the wrong answer. The dark web was no ordinary playground; it wasn't somewhere you could just waltz into because you fancied a bit of cyber-trespass. If it had been some random Joe asking for his help, Jack would've likely found some excuse to dodge the request, deeming it a nuisance. Even if he couldn't outright refuse, he'd mull it over for a few days before deciding. But just moments ago, barely twenty-four hours had passed, and he'd already said he was on the case.

Sure enough, his uncle's trap was sprung. "How on earth did you manage to persuade him?"

Jack swallowed hard, scrambling for a convincing lie, "I just—"

"Auntie, it was me who convinced him. He's got a crush on me, you see. He'd agree to anything I ask, no matter how tough."

Well, look at that. Little Miss Daisy wasn't just a one-trick pony after all.