Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

"Snap!"

Andre looked at his phone, not a single message. His wife had skipped over him and gone straight to their nephew for help. Annoyed, he muttered to himself, "Double it!"

Soon enough, Mia sent a picture message to her husband, complete with a pouty face emoji of their son, Henry. "Honey, pretty please, I need your help. I love you more than anything, please help me out here. I can't afford to fail this class!" She added a cute crying emoji of Henry, one they only used within the family.

"Your humble wife, begging her husband online, please, please, please."

"Honey, pretty please with a cherry on top."

Andre couldn't help but smirk, this was more like it.

Within three minutes, he sent her the answers, step-by-step instructions included.

Mia quickly scribbled down the steps, her pen flying across the paper.

Soon after, another problem popped up on Andre's phone.

Mr. CEO just sighed.

Back in the classroom, Mia copied away, even helping out a few classmates who looked desperate.

After handing in her test, Mia strutted out with the confidence of someone who knew they had aced it.

"Mia, did you get those answers from Leo, the campus genius?" Someone asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

Mia shook her head, "Nope."

Beaming, she said, "My husband helped me."

Everyone was stunned, "Andre?"

Mia nodded happily, "Yep, Andre." She showed them her chat, full of her playful messages and his doting replies.

If it was Andre, the answers were solid.

"I'm off to see my husband," Mia declared, marching out of the school. She treated herself to an ice cream from a nearby store, savoring it as she strolled.

But her joy was short-lived. When she got to the office, her luck seemed to take a nosedive...

On the weekend, Leo had plans to meet Mia and Jade. Anya wanted to tag along, but Leo suggested she stay home this time. "Anya, I'm meeting Mia and Jade. Why don't you stay and play at home today?"

Anya bit her tongue, sensing it wasn't the right moment to push. Noticing Chad's apologetic tone, she quickly brightened up, "Sure, Chad. Go ahead. I'll spend the day with Grandpa and the little ones." Seeing Anya's understanding smile, Leo felt relieved.

He dropped Grandpa and Anya at Maplewood Estates before picking up Mia. They headed to Evergreen Haven to meet Molly.

Leo half-expected them to take him to a fancy restaurant like Majestic Dining Enclave.

To his surprise, they chose an old favorite diner.

It seemed they had some serious matters to discuss.

Arriving at the diner, Leo ordered "the usual" and grabbed a couple of craft beers from the fridge, a familiar routine.

"Shall we get straight to the point, or do we chit-chat first?" he asked.

Mia and Molly exchanged looks, deciding to skip the small talk. "Let's get right to it before our food gets cold."

Molly was the first to break the ice, asking about Leo and Anya's situation and why she wasn't with him today.

"You think she's as clingy as you, following Chad everywhere?" Mia teased, adding that Anya was visiting her dad with the kids.

Turning serious, Mia pressed Leo for answers about his feelings for Anya.

Leo admitted he needed more time to figure things out, not wanting to rush into anything with Anya until he was sure of his own feelings. Meanwhile, at Maplewood Estates, the little one was learning to sit up but wasn't too happy about it, crying for his mom's comfort.

Anya tried to console him, but Andre insisted on letting the boy learn, despite the tears.

Eventually, Andre couldn't resist comforting his son, promising to try again later.

Back at the diner, Molly revealed her plans to join the family company, feeling it was time to take on more responsibility. Mia also considered finding a job after her studies, wanting to do something meaningful aside from being a stay-at-home mom. Leo listened to their plans, still unsure about his own future but feeling closer to a decision.

Mia made it clear she wanted to work somewhere that would challenge her, not just at her husband's or father's company where she'd be treated differently.

As they discussed their future, it was evident that each had their path to forge, but their friendship remained a solid foundation for support.

"You know, my husband really cares about you. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given you all this time to be yourself right under his nose. You didn't want the role of Executive Assistant? He didn't push it on you. A job you're not fond of? He's been easing you into it. He actually thinks about how you feel, to the point where he sometimes can't sleep at night because of it. You might not realize this, but I sleep next to him every night. I know him best."

There was a brief silence from Leo before he spoke, his tone light and casual. "True, my uncle has been tough on me in spirit, but he's never actually forced my hand."

Mia then asked, "So, tell us, what are you thinking?"

After taking a deep breath, Leo's words floated out effortlessly. "I'm thinking of starting my own thing."

"We have a family business; what area are you considering?"