Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

The family doctor had just left, and per Hansen's request, this time he brought along a pediatrician. Little Henry took one look at the strangers and started bawling, refusing to let anyone hold him. "Don't cry, Henry. Aunt Naomi's got you while the doctor checks you out," Naomi comforted him, wrapping him in her arms to let the doctor do his thing.

Before noon, Andre found a moment to call his father. "Dad, how's my son doing?"

"Henry's got a fever. The doctor suggested we try cool compresses and keep him hydrated instead of giving him meds right away. Can you believe that? Just water, like it's some miracle cure. My grandson's been drinking so much water, he's practically a little water balloon," Hansen grumbled, clearly annoyed.

Andre sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Let's just follow the doctor's advice for now. Just don't give him too much at once."

In the background, Henry could still be heard crying. Hansen moved the phone closer to the little one. "Your dad's on the line, kiddo." "Hey, buddy. Crying again?" Andre asked gently.

Henry's sobs softened, unsure of where the voice was coming from.

Naomi chuckled, "Looking for your dad, huh?"

Andre said softly, "Take a nap, buddy. I'll try to come home early and spend some time with you."

That seemed to upset Henry even more, and he resumed crying.

Andre's break was over, and he headed back into the boardroom. Leo, one of his colleagues, asked, "Uncle, how's Henry doing?"

"Grandpa says he's got a bit of a fever, probably just a mild one," Andre replied. "Alright, let's get this meeting started."

Meanwhile, Mia had skipped lunch to talk to her professor about adjusting her class schedule. University professors usually keep the same pace across different classes, so Mia planned to join the earlier class to catch up on the same lessons. "Professor Grant, I'm in your afternoon sessions," Mia introduced herself.

"Of course, I know who you are," replied Professor Grant, a motherly figure who was well aware of Mia's situation.

Mia explained, "The weather turned cold a few days ago, and somehow my son got sick, came down with a fever and a cold. Could I possibly join the earlier class today? I'm really worried and would like to get home to him as soon as possible." "Absolutely. Just head to the classroom when it's time. Kids are so prone to catching colds this time of year. How old is your little one now?"

"Nearly six months," Mia realized, amazed at how quickly the time had flown by.

Feeling like her memories of being a carefree girl were from a different lifetime, she now balanced her role as a mother with her studies.

Without having time for lunch, Mia headed straight to the classroom. After a sleepless night, she knew the afternoon would be tough. So, when the classroom was empty, she took the chance to catch some sleep.

Anya, unable to find her aunt, tried calling Mia, who had forgotten to take her phone off silent mode.

Eventually, Anya messaged Leo, "Chad, do you know where my aunt's class is? I want to bring her a sandwich since she missed lunch."

It took a few minutes for Leo to respond after checking with Andre, who was in the middle of a meeting but took a moment to provide Mia's classroom details from his personal phone.

By the time Anya found the classroom, there wasn't much time left, and Mia could only take a few bites of her sandwich before heading back to her lessons.

After a short nap, Mia felt somewhat refreshed and thanked her professor before rushing home to her son.

At home, Henry had stopped crying and was being fed a bottle by Naomi. Hungry and less fussy, he seemed content.

"Henry, mommy's back," Mia announced as she entered.

Henry paused his feeding, and Naomi lifted him up. "Look who's here, Mia's back to hold her precious boy."

Seeing his mom, Henry smiled for the first time that day.

Back in her room, Molly joined Mia. "Nowadays, it feels like the whole family's heart is set on Henry."

Mia laughed, checking Henry's ear temperature and asking how his day had been.

"He's been fussy, crying after short naps," Molly summarized.

But nestled in his mother's arms, Henry drank his milk and fell asleep.

"Did Andre call today?"

Molly nodded, "Yeah, he did. And Chad called a bunch too, all worried about the little guy."

Holding her son, Mia finally felt at ease.

"Mia, why don't you lay him down and rest a bit yourself?"

Knowing her son too well, Mia replied, "No, let's just cuddle for a while. He's not feeling well, might as well spoil him a bit."

In his mother's embrace, Henry slept peacefully.

Later, Andre called home again to check in. Learning that Mia had returned and Henry was asleep, he instructed, "Dad, can you ask the kitchen to prepare something for Mia to eat? She missed lunch because she was arranging her classes to come home early." Hearing this, Hansen immediately expressed his concern in his usual gruff manner, "That Mia, why didn't she say anything earlier? If she had, we could've had something ready by now. Hang on, I'll go talk to the kitchen right away."

As dinner was served, Mia remembered she hadn't eaten all day and joked, "Henry's been crying so much, I forgot all about being hungry. If anyone wants a surefire diet plan, just have a baby. That'll do the trick." She then playfully glanced at Molly. "Why are you looking at me? I'm not having kids!" Jade retorted, turning her face away.

Hansen added, "You're the one always talking about needing to diet."

Jade stubbornly replied, "...Well, if I want to lose weight, I'll just babysit Mia's son."

Molly held Henry, allowing Mia to eat. But as they were about to switch, Henry stirred again, "Never mind, I'll eat with him in my arms. Might as well take my time."

After wrapping up the meeting, Noah approached Andre. "Sir, the meeting's over. Many from the management team are hoping to dine with you."

Putting on his coat and grabbing his keys, Andre declined, "I'll pass tonight. My son's been sick these past few days, and it's been all on Mia. I'll head home early for once, help her out with the little one."

"How's Henry?" Noah asked, concerned.

Andre waited for the elevator, "Caught a cold with the recent drop in temperature. Mia and I weren't careful enough. He's been running a fever."

The elevator dinged, and Andre stepped in. "Cover for me at the party tonight, will you? Dinner's on the company tonight."

"Understood, boss."

Leo was busy sorting through meeting notes, glancing at the clock every so often. He couldn't afford to lose track of time again and forget to pick up Anya.

Just after five, Leo gathered his papers and stood up, ready to slip out for a bit.

"Leo, where you off to?" Noah called out.