Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Not long after they left, Andre came back home.

His father-in-law had dropped by, and despite rushing, Andre missed seeing him.

Mia, snuggling up to him, said playfully, "No worries, my parents said we're all family, no need to stand on ceremony."

Hansen chimed in with a knowing nod, "Andre, your father-in-law is quite a character."

Curious, Mia asked, "What do you mean, Dad?"

Hansen, with his wealth of experience in politics and business, admired such people greatly and knew exactly what he meant by the goodwill gesture from the Irvin family.

That afternoon, Andre decided to skip going to the office, prompting Mia to gently tease him, "Honey, shouldn't you be off making some money?"

Feeling a bit uneasy, Andre asked, "What are you up to that you don't want me knowing?"

"Nothing at all! Even with one hand, I couldn't beat Dad in a fight, so what could I possibly do?" Mia protested her innocence, then added, "I'll come with you to the office if you don't believe me." Andre frowned, his suspicion growing.

Hansen quietly excused himself, "I'm heading up for a nap."

He made his way upstairs.

Naomi handed a bottle to her little nephew, smiling as she took the baby from Mia. "Henry, Auntie's got you," she cooed.

The baby was unfazed by all the attention.

Andre turned to Mia, "Where's Molly?"

"No idea. But don't worry, Molly's been staying with the Byrnes lately. Our chats are totally innocent," Mia reassured him, even showing her chat history to prove it. Andre decided, "You're coming to the office with me."

"What about our son?"

"We'll leave him here."

Leaving their son at home, the couple headed out.

After they left, Hansen received a message from his daughter-in-law and quietly slipped out of the house.

At the office, Andre was working but couldn't help glancing at his wife, who was lounging around. "Why did you come with me?" he asked.

"To keep you company," she replied.

Still feeling uneasy, Andre called Chad Byrne, who didn't pick up at first, but soon called back after stepping out of a meeting. "Andre, I was in a meeting. What's up?" "Keep Molly from coming back for a bit."

"...Alright!"

Remembering something, Andre asked, "There's an officer named Annie in your meeting. Can you check if she's being transferred back to Havenbrook?" Chad frowned, "She's transferring back to Havenbrook? Why?"

Andre simply said, "Helping a friend."

"I'll ask Easton tonight. Heading back into the meeting now, Andre. I'll keep an eye on Molly."

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

Jade was the one caught off guard by this whole situation. Molly Cedillo had no idea why Chad suddenly became so strict with her. It was perplexing.

After ending the call, Mia, who had overheard the conversation, muttered to herself, "Always assuming the worst." She busied herself watering the plants, grumbling, "And now he's even stopping us sisters from meeting up." She gave another squeeze of the spray bottle. "What's meant to happen will happen," she sighed, giving the bottle another squeeze.

Andre warned her, "You're going to drown that money plant."

Mia looked surprised, "What? Honey, that's a money plant?"

She quickly put down the spray bottle and grabbed a little trowel to loosen the soil. "Oops, my bad, overwatered it."

Andre chuckled, finding comfort in her presence while he worked.

Before heading to a meeting, he noticed her studying another plant by the window and reminded her, "Mia, those kumquats aren't for eating, just for looking."

Mia turned around, "Oh, I won't eat them."

Before stepping out, Andre reiterated, "Seriously, don't eat them."

As soon as the door closed, Mia couldn't resist. She bit her lip and quickly plucked a kumquat, "What's this taste like anyway?"

She popped it into her mouth out of sheer curiosity.

Watching from his phone's office surveillance, Andre finally understood where their son got his quick reflexes.

"Yuck, it's so bitter," she grimaced, quickly wrapping the kumquat in a tissue and tossing it in the trash, then taking a sip from Andre's water cup to wash down the taste.

Andre chuckled affectionately. Noah walked over, "What did Mrs. get up to that's made you so happy, sir?"

Andre just replied, "She's being cheeky."

Noah was puzzled. Why would the boss be happy about that? Married folks were a mystery to singles.

Chad kept Andre's words in mind, "Zisheng, you head back first. I need to make a stop at the station." Donnie nodded, "Alright, see you."

Chad nodded in return.

Since their talk, Annie and Chad had only exchanged nods, keeping things professional. "Officer Chad, you're friends with Annie. Why don't you have lunch together?" a colleague asked during a meeting. "Married folks should keep a respectful distance unless it's work-related. Got it?"

"Wow, Officer Chad's married? To a colleague?"

Annie corrected, "To a wealthy heiress, Andre's sister."

The colleague realized, "So that's why he's so confident. He's afraid of no one."

Annie remarked, "You're underestimating him."

As the meeting wrapped up, Chad caught up with Easton, "So, Annie wants to transfer here?"

"You knew?" Easton held her application, "It just needs a stamp. Newtown approved her transfer."

Chad looked over her application, paying close attention to the official reason before handing it back.

“What's the deal, Chad?"

Chad shook his head, feeling uneasy about his ex moving closer. "Thanks, but let's hold off on the stamp. I've got to pick up Molly from work."

"Officer Chad's become Molly's personal chauffeur."

Chad responded, "I've been her driver since I got my license.”

Back in his car, Chad checked the police database for contact info and found Annie's number. He dialed it.

At the hotel, Annie's phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, she recognized the number instantly despite the years. "Hello? Chad."

Chad was taken aback. He hadn't even spoken, but she knew it was him...

Annie felt a pang of regret for speaking too soon, unsure how to explain.

Resting his elbow on the car window, Chad took a deep breath, "I heard you're transferring to Havenbrook. Why?"

"You've heard already? I'm here to learn."

Chad, feeling a bit frustrated, organized his thoughts. "Annie, if you're genuinely here to study, I won't interfere. But if there are other reasons, please reconsider."