Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 513

Jade left, clutching the shirt she had scavenged. Upstairs, Vivian peered through the window, her gaze venomous as she watched Molly walk away. A smug smile played at her lips. "Molly, you won't be smiling for long." Back at home, Jade, who had never dirtied her hands with chores, surprisingly took it upon herself to scrub the clothes clean.

As dusk fell, Chad walked in to find Coleen recounting the day's chaotic events. "She turned your room upside down; spent an hour and a half scrubbing your shirts; had a shouting match with Mia on the phone, tearing into Vivian; chatted with a sleeping Henry for a good while; then, when she was angry enough, she ordered a massive serving of Buffalo wings and devoured it all by herself; talked herself weary, ate herself full, and went upstairs to crash. Oh, and she nearly set the kitchen on fire around noon."

Chad raised an eyebrow. "Didn't study at all today?"

Coleen sighed. "Didn't even crack open a book."

Chad trudged upstairs, heading straight for Molly's room.

Soon enough, Molly's room echoed with her loud apologies. "Bro, I know I didn't study, but I... Ah! I'm wrong, I'll get up and hit the books now, please don't be mad."

Coleen shook her head. It always fell on her son to rein in Molly's wild temper.

In her bedroom, Molly sat in her pajamas, hair haphazardly tied up, grabbing a random book off the shelf. "I swear, I'll burn the midnight oil tonight."

Chad pulled up a chair next to her, tapping impatiently on her desk. "I'm watching you study tonight! You're an adult; can't you prioritize your responsibilities?"

Molly hadn't even scribbled a word when she turned to Chad, "Bro, today I..."

"Study!"

Biting her lip, Molly pressed down on Chad's hands, which looked ready to strike at any moment. "I went to find... Ah! Studying, studying." Molly flinched as Chad raised his hand, then quickly settled down to her haphazard revision. Chad sat beside her, a scene reminiscent of their childhood when he would supervise her homework after she'd been caught watching cartoons instead of studying.

Shortly after, Chad's phone rang.

Before he could react, Molly's eyes darted toward the pocket where his phone was. "Bro, who's calling?"

Chad glared at his ever-curious sister.

Molly turned back to her books, mumbling, "Back to studying, not saying a word."

Chad stepped over to the window to take the call. "Yeah, talk to me. I'm not busy, just overseeing Molly's revision. Finals are coming, and she's still acting like a kid. If I'm not sitting beside her, she won't study." Molly covered her ears, pretending not to hear.

Chad glanced at her childish behavior and continued speaking to the caller. "I'll send you Bob's number; he can help you guys out."

After hanging up, Chad returned to his seat and chided her. "Hands down, study."

"Okay."

Molly could still hear him, even with her ears covered.

Night fell early in winter, and by seven, it was pitch black.

The Byrne family was having dinner when two police officers suddenly appeared at their door.

The Byrnes were clueless, all except Molly, who kept eating as if it didn't concern her.

"Who are you looking for?" Chad inquired.

The officers were courteous. "Officer Chad, we need Molly to come down to the station with us."

Jade, engrossed in her meal: "Me?"

Molly, mid-bite, accompanied Chad to the familiar precinct.

"So, Vivian's place caught fire?" Molly perked up at the station. "That's great news."

Chad shot her a look, and she immediately fell silent.

At the station, she followed the investigation, while Chad sought details.

"Officer Chad, it was arson. The fire spread in an old neighborhood with narrow streets, complicating the rescue. Three were injured; two are at the hospital, and one, the tenant Vivian, is being questioned." Chad asked, "Is she hurt badly?"

The subordinate replied, "Unconscious. When she came to, she claimed the last person she saw was Molly. And someone confirmed Molly visited her in the afternoon, alleging Molly threatened to burn her alive."

"What? I threatened to burn her?" Molly, fearless with her brother outside, faced the questioning officer. "Officer Xu..."

"Cough!" The interrogating officer coughed to remind her of the recording. "You can call me 'big bro' off the record, but not today."

Molly quickly corrected herself. "Officer Xu, I did see her this afternoon, but that was because Vivian stole my brother's shirt. I went to retrieve it. I never said those words. I was raised by the people's servant; would I break the law? Let her face me, and we'll sort it out." When Vivian saw Chad, she approached him tearfully. "Chad, I'm so scared, I can't believe it would be Molly."

Chad said, "Neither do I. If she really wanted to kill someone, she wouldn't be so childish about it."

Vivian stood by Chad, tearfully apologizing. "Chad, I'm sorry. The police told me to tell the truth, that's when I... I'm sorry, Molly."

Chad sat outside the interrogation room, unable to see what was happening but not worried about his sister - she knew everyone here!

In half an hour, Molly came out.

Spotting the soot-covered Vivian, Molly impulsively dashed forward but collided into Chad's open arms instead. "Bro~"

"What were you about to do?" Chad eyed her impulsively.

"I was going to... the restroom." She had almost lost her composure in the precinct.

A police officer approached Vivian. "Are you sure Molly said she'd burn you alive? Remember, making false accusations is also a crime!"

Vivian swallowed hard, her voice barely above a whisper. "Yes, I'm sure."

The officer pressed further. "Did you take Officer Chad's clothes by any chance?"

Chad glanced over at his sister, whose hand he was holding protectively. Molly had been tight-lipped until now, but she finally spilled everything. "Vivian stole the shirt I embroidered for you back in middle school. That's why I went to confront her." Accused of theft, Vivian's voice cracked as she vehemently denied it. "I didn't steal anything, Molly's framing me!"

Molly clenched her fists, barely containing the urge to lash out physically.