Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 564

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Molly watched Mia juggling her toddler and scrolling through her phone. She leaned over, her voice filled with concern, "Mia, maybe you should put the phone down for a bit."

"Why should I?" Mia chuckled, eyes still glued to the screen. "People are calling my husband a saint, saying Max is so cute they'd kidnap him if they could, and they're calling me beautiful. How can I not read this?" Mia knew what worried her friend. With a carefree shrug, she added, "The only thing that would bother me is if Max's pictures got out there. But they're all off the net now. What else is there to worry about?" Molly remembered how the online community had once falsely accused them, turning their whole town into a spectacle. Mia had been unbothered then too, even comforting Molly and her husband, Leo. Speaking of Leo, Molly suddenly realized someone was missing. "Hey, where's our Leo?"

Mia looked up from her phone. "Yeah, where is he?"

Back at the Cedillo household, young Leo waltzed in, twirling his keys on a keychain.

His mom, Naomi, was waiting for him, impatient and worried. As soon as she spotted him, she grabbed his arm. "Where have you been all day? Did you see the news?"

Leo almost tripped over from his mother's strong grip. "Of course, I saw it. I wouldn't miss such a big deal."

Breaking free, he complained, "I spent the afternoon in your cafe, going at it on two computers. My fingers are cramping from all the typing." He stretched out his hands for his mom to see, the very picture of a martyr. Naomi looked at her son with a mix of exasperation and disbelief. "How did I ever end up with someone like you?"

The room was heated, and Molly and Anya watched in disbelief. Online feuds were a thing for them, but Naomi found herself torn between pride and concern.

Leo sheepishly withdrew his hands. "You only got me, Mom, and you're not having any more kids."

As Naomi raised her hand to smack her cheeky son, he nimbly dodged her, his height and long legs to his advantage.

"Why'd you even come back?" Naomi was at her wit's end.

Leo, ever the provocateur, answered simply, "I came back for dinner."

That only made Naomi angrier.

Just then, Bruce, Leo's dad, walked in from work. He was a quiet man but, upon seeing his son upsetting his wife, he gave Leo a surprise slap on the back in solidarity with Naomi.

Leo was stunned. "Dad, sneak attacks are not the way of a gentleman."

Bruce couldn't help but laugh at his successful intervention. "Gentleman? You're in your twenties and still getting on your mom's nerves."

Naomi's mood lifted at her husband's support, and she smiled.

Mia and Molly, coming downstairs, witnessed the family's dynamic. Mia mused, "If in twenty years, Andre, Henry, and I can still get along like this, that wouldn't be too bad."

Molly had to point out the obvious. "Naomi's family squabbles are cute, but if your family 'squabbles', it'll be a show of force."

Mia looked down at her baby, who had just woken up and was yawning adorably. "Andre and I aren't planning to teach him boxing."

Jade weighed in, "Whether he learns it or not isn't the point. With genetics like his, I bet he'll be just fine."

Mia fell silent.

Dinnertime rolled around, and Andre joined them from his study.

Little Henry, newly awake, had been passed from Uncle Bruce to Aunt Naomi, and finally to his grandpa. When Andre came down, he smoothly took his son back, familiar and wordless. Henry, back in his dad's arms, kicked and waved his little limbs in sheer joy.

As the family gathered for dinner, even Henry, who couldn't eat, had his own way of making his presence felt.

Leo noticed Molly's ring and couldn't resist teasing, "Jade's rocking a bigger diamond than Mia's, huh?"

Hansen's eyes narrowed on his daughter's hand. "What's that about?"

Molly quickly hid her hand, her eyes flashing a silent threat. "Leo, are you tired of the good things in life or what?"

Leo scoffed at their rings. "I'll never understand you two, always fussing over the trivial."

From across the table, Mia fired back, "Brave words. Let's see if you stick to them when it's time to get something for Anya."

Leo shrugged off the taunt. "Anya's above these things... Wait, who said I'm getting anything for Anya?"

Molly teased him further, "Please, she wouldn't care less if you didn't. But did you know Anya has a new guy friend? A real whiz kid."

Leo's expression tightened, but he quickly resumed his casual demeanor, though his heart wasn't as light. "That's impossible. Anya barely has girl friends, let alone a guy. You're overestimating her." Jade couldn't resist the bait. "That guy helped Anya catch the troll this afternoon. He's some kind of hacker genius."

Leo's curiosity waned. "Oh."

Molly was unsatisfied with his reaction and pushed further, "Just wait till Anya marries that hacker instead of you."

Andre, holding his child, glanced at his nephew, expecting his reaction.

Leo just gave another nonchalant "Oh."

Molly frowned, puzzled. Why was Leo acting this way? Did he not care for Anya?

Mia propped her chin in her hand, eyeing her seemingly indifferent cousin. She knew Leo well enough to sense his feelings for Anya.

Finally, she ventured a guess. "Leo, this hacker friend of Anya's... it's not you, is it?"

Mia could almost always read Leo like an open book, but even then, she wasn't sure of the depths of his talents.

Leo's pupils shrank in an instant, and a hush fell over him.

The Cedillo family dinner table fell silent in a heartbeat.

All eyes turned to Leo, but Andre alone let his gaze drift towards his wife.

After a few seconds, Naomi was the first to break the silence. "Him? A hacker? Mia, honey, have you ever seen a couch potato crack codes?"

Hansen chimed in skeptically, "He can't even beat me at video games, and now he's a hacker? Has the bar really dropped that low?"