Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 589

Anya shook her head, the bed a testament to a night's restlessness - one side crumpled where she'd lain, the other pristine and untouched.

"Naomi, check the guest rooms," Mia suggested, her tone filled with the trust built over a decade of friendship.

Leo's manners were ingrained in him, part of his very nature.

Naomi hurriedly checked each guest room until, finally, she found her son Leo, bundled up in blankets, fast asleep.

With a swift smack, Naomi woke him, "Leo, get up now!"

Leo jolted awake, his hair a wild mess, his eyes bloodshot from a night of vigilance.

The dark corners of the internet were a tangled web, and Leo had no idea how many players were in the game or how deep the waters he was wading into were. Choosing caution, he struck when defenses were lowest - at night. Anya had seen the light in his room the night before and knocked on his door to check on him.

At home, Leo didn't hide anything from Anya. After all, she always had his back.

When she learned he was pulling an all-nighter, Anya went downstairs, whipped up some pasta, and sliced some fruit to keep him company.

"Anya, who said I have a crush on you?" Leo asked abruptly as he ate.

An innocent Anya, nibbling on an orange slice, replied, "I didn't say that." She had already forgotten the conversation from the afternoon.

Setting his fork down, Leo wasn't letting it go, "This afternoon, you told your uncle that a hacker has a crush on you, and that you'd agree to anything they said. Since when am I so easy-going?"

Anya took another bite of her orange, then it clicked, "Oh, that. I only said it to save you. Any other excuse would've made my uncle suspicious. He wouldn't pry into his niece's love life."

With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she picked up another slice and continued to eat adorably.

Leo stirred his pasta, "So that's how it was."

He then chided Anya, "Eat less fruit; you're finishing what you cut for me."

Anya pouted, "I'll cut more for you after finishing these," she continued eating.

True to her word, Anya cut more fruit later on, sitting beside Leo, watching his fingers fly across the keyboard.

Anya had seen plenty of people glued to their computers before - either unattractive, overweight, or slouched - none as handsome as her Chad, with his good looks and charming demeanor. Lost in her fangirl moment, she watched Leo for a while.

"Stop staring and go to bed," Leo finally said.

But Anya stayed, determined to pull an all-nighter alongside Leo.

Eventually, she put on headphones and watched a movie to keep him company.

Later, bored by the movie, she fell asleep with her head on his desk.

When Leo turned and found her asleep, he stopped what he was doing and approached her.

He awkwardly attempted the princess carry, his first time doing so with a girl. He had only ever held two females in his life: four-year-old Anya and nineteen-year-old Anya.

Surprisingly, he found Anya light in his arms, "Didn't expect you to be this light. Looks like you've slimmed down."

He placed her gently on his bed, removed her headphones, turned off her phone, and went back to his tasks.

As dawn approached, Leo prepared to crash on his bed but stopped short upon remembering Anya was there. He scratched his head, remembering her presence the night before, covered her with a blanket, and left his room for the guest quarters. He was barely asleep when his relentless mother Naomi woke him with a metaphorical slap of reality.

"Mom, what the heck?" he muttered, feeling none of the supposed privilege of an only child.

Naomi was furious, "You kept Anya up all night gaming. It's bad enough you're picking up bad habits, but now you're dragging her down with you!"

Awakened, Anya quickly interjected, "No, no, Aunt Naomi, it was my idea. Chad didn't want me to stay up."

Naomi was unimpressed, "Don't make excuses for him."

While Naomi lectured her son in the guest room, Andre had finished his morning run and showered. Finding his little one awake and crying, he dressed the child haphazardly and went in search of Mia. "Mia?"

A passing maid pointed Mr. Andre in the right direction.

Andre, carrying his son, found Mia in the guest room. The baby recognized her scent and calmed in her arms.

Andre was then filled in on his nephew's lazy morning.

Unexpectedly, he indulged the behavior, "Naomi, let it be. Let Leo sleep a little longer."

Turning to Anya, Andre advised, "You should rest early too. If you don't adjust your routine before school starts, you'll be drained."

Anya nodded obediently, not daring to defy her uncle.

Naomi wanted to continue her lecture, but Andre interrupted, "Naomi, it's time for breakfast."

After everyone had left, Leo lay down to sleep but found himself wide awake, pondering his uncle's unusual behavior. Could his uncle know he was the hacker? The thought of his uncle's direct approach, the efficiency of their one-to-one conversation, and not involving Anya, all pointed to one thing - his uncle knew his secret identity.

Leo sat up, his mind racing with disbelief and confusion. "When did he find out? And why hasn't he exposed me?"

Or was it possible that his uncle didn't actually know?

Uncertain, Leo lay back down but sleep eluded him. His mind was a whirlwind of questions with no answers in sight.

Anya had been shadowing Molly as her little helper for the past few days, but today, she decided to play hooky.

Mia dropped a message, "Anya pulled an all-nighter playing video games with Leo, she's currently catching up on sleep at home."

Molly's curiosity peaked instantly, "Did something happen?"

"Even though you're about to tie the knot, I'd advise you to keep it innocent. Anya's still a kid," Mia replied, suddenly channeling her inner wise aunt.