Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 593

"Can you believe the in-laws actually gave their blessing?"

Chad thought of his little nephew. "I've got an insider in the Cedillo family. From now on, I've got my nephew's back."

...

Back at the sprawling Maplewood Estates, no matter where Mia tried to hide with the baby at night, Andre had an uncanny knack for finding them. And then, without hesitation, he'd scoop them both up and carry them out.

It had taken Leo several days to gather the necessary intel. That afternoon, he brought Anya along to Maplewood Estates.

In the living room, Andre was the picture of domesticity. By day, he was a doting father, lavishing love on his son, carrying him around the house. He patiently bottle-fed the baby, coaxing him to get used to the formula one sip at a time.

But at night, Andre turned into the stern patriarch, tossing the toddler into the next room to ensure his evenings remained undisturbed.

Anya had come over too, and upon arrival, she squatted in front of Andre, eager to catch up with the little one she hadn't seen in days. "Uncle, where's Auntie?"

Andre, realizing his wife had slept enough, called out to the housekeeper, "Mrs. Hughes, would you wake the lady of the house, please?"

When both Mia and Anya joined him, Andre knew Leo must have news. Mia came downstairs, yawning, and Andre handed over the baby. "Play with Anya in the living room. Leo and I need to talk in the study."

Leo stood and followed Andre to the study of Maplewood Estates, which was far more spacious and imposing than their home office, complete with a grand conference room.

Maplewood Estates combined Andre's personal and professional spaces into one colossal domain, so vast he seldom needed to visit the company's office. "Got something for me?"

Leo nodded, having stayed up nights and narrowly escaping detection and pursuit to unlock all the Walker family's records. "Uncle, this is what Anya's friend passed to me. I've skimmed through it. They've hired a hitman twice, tracked us three times. Their chat logs show they've been probing the Cedillo family's internal affairs and our brotherly bonds. They've even looked into my profile, but of course, they found nothing.

The year you married Mia, the Cedillo Group came under their scrutiny.

Their edge over us in the last bid was due to a price war-they had more volume. This has records of illegal purchases through the dark web, intending to push our family out of the international market.

I also had them check on Tom, but no trace."

Andre flipped through the file, filled with English text, and asked Leo, "Did they spot you?"

Leo shook his head. "All clear, managed to shake them off."

Andre looked at his nephew, a newfound respect in his eyes. The boy's audacity to hack the dark web and evade its 'watchers' had taken him by surprise.

"What's the plan, uncle?"

Andre replied, "I'll take it from here. You can go."

The information Leo provided was more than useful. As he prepared to leave, Andre called out, "Thank my niece's friend again, will you? Pay him a little extra. Noah will transfer the funds directly to your account." "Uh, sure."

After Leo left, he found Mia, who was struggling with her sleep schedule. "How are you going to manage when classes start?"

Mia yawned. "I'll adjust, gradually."

Leo picked up the little one, missing him after days apart.

The old man had been furious when they left, but now he longed for the little bundle of joy.

He'd grumble every day, "Why doesn't Mia come to visit?"

Leo cradled the baby upright against his chest, his embrace looking mighty comfortable. The infant turned his face to rest on his uncle's shoulder, with Aunt Anya beside them, trying to coax a smile. Upstairs, Andre reviewed all the information Leo had given him. He called the head of the international division, "How much did the Walker family move last quarter?"

"Sir, they did 360 tons; we did 280," the division head replied, his voice taut with the pressure of a direct call from the CEO, not a comfortable conference call. He didn't dare waste words, fearing repercussions.

The manager quickly relayed the reasons discussed in the last meeting. "First, the Walker family undercut our prices, stealing our customers. Second, being a local company, they've been promoting a rivalry with us. Also, old Walker lured away one of our core teams. We're currently in litigation over it."

Andre was well aware of these reasons. He instructed, "Drop our prices by 12%, shave the profits, and get close to the Walker family. If you can't handle the PR, we'll send someone from headquarters!"

A dispatch from headquarters meant someone in the division might get the sack, a problem escalated to the point where the main office had to intervene.

Andre continued, "As for the team that defected, blacklist them in the industry. Make sure they can't go anywhere but the Walker family's own businesses. No Cedillo Group subsidiary or investment firm anywhere in the world is to hire them."

The division head nervously cautioned, "Sir, such a drastic price cut is risky."

Andre's order was firm. "Do it."

"Yes, sir."

Andre hung up and stood; it was time for dinner. He had to join his wife and little boy at the table.

Leo and Anya prepared to leave, but the hosts insisted they stay for the meal.

Throughout dinner, Andre mentioned. "Leo, take some time off. Entertain Anya for a few days. Once she's back in school, you can return to the office."

But Leo remained noncommittal.

Mia, sensing the tension between uncle and nephew, quickly changed the subject.

The baby lay content in his father's arms, asleep and oblivious to comfort but undoubtedly in bliss.

In the evening, Leo and Anya departed.

Andre returned to his study.

A couple of days later, the feedback from the price drop came in.

"Sir, although we matched the Walker family's volume, our actual profits have taken a significant hit," reported the international division head.

Andre leaned back in his leather chair, a smirk playing on his lips as he said, "Drop our prices by an additional 3% based on the current rates."

The executives in the room exchanged stunned glances.

"Boss, that's not a rational move," one of the senior managers protested.

But Andre was the picture of calm. "At the same time, limit the supply on the market to no more than 10 tons. Get in touch with the PR department. If our competitor doesn't seize this opportunity to counterattack, then it's time to pull the plug on him." "Understood, boss! I'll get the orders out right away."

The realization of Andre's strategy dawned on the senior manager belatedly, only after the boss had elucidated the plan.

With renewed enthusiasm, the manager announced the price drop. Customers, catching wind of the deal, flocked directly to Cedillo Inc.'s stores. The company, a rock-solid behemoth in the industry, quickly saw a surge of clients at its international branches. The first day, a fleet of unmarked cars staked out the vicinity of The Cedillo Group's subsidiaries. From within one of these vehicles, an elderly man watched the scene unfold with the keen eyes of a hawk, not bothering to roll down the windows. The following day, Walker Corporation retaliated with a price drop of their own.

It became clear to all; the Walker family had thrown down the gauntlet at Cedillo Inc.'s feet.

It was the classic case of two rivals clashing, to the benefit of the onlookers. No one could resist the allure of bargain prices, and they scrambled to take advantage of the offers.

"Boss, the Walker family has slashed their prices to the bone. They're barely making a profit," reported one of the managers from overseas.

Andre replied nonchalantly. "In three days, revert our prices back to normal. Don't bother me with trivial matters for the next few days. My wife's starting school, and I need to help her pick up some essentials and get her registration sorted out." The manager stood there, slack-jawed in disbelief at the boss's composure amidst the corporate maelstrom.