Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Molly slouched into her family's suburban home, her head hanging low. As soon as she stepped through the door, she locked eyes with her dad, Hansen. Father and daughter stared at each other, a heavy silence between them.

It was that damned fate - you always run into the person you least want to see.

"Dad, there's no such thing as a grudge that can't be mended between father and daughter, right?" Molly ventured.

"There is," Hansen replied curtly.

Jade was at a loss for words; why wasn't her dad following the script?

"Should I... go kneel in front of mom's portrait for a while?" Molly asked tentatively.

"Do that."

Jade: ""

She realized then, the whole 'like father, like daughter' thing was in full swing in the Cedillo household.

Defeated, Molly trudged upstairs and knelt before her late mother's photo.

So engrossed was she in her act of penance that her sisters didn't even notice she was home.

It wasn't until dinner when an extra plate appeared on the table that one of her sisters remarked, "Huh, when did you get back?" She had spent the whole afternoon in her room, video-calling her kids and Anya, oblivious to her best friend's return. Molly felt drained, too scared to speak up.

Andre had returned as well and was holding his mischievous son during dinner.

At the table, Molly didn't dare lift her head to meet her family's gaze.

However, the family didn't scold her again, and everyone dispersed after the meal.

Hansen had calmed down and had started to accept the situation.

Bruce, nagged by his wife, had also come around.

And Andre... had been forced to let it go.

Molly was uneasy. "Mia, do you think Dad and my brothers are just holding their breath, waiting to drop some big bombshell?"

a spat with me and doesn't dare stir things up again. So, everyone's just going with it

had been back for a

ready, and it was forced onto her

we used to

it's romantic, making a once-in-a-lifetime gesture with this custom ring, buying into their slogan about loving me for a lifetime. How could a cop

ring. I still don't understand why Andre spent a fortune on a

staircase, Andre, carrying his now-awake son and preparing to hand him over for feeding, paused to eavesdrop on his wife's playful

at a major shopping mall, Andre appeared,

made his way to a DR jewelry counter. The crowd huddled around the display, but when he appeared, everyone held their

in shock. Was that Andre holding a child? Andre,

in the rings, ignoring the stunned onlookers as he held his

by his mother and then taken

caught the attention of the

looking at

buying for my wife," Andre

tyke in Andre's arms, a

succinctly,

bundle was Andre's son? But it made sense; only a precious few

first time seeing someone pick out a ring for his

only sell one ring

Andre, that's our unique

was in the right place. He pointed to a ring, silently conveying his

carefully presented the ring. Andre considered it for a moment, then lifted his son up to get his opinion. "Would this

one was

son both settled on a 70-point round diamond ring they couldn't take their

one exclaimed from

held the ring under the light. "We'll take this for your mom,

chance, the little one cooed in

made their choice, Andre pulled out his ID and

his wife's information with one hand. A simple action that caused quite

after all, as someone's baby, he had no say in how he was

the