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?"

just got over a spat

only later that Mia learned Molly had been back for a while, only to

was ready, and it was forced onto

the ring on her middle finger. "Molly, we used to mock

sighed. "He thinks it's romantic, making a once-in-a-lifetime gesture with this custom ring, buying into their slogan about loving me for a

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

preparing to hand him over for feeding, paused to eavesdrop on his wife's

a major shopping mall, Andre appeared, cuddling a well-wrapped little

way to a DR jewelry counter. The crowd huddled around the display, but when he appeared,

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

the rings, ignoring the stunned onlookers as he held his son close and

then taken out by his father,

caught the attention of

you looking at rings

for my wife," Andre replied

glanced at the little tyke in Andre's arms, a bit incredulous. "And this would be...

succinctly,

astounded. This adorable little bundle was Andre's son? But it made sense; only a precious few would

rings, usually with their wives at their side. This was the first time seeing

sell

that's our unique selling

he was in the right place. He pointed

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

little one

settled on a 70-point

the little one exclaimed from Andre's

ring under the light. "We'll take this

one cooed in agreement

ID and bank

managed to sign his wife's information with one hand. A simple action that caused quite a stir that

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

at the Cedillo