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 with me and doesn't dare stir things up again. So,

had been back for a while, only to be

ready, and it was forced onto her

we used to mock the marketing of this brand,

"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 lifetime. How could a

don't understand why

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

next day at a major shopping mall, Andre appeared, cuddling

crowd huddled around the display, but when he appeared, everyone held their breath, questioning if it was

Was that Andre holding a child?

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

by his mother and then taken out by his father, was

the attention of the

looking at rings for?" the manager

for my wife," Andre

in Andre's arms, a bit incredulous. "And this would

answered succinctly,

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

come to buy engagement rings, usually with their wives at their side. This was the first time seeing someone pick out a ring for his wife while holding his son-and that someone was Andre! Indeed, the

sell

Andre, that's our unique selling

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

a moment, then lifted his son up to get his opinion. "Would

one was

and son both settled on a 70-point round diamond ring they

Ah-ah!" the little one exclaimed from Andre's

ring under the light. "We'll

little one cooed in

choice, Andre pulled out his ID and bank card. "We'll go with this

holding his son, Andre managed to sign his wife's information

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

at the Cedillo