Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance novel Chapter 209

Andre set his bowl down, then got up and headed to the kitchen. He scooped up some sugar and stirred it into the soup.

Waiting for all the sugar to dissolve, he gave the soup a stir with a spoon and then took a sip to taste for his wife. It didn't taste so hard to swallow anymore. So, he picked up the bowl and placed it in front of his wife, saying, “Babe, this should taste better now. Open your mouth and take a sip.”

Mia looked at her husband's gentle actions, and her heart melted. It was just a bowl of soup after all, so why not just drink it.

She held the bowl with both hands, brought it to her lips, and then tilted her head back to drink it all in one go. Even with the added sugar, it still tasted awful. She made a face, sticking out her tongue.

Andre stroked his wife's head and then leaned in, planting a kiss on her lips right there in the dining room.

The kiss was brief, “Let’s head back.” He could do whatever he wanted in his own home.

Mia, as if hypnotized, was completely lost in her husband's tenderness and allowed him to lead her into the bedroom. That night, Andre was a bit rougher with his wife, “How dare you make me jealous by seeing other men?”

Mia moaned pitifully, incessantly apologizing until he finally let go.

After enduring a painful lesson, Mia swore to her husband in bed that she would never upset him with her words again. All sweaty, Mia nodded in agreement, “I’ll behave.”

Andre was much gentler with her this time.

Mia used her experience to warn all single women that marriage was not as wonderful as it may seem, and not to harbor too many expectations.

After everything was over, Mia's breath was hot, and for a moment she even wanted to kick her husband. But she didn't voice this out, only imagining it in her head.

Her life was already difficult enough, and she didn't even notice Jade's recent changes.

She began asking Chad to see the family’s photo albums. Each time she saw a picture of the child, she would stare at it for a long time, only snapping back to reality when someone called her.

In the photos, she was posing with a dog and also playing in a wheat field. But in her memory, her family never allowed pets, and she had never been to a wheat field.

Jade seemed distracted during meals, which Chad noticed. He kept his sister's strange behavior in mind, but didn't say anything.

That night, Jade fell asleep. Chad took advantage of the night and went to his father's study. He rubbed his temples, then sat down with his father, “Dad, I think we should tell her the truth. Jade probably already knows something.”

Mr. Kendrick lit a cigarette in the study, and soon, the whole room was shrouded in smoke.

“Your mother doesn’t know about this yet. I worry that she won’t be able to handle it.”

“We’ve taken up fifteen years of her life already, and Jade deserves to know the truth. She's been our stand-in for fifteen years. It's enough. If the Cedillo family comes looking for us, I worry that not just my mom, but Jade too would not be able to handle it.”

If one day, some people came to the house and told her that she were not their child. The once happy home, the parents she deeply loved, and a brother who treasured her like a gem, the life she once lived like a little princess was all a lie.

Chad couldn't imagine how their family would change. He negotiated a month’s time from Andre for them to properly say their goodbyes to Jade.

Chad lit a cigarette from the pack on his father's desk and began to smoke in agitation.

Mr. Kendrick also secretly met with Andre to discuss their daughter’s situation. The whole family loved Jade like their own child and never let her suffer in any way. Even thoufh they initially treated her as a stand-in for their daughter, they later accepted the fact that their real daughter had passed away and treated Jade as their own.

“Chad, I can’t let go of my daughter either.”

Chad sighed, “But she’s Molly.”

The knock on the door made Chad and Mr. Kendrick tense up, "Who is it?"

Coleen pushed the door and walked in. Her eyes were red as she looked at her husband and son.

“Mia, don’t go.” Coleen tried to keep Mia with her.

Andre said, “Coleen, this is adult business. Let’s not involve the kids.”He looked at his wife, signaling her with his eyes to go on ahead.

Mia said, “Honey, I…”

“Go to class, this isn’t something you can handle.”

"I'm not a kid," Mia stubbornly returned to her husband's side, her small hand hooked onto his arm, wanting to stay with him.

He treated her like his wife at night, but said she was just a kid in the day. Mia found her husband's behavior to be quite contradictory.

Andre tried to comfort her, "Go keep Jade company."

Without a second thought, Mia passed the buck to Leo, "You go keep Jade company."

Scratching his neck awkwardly, Leo decided to play it cool for now. In the classroom, he walked over to Jade, "Jade, what's been eating you lately?"

"I'm fine."

"Your mom's company isn't in hot water, is it?"

The look on Coleen's face was a dead giveaway that the Byrne family was in the soup. Leo suspected that it was about the company, and that was why Coleen came running to Andre for help. And everyone knew Andre valued his wife's opinion big time. Jade's mother asked Mia to stay with the intention of having her assist the family company for the sake of Jade.

With Jade being down in the dumps lately, she probably knew the situation at home. She was worried about her folks and too embarrassed to face her friends.

Leo felt like he'd got it all figured out, seeing through the smoke and mirrors to the heart of the matter. He thought he was some kind of a genius.