Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance novel Chapter 561

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?"

"Nope, Dad pocketed the dowry himself; he couldn't refuse. Your eldest brother has Naomi to keep him in check, and Andre just got over a spat with me and doesn't dare stir things up again. So, everyone's just going with it now."

Molly regretted it. "I knelt this afternoon for nothing."

It was only later that Mia learned Molly had been back for a while, only to be scared into accepting her punishment.

Jade's ring was ready, and it was forced onto her hand.

Mia grabbed her hand and examined the ring on her middle finger. "Molly, we used to mock the marketing of this brand, but Chad fell for it."

Molly 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 lifetime. How could a cop fall for such a trick?"

Mia mused, "At least you got a diamond ring. I still don't understand why Andre spent a fortune on a glass mug for me."

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

The next day at a major shopping mall, Andre appeared, cuddling a well-wrapped little bundle of joy.

He made his way to a DR jewelry counter. The crowd huddled around the display, but when he appeared, everyone held their breath, questioning if it was truly him.

Even the sales associate froze in shock. Was that Andre holding a child? Andre, of all people, looking at rings?

Andre seemed genuinely interested in the rings, ignoring the stunned onlookers as he held his son close and examined the display.

His son, dressed festively by his mother and then taken out by his father, was a sight to see.

Andre's arrival caught the attention of the manager.

"Andre, sir, who are you looking at rings for?" the manager inquired.

Molly looked at Mia in bewilderment. "Where's your son?"

Mia, missing her son after just a short while, replied gloomily, "My husband said he had to run an errand and took him along. They haven't returned yet."

Molly was puzzled. "What kind of errand can Henry help with? He's just a baby."

Mia was just as clueless. "I don't know. My husband insisted on taking him, and what could I do?"

Before long, Andre was back, holding a conspicuous gift box.

The inscription was clear: A man's once-in-a-lifetime choice.

Mia was petrified.

Don't tell her that her husband had gone out to buy her this thing!

Molly was just as stunned. She recognized that packaging all too well. "Mia, Andre didn't use your son's quota, did he?"

Mia: "..."

Andre stepped forward, handing the ring to his wife. "It's sized for your ring finger."

Mia blinked, not quite grasping the situation.

Andre added, "I picked it out with our son."

"Ah! Umm-ya!"

The little one made his presence known with gusto.

Molly snatched the ring from her dazed bestie's hand, understanding all too well that level of shock. After all, she had been rendered speechless herself when Chad got down on one knee in front of her.

Flipping open the Commitment Contract, Molly scanned the names inscribed within, then handed it over to Mia with a wry smile. "Wrong guess, girl. The promiser here is my Andre; the promisee is you."

Mia bowed her head to study the names of the couple on the Commitment Contract, her emotions brewing under the surface for a long moment before she finally exhaled three words with a mix of exasperation and affection, "Classic Mr. Straightforward!"