Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Once everything was set, Andre tried the setup himself, making sure it would give his son a lesson without actually hurting him. "Henry, come here," he called.noveldrama

Mia had drawn a picture of a power switch on a piece of paper, coaxing Henry over to touch it.

Gullible as always, Henry went for it-and the next second, his cries could be heard all over Maplewood Estates.

Andre picked his son up and took him to the real power outlet, guiding Henry's hand toward it. This time, Henry's face flushed as he cried even harder, yanking his hand back and looking at Mia, desperate for Mom to save him.

After that, Henry never tried to shut off Grandpa's computer, yank out Mom's charging cable, stomp on Dad's office power switch, or poke around the fridge's wiring again.

Meanwhile, Leo made the trek back to Willowtown every few days to see his girlfriend. Afternoons were spent holed up in her hotel room, and only late at night did he walk Anya home.

One time, Mr. Calder was home and, worried that Leo might take advantage of his daughter, decided to send his youngest son along as a chaperone. "Ash, go hang out with your sister."

That day at the hotel, Leo found his girlfriend cuddling her little brother. He couldn't help but think, My future father-in-law is a sly old fox-he's learned plenty from decades in business. There was no escaping the watchful eyes.

So Leo, now in full brother-in-law mode, ended up carrying Ash while strolling around town with Anya.

That evening, Leo dropped both siblings home early.

But not long after, Anya dashed out again, as carefree as ever.

Mr. Calder looked like he'd swallowed a bug, while Mrs. Calder just laughed. "Anya's grown up now. Let the kids live their own lives. Leo comes all this way every week just to see her, and you insist on sending a third wheel along as their chaperone."

"What's so great about dating anyway?" Mr. Calder grumbled.

Mrs. Calder grinned, poking at old wounds. "Yeah, says the man who, over twenty years ago, showed up at my door with flowers, picking a rainy day o purpose-standing outside like some lovesick hero from TV, just to get me to go out with him."

"Come on, don't bring up that embarrassing stuff. I'm a company chairman now-

it's undignified. Besides, that sort of thing was all the rage back then."

Mrs. Calder rolled her eyes with a smile, scooping up their son. "Come upstairs and help me bathe him. He's missed us all day."

When Leo finally walked Anya home, it was well past midnight.

Mr. Calder wanted to chat with his daughter, but Mrs. Calder pulled him away. "Isn't it good that her relationship is steady?"

Mr. Calder just couldn't stand the idea of his little princess becoming someone else's. He went to bed sulking, turned to face the wall.

Ash glanced at his dad, then at his mom.

Mrs. Calder whispered, "Ignore your father. The older he gets, the sillier he is. No matter what, your sister will always be the family's princess."

Meanwhile, at home, Coleen was busy working, with Molly showing up every day, learning right at her side.

Every brand dreams of going global of becoming that household name

overseas.

Chade Inc. was no different. Fashion was their main business, but they had other brands in the mix too.

At the moment, Chade Inc. had a presence in thirteen countries. Recently, they'd gotten a new

invitation. It sounded like a greatnet

chance, but if the mall's traffic

wasn't up to par or their own brand wasn't big enough, jumping in too quickly could actually drag down their image.

Coleen weighed the options. "Renaissance Mall was the best of the best decades ago. Then it got split up. Now it looks like it's making a comeback-but can it ever@eally get back to what it was?"

And then, there was another invitation: "The Collins family's commercial district is

the biggest and busiest spot in town. It's the safest bet, but..." Coleen frowned, leaving the rest unsaid.