Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 619

Little Billy stared at the video screen, momentarily taken aback as his dad's face appeared. His tiny tongue darted out, touching his lips before revealing a small, adorable pink tip that melted Andre's heart. Today, Billy seemed to be seeing a different version of his dad than he was used to.

Andre chuckled, "Don't you recognize Daddy anymore?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Billy's excitement grew, and he looked like he might just leap with joy.

Mia had a hard time holding onto her squirming son with one hand.

When Conner heard Andre's voice, he walked over, standing behind him with his hands clasped behind his back, leaning in to look at the lively little guy on the screen. "Son, take a look at your godfather." Faced with a stranger, Billy's excitement slowly faded, and he furrowed his brow, staring at the unfamiliar face.

Conner was puzzled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Naomi had prepared some water, and Mia was about to feed Billy. "Honey, it's time to give the baby some water. You and Conner finish up and come home early."

After a brief exchange, the two men ended the call.

Mia cuddled her little bundle of joy close and planted a big smooch on his soft, chubby cheek.

"Oooh la la," she cooed, unable to resist showering her "little toy" with affection. "Do you think your godfather came to see you?"

"Oooh la la," Billy echoed in his baby babble.

Even though Grandpa Hansen often seemed less than friendly towards his eldest grandson, when Leo was seriously hurt, he made it a point to show no favoritism. After fussing over his younger grandson, he marched over to Leo's bedroom. "Leo, stay in bed. Grandpa's going to apply some ointment himself."

Leo was skeptical. "Grandpa, you're not going to take this opportunity for revenge, are you?"

Hansen hesitated for a moment, genuinely considering the question. "Not this time."

Leo wasn't convinced. "No need to trouble yourself, Grandpa. I can manage on my own."

Despite Leo's refusal, the stubborn Hansen insisted on applying the ointment himself. Brandishing his cane, he threatened, "Lie down. I'm going to apply the ointment!"

Eventually, fearing his grandfather's cane, Leo shouted from upstairs, "I was only hurt in two places, but you're about to make it three."

Later, Leo's screams echoed from his room. "Grandpa, my leg wasn't broken before, but it's going to be if you keep hitting it with that cane!"

"Trust in Grandpa's home remedies. A little knocking and tapping on the leg's pressure points will get the blood flowing, and your leg will heal in no time. I'll give it a good rub later."

Leo yelled in protest. "Even if you've got a younger grandson now, you don't have to abuse the eldest like this."

It seemed like Leo took another beating. Anya couldn't bear to watch and quietly slipped away.

"Damn, Hansen, if you want to hold a great-grandson in your lifetime, you're going to have to rely on me! If you beat me to death, how do you expect your little grandson to make you a great-grandpa? Maybe in another life... ah." Downstairs, Mia held her precious little darling, casting an eye towards the pitiful cries from above.

Poor thing.

She exchanged a look with her adorably clueless son, finally remarking, "Your brother's got a point." The Cedillo family couldn't count on Henry. "Ah-"

After a while, Hansen stretched his limbs and, leaning on his cane, briskly made his way out the door.

That evening, Leo, now with a leg more seriously injured than before, limped downstairs for dinner.

Anya was the most concerned, adhering to the old saying, "You are what you eat." So she made Leo a dish of pork knuckles to help him recover.

Leo turned to see Mia and her baby son, who had been eyeing the pork knuckles eagerly. "Mia, when does Uncle get off work? I think I'll go to the office and work overtime."

At Cedillo Inc., Conner and Andre waited for news. "Why haven't we made a move yet?"

Conner, who had been making light of the situation earlier in the day, now took on a more serious demeanor as evening approached. "Don't we already know about the Walker family?"

Andre pondered. "Who bridged the gap?"

Conner was taken aback. "There's a middleman?"

As the sky outside turned from blue to dark, and the city lights began to illuminate the bustling metropolis, Andre found comfort in the cool, dark, and quiet atmosphere. He slightly turned his chair to face his friend. "One can't get in, the other can't get out. There's no trace of them on the dark web. The Walker family doesn't know about the feud between the Cedillo family and Finley, and they certainly don't know about Tom on the run. They can't contact each other.

Even if Tom somehow learned about the Walker family's restless movements and wanted to join forces, he'd need to make contact and collaborate. So, how did he make that contact? And how did they collaborate? Even with VPN technology, it's nearly impossible to replace Old Walker's private contact details on Mars, so how could Tom?

And what evidence did he provide to make the Walker family trust him?"

This was the most Andre had spoken all day, pondering the numerous doubts. The "bridge-builder" certainly wasn't clean! If they were going to act, they'd do it thoroughly and in one fell swoop.

Conner listened quietly, finally understanding why Andre had been hesitant to act.

It seemed they hadn't yet gotten to the root of the problem.

He remained in the office, waiting quietly. "Of all of us, you're the only one who's settled down."

Andre nudged him gently. "Don't be so resistant to the idea of meeting someone through family introductions. Your parents wouldn't set you up to fail. Look at me and Mia; if I had met her sooner and truly gotten to know her, Henry might even be walking by now." Conner looked puzzled. "So, walking is a big deal?" Was he really that out of the loop? Didn't all kids learn to walk?

Andre glanced at his phone's screensaver, displaying his adorable son. "You wouldn't understand since you don't have a son. He can't even roll over properly yet; every time he tries and fails, he 'ah ah's at me like he's asking for help."

"Mia and I have gotten pretty good at translating Henry's baby talk. He opens his mouth, and we know exactly what he's trying to say."

"At night, it's like sleeping next to a little sparrow, chirping away nonstop. Mia's nearly overslept and been late for school because of him a couple of times. And him? He just lies there during the day, catching up on sleep."

Andre couldn't help but bubble over with stories about his son, each memory more heartwarming than the last. Even recalling the time his son sneezed so hard he scared himself into tears brought a smile to his face.

Conner, witnessing his brother's transformation into a doting father, teased, "You're all talk. How about you let me take the little guy back to Arcanville for a weekend adventure?"

Andre was quick to shut that down. "No way."

As the evening deepened into night, Tom received a call from Wesley. "I've handled everything you asked for. What about Andre's kid?"

Shortly after, Tom's phone buzzed with a message from the Walker family, including a document from a reputable law firm under Risen's name. It looked to be a tight seal, only to be automatically lifted when Leaf, Andre's son, turned eighteen.

Tom was wary of the Walker family's financial desperation potentially leading them to tamper with the funds, which could be a lifesaver for the struggling Walker Corporation.

To safeguard the money, Tom meticulously added an extra layer of security-a digital lock. This meant that if anyone attempted to access the funds before the eighteen-year period was up, they'd need to input a special code, which would expire once the time was up. Once everything was in place, Tom ended the call, feeling a bit more at ease.