Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 623

"Mia, the thing is, you can give him a smack now and he won't remember a thing," Mia said, looking at the little munchkin snoozing away, too young to remember anything. Andre tried to enlighten his wife, "While he's got no memory, now's the time to do it. He won't know any better. Wait till he's older, and he'll start remembering."

The couple spent a good fifteen minutes discussing the merits of disciplining their child before Andre had to hang up as he arrived at his hotel.

Mia gazed at the little bub blowing bubbles, "My own flesh and blood, too cute, I just can't bring myself to do it."

After hanging up with his wife, Andre's smile lingered. Not until he stepped into the elevator did his expression turn serious, "How's the search going?"

"Boss, I'll have a location for you by tomorrow."

Andre replied, "While you're at it, schedule a meeting with Old Man Walker."

The next evening, the head of the international division located Andre at the hotel, "Boss, we've found Jillian's address, but the house was empty, and the Walkers are on her trail too."

If Old Man Walker had sent his third son overseas to replace Tom, he'd definitely dispatch people for Jillian too. The longer it took, the more uneasy Andre felt.

He even wondered if the child's cries that day weren't his son's at all, but just some random kid Tom used to deceive him.

Having kept his superior waiting a whole day, the division head wouldn't just bring disappointing news, "We followed the trail and located Jillian hiding out in a rural area. Seems like the Walkers haven't found her yet. Should we move now, boss?" Knowing she'd be hunted, Jillian had taken the baby girl and fled to the countryside instead of going home.

Even in the countryside, she was fraught with anxiety.

The drive to the rural hideout took two and a half hours, with not a soul in sight. To evade the Walkers, she had no choice.

The baby girl kept crying, pushing Jillian to the brink of abandoning her, only to remember the contract - a yearly check-up on the child's wellbeing was mandatory for the payout.

Not her own flesh and blood, Jillian lacked empathy, once throwing the bottle in frustration, "Cry again, and I'll strangle you." Her father was jailed because of Finley, leaving her with no warmth for either Finley or the baby.

The child's cries grew fainter, a sign of poor health.

Jillian tried reaching Tom to no avail, the only contact back home now imprisoned. Desperate to negotiate, she found herself cut off.

The remote drive to the countryside at twilight was desolate, the fog rising adding to the eerie silence.

The convoy of black cars made its way through the emptiness, Andre peering out from the second car, his mood darkening with the setting sun. "Is Old Man Walker's crew on watch?" "Yes, sir, all monitored."

The daylight faded by the time they arrived, a lone house with lights on.

Indoors, the baby's intermittent cries mixed with a woman's angry shouts. Jillian, on edge, slapped the crib, "Cry, cry, cry, why don't you just cry to death?"

Hearing cars outside, Jillian peered out to see four black sedans, her heart racing. Were the Walkers here for her? Glancing at the infant, her thoughts raced, blaming Tom for her situation.

But the men emerging from the cars didn't look like Walkers. They looked like...

Then she saw him, Andre, stepping out from the second car, and her world stopped. How did he replace her? Why was he here?

Panic set in. Had Tom been caught by the Cedillos and betrayed her?

The door burst open, and amidst her terror, Andre, colder than ever, entered. "Hiding from me or the Walkers?" His voice sent chills down her spine.

Jillian backed away, her eyes darting to the infant, realizing Andre knew everything. "Tom's dead," she whispered, her world collapsing.

Jillian's gaze snapped to the man's face, her eyes blinking in shock several times as if she were suddenly plunged into an ice-cold cellar, shivering from the cold.

"Andre, this has nothing to do with me, you know I love you. I've loved you for so many years; I would never do anything to hurt you." Tears streamed down Jillian's face as she stood before Andre, her vulnerability an open plea for his compassion. Andre's eyes were filled with disgust and revulsion.

In a desperate move, Jillian grabbed the infant who was just about to fall asleep and thrust her towards Andre. "Andre, this is Finley's child. Isn't revenge what you want? Kill her, and spare me, please? I had nothing to do with all this, it wasn't my doing. It was all Tom's idea." The baby girl, awakened by Jillian's rough handling, started crying once more.

This was the first time Andre had closely observed an infant other than his own son. He had assumed that all babies were like his little boy, a plump, fair bundle of joy who, much like his mother, was delicate and easy to adore even when crying. However, the child before him, who should have been a few weeks older than his son, looked malnourished and withered, like a tiny, shriveled being suffering from a lack of care.