Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 718

Molly and Mia emerged from the back, helping Hansen as they walked ahead.

Leo, cradling Henry, ambled towards the dining room, calling over a servant, "Go fetch Anya for dinner."

Before long, Anya entered the dining room, her head bowed, her long hair hiding half her face.

Leo glanced at her and then nudged the little bundle in his arms towards her. "Want to play with Henry? Just saved him for you."

Henry, with his chubby little hand, was ready to cause trouble, reaching for Anya's hair. But his brother grabbed his hand, "Hey, are you looking for trouble?"

"Ah ah babble babble," Henry babbled.

Leo, unfazed, teased, "What's all this babbling about? Can't talk properly but still loves to chatter."

Mia and Molly exchanged a knowing look, silently admiring Leo's calm demeanor and acting skills.

When Henry tried to approach Anya again, she dodged, and this time Leo noticed. "Anya, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

Anya shook her head.

Leo was about to lift Anya's hair to check her face when Andre, from across the table, grabbed Henry's booster seat. "Henry, come here, sit with Dad." Andre walked over, taking his beloved son from Leo's arms. Noticing a hair tie on Mia's wrist, Leo called out, "Mia, let Anya use your hair tie. It's hard to eat with hair all over the place."

Mia untied it and handed it to Leo. "This hair tie was just to entertain my son. Here you go."

Leo stood up, leaned across the table to take it, then handed it to the downcast Anya. "Put it on."

"Mm, Chad, I don't want to~"

Hearing the nasal tone in her voice, Leo, concerned, lifted her hair. "Did Henry bully you? Did he bite you?"

"No-"

Leo was puzzled by the sudden mood swings of the young girls.

Soon, the whole family was seated, with Henry's meal placed on his tray.

Hansen raised his glass for a toast. "Today, it's just us, no big or small matters. Let's celebrate Leo's promotion to Executive Secretary."

Leo, hiding his sorrow in the festive atmosphere, joked, "Oh, so I'm the star today. You guys could have shown more sincerity! A gift or something would have been nice, instead of just a meal to celebrate." Mia was silently empathetic, unsure why she felt sorry for Leo.

The usually light-hearted Jade was at a loss for words, staying quiet with her head down.

Naomi, pointing at her son, laughed, "A meal is enough. We're family after all. About to stand on your own two feet, and you still want gifts like a child. If you want something, go buy it yourself."

Andre glanced at his wife, who was intermittently feeding their son, and his smile slowly faded. "Mia, eat first. Don't always focus on feeding him; let him eat by himself."

Mia continued to feed her son bite by bite. "He's still small. Let's feed him first, then we'll eat."

"How's Leo's tolerance for alcohol? With all the socializing to come, you'll need to work on it," Chad said with a laugh.

Andre, looking at his nephew, praised, "He can hold his liquor, even bested me a few times."

Leo, beaming, "I'm young, after all. My uncle's liver has been through years of drinking." He glanced at Anya, who was still looking down, his eyes filled with concern.

Hansen, looking at his grandson, felt reassured. "Leo, follow in your uncle's footsteps, learn everything from Andre. When we're old, you'll take over."

Just as Leo was about to respond, a small voice interrupted the lively atmosphere, "Chad doesn't like this job."

"Ah? Anya, what did you say?" Hansen doubted his hearing.

Anya lifted her head, her eyes reddened as she looked at Hansen. "Grandpa, Chad doesn't like this job." She glanced around the table, tears welling up. Her voice breaking, she continued, "He loves computers, dreams of working in IT, wants to switch fields for graduate study. He's been secretly studying every day, working by day, not playing at night..."

"Anya!" Leo sternly interrupted, grabbing her wrist to stop her from continuing.

Anya, having opened this topic, wasn't planning to stop. Hearing the whole family celebrating, pretending to be happy, she felt choked up with discomfort. "At night, he wasn't playing games; he was studying. On weekends, Chad didn't waste time either; he went to the library to study. He's been secretly working hard for his dream, he's really been trying..."

"Come here," Leo said, grabbing Anya's wrist, intending to pull her away.

Anya clung to the underside of the table, her tearful eyes looking at Leo, her voice breaking, "Chad, I heard everything you said to Aunt and Uncle."

Leo's movement paused, realizing...

Tears fell from Anya's eyes. "Chad, you can't give up your dreams because of me. I want you to do what you love. You can't be irresponsible for your life.

Even if you choose to be with me, how can you guarantee we'll be together in three, five, ten years? What if you meet someone you like more? What if I meet someone I like more and no longer like you?

Love isn't everything in life, Chad. You can't give up on your dreams for me, or you'll regret it, and I'll blame myself forever.

Chad, I really like you, but I don't want to love you with guilt and compensation.

I don't want to be your burden-"

Leo clenched his jaw, his eyes reddening, "Shut up!"

Mia stopped feeding her son, tears forming in her eyes. Henry, sensing his mother's sadness, began to pout and cry.

Mia quickly lifted her son from the chair, holding him close and comforting him.

Molly kept her head down, silent.

Anya bravely looked towards Andre, whose emotions were unreadable. "Uncle, Chad's always loved computers the most, you know that."

The room fell silent.

Andre's expression was dark and foreboding.

"Let him tell me himself," Andre's voice was so cold it seemed to lower the temperature of the entire room.

In the dining room, Anya was crying, and for reasons unknown, Henry also began to cry. When Mia tried to hand their child over to her husband, Andre refused to take his son.