Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 720

Leo swallowed hard and softly urged, "Let's head back."

Anya shook her head stubbornly, feeling guilty for Chad getting kicked out. "I'm sorry, Chad."

"There's no need to apologize. I should be thanking you. Anya, I've never felt this relieved before. You voiced my fears, allowing me to face my uncle. Thank you for giving me the strength." Anya's voice trembled with tears. "Chad, I want to go with you."

"Go back," Leo said gently.

Anya shook her head, clutching Leo's shirt hem, afraid of being left behind.

"I'll come back for you. My girlfriend is here; I have to come back for her," Leo reassured.

Anya's face flushed, guessing the truth but still wanting confirmation. "Chad, your girlfriend, where is she?"

"Right in front of me."

Leo called out to Mia and Molly, who were peeking around the corner, "Come on out."

Mia and Molly, both married women, sheepishly walked out, embarrassed about spying on the couple.

"Leo, your uncle was just hot-headed. Give him a couple of days to cool off. I'll talk to him at Maplewood Estates, and you can come back to stay," Mia suggested.

Knowing his uncle's temper, Leo entrusted Anya to them. "Take care of my girlfriend for me; I'll be back for her."

Leo got into his car and drove away, feeling an unprecedented sense of relaxation as he saw the three figures getting smaller in his rearview mirror.

Mia and Molly weren't sure how to react at that moment.

Anya was utterly baffled, not even having agreed before Chad had officially declared her his "girlfriend."

Standing between her aunt and her aunt by marriage, she looked from one to the other with a face full of timidity and blush. "Aunt, Auntie, Chad just called me his girlfriend."

Mia put an arm around Anya. "Yes, we heard. Let's go back."

Anya hesitated. "I'm scared to go back."

She feared her family's reproach.

Mia comforted her. "Don't worry, your auntie is here with you."

Molly added, "And your aunt isn't going anywhere. Trust me, no one at home will blame you."

But whether to announce their new relationship status at home was something the sisters weren't sure about.

Back in the Cedillo family living room, Chad was trying to calm Hansen down. "Dad, Leo has his own dreams and aspirations, which is a good thing. He's still young; let him explore for a few years. If all else fails, he has our family to fall back on." Andre's attention was solely on his son, no longer competing for it.

Henry, sitting on his father's lap after crying for a while, realized no one was consoling him and stopped, pouting and snuggling into his dad's embrace.

As the three women entered the living room, Anya hesitated at the door.

Naomi stood up, noticing her son wasn't with them, a hint of loss in her eyes.

Bruce called out, "Mia, Molly, Anya, come here and tell us about Leo."

The three women stepped forward.

Molly, feeling protected by Chad, spoke up, not as intimidated by Andre as the others.

"Earlier, Mia and I had lunch with Leo and heard about his interest in cybersecurity and starting his own business. We neither supported nor opposed it since we didn't understand much about it. But Leo wanted to keep it from you until he was sure, so we kept it to ourselves."

Mia nodded in agreement.

Molly continued, "Just now, Mia, Leo, and I were talking in the backyard when Anya overheard us discussing Leo's job interests. Curiosity got the better of her, and she asked a few questions."

Molly recounted everything, including his attitude towards Anya and their affection.

Hansen's expression softened as he began to understand the confusing words Anya had said earlier.

"Chad was pretending to be happy earlier, but he was not happy at all. Last night, he drank over a dozen beers alone. Today, he was just pretending to keep everyone's spirits up." Anya defended Leo at every turn.

As a mother, Naomi's heart ached. "This isn't a joke. Leo hasn't studied anything related to computers. How could he possibly?"

Anya was about to reveal Chad's true capabilities when she caught her police officer uncle's eye and swallowed her words. "Chad is capable, very much so," she whispered, her defiance evident.

Mia glanced at her husband and bowed her head, feeling the weight of his stern gaze.

Chad and Molly comforted everyone, with Anya bowing deeply in apology. "Grandpa, uncles, aunts, I'm sorry."

Hansen and Naomi rushed to support Anya. "Silly child, there's no need for apologies. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have known Leo's true feelings. Although the process was unpleasant, at least it brought the truth about Leo to light." Naomi didn't blame Anya, knowing the girl cared for her son. If not for Anya, Leo might have never shared his dreams.

Andre stood up, approached the trio, and told Anya to rest before taking his wife upstairs.

Molly, standing by her father, gently touched his chest. "Dad, I think Leo, having grown up under our watchful eyes, deserves some freedom this time. Let's show him some love and let him be free."

Hansen, leaning on his cane, got up to leave. "I'm going to my room."

"Dad!" Molly called out, but Hansen didn't turn back.

Bruce stood up, looking at Anya. "Don't blame yourself; no one here does."

After finishing, Bruce looked at his wife. "Naomi, let's go back to the bedroom."

Soon, only three people were left in the living room.

Molly wrapped her arm around Anya's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll be here at home with you for a while. Leo said he'd come back for you, and he will. Go get some rest."

After seeing Anya off, Chad took his wife's hand, and Molly let out a sigh. "Chad, I won't be going home lately. Don't keep staying up late and going to the station for night shifts because I'm not there. You should come home and get some sleep when you need to." Chad went to Molly's bedroom and said, "I've also decided to stay over these days, to drive you to and from work."

"Mmm... that might be for the best. With Leo not around, Anya's probably too scared to ask for a ride to school from my brother, Andre. We might as well take on a bit more and drive Anya ourselves." Chad nodded. "Alright."