Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Hansen was feeling a bit bored, so he handed his phone over to Mia, asking her to hook him up with one of those short video apps. He'd gotten into the habit of checking it out during his downtime, even catching a few musicals here and there, trying to keep tabs on what the younger crowd is into these days.

As Mia was setting up the app for him, she couldn't help but tease, "Dad, you're picking up all the bad habits."

Gaming, gambling, scrolling through endless short videos; binge-watching shows, eating way too much, and staying up all night. It seemed like the generation gap was shrinking fast.

But Mr. Johnson? He was feeling a bit lost, with his wife and dad throwing around slang he couldn't make heads or tails of.

Hansen decided to give his daughter a call, "Hey, can you see me? Where are you?"

"I'm on vacation," Hansen replied. "It got too hot this afternoon, so I came back to chill for a bit." Just before drifting off, he noticed something about his daughter. "What's going on? Where are you?"

"The factory caught on fire, Dad. I can't chat now, I'll check it out once the fire's out."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't go in there, just stay out."

Molly replied confidently, "Relax, I'm with Mom."

After hanging up, Molly was ready to follow Coleen inside, but Coleen stopped her at the door, "Stay put, don't move."

"I'm going in too," Molly insisted.

"Keep arguing and I'll smack your hands!"

Molly was speechless. Usually, she could handle her mom's scolding, but with Annie right there, it was embarrassing.

Annie chuckled softly, understanding that Molly wanted to follow her mom to feel safer. She chimed in, "Coleen, maybe you should stay out too. Let the police handle it."

Coleen hesitated,

Molly was delighted, immediately linking arms with Coleen, "See, Mom? Even the police think you should stay out. Let's just wait together. Rushing in won't help, and you always tell me off for wanting to do the same." Coleen sighed, "Will you pipe down?"

Molly grinned, "Not a chance."

Pulled along by her daughter, Coleen soon got a call from Andre.

Andre had been sleeping soundly that afternoon, likely because his family was nearby. He had dreamt of playing with his wife and kid, wearing clothes that seemed from another era, yet the dream felt so real. Mid-dream, while holding his wife, his phone rang.

It was his dad.

"Hey, Dad."

"Andre, you gotta check on your sister's place. I saw Molly on a video-she mentioned a factory fire and was talking about going inside. Think something's up with the Byrne family?" Andre frowned, "What video?"

Hansen, realizing his son was a bit out of touch, quipped, "See, you're not up with us."

"Mia's right here," Andre caught on to his dad's teasing.

Hansen perked up, urging, "Log into Mia's account, I sent you the video. Go stop your sister before she does something dumb. That girl, always diving in headfirst."

With the fire and all, who knew if it was safe? Honestly, I question if she's really mine, not listening at all. I hadn't even finished when she..."

Andre, already having seen the video, cut his dad off, "Grandma Aubree and Grandpa Elmer are with you, don't mention this to them, no need to worry them. I'll check on Molly." "Got it, son, no need to tell me twice."

Andre woke his wife, "Nuan, you rest here, I'll be back soon. Gotta head out."

Mia, still groggy, asked, "Where are you off to?"

"The Byrne family's factory caught fire, I'm heading over. Don't worry, I'll fill you in when I get back."

Andre quickly got dressed, kissed his wife on the forehead, and gave Henry's cheek a gentle squeeze before leaving.

Mia snapped awake, her first concern was her husband, "Please, don't go inside. Fires can still be dangerous afterward."

"Don't worry, with you and our kid, my safety is top priority."

He used to be fearless, but now, with loved ones, he ensured his safety for their sake.

He was their rock, and if something happened to him, they'd be the ones to suffer.

Calling his sister as he headed out, Andre arrived to find Molly getting a lecture from her mom, "Trying to sneak in, Molly? When did you become so rebellious?" Coleen hadn't noticed Molly's curiosity had led her to peek through a window, as if she'd jump in for a better look.

Caught in the act, Coleen wasted no time in scolding her.

Andre walked up, and Molly immediately perked up. "Mom, Andre's here, so you can't scold me now."

But as soon as Andre arrived, Coleen filled him in on Molly's antics.

Andre gave her a sharp look, "Stay behind this line, not a step closer."

Coleen felt a sense of satisfaction! If it weren't for keeping up appearances, she'd have been gloating.

Jade, feeling embarrassed, said, "...Andre, I wasn't climbing in. I was just curious about the damage." Andre threw another glance her way, and Molly quickly looked down, too nervous to speak. Before long, Easton and Annie showed up.

Other officers were there too, capturing evidence.

Seeing Andre, Annie took a moment to study him. So this was the guy Conner leaned on...

"Andre, that's Easton and Annie," Jade blurted out from behind the line.

Andre looked up, giving Annie a nod.

Knowing she was his brother's friend, Andre maintained a respectful distance.

"How's it looking inside?" Coleen asked.

Easton replied, "Leave your number, we'll call you."

Easton and Annie drove off, and on the way, Easton remarked, "Andre didn't look much like his son, did he?"

Annie corrected him, "Little Tiger doesn't look much like Andre." It's not the father who doesn't resemble the son. Easton nodded, "My bad."

Annie added, "Maybe Little Tiger takes after his mom. If Andre put on some weight, maybe they'd look more alike?"

Xu nodded again, "Right, like his mom. Now that you mention it, reminds me of Mrs. Cedillo."

Annie was puzzled, "Captain, you know Mrs. Cedillo?"

Easton, in a casual tone, said, "More than know her, her son and I go way back. The station still has a handwritten apology from Mrs. Cedillo. I can show you when we get back." Annie was intrigued, "Really?"

"Fights and brawls, got picked up more than once; always stirring trouble, our attempts at straightening things out never worked."

"Who are you talking about?" Annie asked, somewhat incredulously.

Easton chuckled, "The infamous Mrs. Cedillo, who else?"