Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Andre explained the situation to his brother-in-law, glossing over some details but giving him the gist of it. "Cooper, do you get how risky this is now?"

Cooper shot back, "You should've told me."

"And then what?" Andre countered.

"Brother-in-law, what did you do?" Cooper pressed on.

Andre flashed a small smile, then his tone turned serious. "I took care of a threat from the Dark Web, uprooted it completely."

Cooper quietly regarded his brother-in-law, realizing he'd underestimated him. Being able to dismantle a piece of the Dark Web wasn't something just any businessman could do.

"I get that you want to know everything, but anger needs strength," Andre said. Raw emotion can lead to rash decisions, and then I'd have to worry about you. Only those who are truly capable can fight back without fear of getting hurt.

Cooper looked down, his expression somber, his voice low. "How do you know I'm not capable of protecting my sister and my nephew?"noveldrama

Andre looked at Cooper, seeing him in a new light but kept his suspicions to himself. He said, "I believe everyone does their best to protect their family. But to your sister, you'll always be the little brother she needs to look out for. That's why Mia didn't tell you, to shield you in her own way."

Upstairs, Mia opened the window, trying to eavesdrop on her husband and brother's chat. But she was too far, and her ears were turning red from the cold without hearing a thing.

She tried using her phone's camera to zoom in on their lips, hoping to decipher their conversation through lip reading. "Why can't I make sense of this?" she wondered.

Out in the yard, Andre patted his brother-in-law on the shoulder and chuckled, ". This is our little pact; we agreed not to get mad. Your sister's at the window now, trying to crack our conversation with her phone."

"Pfft, if she could read lips, I'd walk on my hands for the rest of my life."

Suddenly, Andre's expression changed dramatically. "Henry, what are you doing?"

Both men bolted towards the commotion.

Mia, curious, leaned out the window to see what was up. Then she yelled, "Henry, get back here right now!"

By the rockery, Henry was being lifted by his collar by his dad, his little face scrunched up in an angry cry.

"Why were you climbing the rockery?"

Seeing their little boy about to jump from the rockery into a small pond below had them all in a panic, leading to a well-deserved scolding.

In the Maplewood Estates garden, Henry's crying echoed.

"Cooper, there's something you should know. In our house, your sister plays the nurturing mom, and I'm the tough dad. So, I usually handle the disciplining."

As soon as they got the child inside, Mia rushed down. "Henry, were you trying to go diving again? Trust me, I will deal with you."

Cooper then asked with a smirk, "Brother-in-law, where exactly is my sister 'nurturing'?"

The tension between the siblings eased, and Cooper ended up spending the night at Maplewood Estates. That evening, Andre went to bring his father over to stay with them.

Hansen, not too pleased, grumbled, "Are you two planning on handing Henry off to me again tonight?"