Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Chapter 374

Leo glanced at Chad and said, "Chad, there's a family we need to keep an eye on."

He circled the Mastin family and a man named Anthony on the paper before him.

Chad furrowed his brow and looked at Leo, waiting for him to explain.

"The Mastin family is my mother's side of the family," Leo started, "From what you've seen last time,

they've had a long-standing feud with us, the Cedillos. This Anthony, though, he's not just anyone. He's

Finley Mastin's second son, and he used to be the manager at Mastin Corporation."

Leo paused, reminiscing a tragic event. "Sixteen years ago, on June 5th, after a dispute at a diner that

resulted in a police intervention, there was an off-the-record settlement. Three days later, Anthony died

in a car accident."

He sighed. "A week after that, my aunt and uncle were kidnapped. Me, Jade, and Mia have heard Mr.

Rodrigo admit that my aunt had passed away."

Chad was not a Cedillo, after all, it was Leo who knew his family best.

Chad looked at the documents in Leo's hand. "Eighteen years ago, you were only three years old. Your

father, who worked at the finance department, secured a massive deal worth 3 billion for the Mastin

family. It dealt a significant blow to the Mastin family."

Leo nodded, "He did it for my mother."

Chad continued his analysis. "Seventeen years ago, your father nearly put Kyle behind bars. Later, the

Mastin family was fined 430 million."

Leo frowned, "I had no knowledge of that, but I do remember Kyle hitting my mother once. Not long

after, he was begging for her forgiveness."

Chad responded, "That might be it. If it's revenge from an enemy, coupled with financial troubles, the

Mastin family from sixteen years ago fits the profile perfectly."

Leo pondered, "The real game-changer in the Mastin family was Mr. Rodrigo, who now have passed

away. Kyle and his son didn’t have the guts to kidnap anyone. I suspect there's someone else behind it

all."

Chad felt like he was onto something. He reached out to his apprentice, " let's meet at our usual place."

Chad turned to Leo, "You're coming with me."

...

Meanwhile, Molly had been working hard in the morning, which meant she had less work in the

afternoon.

At six o'clock, she closed her last file, stood up, stretched, and carried a stack of documents to her

manager.

Just as she thought she was done for the day, her mother arrived.

"Molly, you're coming to a dinner with me tonight."

Molly sighed.

Her mother, Coleen, had planned to meet some colleagues for dinner. She intended to hand over the

company to Molly and wanted her to start mingling with the people in their circle.

Molly raised her hands in exasperation, "Mom, you have to give me a raise."

Even in the midst of his busy schedule, Chad couldn't help but think about that "intern."

At the café, Chad contacted his sister, "Molly, you go home with mom tonight, I can't pick you up."

"You couldn't pick me up anyway, I'm out with mom," Molly replied.

Knowing that she was with their mother, Chad felt relieved, "Alright, listen to mom. I'm busy now, call

me if you need anything."

Leo looked at the obsessively caring Officer Chad and thought again about Mia's words. "Chad, we’ve

been looking at these files all afternoon, we should grab some food." Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Chad agreed that it was indeed time for dinner.

He packed up the files, including the ones he got from his apprentice, and got up to leave with Leo,

"What do you feel like eating? My treat."

Meanwhile, Molly and her mother arrived at the restaurant.

On the way, Coleen had been briefing Molly on who would be attending the dinner. When Coleen

mentioned Aiden Ashford from Ashford Inc., Molly asked, "Will Jack be there?"

Coleen shrugged, "Not sure. Why?"

"He was pursuing me a while back, but I turned him down. Then he was pestering me for a few days

before he disappeared. It would be really awkward if we run into each other." Molly explained.

Learning about this, Coleen was surprised, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I was busy with exams and studying. I forgot to mention it. Then he just disappeared, so there was no

point in bringing it up. Mom, if he's there tonight, you can't let me sit with him."

"Of course not. But why did you reject Jack?" Coleen asked curiously.

She did not particular favor Jack, but among others, he seemed okay. At that time, she didn't stop her

daughter from getting closer to him, which was a kind of tacit approval for their relationship to develop

naturally.

She didn't expect this to happen.

At the entrance of the restaurant, Molly explained her reasons for rejecting Jack and the complexity of

the Ashford family.

After hearing this, Coleen was shocked, "Such a family, we better not get involved. Your dad was right,

when looking at people, you can't just consider their educational background. Character and family

background are also important. He's in his twenties, yet he dumped his girlfriend because of his

mother. You're lucky you didn't get involved with him. In the future, when you're dating, you should

listen to your dad, your brother, and your Cedillo uncles."

Coleen felt she was not good at judging people.

Molly nodded seriously, "My brother said the same thing. I plan on doing exactly that."

Speaking of the devil. As they were about to enter the restaurant, Jack, who had disappeared for a

while, was actually there.

Molly looked at her mother immediately.

Coleen, being a businesswoman, was well-trained in staying composed. She greeted everyone with a

smile, "The traffic was terrible, sorry we are late."

"Molly is also here." The host immediately called a waiter, "Add another chair."

Seeing Molly, Jack got up immediately, "Molly, come sit next to me."

Molly was at a loss for words: How to politely decline an invitation?

Coleen came to the rescue, smiling, "She'll sit with me. It's her first time at such a dinner, she might feel

uncomfortable without me."

Molly's eyes were filled with gratitude, "Mom, you're my real mom."

In no time, a chair was pulled up and Molly sat down next to her mother.

Aiden was still fantasizing about making a marriage alliance with the Byrne family, "Molly, what have

you been up to lately? Jack always thinks of you when something good comes up. He mentions you all

the time at home."

Jack, sitting next to them, lowered his head and chuckled, his reaction seemingly affirming his father's

words.

Molly replied, "Why would Jack think of me? He should save the good stuff for his future wife. Mr.

Ashford, you should be careful with your words or my other uncles and aunts might misunderstand."

Jack, at the dinner table, didn't hide his affection for her, "Molly, I saved this especially for you. You

know what I feel for you."

Jack had his own tactics, he wanted to let everyone know that he liked this girl and wanted to pursue

her.

He hoped that word would spread about his and Molly's relationship, causing those who were

interested in Molly to back off voluntarily.

Once no one was pursuing Molly, he'd be the only one left.

Everyone at the table was no fool. It was obvious that the Ashford's young man had taken a fancy to

the Byrne's daughter.

Coleen's expression had already changed. Even though her daughter hadn't shared anything about the

Ashfords with her, Aiden and Jack openly said in front of everyone that they liked her daughter was

something she didn't appreciate.

Little did she know that Molly couldn't hold back anymore and she started talking. "Jack, we're all adults

here. Stop playing games with your words. I've already rejected you and told you why - you're not good

enough for me. Let's move on from this and don't make a scene in front of everyone.

And one more piece of sincere advice for you - go home and exfoliate your face. Though a thick skin

might be a good shield against the wind, it's really off-putting."

The room fell into silence.