Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Molly was still deep in sleep, while Wayne had somehow rolled over to his dad's side of the bed, his back turned toward his mom as he snoozed.

Over at Maplewood Estates, Henry was already wide awake. Barefoot, he padded down the hall and tried to wake his parents, but no matter how he hopped around on his little feet, their bedroom door stayed firmly shut. Giving up, he flopped onto his tummy and slid down the stairs, ready to find his own fun.

The housekeeper tried to catch him to get him dressed, but Henry zipped away before she could even touch him. Still in his pajamas, he dashed straight to his playroom, dragged out a mountain of toys, and scattered them all over the living room floor.

Then he decided he wanted to try playing in the snow. He managed to push the door open a crack, but before he could set foot outside, a housekeeper swept him up and brought him back in. But Henry wasn't about to give up that easily.

Andre strolled out of the gym, his T-shirt sticking to his back with sweat. "Henry, where do you think you're going?"

"Daddy, carry me!" Henry demanded, arms up.

Andre picked him up and carried him back to the bedroom. "Keep it down- Mommy's still sleeping."

But Henry, stubborn as always, just let out a loud, "Ahhhh!"

Andre gave him a gentle pat on the bottom and set him outside the bedroom, shutting the door with a soft click.

After a morning shower, Andre reappeared in a crisp suit. Once he'd eaten breakfast, he slipped on his trench coat and headed out the door for work.

Meanwhile, Henry was already off on another adventure, and no one in the house seemed to know where he'd gone.

It wasn't until around ten that Mia finally woke up. She shuffled downstairs, still groggy, and curled up cross-legged on the sofa.

Two maids hovered nearby. "Ma'am, would you like some breakfast?"

Mia leaned against the back of the couch, still half-asleep. "Where are Andre and Henry?"

"Mr. Parker left for the office at eight. And Henry..." The maid glanced around, suddenly worried. "Wait, where did he go? He was just here in the living room."

On the coffee table sat a messy pile of fruit that Henry had been "working on." He couldn't peel oranges yet, so he just poked holes in the skin with his little fingers and licked the juice off his hands. If the housekeeper tried to peel one for him, he refused to eat it. His uncle had warned him: never eat anything a stranger gives you, or you might get kidnapped and get spanked every day!

Mia sat up straighter and called out, "Henry, get out here now!"

Down in the basement, Henry was busy rolling his dad's treasured bottles of red wine across the floor, pretending they were race cars. He paused, pretty sure he'd just heard his mom calling him.

But the wine bottles were way too much fun to leave just yet.

Ten minutes later, Mia had tracked him down, scooping him up from the basement with a sigh. "That tracker your uncle gave you is a godsend," she muttered.

The house was so big, finding Henry could be a real mission. Mia had just called Leo, and he'd sent her Henry's exact location.

Caught red-handed, Henry pouted, his lips sticking out in protest.

With Mom finally up, Henry let himself get dressed without a fight and happily held her hand as they went outside to play in the snow.

A thin layer of ice had formed over the lake. Mia tapped it with the tip of her boot, testing if it could hold her weight.

Henry, eyes wide with curiosity, came running over to try it too.

The staff watched anxiously from the porch. "Ma'am, please, that's not safe. If you

or Henry got hurt or caught a cold, Mr. Parker would be furious!"

"Shhh, don't tell my husband, okay?" Mia said with a mischievous grin. She knew Andre would flip out if he knew-this would just be their little secret.

"Hey, is Tony around?" Mia asked suddenly.

All the staff glanced over at the ornamental rock garden by the koi pond.

Rubbing her hands together for warmth, Mia wandered over, bent down, and scooped up Tony. Henry hurried after her, determined to do everything just like his mom.noveldrama