Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

He got to his feet, leaning on his cane for support. "I hope I didn't offend anyone with my words today. Gentlemen, I'm going to have to leave early. There's a little one at home who needs his grandpa to tuck him in. Take care, everyone."

With a confident stride, he exited the room and eased into his private car. "Home," he instructed the driver.

As the car pulled away, it left a room full of elders exchanging puzzled looks.

Once home, Hansen found Henry on the sofa, wailing with tears streaming down his face. "Hey there, my sweet grandson. Why all the tears? Grandpa's home now."

Henry, arms outstretched and standing barefoot on the sofa, insisted on being scooped up by Grandpa.

The maid chimed in, "Sir, Leo was supposed to go to bed, but he wouldn't let any of us hold him. Both young ladies are out, and without you here, Leo couldn't find anyone familiar and started crying on the couch."noveldrama

Henry was quite attached to his family. Naomi had stepped out, and Mia was at the library, buried in her books with exams coming up. She'd been focused on figuring out which schools she had a shot at, based on previous years' scores.

The plan was for the house to be lively and keep the elders distracted from wandering thoughts. But when Hansen sneaked out, leaving no adults at home, Henry was left facing unfamiliar maids. He was wary, even refusing the milk bottle they offered.

He cried and called for "Daddy" until Grandpa came home. Cradled in his grandpa's lap, he sobbed and drank his formula.

Hansen's heart broke for him, as he held his little grandson, feeling a deep sense of compassion.

"Daddy, my daddy!"

It had been a few days since Henry last saw his dad, and he missed him terribly.

Hansen comforted him, "Your dad will be back in a couple of days. Finish your milk and then it's bedtime. When you wake up, we'll call Andre on video."

With his eyes still wet, Henry finished his milk and snuggled up in Grandpa's arms to sleep. Before dozing off, he mumbled, "Daddy, look."

"Okay, after your nap, we'll video call Andre. Sleep tight now."

Gently patting his grandson to sleep, Hansen lovingly stroked his cheek, "The Cedillo family will always stand tall."

In his dreams, Henry murmured in agreement.

When he woke up, he eagerly grabbed the phone, ready for a video call with his dad. But Andre's phone didn't connect right away, and Henry started crying again. Hansen tried to cheer him up with cartoons, but Henry wasn't having it.

Running out of options, Hansen dialed Andre, "Hey Andre, Henry's been crying for you. Can you have a word with your son?"

As soon as the phone was near Henry's ear and he heard his dad's voice, "Hey, buddy," he started crying all over again.

"Aww, you missed daddy, huh?"

Andre chuckled, feeling a mix of warmth and regret. He'd been so caught up with work that he only managed to call his wife late at night, when Henry was already asleep, inadvertently overlooking his son. He hadn't realized Henry would miss him so much. "Let's hop on a video call."

After a short call, they chatted face-to-face for five minutes until Noah interrupted, "Dad's got to run now. You be good for Grandpa, and tonight you'll go with him to pick up Mia. Keep an eye on Mom for me, alright?"

With his little face full of seriousness, Henry nodded, "Uh-huh."

"Good boy, daddy loves you."

It seemed like Henry got the message. He beamed at his grandpa, his little mouth forming a pout, as if trying to say his dad told him he loved him.