Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

"Oh really, and who's your aunt? That's quite the attitude you've got there."

Anya, cheeks flushed with emotion, shot back, "My aunt is Mrs. Cedillo, the wife of the president of Cedillo Inc."

Her words hung in the air, and the restaurant went dead quiet.

The group of well-heeled ladies exchanged nervous glances, suddenly aware that the Calder family and the Cedillo family have always been thick as thieves.

Sure, the Calder family might be influential, but it's the Cedillo family that's got their back, which speaks volumes about Andre's clout.

Once Anya was ushered out, her friend drove her back to the Calder family home, trying to calm her down, "Anya, I've never seen you this riled up. You're usually as sweet and soft as a marshmallow. What happened today?"

"I'm just mad," Anya confessed as soon as she got home. She went straight to her dad, describing every detail of the incident, "Dad, I don't know what those people's families do, but can you pull up the security footage and find out who they are? They need a lesson."

Mrs. Calder, visibly pregnant, waddled over with a gentle smile, "Sweetheart, I'm not even upset, so why are you? Let me see, my love, you're all frowny. Did you forget the rice crackers I asked you to get because of the spat?"

Anya was flustered, "Mom, I'm just not happy."

Mrs. Calder tried to soothe her, "But you stood up for us and came out on top. Business should be done fairly, not by throwing your weight around."

Anya protested, "But Uncle always says a man should use his power to make sure no one dares say a word against his family. Uncle uses his influence to give Aunt that rock-solid confidence."

Mr. Calder jumped in, "...I gotta say, our girl makes a good point!"

Mrs. Calder shot him a look, "And what, you're going to find out who they are and deal with them? It's just idle gossip, not worth losing our cool over."

"No way, they said I'd never get married and that nobody would want a daughter-in-law like me. I'm telling Chad, so he knows I don't care for such shallow people."

Anya stormed upstairs, phone in hand, calling her boyfriend to vent, "Hey, Chad!"

Leo was in the middle of a friendly competition when Anya's call caught him off guard. Her voice was tinged with distress. "Hey, babe, what's up?

Who ticked you off?" Conten belongs to FindNovel

Just hearing him made Anya feel even more wronged, "Some people said I'd never get married, that my dowry's already spent, and no one wants a daughter-in-law like me."

en FindNovel

...

Meanwhile, downstairs, Mr. Calder was on the phone, already arranging to find out who had been involved in the spat with his daughter.

Mrs. Calder smacked the table in frustration, "Is that really necessary?"

Mr. Calder replied, "I think Andre's right. Our daughter's got a point. This is about showing them who's boss."

Mrs. Calder rolled her eyes, "In your eyes, when is Andre ever wrong? Now put your phone down."

She glanced up towards Anya's room, "Honey, have you noticed our girl's changed a bit since she's been back? She's got this fiery spark now, hasn't she?"

Mr. Calder nodded, clearly pleased,

"That's exactly what I hoped for. She should learn from the Cedillo family's go-getters. We've wrapped her in cotton wool for too long. If she wasn't home by nine, we'd send out a search party. But now, with her college experience, she's toughened up.

After today's showdown, I'm finally at ease. Being shielded by others isn't as good as learning to stand up for yourself."