Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Chapter 213

Mia didn't mince words. Right now, she had got as much worry on her plate as the Cedillo and Byrne

families.

Jade was kin. She said there was no need to worry, comforting others as well as herself. But in truth,

she was as on edge as anyone.

Mia walked into Leo's room, rousing her nephew who was idling away on his phone, "Jade's missing.

Come help me find her."

"What's up with her?" Leo had still engrossed in his phone, utterly clueless about the gravity of the

situation.

Mia landed a smack on the back of his head, "Jade, your aunt, real name Molly, has gone missing."

"What?" Leo was still ogling his phone, totally deaf to Mia's words.

Three minutes later, Leo had thrown on a jacket over his PJs, and together they hit the road to find

Jade. On the road, Mia updated Leo on recent events.

"This is too crazy." Leo said, "I must be dreaming." Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

He pinched his leg to test the theory. Ouch! Nope, not a dream.

Mia had glued to her phone, zooming in and out of the city map, scrutinizing every alleyway, guessing

where Jade might be based on her character. The police were tracking Jade's ID use too. But if Jade

was trying to dodge her cop brother, she would find a way to stay hidden.

"Mia, are you saying Jade is my long-lost aunt I haven't seen for 15 years?" Leo was stunned.

"Yep." Mia answered.

Leo's face screwed up in embarrassment. He banged the steering wheel and said, "There's no way."

He only had two good friends, but somehow he had become both their nephew! How could this be?

Mia said, "It's true. The hair we used for the DNA test with Jade was yours."

Leo yelled, "When did you swipe my hair?"

"When we were at the hospital. But now's not the time to worry about that, we need to find Jade. If

she's wandered into some dark alley and run into trouble, we're toast." Mia was anxious.

Leo stepped on the gas, following Mia's instructions. They reached a place, and Mia warned, "Stay in

the car, I'm gonna check it out."

She flicked on her phone flashlight, ready to delve into the dark alley.

"Should I come with you?" Leo asked.

Mia shot back, "Stay put, kid. If things go south, I'll have to save your ass."

Leo was at a loss for words. She was right; he'd better not add to the chaos.

Three minutes later, Mia was back, "Nothing there, let's move on to the next place."

Leo drove and Mia went on exploring. If trouble came, most people were no match for her, so he didn't

need to worry.

And so they did, combing the whole city for over an hour. Only now did Mia realize how hard it was to

find someone who was gone to ground.

"Jade's got a strong survival instinct. She won't put herself in danger." Leo said to Mia.

Mia knew this, but replied, "Still, I can't ignore any potentially risky places. What if Jade's there and we

miss her?"

Leo got it, and they headed off to the next place.

Halfway there, Andre called. He told Mia, "Mia, we got surveillance footage of Jade heading towards

Emerald Valley."

Emerald Valley? Emerald Lake!

A place came to mind for Mia, one Jade often talked about. She told Leo, "Leo, head straight for

Emerald Lake."

Leo seemed to remember something too. He floored it, changing direction towards the suburbs.

Originally a county of Havenbrook, Emerald Valley had since become a popular tourist spot. Jade had

seen beautiful pictures of it in a school brochure and always wanted to visit. Even though it was close

to their home, the three of them had never been. This time, Jade might have gone alone.

Following the navigation, Leo's car zipped along highways, and into rural roads, finally arriving at

Emerald Lake.

Mia got out, scanning her surroundings with her phone. She stood by the lake and shouted, "Jade!"

Leo also yelled, "Jade!"

Their cries startled the fish in the lake, but there was no sign of Jade.

Trusting her gut, Mia walked along the lakeshore. She called out as she walked, "Jade, where are

you?"

Leo's eyes were fixed on the ground, his phone lighting up the surrounding bushes, looking for any sign

of Jade.

The night was quiet, only their calls broke the silence. "Jade! Jade!” They shouted.

Each with a phone in hand, they lit up the path ahead. Their shoes got muddy from the soft, wet soil by

the lake. Mia stopped by a rock to wipe off the mud, then continued onward.

The lake was vast and tranquil, their calls echoing in the air. After a while, they heard a voice, "I'm

here."

Mia and Leo exchanged a glance. It was Jade's voice. They quickened their pace towards the sound.

Finally, they found Jade sitting on a rock. Seeing them, she said, "I didn't think you'd find me here."

At the sight of Jade, Mia's pent-up tension was finally released, "Jade, you scared us half to death."

"I just needed some peace." Jade said. She was feeling overwhelmed, unsure of how to handle the

current situation. Wrapped up in her own world, Jade gazed at the lake. She said to Mia, "Mia, could

you give me your phone. I need to call my brother and let him know I'm safe."

Mia handed over her phone, asking, "Where's yours?"

Jade answered, "My phone's dead. I was planning to call home when I got to the lake. But as soon as I

got here my phone died. When I decided to turn back, I couldn't find a taxi."

Jade dialed Chad's number on Mia's phone with practiced ease and put it to her ear.

Chad answered promptly. He asked, "Mia, have you heard from Jade?"

"Chad, it's me." Jade spoke up.

"Jade! Where the hell have you been? You trying to give me a heart attack or something? You've

scared our old man into high blood pressure, and our mom's about to lose her marbles." Chad couldn't

help but yell at her.

Feeling wronged, Jade replied, "I didn't want to alarm you guys when I left, but once I got here, my

phone died. I wanted to get in touch with you, but I couldn't."

She hadn't meant to worry her family.

Hearing the hurt in his sister's voice, Chad pulled over the car. Although his tone was harsh, his words

were filled with care, "This phone's a piece of junk, just toss it. When you get home, I'll get you a new

one, a better one, okay?"

"Okay." Jade responded through her tears.

Chad felt relieved knowing she was safe, "Stop crying, where are you? I'll come get you."

"You don't have to, let me be alone for a while." Jade insisted.

Chad respected his sister's decision, and hung up the phone.

Jade passed the phone to Mia. This time, Mia didn't take it.

"Jade, would you mind calling my husband to let him know you're safe?" She asked.