Hansen had handed one to his grandson. "Wayne, look. Mine isn't smoking, but yours is."
He had lit the long match for the boys, telling them to go play outside.
Who could have guessed that in the span of five minutes, it would become their weapon of mass disruption?
Molly leaned casually against the doorframe, utterly unbothered. "Just ground them until they're teenagers. Save us all the headache."
Everyone stared at her.
Molly was incredibly chill about parenting. After all, the kids were the ones getting punished, not her.
For the first time in Cedillo history, the two little troublemakers were placed in a strict time-out, standing side-by-side facing the wall while getting thoroughly scolded. Henry looked up, his face crumpled in misery. Crystal-clear tears rolled down his cheeks as his pink lips quivered. His tiny baby teeth peeked out as he sobbed uncontrollably, his little shoulders heaving with every stuttering breath while he faced his father's wrath.
Meanwhile, the two mothers sat comfortably on the sofa, munching on snacks and enjoying the show. "Wow, Mia. Watching someone else's kids get punished is incredibly satisfying."
"Isn't it? This is the first time they've caused a disaster that we had absolutely no part in."
Facing the wall, Henry let out a wailing cry. "Dad, I was wrong!" This time, his apology was entirely genuine, a stark contrast to his stubborn, loud protests whenever Mia swatted him.
Andre pointed a stern finger at his precious son, unyielding in his lecture. "How many times have you apologized since you were born? Eight hundred? And do you ever actually change your behavior?!"
Henry sniffled, rubbing his tears away with a soot-covered hand, which only smeared black ash all around his eyes. "I'll change," he cried softly.
Watching from the couch, Mia nudged Molly. "I'll give my son credit for that. When he knows he's genuinely messed up, he does try to fix it. He rarely makes the exact same major mistake twice. His little antics are just him being mischievous."
Molly sighed. "Mia, look at my son. He's exactly like me. The second his Uncle Andre starts yelling, he looks straight at Chad with those big, teary eyes, expecting his dad to save him."
Wayne was indeed terrified of his furious uncle. Just like his mother, he kept shooting desperate, pleading glances at Chad for protection.
But Chad knew a lesson was necessary.


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