The CEO's Mischievous Little Bride

Patrick scooped up little Theodore, "Alright, buddy, Daddy's gotta head to work. Try not to snooze too much, okay?" Theodore snuggled into Patrick's chest, letting out a big yawn.

Patrick gave Theodore's cheek a gentle stroke, "You can catch some Z's in the morning, no worries."

Morning rolled around, and Noah hit up Vera on video call, "Where's Theodore at?"

"He's asleep," Vera replied.

Noah just said, "Later."

Not long after, Susan wanted a video call too.

Molly, worn out from studying, also video-called Vera. Later, Vera posted on her feed, [Theodore's knocked out.]

Finally, the calls stopped.

Around noon, Sebastian skipped lunch at the police station. Sam knocked on his door, "Hey, we're getting takeout. You want anything?"

"Nah, I'm heading back to the hotel. Molly's waiting for me," Sebastian said.

With just a quick break, Sebastian rushed back to the hotel and took Molly out for lunch.

He'd been up late the night before, so when they got back to the hotel at noon, he crashed for a nap.

When he woke up, Molly was snoozing next to him.

As he left, Sebastian gently tucked her in, adjusted her position, and slipped out quietly.

Back at the station, Sebastian headed straight to Ernest's office. "Got any updates?"

Ernest, looking frustrated, scratched his head, "You're the sixth person to ask."

Sebastian squinted, "Who else has been bugging you?"

"Ellie, Timothy, Vincent, Patrick, Shawn, and now you!" Ernest replied.

Seeing Ernest's stress, Sebastian decided to lend a hand.

Ernest said, "Mr. Chase, stay out of it. Everyone knows Molly's your sister. She's a suspect, and family can't be involved."

"Technically, I'm not her family yet," Sebastian said, hinting at something.

Ernest, unable to argue, reluctantly handed over the evidence. "The guesthouse is old, and the wiring's a mess, which could easily cause a fire. There were a bunch of kitchen utensils inside. The victim said she bought them recently to cook for Ellie. They've been sent for analysis, and they weren't the cause of the fire. Some fragments from the scene are still being analyzed, which will take time."

Sebastian asked, "The person in the hospital, are they awake?"

Ernest nodded, "Yeah, but we didn't get anything useful from them. We still gotta wait for the analysis results."

Looking at the photos, Sebastian asked, "What about the surveillance footage?"

"The closest footage is from the main road outside. Nothing useful there," Ernest said, shaking his head.

Sebastian said, "Let me see it."

Ernest asked, "Mr. Chase, isn't your team swamped?"

Sebastian looked at him, "If you don't want Patrick breathing down your neck, you'd better let me see it." Ernest caved.

In the afternoon, Sebastian spent two hours in Ernest's office before heading out.

Back in his own office, he pulled out his personal phone and called Patrick, "Hey, Patrick."

That night, Sebastian was swamped with work and got back to the hotel super late.

The later it got, the more anxious Molly became. "Sebastian, are you coming back tonight? I'm scared if you don't come back."

Sebastian tried to calm her down, "I'll be back, promise. How could I leave you alone here? Don't worry, keep all the lights on and don't open the door for anyone. I've got the room key." "Okay, hurry back," Molly said.

"Alright, but you should try to get some sleep," Sebastian added.

"No way, I'm waiting up for you," Molly insisted.

Sebastian chuckled, "Alright, alright."

The other officers nearby could easily guess that Molly was on the other end of the call.

The case was wrapping up, and before heading out, Sebastian swung by Ernest's office again.

Ernest now dreaded his phone ringing and seeing Sebastian.

"Any news on the analysis?" Sebastian asked.

Ernest shook his head, "It's being rushed. I'll let you know as soon as we get something."

After Sebastian left, Makayla dropped by Ernest's office and placed a strong cup of coffee on his desk. "Don't blame Mr. Chase. Molly's his world. Anyone would be anxious in his shoes." Ernest took a sip, "I get it. I'm just stressed. We've all looked out for Molly since she joined. Being anxious won't help; we need results."

After finishing the coffee, Ernest realized Makayla usually had a reason for visiting. "So, what brings you here?"

Makayla, hands in the pockets of her white coat, casually said, "Just wanted to check on the latest with Molly's case."

Ernest stayed silent.

At ten o'clock, Sebastian finally got back. He headed straight to his old room, now taken over by Molly.

She had already showered and was lying in bed in the hotel's bathrobe, waiting for him.

Hearing the door open, she asked, "Sebastian, is that you?"

"Who else?" Sebastian kicked off his shoes at the door and slipped into some men's slippers before entering.

The first thing he noticed was Molly's clothes scattered all over the bed and her leggings on the floor.

Entering the room, Sebastian saw Molly in her bathrobe, her hair wrapped in a towel, munching on the fruit they had bought the day before.

"You came back late, Sebastian. If you'd been ten minutes earlier, you would've seen a beauty fresh out of the bath," Molly teased.

Sebastian sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Molly in her bathrobe. She really didn't see him as a guy.

"Sebastian, you don't even have any skincare stuff here. Look at my face, it's so dry," Molly pointed to her cheek.

Sebastian pinched her cheek, "I told you to go home, but you didn't want to. Now you're complaining." Molly pouted, "I'm not complaining that much."

Sebastian chuckled and started picking up the clothes scattered on the bed and floor.

He picked up her leggings from the floor, then her coat, sweater, scarf, and finally, her light blue bra.

The room went silent for a moment.

Then, Molly scrambled out of bed, knelt on the bed, and quickly snatched her bra from Sebastian's hand, her face turning red. Sebastian's palm felt like it was on fire.