Ten minutes later, three distinguished gentlemen were lounging on the hotel lobby sofas.
Leo, with a cheeky grin, remarked, "Uncle, seems like your 'son-in-law' title doesn't hold much sway here."
Andre had tried his luck at the front desk, only to face a polite but firm response, "I'm sorry, sir, we can't provide that information. Are you looking to check in or perhaps dine with us? Our waterpark opens tomorrow; today's activities are over."
In an attempt to assert some authority, Andre declared, "I'm Mia's husband, and Henry's dad."
The front desk attendant, still smiling, replied, "I'm sorry, sir, but we have no record of a 'Mia' checking in."
Leo, too, came up empty-handed; her details weren't in the system. Their inquiries nearly escalated to the point of involving the hotel manager.
Andre quickly stepped in to defuse the situation. "If you ask the manager, he'll spill everything," Leo pointed out.
Andre replied, "If the manager knows, then Mia will find out." No matter how influential a son-in-law is, the manager's primary loyalty is to the young miss of the house. So, naturally, he would inform Mia of everything.
The women had gone to great lengths—flying and driving for hours, turning off their phones, and halting bank cards—all to see their men worry, frantic and regretful because they couldn't locate them.
And yet, on the very first day of their absence, the men had tracked them down, stripping away any sense of victory the women might have felt. It was akin to throwing fuel on a fire.
Not only could they not appease them, but they risked an even bigger uproar.
Their purpose for coming was to ensure the safety of the three women and the child. So, even though they had arrived, they had to act like they hadn't.
Chad and Andre were in agreement on this; they needed to wait until the women had cooled off before revealing their presence. Approaching them now would be like banging rocks together to see which would break first.
"André, let's hang out in the lobby. Molly's got a thing for late-night snacks. She'll definitely order takeout. As long as we're here, we'll find out where they're staying," Chad, knowing his pregnant wife all too well, suggested.
No sooner had he said this than a delivery guy turned up. "Hello, takeout for Seaview Room 888."
All three men's heads snapped towards him.
The delivery guy was on the phone, "Hello, is this Ms. Cedillo? Just letting you know your takeout is at the front desk. Our delivery bots are swamped, so it'll be a minute."
Molly's voice came through, "How long is it going to take? My food's gonna get cold. Fine, we'll come down and grab it."
The men didn't catch the whole exchange, but they saw the delivery guy finish with, "Enjoy your meal, goodbye," before walking off.
Chad casually strolled over to the delivery shelf, pretending to be indifferent but sneakily checking the order.
"Yep, it's theirs," he confirmed.
Andre nodded, "Let's get a room."
They handed over their IDs at the desk, asking for the room next to Seaview Room 888.
Meanwhile, in their room, the women and child were making plans.
"Auntie, I'll get the takeout," Anya offered with enthusiasm.
With one heavily pregnant and the other busy with a child, they didn't protest, "Don't lock the door; we'll be waiting for you."
Once the men had checked in, Leo, with his keen eye, spotted a young girl in slippers emerging from the elevator. He recognized her instantly but was quickly silenced by Andre, who clamped a hand over his mouth, while Chad stood by, avoiding eye contact.
One was the son-in-law of the Irvin family, a business mogul; another, the young master of the Byrne family, a top cop; and the last, the eldest grandson of the Cedillo family, a legendary hacker. Yet here they were, sneaking around like schoolboys caught in mischief.
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