Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Before they knew it, the group had chatted away until around ten at night, with Henry yawning repeatedly. Seeing the late hour, the family of three decided to call it a night. Annie was about to leave too when Conner, leaning casually against the door, suggested, "Why not stay over tonight?"

Annie shot back, "Don't make me use force."

"Save your so-called martial arts; you're no match for me," Conner teased.

Just as Annie reached out, Conner swiftly caught her wrist, spun around, and pinned her against the wall. "I've been going easy on you. Your moves won't work on me." Conner had earned his position through real skill.

Pinned by Conner, Annie felt his arm pressing down on her neck. Conner leaned in, his gaze locking with hers. "You love little tigers, but they aren't yours. You can't hold them all the time. How about we have one of our own, a little one you can hold whenever you want?" The more Annie struggled, the tighter Conner's grip became. "Stop resisting; it's pointless. Your skills might work on thugs, but not on a villain like me. Just admit defeat."

"Conner, only after you find my sister and clear your name will I consider marrying you."

"If I knew where she was, I'd have found her by now!" Conner replied, frustrated.

Releasing her, he asked, "Is your sister all that matters to you?"

"Absolutely," Annie replied, unyielding.

Conner's temper flared. "And what if your sister is dead?"

Annie's eyes reddened, her resolve unshaken. "If a coroner proves you're not involved, I'll still marry you."

"And if they can't prove it?" Conner asked, gritting his teeth.

Annie stood firm. "Then I'll personally bring you to justice."

Conner, realizing she wouldn't budge, pulled her close and kissed her fervently.

If Annie showed any resistance, he would pin her to the wall, leaving her no room to escape.

On their way home, a tired Henry fell asleep in his mother's arms.

Mia, careful not to wake him, whispered to her husband, "Let's skip his bath and put him straight to bed. If we wake him, none of us will sleep tonight."

With Henry asleep, the couple moved quietly around the house.

In the bathroom, they finally spoke at normal volume. "Sweetheart, considering Conner's unpredictable nature, you wouldn't really leave the kid with him, right?" Mia asked.

Andre, with a noble air, replied, "We're happy. Let's give him a chance to find his happiness too."

After washing her face, Mia looked at her reflection. "That's quite generous of you. But our son in their hands? I can only imagine the pampered life he'd lead. Everyone dotes on Henry so much that if he wanted a rocket, everyone but us would probably find a way to get him one."

Thus, the couple were the only ones in their circle who didn't overly spoil their child.

Mia, with a damp washcloth, tiptoed over to gently wipe Henry's face. Each time he stirred, she froze, worried about waking him and losing the family's chance for a restful night.

After the careful task of cleaning Henry's face and hands, the couple snuggled up with their sweet-smelling bundle of joy to sleep.

The final stretch.

Anya would visit the lake every day to check on the fish she claimed to have caught at "Scholar's River," even crafting a fishing hook to stand by the lake daily.

The saying goes, "Jiang Taigong fishes, willing the fish to bite."

In Anya's case, it seemed more like, "Only those tired of living would bite."

Indeed, the fish were smart; they all wanted to live.

Hansen, spotting a girl by the lake who seemed ready to jump in, approached with his chubby grandson, squinting. "Isn't that Anya?"

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Anya.

"What are you doing, girl?" Hansen asked.

Henry watched with curiosity, not quite understanding.

Anya whispered, "Shh, Grandpa, I'm fishing."

Anya had stopped bothering her boyfriend on weekends to study. After two days without a catch, she stood by the Cedillo family's lake, hands on her hips, daydreaming.

Hansen, watching her, glanced

between Anya and the lake. "Don't

do anything rash. In this chilly

weather, you better not jump in!" He recated Anya's previous silent plunge and grew anxious.

Anya, puzzled, looked at him. "Grandpa, I'm not giving up."

The next day, Anya somehow came up with a fishing net and began scooping from the lake daily.

Surprisingly, she actually managed to catch some fish.

"Grandpa, why are there so many fish in our lake?" Anya asked, looking at the net full of fish.

Hansen pondered, "Could these be the offspring of the Scholar Fish that have grown up?"

So, Anya made it a routine to fish, turning into the local fishing expert.

However, all her activities caught the eye of the Cedillo family's little adventurer.

Taking advantage of his newfound walking ability, he sneakily toddled out in the afternoon while everyone was distracted.

Hansen, after a gaming session, suddenly exclaimed, "Where's my grandson?"

Outside, he saw Henry, wobbly, fall onto the concrete, only to get up again and make his way to the lawn before tumbling down once more, sprawling on the ground. With no one to pick him up, Henry whimpered a bit, then stopped crying when he realized no one was coming. He picked himself up again and wandered off aimlessly.

What Henry didn't know was that a line of family members was hiding behind the hedge, led by Grandpa, followed by the butler, Naomi, Bruce, Jade, who was back to stir things up at her parents' house, her personal driver Officer Chad, and finally, standing tall with his hands in his pockets, his father, Andre, watching him.

The little toddler, by sheer luck, made it to the shore.

He bent down, grabbing at the grass, attempting to fish-

Just as he squatted down, he tumbled over.

Sitting on the ground, Henry's lips quivered, revealing two tiny milk teeth as he cried, "Mommy-"

With no response from mommy, the clever child sobbed, "Daddy-"

Everyone following him turned their heads simultaneously to look at the tall man.NôvelDrama.Org: owner of this content.

Andre still hadn't stepped forward.

Seeing his parents weren't around, Henry, with his little bottom sticking out, got up and started walking toward the lake.

Just as he was about to reach it, Andre's figure emerged. "Henry."

With a face streaked with tears and snot bubbles, Henry looked up at his dad. Andre quickly ran over, scooped up his dirty son, and dusted him off. "What are you doing here?

At that moment, everyone else emerged from their hiding spots.