Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

Conner grabbed Annie's wrist gently, "Hey, my face took the hit, but the rest of me's good. If you want to walk out of here with a smile today, you better cheer me up. Otherwise, we could just tie the knot today, and next year, you might be marveling at our kid. Annie, with a playful smirk, pressed her other hand on Conner's sore face, making him wince. "Annie, you're trying to murder your husband here."

"With antics like yours, trying to blackmail me, you'd better look after yourself," Annie teased, shaking off Conner's grip and continuing to gently apply ointment to his injuries.

"Whoa, who's the swollen face in the living room? Never seen him before!" came a theatrical voice, as three tall guys strutted in.

Mars Arrowood eyed his buddy's face, jokingly hollering from the doorway, "Conner, where are you? There's a pig in your living room..."

Conner let go of Annie's hand, standing up to chase Mars, itching for some payback.

"Whoa, whoa, why are you chasing me?" Mars was quick to make a run for it.

Conner was right behind him, "I might not take Andre, but you, Mars, I could break your tailbone with a single kick."

Mars, spooked, ducked between Teddy and Asher for cover.

Annie looked at the childish Conner and the cheeky Mars, a smile playing on her lips.

"Alright, settle down, you two. You're grown men, for crying out loud. Even our godson's not this immature," Teddy chimed in, putting a stop to the chase.

Mars kept his distance on the sofa, "Was it the Jiang gang that messed you up?"

Conner pointed at Mars, "Just wait till I get my hands on you."

Then he glanced at his brothers, "I doubt you three are here just to spread some holiday cheer."

Teddy and Asher exchanged a knowing look and turned to Annie.

Catching on, Annie stood up, tidied the medicine box, and handed it to Conner's attendant. "I'll head home now. You guys chat."

Conner got up, "I'll walk you out."

"No need. With that face of yours, people might think I'm cheating on you."

Conner: "......"

Mars burst out laughing, "Miss Annie, I officially approve of you as my sister-in-law."

Conner, blushing, kicked Mars's leg, and Mars wisely zipped it.

Conner walked Annie to the door, "Come by tomorrow to help with the ointment. I got this wound because of you, so you're on the hook." "You're just milking it," Annie accused him.

Conner grinned cheekily, "I'm milking it, alright."

He called over a subordinate, "Make sure Annie gets home safely."

Then he turned back to the guys in the living room, "A weasel visiting ă chicken on New Year's, never a good sign. Gentlemen, the weasels, let's take this to the study upstairs."

In Conner's study, Mars sat by the door, making sure no one could listen in. Asher got straight to the point, "Did you know before your last showdown with Emmery, he secretly bought a hundred crates of weapons through the Dark Web, including guns, ammo, and explosives?"

Conner's eyes darted to Teddy.

Teddy looked serious, "There was such a shipment. But since Emmery's death, it's vanished."

Asher continued, "The rumor mill's

buzzing again. Someone knows

about the stash, and there's a

scramble for it. Conner, have you looked into Emmery's stuff?

QUMS