Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance
Chapter 826

Before long, Annie had to head off to work. She rinsed the lollipop she picked up from the ground under a tap and handed it to Henry, warning Conner, "Don't unwrap it, he's too young for sweets. Make sure you leave soon with him." Annie glanced at Henry again, gently

touching his little hand, and said softly, "Bye-bye, little tiger."

Conner looked at his godson, "What's your secret, kiddo? Let your goddaddy in on it. Why's she all sweet with you and icy with me?"

Henry yawned in his godfather's arms; it was clearly his nap time. Having survived their own challenges, the Nettleton family immediately cradled him, patting his back and soothing the little one to sleep.

By the time they got to the hotel, Henry was fast asleep in Conner's arms, clutching the lollipop, looking peaceful. Conner, holding the child, was reluctant to put him down. Even without a blood tie, seeing him made Conner hold him tight, "Henry, Conner loves you too, very much."

The adorable baby was wrapped in love, sleeping blissfully. The computer screen displayed the surveillance footage he'd been poring over for days, showing nothing unusual. He'd even had friends check it, but nothing ever came up.

Once more, he sat with his godson, reviewing the footage for the umpteenth time. That evening, when Andre finished work, Mia was waiting for her husband downstairs. "Hey, I thought you'd be picking up our son, so I waited for you here." Andre chuckled, "Hop in, I was about to head home to get you."

They drove straight to the hotel. After being apart all day, Henry was found crying amid his toys when they arrived. Mia picked him up, noticing the lollipop in his hand, "Hey, who gave you this?"

Henry mumbled something unintelligible as he snuggled closer to his mom. Conner chimed in, "I took him to the police station today, and Annie gave it to him."

Mia was taken aback, "What? Annie? Isn't she... my best friend's husband's ex-girlfriend?"

Conner was surprised, "You know her too?"

Andre's gaze shifted to his wife, curious why a simple name would surprise her so much. Mia shook her head, "Nope, don't know her!"

She moved aside with the baby, unwrapping the lollipop and starting to eat it herself. A baby's wail interrupted the quiet of the room. Andre looked on, unfazed. He asked Conner, "So, why are you really here? You can't possibly think my son lacks charm." "You're wrong, my son's got plenty of charm."

"Who's Annie anyway? Don't make me dig around. You might not like what I replace."

Amid the baby's cries, the conversation between the two usually hot-tempered men was surprisingly gentle, none daring to lose their cool around the little one.

"Annie's the second daughter of the Newtown An family. Back when the Nettletons were in deep trouble, they helped us out. Now that they're in decline, they want a marriage alliance with us. It shouldn't have involved either of us, but then Emmery died, and her sister vanished in the Nettleton family. Just as both families were about to set an engagement date, the bride-to-be bolted!"

Conner fumed at the mention of it. "She suspects I had something to do with Emmery's death and might harm her sister by association. She insists on checking my surveillance footage. After everything I've been through, do you think my hands are clean? She's a cop, and if she replaces something, even if we were married, she could have me locked up. I didn't let her check the footage; I've been checking it myself. She keeps saying her sister came to the Nettleton family, and people confirm it. But I had my place searched top to bottom, and there's no sign of her."

Andre was more focused on, "You said you're getting married?" No wonder he felt confident comparing with me, wondering if his firstborn would arrive before my second.

Conner sheepishly, "... Yeah, so what?"

The brothers exchanged a knowing look. Conner knew what Andre was hinting at, "You're not mad, are you? Who was it that suddenly got married without a word and then announced he was a dad out of nowhere? Why can't I get married quietly?"

Andre glanced at his "two big surprises" in life. Henry was settled, in his mom's arms, holding a green stick with the candy gone.

Mia crunched on the candy, Henry looking up at her, then at the bare stick, questioning everything. Andre chuckled softly, his face showing pure affection for his wife and son.

"You want to marry her?"

"No way, I'm being forced into it by moral pressure," Conner replied. "Who knows, she might not even want to marry me."

Andre raised an eyebrow, "You rose from an illegitimate child to head of the Nettleton family. I don't believe you can't control your own marriage. Your own brother died before your eyes, and you're afraid of moral pressure? The Nettleton family has plenty of useless heirs; to deal with the An family, you could pick anyone to keep people quiet. Why sacrifice yourself?"

Conner sighed, "Andre, do we still count as brothers? Chatting with you guys is exhausting. None of you are as endearing as my little Mars."

"Because Mars is innocent, he doesn't call you out."

Conner sank into the couch, "The An family wants her to marry me, but she took an overseas study opportunity to dodge the wedding. She said she won't agree until she replaces her sister."

Andre stood up, "Show me the surveillance."

Conner didn't hide anything from his brothers. He headed to his desk and played the footage, "This is from when Maja entered the Nettleton family until she disappeared."

Andre watched for a while but found nothing odd. "Could the footage have been edited?"

"Unlikely. Mars checked it for me and thinks it's improbable."

Andre had always taken pride in recognizing talent, but it wasn't until he discovered his nephew's capabilities that he truly understood the saying, "There's always someone better." "Conner, go get... Leo to check it out." Andre grumbled, reluctant to call his nephew by his full name.

Mars had some skills, but when it came to tech expertise, Andre trusted his nephew more, especially since he came out unscathed from the dark web, making him elite among the elite.

Suddenly, Conner remembered his talented older nephew, "Right, how could I forget about my brilliant nephew."

Conner asked Andre, "Still holding a grudge? I didn't expect this from you, Andre. Leo is both your nephew and like a son to you. Isn't it about time you let it go?"

Andre retorted, "Say one more word, and I'll tell the other three about your failed engagement and how you got dumped by your fiancée."

Conner shot back, "You're really something, aren't you?"