Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

He pointed at James. "That's my brother-my little brother-in-law."

Everyone just stared in silence.

Ava blinked, a little lost. "Brother-in-law?" she mouthed quietly.

Then Leo pulled Anya over. "And this is my girlfriend. The guy in the car? That's her actual brother."

The neighbor looked taken aback, and so did Anya.

Leo kept it light. "Don't get the wrong idea. We all live around here, so we're bound to bump into each other at the store. No need for weird rumors. Besides, my girlfriend's still in school, not even graduated yet. She's young-no kids or anything."

Anya nodded fast. "Yep, that's right."

The neighbor blushed, apologetic. "I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding."

Another shopper chimed in, embarrassed. "Whoops, that's on me. I shouldn't have said anything."

Leo and Anya could tell it was all harmless, so they just cleared things up and let it go.

On their way out, the shop assistant opened a pack of mini sausages and handed one each to the three kids. "You kids are just too cute. Honestly, your whole family is gorgeous."

Leo looked at the little Henry in his arms. "What do you say?"

Henry took the sausage, lips still sticky from his milkshake, and piped up sweetly, "Thank you~"

The shop assistant nearly melted. If she hadn't been working, she probably would have scooped Henry up for a cuddle.

The other two kids were too little to manage a "thank you," so Leo thanked her for them, then grabbed the cart and started steering everyone out.

"Chad, do we even need to explain? Nobody here knows us anyway," Leo said.

Chad shrugged. "Maybe not, but

met

you're the new guy in town, and you're good-looking. They'll remember you next time. Besides, now the kids have extra

snacks-they won't be raiding the fridge as soon as we get home."

After the grocery run, the two of them struggled to herd the three kids back to the house. The little ones couldn't walk ten steps without wandering off in different directions.

Back home, Leo checked his phone, worry flickering across his face. "I hope Mia's doing okay..."

Meanwhile, at The Silent Ring, Mia was just coming off the stage. Molly rushed to her, fretting. "Are you hurt?"

Mia winced. "Of course I'm hurt!

That guy's built like a tank. I punched him and I swear I heard something crack in my hand." She shook her hand, then blew on it to ease the sting.

Molly threw an arm around her and sat her down. "Well, pain or not, you knocked

that brute right out. He just lay there, didn't even try to get up."

Mia caught her breath while a few fans hovered nearby, offering her bottled water and sneaking admiring looks.

Molly took the water and thanked them, but handed Mia her own bottle. "Better safe than sorry. Who knows if that's really from a fan, right?"

Molly fussed over Mia, trying to knead her shoulders and help her relax.

"Ow, Molly! Stop fussing, I'm fine," Mia protested. She hadn't thought her hand hurt that much, but with Molly babying her, she couldn't help but whine a little. Molly paused. "Seriously? Chad always says I give the best backrubs." "That's just because Chad knows better than to say otherwise."

Before long, the next round of fighters took the stage.

Mia took a sip of water, puffed up her cheeks, and glanced into the shadows. Wasn't anyone watching her?noveldrama

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With her cheeks all puffed out and her bright eyes sparkling, Mia looked impossibly cute. The group in the back row was instantly smitten. They'all been holding their breath, guessing she'd win, but they ever expected her to be so fierce and so adorable at the same time.