Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

In Eldoria, Molly was always the busiest bee, buzzing about with more tasks than a library had books. Sometimes, the chaos got to her, and she'd dream about just throwing in the towel and taking it easy. One day, she darted off to find her mom, Coleen. "Mom, let me get a job, will you? I'll work for free for a month. You handle the worrying; let me handle my own wedding, okay?" Coleen rolled her eyes and said, "Get outta here. Take your complaints to Chad, not me."

So, every evening, Officer Chad would get an earful for a solid hour.

Chad was used to it. As Molly ranted, he'd peel apples, segment oranges, and pit cherries, all without missing a beat, popping them into the mouth of the non-stop chatterbox.

Even the Byrne family matriarch admired her granddaughter's gift of gab, "That girl can talk. She could narrate an entire TV episode without breaking a sweat."

***

After the holidays, Chad's work was smooth sailing, no major cases on the horizon. He teamed up with the PR department to kick off an anti-scam campaign.

Chad revisited the neighborhoods he'd educated before, ending up in a community with a senior majority, where he struck up a conversation with the local community leader.

A bunch of enthusiastic elders tugged at Chad and boasted about their vigilance, "Whenever my phone flashes 'scam,' I don't even pick up."

"Officer Chad, I hear you got promoted! Married yet? Got a sweetheart? Listen, my granddaughter..."

Chad shared with a smile, "Mrs. Lee, I'm getting hitched this March, and we've already got the license. Don't you worry about me. After the wedding, I'll bring you all some wedding candy."

Some had met Molly the year before, impressed by the striking young woman. Another elder nudged her companion, "Lee, you're getting muddled. We met Officer Chad's girlfriend last year, a real beauty."

Mrs. Lee leaned on her cane and asked Chad, "Is it that same girl from last year?"

Chad beamed with joy, "Who else could it be but her?"

Afterward, he sent out his young, single colleagues to sweet-talk the seniors. Who knows, if they played their cards right, they might just find their happily-ever-after.

then went to chat

sister, the leader joked, "Officer Chad, that's quite the gag you're pulling with your sister this year. Last year she's your girlfriend, this year you're walking down the aisle. What's next

leader was

a smile, radiating

...

like a robot on overdrive, accompanying her aunt on shopping

came to the lunchtime rush, no one was more on their game than

b12. What do you want to eat?

you skip the last period to snag seats?" Mia

I sprinted from class.

you act a bit more like the idol you're supposed to be?" Anya swallowed her bite and took a swig of her drink, "Chad said being the campus beauty is bad luck. He doesn't want me

played her trump card, "Leo's the campus heartthrob. Are you okay

blurted out, "Auntie,

choked

a drink to help her

next day, as Leo drove Anya to school, she emerged with a light touch of makeup, her smile

"What's that shimmer

"Eyeshadow."

tilted her chin, inspecting her cheeks, "And what about those

it well?" Anya rummaged through her bag, now filled with

you

innocently, Anya said, "Chad, I

it." Leo pulled her into the bathroom. "Clean your face. You look like

lovely. It's nice for