Sweet Mischief’s Rollercoaster Romance

In the sprawling maze of the Dark Web, covering almost every corner of the developed world, thousands of deals are struck daily. Running such a colossal network isn't something a small-time player like Conrad could handle solo.

He was just overseeing a minor outpost, and Maja knew there were far bigger players pulling the strings behind him. Greg, the protégé, was probably set to lead the next outpost. But that plan was toast.

"What are you on about? Our Mr. Conrad isn't going anywhere," someone insisted.

Maja chuckled coldly, her eyes on her nails, "Oh, he will."

That night, a battered and bruised Conrad made a sudden comeback.

"Thank goodness, Mr. Conrad is back!" a crowd erupted in cheers.

Conrad finally felt a bit of relief once he hit his base.

Inside, Maja heard the ruckus outside. She stood up, a smile on her face but with eyes as cold as ice, "Let's roll out the welcome mat for Mr. Conrad."

Her gun had been snatched by the Dark Web crew. She walked into the lobby, spotting Conrad looking rough around the edges. She approached him, "Looks like the trip didn't go quite as planned, huh, Mr. Conrad?"

"Get out of my sight," Conrad barked.noveldrama

He turned to one of his men, "Hand over half a million to the two waiting outside."

"Got it."

Maja quipped, "Escaping Andre and Conner's grip is no small feat. How'd you pull it off, Mr. Conrad?"

"I've got my tricks," Conrad replied.

Maja grinned, "Care to spill the beans? Maybe I'll throw in a 'surprise' for you."

A surprise? Was it the stash's location?

Conrad missed the brief flicker of danger in Maja's eyes. Thinking about Troy Watanabe, a somewhat open secret, he decided to share, "Troy Watanabe's your guy. I the money's right, he'll sort it out."

Watanabe? Troy?

Maja's eyes narrowed. Wasn't that the case her sister's precinct cracked not long ago?

Even deep in the Dark Web world,

Maja kept tabs on her sister's cases, especially the headline-grabbers. She did it to share in her sister's success and to ensure her safety on the job.

Maja pieced it together fast. Just then, gunfire echoed from outside.

Clueless about the unfolding chaos, Conrad ordered his men, "Something's up outside, take a crew and check it out."

Maja slowly stepped back, inching towards an escape route. She glanced at the oblivious bunch, a smirk playing on her lips, choosing not to sound the alarm.

A moment later, as people barged in, Maja vanished into thin air, unnoticed.

Conrad, stunned, stared at the intruders, "You guys, you're not with Troy's team..."

Standing before him were the same 19 folks he'd been stuck with on a boat for ages.

"You're all in on this?" Conrad demanded.

The man, who earlier joked about dodging debts, shrugged, "You've caught on. Pity. If you'd realized sooner, Troy might've gotten you off the coast, but now he's likely facing the death penalty."

"You're Andre's crew!" Conrad snapped, finally putting the pieces together.

"Took you long enough. How come the Dark Web's full of dimwits?"

Conrad realized too late he'd walked right into a trap, revealing his base for Andre to storm.

Seething, he clenched his teeth, "You guys spotted me from the get-go, sent me back just to wipe out my outpost."

"Figured it out now? Too little, too late."