Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem ( Elysia and Tarquin)

After chatting a bit about the house, Elysia seized the chance to talk to her dad.

"Dad, in a while, I'll need to take the kids on a little trip. I won't be able to bring you and Mom along, but you two can just stay here and wait for us. I'll come back as soon as I'm done, I promise."

Clayton looked up, worried. "Where are you going?"

Elysia decided to be honest. "I want to take the kids back to the mountains for a bit."

"You mean the place where you used to live?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I promised the people there I wouldn't tell anyone about them, so I can't take you and Mom. Plus, you know how Mom's health is-she shouldn't be traveling that far."

Clayton sighed, clearly uneasy. "But... why now? Is something wrong?"

"There's a little something, but don't worry, it's not a personal issue."

"Is it good news? Or is it dangerous?"noveldrama

"It's not dangerous at all. We'll be safe, I promise."

Elysia just wanted to ask her grandma for help with the antidote research. Even if they didn't have a breakthrough, there was no real danger for her in the mountains.

Sure, there were wild animals, but most of them scattered the second they saw Evan.

"Is it really necessary to go?" Clayton pressed.

Elysia nodded again. "Yeah, it is."

Seeing that his daughter wasn't going to reveal more, Clayton changed tack. "Is Tarquin going with you?"

Elysia hesitated. She honestly hadn't figured that part out yet.

After all, her grandparents were reclusive-they didn't like meeting new people.

But before she could answer, Clayton spoke up, firm as ever. "Look, your mom and I can stay, but Tarquin has to go with you. I'd only feel comfortable if he goes too. I can't let you take the kids out there alone."

He trusted the people in the mountains not to harm his daughter or the grandkids. But what about the journey? What if something happened on the way, before they even got there? The wilderness was full of dangers-wolves, bears, who knew what else?

He'd spent over twenty years searching for his daughter, and now he couldn't bear the thought of losing her again. If something happened to her, he and his wife wouldn't survive it.

Seeing Clayton's furrowed brow and unyielding expression, Elysia quickly agreed. "Okay, okay, you win. I'll bring him along."

Outside, Mr. Bradford was pretending to tidy up but was actually eavesdropping by the door. He couldn't help but think, "Best father-in-law ever!"

...

Meanwhile, at the hospital...

The Medical & Pharmaceutical Association's special task force had gathered around, discussing for ages before finally reaching a conclusion.

"The formula is absolutely correct. Amazing! Sabrina, did you figure out this antidote yourself?!"

Sabrina was stunned. Absolutely correct?

That woman-who wasn't even allowed into the Medical & Pharmaceutical Association-had actually cracked the formula for the antidote?

How was that possible? She didn't have a medical license, didn't have the credentials-how on earth...?

And to make things worse, she was beautiful, married to a handsome man, and apparently a genius too. Sabrina could barely contain her jealousy.

What had she done to deserve all these breaks in life? Sabrina, who'd come from a respected background, hadn't had a single stroke of luck like this!

Simmering inside, Sabrina forced a smile and lied, "Yeah, I figured it out. Didn't you see my notes? Since you all wouldn't let me on the main project, I worked on it secretly myself."

The truth was, when Elysia's notes on the antidote's composition landed in her hands, Sabrina didn't take them straight to the task force. Instead, she went back to her room, copied them out in her own handwriting, organized them a bit, and then presented "her" version to the team.

Her thinking was simple: if Elysia's analysis turned out to be right, she'd take the credit. If it was wrong, well, no one else had figured it out anyway, so nothing lost.