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

The kids were buzzing with excitement and honestly, so were the adults.

Once Elysia had calmed Pamela down, she started packing. And boy, did she pack. Big bags, little bags, you name it. She wanted to bring everything she thought was good for Grandpa and Grandma.

After all, they'd saved her life, and after five years of living together, Elysia already considered them family. Blood didn't make you family-love and loyalty did.

Clayton watched her stuffing another bag. "Irene," he said, "aren't you all hiking up into the mountains? How are you supposed to carry all that?"

That snapped Elysia back to reality. Right-they'd have to trek through thick forests and climb rocky trails. No way she could carry this much.

Grumbling, she started unloading some things, though she clearly hated to leave anything behind.

When Evan walked back into their home at Number One Mansion, Elysia and the kids had almost finished packing.

Evan went straight to Tarquin. "Dad, he's coming with us," he announced.

Tarquin's sharp eyes narrowed. "You talked it out?"

"Yup! He promised to follow my lead when we get to the mountains. I'll check with my mentor first-if my mentor doesn't want to see him, I won't let them meet. Besides, once we're up there, I'll have plenty of help. If he tries anything, I'll deal with him myself!"

After all, the animals in the mountains were his friends. In the wild, Evan was king. Tarquin ruffled Evan's hair. "As long as you've got it worked out."

He wasn't worried about the oddball causing trouble. With him, Evan, and Evan's mentor, three against one-what could go wrong?

Before setting off, Tarquin called Keaton.

He asked Keaton to look after the Newsom family while they were gone.

Winona and Zane's mess still wasn't sorted. Even though Zane was in Winona's hands now, Tarquin wanted to make sure nothing went sideways.

Keaton didn't mind helping-honestly, he was kind of excited. Winona knew a ton of gorgeous ladies, and any excuse to hang around was a good one.

Still, he grumbled, "Seriously, are you guys ever going to deal with that scumbag? Planning to keep him around till next Christmas?"

Tarquin's voice was calm. "He may be scum, but he's bait too."

If they took care of Zane too soon, their mysterious adversary would just find another crooked partner, and things would get even harder to control.

Better to string Zane along for now. He wouldn't dare sabotage Central Pharmaceuticals just yet not while it was still expanding. He'd wait till it got bigger before making his move.

Keaton was smart; he got the message. "I hear you. Don't worry about a thing, the Newsoms are safe with me. Good luck up there."

After hanging up, Tarquin made a few more calls, quietly passing all the evidence they'd gathered about Zane's shady deals with Burmalia to the police. They'd work with the cops on this. Once they were back from the mountains-virus or no virus–Zane was going down.

Once everything in Jindale City was squared away, the family said their goodbyes to Clayton and Pamela and hit the road.noveldrama

A luxury SUV whisked them off to the airport. Their private jet was already waiting

to fly them to Darkfort City, and from there, they'd drive to the mountains.

Finally, they'd hike deep into the wilderness, following winding trails into the heart of the wild.

They'd barely left the city when Elysia's phone buzzed.

It was Sabrina.

Elysia considered ignoring it, but if the call was about the virus, she couldn't risk it. She answered, "Hello?"

Sabrina cut right to the chase. "Elysia, this is your last chance. Are you going to join me in researching the virus or not?"

Apparently, Sabrina had spent all night thinking about it. If Elysia really did manage to find a cure, Sabrina could claim the credit-and pave the way for herself to become the next president of the Medical & Pharmaceutical Association. Cóntent

Elysia said, "I told you last night, I'm not interested."

Sabrina sounded annoyed. “Think this through, will you? The Stevenson family leads the entire medical field. Not even Benjamin would dare cross us lightly-what makes you think you can?"