Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem



Elysia pouted, turning on her heel and exiting the room.

Tarquin scowled, lighting up a cigarette before finally picking up the phone.

"Is Elijah okay now?" Gideon asked.

Tarquin remained silent, prompting Gideon to ask again, "What happened so suddenly? How did he get better?"

Impatiently, Tarquin snapped, "He just did."Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.

"How is that even...?"

"How is it not?"

Clearly in a bad mood, Tarquin's attitude left Gideon silent for a few seconds before he said, "I'm coming over to see him."

"Not a good time." Tarquin ended the call bluntly.

Listening to the dial tone, Gideon cursed under his breath, "Damn it!"

His confidant tried to calm him down, "Sir, didn't you notice? If Tarquin isn't happy, it means something's off. If Elijah was truly better, he'd be thrilled." Gideon narrowed his eyes and asked, "So, he's lying?"

"It seems pretty obvious."

"Why would he lie?"

"Who knows, but this means the family reunion will be even more interesting. The moment Elijah shows up, it'll be a slap in Tarquin's face. And now that Elijah is 'better,' he can participate fully in the reunion ceremonies."

After a pause, Gideon chuckled coldly and sent a message to the family group chat.

[This is a momentous occasion for the Bradford family! We must pick a perfect day to celebrate! And since Elijah is 'better,' the reunion ceremonies can go as planned. Tarquin, make sure Elijah's speech is ready in advance.]

Following Gideon's message, congratulations for Elijah's recovery flooded the chat.

But the Bradfords were a skeptical bunch, keeping a careful watch to see if Elijah truly had recovered.

Seeing no response from Tarquin, Gideon wasn't bothered. He put away his phone and asked his confidant, "Have we gotten in touch with Alpha Thorne yet?"

Shaking his head, the confidant replied, "No, sir. After Mr. E gave us his information, we tried to reach out immediately, but there's been no contact. It's possible Mr. E's information was inaccurate."

"Impossible! With Mr. E's resources and standing, he wouldn't deceive us. Alpha Thorne has been an enigma since he burst onto the scene a year ago, shocking the entire financial world. It's no wonder we can't reach him! But to think he's the one who breached Tarquin's security system... well, it makes sense. Who else but him could pull off such a feat, both financially and technically?"

Alpha Thorne was the moniker Elliot used in the financial circles.

Gideon had used the item in exchange for this investigation into Tarquin's security breach, glad it didn't constitute deception while preserving his own identity. "Alpha" was a known entity in the business world, yet Elliot's real identity remained a mystery.

The confidant nodded in agreement. "So, what's our next move? We want to partner with him, but we need to make contact first. Should we ask Mr. E for more help?"

Gideon frowned. "I traded something of significant value with Mr. E, and he agreed to assist us with three inquiries. We've already used one; we can't waste another on this. Keep trying to reach Alpha. Once we make contact, I'm sure I can convince him to collaborate with us."

Unable to contain his curiosity, the confidant asked, "Sir, you sound very confident. Do you have something else up your sleeve?"