Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1328

“Sabrina?!”

Elliot and Elijah blurted it out at the exact same time.

Sabrina’s reputation was infamous among the kids for a reason. Not only did she dislike Elysia, but she’d also been spreading nasty rumors about her at the Medical & Pharmaceutical Association. Even if she’d been away from Oakridge for a while, the brothers had all been itching to set things straight with her.

Now, they spotted her sneaking around, and Elijah narrowed his eyes. “What’s she up to?”

Elliot peered closer. “Looks like she’s trying to steal a virus sample.”

Elijah immediately turned to Tarquin, concern etched on his face.

Tarquin, when he took samples, only ever did it for research in his remote mountain lab. He’d never let anything dangerous get out. But Sabrina? Who knew what she’d do.

Even though they’d already developed an antidote, anyone infected would still go through hell and back before recovering. If Sabrina managed to smuggle out the sample and unleash it, it could still spell disaster.

“Dad, should we trigger the lab alarm?” Elijah asked, tense.

One hit of that alarm button, and security would be all over Sabrina before she could get away with anything.

Tarquin, reading his son’s mind, reassured him, “Don’t worry. The one she’s taking is a fake.”

After he’d swiped the real sample the other day, he’d replaced it with a decoy to avoid suspicion. No one could tell the difference just by looking.

He’d actually planned to return the real one today at the hospital, but after guessing Sabrina might make a move tonight, he changed his mind. Better safe than sorry—if she botched the theft and exposed the real virus, it could be a nightmare.

So, for now, all Sabrina had was a fake.

Tarquin shrugged, “Not exactly. We can’t go public with the antidote without exposing your great-grandma and your mom. So, we need a plan, and Sabrina’s little stunt is actually useful.”

If they announced the cure, everyone would demand to know who developed it. Sooner or later, the trail would lead to Elysia, especially since she’d published the first-gen formula before.

Elliot asked, “So you’re going to let Sabrina take the fall?”

Tarquin replied coolly, “That depends on Victor. He’ll be in Oakridge in a day or two. If he plays fair and doesn’t hand all the credit to Sabrina, she’ll be fine. But if he tries to rig the game for her, well, she’ll end up as the scapegoat.”

Elliot didn’t press for more details. He just scowled, his little brow furrowed. “Even if she’s the scapegoat, she shouldn’t get any credit. She trashed Mom behind her back, and we haven’t even given her a piece of our mind yet.”

“Even if she’s the fall guy, she’s not taking Mom and Great-Grandma’s achievements. Not if we can help it!”