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

"We've had strict orders from the top-absolutely no information leaves this room. And you went ahead and brought in an outsider to look at classified files? Who gave you that kind of nerve?!"

"If she lets anything slip, are you ready to take the fall for that?"

"Do you even realize how ugly things get when the public starts to panic?"

Benjamin kept his cool, trying to explain.

"I only asked her to help because she's got some real expertise in herbal medicine. She's good-really good. And she's my friend. She's trustworthy, I promise. She would never leak confidential info."

Sabrina shot him a look dripping with sarcasm.

"Trustworthy? Based on what her pretty face?”

She'd been in a bad mood all day, especially after Tarquin called her out earlier, so now she was taking it out on Benjamin.

"Expertise, huh? Where'd she go to school? Which hospital does she work for? If she's so amazing, why isn't she with the American Medical Association?"

"If she can't even get into the AMA, maybe you've got a weird definition of 'amazing,' Dr. Benjamin!"

Benjamin frowned, annoyed, but didn't fire back.

Tarquin's face darkened, but Elysia stepped in quickly, whispering,

"Don't pay attention to her-I'll handle it."noveldrama

In the world of medicine, the Stevenson family practically outranked the Lawsons.

Benjamin picking a fight with the Stevensons would only hurt his own family's future in the field.

It wasn't worth risking it all over some hot-headed girl in her twenties with no manners.

Elysia, wanting to back Benjamin up, strode over.

She didn't even glance at Sabrina. Instead, she spoke directly to Benjamin:

"I haven't cracked the mutation pattern of the virus yet, but I've listed out the antidote's components. Maybe it'll help."

Benjamin's eyebrows shot up. "You managed to identify all the ingredients?"

"Yeah. The formula's on the laptop-take a look."

He hurried into the study, eager to see for himself.

Sabrina watched Elysia with open suspicion, then followed them in.

She didn't buy for a second that Elysia had figured it all out-hell, the association's team of experts had been stumped for two days! How could someone without even a medical license have managed what they couldn't?

Inside, Benjamin picked up Elysia's handwritten list and read it over carefully.

As he recognized a few of the herbs, a lightbulb seemed to go off.

"So it's these? But that doesn't make sense their properties don't match what we need."

Elysia explained,

"It's all about dosage. A little bit of something can heal; too much of the same

thing can kill. It's just basic pharmacology."

Sabrina snatched the list from Benjamin, scanning it quickly.

She might have had her limitations, but as a Stevenson, she'd grown up around medicine-and she knew

to tell when someone knew stuff.

A full 95% of Elysia's list matched what the association's experts had found. That alone said volumes about her skills.

If that last mysterious 5% turned out to be the missing link, Elysia really would be in a league of her own.

Sabrina swallowed hard, pocketed the list, and muttered with a frown,

"I'll show this to the experts. If it checks out, then Dr.

Benjamin-you're off the hook al net

bringing her in and bending the rules."

for

"But let's be clear: if this virus thing gets out, you're still taking the blame, Dr. Benjamin."

With that, she shot Tarquin a pouty, wounded look, then stormed off.

Benjamin scowled. "At this rate, Mr. Stevenson's stellar reputation won't survive his niece much longer."

Elysia knew Sabrina just wanted to take credit for her work, but she didn't care. Right now, the important thing was finding a cure.