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

They never expected Tarquin's parents to be tangled up with those kinds of people.

If they'd had any idea, they would've dug up every bit of information about them

ages ago.

Tarquin frowned, his voice steady.

"I honestly don't know exactly why my folks got on their bad side. What I do know is, before my parents died, they left behind something that's really important to them."

"They've been watching me all these years, hoping I'll lead them to it."

"Whatever beef they had with my parents, it probably revolves around that thing."

Tracey's eyes widened. She leaned in, her tone urgent. "What is it? What did they leave behind?"

Tarquin shook his head.

"I wish I knew. My parents died so suddenly, and they never mentioned anything suspicious to me. I've gone through their stuff a hundred times-nothing stands out."

Tracey frowned, pressing further.

"Were your parents scientists? Maybe in the medical field?"

Tarquin shook his head again.

"No, not as far as I know. Their work had nothing to do with medicine-they were both more like literary buffs, really. My mom did work for OE News Agency for a while, though."

Tracey blinked in surprise, staring at Tarquin for a moment.

After a pause, she asked softly,

"What do you think this thing is? Any guesses?"

Tarquin's shoulders slumped.

"I have no clue. I've thought about it over and over. I keep replaying every little moment we had as a family, but... nothing. Maybe they were just trying to protect me. Or maybe they never got the chance to tell me."

"They never even hinted at something like this."

"But one thing's for sure: whatever it is, it means a lot to those people. Otherwise, they wouldn't have spent all these years following me around."

"And I think it must matter to the country, too. Before my parents died, they reached out to the Ministry of National Security. It even got the top brass involved."

"They sent in the military to try to get my parents out, but it all went sideways. They couldn't bring them

back a

and they never found that

thing, either."

Tracey let out a long breath, rubbing her temples. After a while, she suddenly changed the subject.

"Tarquin, do you think it's tragic, what happened to your parents?"

"They managed to reach the Ministry

of National Security, and thenoveldrama

ministry went straight to the top. The government even sent the military. That has to mean thei deaths were linked to national security, right?"

"If they really did die for their country, do you think it was worth it?"

"How do you feel about someone sacrificing their life for the greater good?"

She rattled off her questions, one after another.

Tarquin didn't get all fired up or start making speeches. He just spoke quietly, but you could tell he meant every word.

"It's tragic, sure. But it was worth it. They were protecting not just our country, but our family and their own sense of honor."

"A strong country is the backbone for all of us. The more prosperous we are, the prouder we can be."

"When you come from a powerful nation, you can walk into any part of the world with your head held high. People respect you. They treat you differently."

"But if you lose your country, what's left for your family? Or your own dignity?"

"People living in war zones can barely survive, let alone talk about pride or happiness."

"Our peace, our comfort-it all comes from the strength and prosperity of our country."

Tarquin wasn't the type to go waving flags or shouting slogans. He was just a businessman, through and through.

But before he was a businessman, he was always a patriot.