Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1211

Back in school, there were tons of girls who had a crush on Zane. He was the whole package: good grades, tall and handsome, smart, ambitious, and, to top it off, he actually had a decent personality. Basically, he was that guy who seemed to have it all together.

Elysia, though, wasn’t buying it. She scrunched up her nose and muttered,

“Doesn’t matter how perfect he looks on paper. He’s rotten to the core. The guy’s just filthy inside and out.”

Just then, Keaton and Tarquin walked in. Keaton immediately jumped in with his two cents,

“Gotta agree with Elysia on this one. It’s what’s inside that counts! Look at me—my grades are awful, but at least I’m not a jerk, right Tarquin?”

Tarquin just rolled his eyes, didn’t bother responding, and instead wandered over to stand closer to his wife.

Elysia nodded her approval.

“Exactly. Keaton might be a bit of a flirt, but at least he’s a good guy. Compared to Zane, he’s like, a thousand times better.”

Winona, grateful for the support, chimed in with a big smile,

“If Zane’s just a crow pretending to be a peacock, then you, Keaton, are the real deal. Like, the crowned king.”

Keaton puffed up immediately, grinning,

“See? Ms. Newsom knows quality when she sees it!”

Elysia turned to Tarquin, “Did Zane and Ridley leave?”

“Yeah, they just left.”

“Bet Zane’s losing his mind right now. He didn’t get to take Winona home, and now he’s got a whole new mess with Sarah. She’s his time bomb—looks like it finally blew up. I’m sure he’s freaking out.”

“You’re not wrong. He looked like he’d swallowed a lemon on his way out.”

“Serves him right!” Elysia snorted.

Honestly, the worse Zane felt, the better everyone else’s mood seemed to get.

Elysia finished dabbing ointment on Winona’s arm and started packing up the first aid kit.

Keaton sidled over, chuckling, “Hey, Elysia, could you do me a favor when you have a sec?”

She looked at him, a little surprised. “Uh… sure, what is it?”

“Well, you and my sister get along, right? Next time you see her, could you put in a good word for the whole ‘no marriage, no kids’ thing? Maybe talk to my parents, too, so they’ll stop hounding me about settling down.”

Everyone turned to look at her. Keaton’s eyes went wide,

“Wait, seriously?”

“Seriously. You just want your parents off your back about marriage and kids, right?”

“Exactly! That’s all I want.”

“No problem. But are you in a rush? If you can wait until I deal with Zane, I’ll help you out.”

“I mean, it’s kinda urgent, but I can wait. As long as it’s handled before New Year’s. My parents want me and Beatrix to announce the engagement at the end of the year, and I don’t want to go through with it.”

“Plenty of time, then. When Zane’s sorted, come find me. I’ll take care of it.”

Keaton looked like he’d just won the lottery. “Deal!”

Inside Number One Mansion, the mood was light and easy.

Meanwhile, somewhere else, Zane was on edge, feeling like he’d just eaten a whole plate of rotten Brussels sprouts—sour, bitter, and absolutely miserable.