A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 395

Truthfully, she was prepared. She had gone over every possible scenario involving Marcia and the Murphys countless times. Nothing could go wrong.

And yet, at that moment, hearing those words, her nose began to sting. Rowan had said things like that to her so many times before. During the year she had spent at the Murphy estate as a child, she had lost so much of her natural confidence and liveliness. It was Rowan who had encouraged her, again and again.

*Little Nine, this is our home. You call the shots.*

*What are you afraid of? If the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you.*

*Little Nine, just do it. I've got your back.*

…

And so, piece by piece, she had become herself again. But why had things turned out this way? How could his grandmother have been responsible for her parents' deaths?

The distance was great enough that even if she started crying now, Rowan wouldn't see. But Elissa yanked the curtains shut anyway, blocking him from view. Ignoring the tears that were already streaming down her face, she took a deep breath to steady her voice. "It's late. I'm going to bed."

Down below, Rowan stared at the abruptly closed curtains, stunned for a moment. Before he could respond, the line went dead. She had hung up on him.

Ian was still chatting with Evan when their boss strode over, his face a mask of displeasure. Ian immediately straightened up, got out, and opened the rear door. "Back to the residence, sir?"

"Yes," Rowan said, his voice cold as he ducked into the car. "What did you find out about Frank's movements?" What kind of spell had that man cast on Elissa?

"Nothing unusual recently, sir. The only odd thing is that he's had someone watching the old Murphy estate." Ian reported, then added, "However, he did take a trip to Cresthaven a while ago and stayed for some time. We couldn't find out what he was doing; it seems he deliberately covered his tracks."

Rowan's brow furrowed. "He went to Cresthaven? And he's watching the estate?"

"I was so nervous about your press conference I couldn't sleep," Tanya said, more on edge than Elissa herself. She pulled her toward the kitchen. "Frank already had breakfast sent over. Come and eat."

It was a light but nutritious spread, clearly Edna's handiwork.

Once Elissa was seated, Tanya looked at her apologetically. "Asher just started his new job and is completely swamped. I promised I'd help pick up his sister, Marcella, from the hospital, but her discharge got scheduled for today…" She had only found out yesterday afternoon.

"Go, of course," Elissa said with an easy smile. "You two grew up together, and Marcella has always been good to you. You should be there."

Tanya let out a sigh of relief, but still looked regretful. "But I'll miss your press conference."

"Just make it to the reception afterward. That's good enough."