A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 418

The VIP suite had a separate living area. As they passed through it, Suzanne glanced at the partially open bedroom door and lowered her voice. “You said on the phone she was pregnant. Is the baby alright?” She didn’t want Elissa to overhear if the news was bad.

“The baby’s fine,” Laurel confirmed. “She just needs to rest.”

“Thank heavens,” Suzanne said, a wave of relief washing over her. It was strange; ever since she’d gotten the call about Elissa’s accident, she’d felt a persistent, gnawing anxiety, the same feeling she’d had years ago when Laurel, then a young intern, had been caught in a mudslide. She had been tormented with worry until the news of her daughter’s safety finally arrived.

Elissa overheard their hushed conversation. As Suzanne entered the room, she offered a weak smile. “Suzanne, I’m fine. The baby is fine too.” She had checked her own pulse earlier. The head wound was superficial, and while the baby had been affected, it wasn’t serious. Just as Laurel had said, all she needed was rest.

Suzanne frowned, taking in Elissa’s pale lips. “You don’t look fine. Why did you come to Cresthaven so suddenly? And without telling me! I would have sent someone to pick you up, and none of this would have happened.” No one would dare mess with a Wilkinson family car.

The question left Elissa at a loss for words, a lump forming in her throat. After a moment, she managed, “I came to visit my parents. Today is their anniversary. I knew you were busy with your father-in-law’s birthday party, so I didn’t want to bother you.”

Even if they weren’t her birth parents, they had saved her life and raised her. That debt of gratitude was enough for her to always consider them her parents. Her sorrow now was for the family she had never known, for the question of who and where they were.

Suzanne sighed and didn't press further. She took a bowl of soup from a servant. “The cook just made this savory cuttlefish and bone broth. It’s very nourishing. Have a taste.”

“Speak.”

He was talking to a robot. Rex grumbled internally but continued, “It’s about Dr. Drummond, the one treating Mom. She was in a car accident near the city government building this afternoon, and now she’s missing. Can you have your people look for her?” Rowan was about to lose his mind. He had dragged Rex all over Cresthaven since they’d gotten the news, turning the city upside down. He had even asked Jesse to investigate, but even he had come up with nothing. Could Orion Stone’s influence here really be that strong?

“No need,” Laurel said coolly.

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