A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 439

She wanted to ask him the same question she had posed to Rex the day before. She had originally planned to wait until they were back in Vistapeak City, but under the intensity of his dark gaze, the words escaped her before she could stop them.

Rowan’s brow twitched slightly, a flicker of seriousness in his eyes. "Go on."

"If…" The question felt heavy, and Elissa’s confidence wavered. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she hesitated. She was afraid he would ask, ‘Elissa, what makes you think I would abandon my family for you?’

But then she remembered the harmony within the Wilkinson family, and how Rex had chosen Tanya without a second thought. Suzanne’s words had also left a deep impression on her. If she didn’t ask, she knew she would always regret it.

With that thought, she met his gaze directly, her eyes shimmering as she finally mustered the courage. "Rowan, for a while now, I’ve been…"

She was cut off as Evan Murphy hurried into the room. "Sir, Miss Carson, the situation online has gotten worse."

Elissa frowned. "Worse?"

Rowan, however, remained calm. "How much worse?"

"Several more families have come forward, all claiming they experienced the same thing—severe side effects after taking our group’s medication," Evan reported.

Elissa quickly pulled out her phone and saw that the topic was now trending in multiple hashtags. The public sentiment had also shifted. While before the anger was directed at both her and the Murphy Group, now a coordinated effort was redirecting all the blame squarely onto her.

Rowan took the phone and turned off the screen, his expression hardening. "I need to return to Vistapeak City immediately. Do you want to come with me?"

With things in turmoil at the Murphy Group, he couldn't stay away, lest someone try to take advantage of the chaos. And under the circumstances, he didn't feel safe letting her travel back alone later.

This damn woman… always getting what she wanted with no effort at all, while she had to fight for everything.

Elissa had no interest in talking to her. "I don’t need to explain my whereabouts to you." With that, she started to walk toward the backyard.

"In such a hurry? Rushing back to Vistapeak City to clean up that mess, are we?" Marcia noticed the bags in Elissa’s hands—one clearly containing clothes—and blocked her path, a smug, gloating look on her face. She wanted to see Elissa squirm.

After this scandal, she was sure Elissa’s reputation would be in tatters.