A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 440

The rising star of the research world was about to become a pariah.

Elissa glanced at her coolly. "Instead of wasting your time worrying about me, you should be more concerned about the baby in your belly."

"What?" Marcia swallowed hard, a flicker of panic in her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Elissa gave a faint smile. "You’re pregnant, aren’t you? And you pinned it on Frank? Instead of meddling in my affairs, you should be thinking about how you’re going to explain things to the Atwater family when the truth comes out."

When she’d heard that Carmela had rescued Marcia from the Murphy family a few days after the press conference, she had wondered why Carmela would get involved. Seeing Marcia now, everything made sense. She was clearly showing, her pregnancy likely as far along as Elissa's. If the child belonged to someone else, Carmela would have thrown her out long ago. But if it were Frank's, Marcia would have already used the baby to secure her position. That left only one possibility: the baby wasn't Frank's, he refused to acknowledge it, and Carmela, desperate for an Atwater heir, would rather be safe than sorry.

Her voice wasn’t quiet, and guests were milling about nearby.

Marcia grew frantic and reached out to cover Elissa’s mouth. "Elissa, what nonsense are you talking about!"

"If you have nothing to hide, what are you afraid of?" Elissa sidestepped her, her voice turning to ice. "If you don’t want this getting back to the Atwaters, then get out of my way."

With that, she tried to move past Marcia. Rowan was waiting for her, and she didn't want to waste any more time, nor did she want to cause a scene at the Wilkinsons' party.

Marcia was seething, unable to stand being constantly overshadowed by this woman. Recalling what Maya had told her yesterday, she suddenly grabbed Elissa’s wrist, her voice laced with venom. "Elissa, do you really think you can act so high and mighty forever, just because the Wilkinsons and Rowan are protecting you?"

Elissa’s expression grew even colder. "Let go!"

"No!" Marcia’s confidence surged as she remembered Maya’s words. "Tell me, if we cause a scene right here, who do you think will end up worse off?"

The official denials and cover-ups might have fooled the general public, but everyone in their social circle knew the truth.

Marcia was stunned. First Jesse, and now Laurel, the most powerful figure in the Wilkinson family, were defending this bitch so fiercely. Why hadn't the car crash killed her?

Marcia’s nails dug deeper into her palm. "I…"

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the main hall. Elissa looked over and saw two police officers, guided by the butler, walking in their direction.