A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 450

For a fleeting moment, she had even asked herself: if she had to choose between Elissa and Marcia, who would it be? The answer that surfaced in her mind was the complete opposite of what she had always imagined. She had spent years dreaming that when she found Vera, she would give her anything she desired, even the moon from the sky.

Just then, the butler led a man in a tailored suit into the room. He wore rimless glasses and carried himself with a calm, distinguished air, looking to be in his mid-thirties. An assistant followed close behind.

The man walked directly to Suzanne and Tristan. "Tristan, Suzanne," he greeted them with a respectful nod. Then, he turned to Laurel. "Laurel."

Her expression remained unchanged as she got straight to the point. "Let's get the samples."

"Of course." Lawrence stepped forward and looked at Suzanne. "Suzanne, I'll just need a strand of your hair."

She nodded, and he deftly plucked a single hair, placing it in a collection bag before handing it to his assistant. He gave the assistant a look, and the man moved toward Marcia to collect her sample. Marcia instinctively flinched away, but Maya grabbed her arm. "What are you afraid of? It doesn't hurt."

Realization dawned on Marcia, and she complied immediately, guessing that Maya must have a plan.

With things in motion, Elissa and Rowan, as outsiders, had no reason to stay any longer. Besides, the situation online was escalating, and they needed to get back to Vistapeak City as soon as possible.

Elissa approached Suzanne. "Suzanne, something has come up at the Murphy Group. Mr. Murphy and I have to head back to Vistapeak City early." She added, "Let me know when you return, and I'll arrange your follow-up treatments."

Elissa snapped back to the present, shaking her head. "Thank you for what you did back there."

Rowan leaned his elbow casually on the windowsill, studying her. "Thank me for what?"

His tone was so light that Elissa didn't know how to respond. Thank him for… defending her? If she counted every time, she owed him a lifetime of thanks. But all those moments of protection and companionship had been drowned out years ago by the gut-wrenching despair of his abandonment. Hating him had always seemed so much easier than missing him.

Even now, the cruel words he'd spoken were seared into her memory. But now, she was pregnant. And so, she found herself starting to wonder if they could ever reconcile, if there was a chance for a different kind of future for them.