A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 482

"It was a huge deal back then. The Wilkinson family was immensely powerful. To hide the little girl, Zeb had to lay low and eventually came to us for help. We happened to have a shipment heading to Eastern Europe, so we sent the girl along with the cargo that very night. Unfortunately, shortly after she arrived in Eastern Europe, the hideout was raided by a joint international police task force. The little girl... disappeared. Neither alive nor dead."

Realization dawned on the driver. "You mean to say Dr. Drummond might be..."

Sean merely smiled, saying no more.

The driver spoke with a mix of dark humor and sympathy. "Well, she's certainly had a stroke of bad luck. Being tortured all these years by Matriarch Paige Murphy, who mistook her for the daughter of her enemy. She took the fall for nothing."

Elissa headed straight back to Vistapeak Gardens. When she got out of the car, she was still feeling unsettled.

Even with the Riley family vouching for him, she felt Sean Cross was far too complex.

Or was she just being overly sensitive?

The elevator arrived at her floor. When the doors opened, she was still somewhat distracted.

"What are you spacing out for?"

The man's deep, cold voice hit her ears, pulling her back to reality. Looking at Rowan Murphy outside the elevator, she inexplicably felt a bit more grounded. "Just thinking."

She stepped out.

Both doors for 2202 and 2201 were wide open, and an appetizing aroma wafted from 2202.

As they walked side by side toward 2202, Rowan asked evenly, "Thinking about what?"

"Rowan," she didn't beat around the bush, "can you help me look into someone?"

Rowan arched an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Sean Cross."

Her intuition told her that figuring out Sean would bring her closer to uncovering her origins.

Elissa coughed lightly, offering a bright smile. "You can't look at it that way. Naturally, your culinary skills are top-notch..."

"Alright, alright." Aaron gave her a mock-annoyed side-eye, though his tone was entirely doting, like a father to his daughter. "Hurry up and wash your hands so we can eat."

"Okay!" Elissa darted into the bathroom.

Once she was out of sight, Aaron turned his attention to Rowan. His attitude did a complete 180. "Don't just stand there, kid. Come carry the plates."

It was obvious he was giving Rowan a hard time.

Over the past two days, the old man had treated him with nothing but sheer grumpiness.

Rowan raised a brow but said nothing, good-naturedly complying. "Coming."

Worried he might feel slighted, Jacqueline offered an explanation. "Don't take it to heart. He watched Elissa grow up; she's practically his daughter. Now that she's pregnant out of wedlock, it's only natural he's feeling a bit sour about it..."