A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 490

He idly flicked the metal lid of his lighter open and shut, the blue flame flickering intermittently in the moonlight.

Early the next morning, he marched over almost exactly on the dot and rang the doorbell opposite his apartment.

"Looking for Elissa?"

Tanya opened the door. "She had a house call scheduled with a patient. Left about five minutes ago."

Rowan frowned slightly. "With Mrs. Wilkinson?"

"No." Tanya shook her head, unable to offer much detail since she hadn't asked Elissa directly. "I think it's someone connected to the Riley family."

Elissa had indeed left five minutes earlier; Cliff Riley was already waiting for her in the parking lot.

Before she got in, Cliff grabbed a pastry and milk from the passenger seat. Once she was settled, he handed them to her. "Brought you breakfast."

"Thanks, Cliff." Elissa smiled warmly, taking the food without hesitation and tearing into the pastry.

She had left so early that Ian hadn't had the chance to deliver breakfast yet.

Besides, given Rowan's blatant attitude the night before, she realized she needed to hire a reliable housekeeper of her own.

Thankfully, her schedule was easing up, so she would have the time to handle it.

Even though the streets were bustling with traffic, it wasn't quite rush hour yet, so the drive was smooth.

As he drove, Cliff asked curiously, "Why the sudden change of heart about treating Mr. Cross at his place?"

"He..." It was too complicated, and Elissa didn't know where to start.

She opted for a simple explanation. "He promised me a favor."

"But I really didn't want to go to his house alone, so I'm going to have to bother you to tag along for these house calls."

"Don't worry, though. His treatment mostly relies on herbal medicine. For acupuncture, four sessions a month should be plenty."

Cliff had told her Sean returned to the country alone.

Yet, there were two place settings on the table, and both looked used.

She smiled faintly. "Mr. Cross, please finish your breakfast first. We can do the treatment afterward."

"It's fine." Sean remained perfectly composed, waving a hand with a smile. "I'm pretty much done anyway."

He cordially invited them to sit in the living room and extended his arm toward Elissa. "Dr. Drummond, please, take my pulse."

"Honestly, after taking the medicine for a while, I've genuinely felt an improvement."

He acted exactly like any regular patient eager for a cure.

It made Elissa wonder if her earlier suspicions were just her overthinking things.