A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 548

Marcia wasn't stupid. She knew she was being insulted, but instead of blowing up, she offered a plastic, skin-deep smile and deliberately stared at Elissa's stomach. "Have you found a backup plan to take on you and that bastard in your belly yet?"

If Marcia had harbored any lingering doubts about whether the baby belonged to Rowan or Frank, she was entirely certain now.

This kid was absolutely a fatherless bastard.

Given Frank's obsession with Elissa, if the baby were his, he would have proudly and publicly dragged her back down the aisle by now.

And if it were Rowan's, he certainly wouldn't be flying off to foreign countries to accompany other women to their prenatal appointments right now.

Tsk.

Always parading around like some pure, untouched saint, when in reality, she was juggling a dozen men.

Now she was knocked up and didn't even know who the father was.

Tanya exploded instantly. Just as she was about to fire back a vicious retort, Elissa calmly held out an arm to stop her.

Marcia held a special status now. With the power of the Wilkinson family behind her, she could cause a massive amount of trouble for Tanya with a single word.

Elissa, however, wasn't afraid. She smiled with breezy indifference. "Isn't that a question you should be asking yourself?"

"You kept screaming that it was Frank's baby, but did he claim it? Marcia, if anyone needs a desperate backup plan, it's you!"

"You!!"

Furious, Marcia ground her teeth. "Keep dreaming, Elissa! No matter what happens, I am a daughter of the Wilkinson family now. If I ever needed a man to take responsibility, I'd find one a million times faster than you!"

The moment the words left her mouth, a notoriously vile playboy came strolling toward them. "Marcia??"

Overjoyed, the man locked onto her and marched straight in her direction.

Startled, Tanya instinctively pulled Elissa a few steps back.

It was best to stay far away from a man this ugly and filthy.

This guy's personal life was infinitely more depraved than Slate's.

He had a sickening fetish for group activities, swung both ways, and even when his twisted games resulted in casualties, the Crest family always covered it up.

Elissa was a beat slow to recognize him. After steadying her footing, she heard Tanya whisper in her ear, "That's Wyatt Crest."

It suddenly clicked—this was the exact same Fourth Son of the Crest family that Paige Jensen had once tried to force her to blind date.

Marcia's face twisted in utter disgust. Terrified that Elissa would deduce her past entanglements with him, she spun around, planning to grab Maya and bolt deeper into the store.

Ever since Wyatt found out she had been recognized by the Wilkinson family, he had been desperately trying to corner her.

But he couldn't even get past the Wilkinson family gates, and Marcia avoided him like the plague.

To run into her by sheer luck today—there was no way Wyatt was letting her go. "Marcia..."

With a sharp eye, he noticed the slight bump of Marcia's stomach. Wild with euphoria, he grabbed her arm. "Are you pregnant?! This baby is definitely mine..."

Rex had assigned his men to tail Marcia and Maya. He had only come down to the mall because his subordinates called to inform him they were in a screaming match with Elissa.

He had been upstairs having coffee, so he figured he'd come down to run interference.

If Marcia lost her mind and somehow hurt Elissa, Rowan would return and murder him.

But what the hell was a "brother-in-law"?!

He followed Elissa's gaze and spotted Marcia wrestling with Wyatt Crest. He nearly lost his mind on the spot.

Marcia hadn't been part of the Wilkinson family for long.

But she had brought him a lifetime's worth of humiliation.

Taking a deep breath, Rex fought down the overwhelming urge to announce right there that Marcia wasn't his biological sister. He forced a polite smile. "I'll go handle it."

Before he even reached them, Wyatt spotted him and immediately began brown-nosing. "Rex..."

Rex was not a man who ever gave a damn about saving face. Hearing the overly familiar greeting, he furrowed his brows. "Who the hell are you?"

"Rex, it's like this."

Completely ignoring Marcia's frantic, desperate attempts to stop him, Wyatt took two huge steps toward Rex, grinning from ear to ear. "The baby in Marcia's belly is almost certainly mine. I've already discussed it with my family. I absolutely must take responsibility for her."

"So, when would be a good time for my parents to come over and formally ask for her hand in marriage?"