A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 565

Laurel had always been clear about the kind of person she needed to spend the rest of her life with.

A man with a matching background, a clear head, and someone with whom she could share mutual respect.

But with Lawrence, it seemed there was a problem with the second requirement.

Laurel actually wasn't entirely clear on the nature of his relationship with Helena, nor did she care to waste time figuring it out.

Navigating politics already left her exhausted; in her personal life, she preferred things to be straightforward.

She would never act recklessly and cause a scandal, and she expected the same from her partner.

They were supposed to jointly maintain this mutually beneficial marriage and keep up appearances.

As for what he did in private, she had politely made it clear before they married that she wouldn't interfere too much.

But Lawrence and Helena's relationship felt dangerous to her.

From a young age, she viewed her life as a skyscraper under construction, where not even a millimeter of error was acceptable.

If she spotted the slightest sign of trouble, she would resolve it with absolute clarity and rationality.

Even if it was her own marriage.

Therefore, although they hadn't finalized the divorce yet, she had long since let the news out.

Whatever mess Lawrence caused had nothing to do with her anymore.

More importantly, it had nothing to do with the Wilkinson family.

Since childhood, her grandfather had placed high hopes on her. She knew all too well the weight on her shoulders. She would only add to the family's legacy and would never make a misstep that could drag them down.

Serena glanced at her through the rearview mirror and asked tentatively, "Ms. Wilkinson, are you absolutely sure about divorcing Mr. Quinn? If there are still feelings there, maybe you could talk it out with him first..."

Both of Serena's parents worked at Wilkinson Manor, and she had grown up alongside Laurel, becoming her assistant right after college.

She knew Laurel always put the family first, but she genuinely hoped Laurel would consider her own happiness for once.

Sometimes she felt Laurel wasn't entirely devoid of feelings for Lawrence.

After all, no one was an emotionless robot.

Hearing this, Laurel's expression didn't change. "Serena, when dealing with someone who has something wrong with their head, talking won't change the outcome."

As for whether she had feelings, she hadn't considered it.

In a few fleeting moments, perhaps she did. But with Helena constantly popping up in their lives, it only cemented her belief that there was something wrong with Lawrence's head.

A man with something wrong with his head was not fit to be a partner. Whether she had feelings for him or not, the outcome remained the same.

Serena paused. "...That's true."

Mr. Quinn indulged that secretary way too much.

Whatever happened in private was one thing, but allowing such a woman to repeatedly flaunt herself in front of his legally wedded wife was ridiculous.

Perhaps entirely focused on heading back to the manor to force the truth out of the maid, Laurel didn't close her eyes once during the two-hour drive.

She had a faint feeling that she was getting closer to finding Vera.

When they arrived at city hall, Serena checked the time and looked outside.

"Ms. Wilkinson, it's exactly three o'clock. I'll go see if Mr. Quinn is here yet."

"No need."

The person picked up quickly. "Hello, Laurel?"

"Is your brother at the office right now?"

"Yeah."

The man's voice was clear, like a crisp mountain stream, but sounded delighted to receive her call, unusually eager to share.

"We're in the middle of a meeting. As soon as I saw it was you, I snuck out to answer. My brother and Secretary Helena are still inside."

A wave of anger rushed to Laurel's head, but she suppressed it, speaking calmly. "Could you pass the phone to him?"

"Oh, sure."

The man obediently agreed. Moments later, Lawrence's steady, cold voice came through. "Laurel, what's wrong?"

Hearing his nonchalant tone, Laurel couldn't help but speak sharply. "Lawrence, I've been waiting for you at city hall for fifteen minutes."

"Has your sense of time deteriorated to this point?"

Lawrence was taken aback. "You're at city hall?"

Laurel wasn't slow on the uptake, and she let out a cold laugh. "The time Serena and Helena confirmed was three o'clock this afternoon, to finalize the divorce."

"Don't tell me your dedicated secretary failed to inform you?"

Lawrence instinctively asked, "Could Serena have misunderstood something?"

He had told Helena just yesterday to inform Laurel that he didn't have time to go to city hall today.

Helena wouldn't make a mistake like this time and again.