A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 572

Would she?

Elissa had never really considered that question. Perhaps her experiences over the years had turned her into a bit of a pessimist.

The fact that her biological parents might not be drug dealers... was already a massive, wonderful surprise to her.

As for an even better outcome, she truly hadn't dared to hope for one.

She had even prepared herself for the possibility that her real family might not fully accept her.

She lowered her eyes in thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't think I'd be sad."

"Besides, if things had been different, I wouldn't have met you, right?"

If she hadn't gone through all those harsh experiences, she never would have had those nine years living under the same roof with Rowan.

She didn't have a single memory of her biological family, but for all these years, Rowan was the one who had genuinely been by her side.

He had personally taught her how to protect herself and how to become stronger.

Rowan froze. The ache in his chest only intensified. He gently pinched her cheek. "That's not necessarily true."

It was just that if they had met under those circumstances, it would have been an entirely different scenario with different identities.

She wouldn't have been the pitiful little girl kneeling at the funeral parlor, unwrapping a candy for him. She would have been standing brightly beside Rex as the beloved fifth daughter of the Wilkinson family, Vera.

His words puzzled Elissa. "Why do you say that?"

If she hadn't been mistakenly adopted by her foster parents, she would never have been brought back to the Murphy estate by Matriarch Paige Murphy.

And she definitely wouldn't have met Rowan.

Rowan was hesitating on how to answer when Ian stepped out of the car. He closed the distance with a few long strides and leaned in, lowering his voice. "After Ms. Wilkinson left Zephyr Manor last night, Jesse's men flew out to Germany. They're at the biological research institute right now."

"I had someone look into it. They dropped off a sample... though my contact refused to disclose exactly what the sample was."

"The Wilkinson family has already locked down this information tightly. I only managed to track it because they flew out of Vistapeak City. The director of the institute over there has been trying to get in Ms. Drummond's good graces, so he slipped me a tip."

Rowan's brows furrowed for a second before smoothing out. His voice was dark and low. "Understood."

"Are you sure no one else will catch wind of this?"

"Positive."

Once Ian gave his firm confirmation and saw that Rowan had no further orders, he tactfully stepped away.

Elissa assumed they were discussing company business. From the moment Ian had leaned in to whisper, she had consciously averted her gaze to give them privacy.

Now that Ian was out of earshot, the interruption made Elissa forget about pressing her previous question. She simply asked, "Is there an issue with the Group?"

In truth, Ian rarely hid things from her.

With every step she took, Elissa happily stepped on Rowan's shadow like it was a fun game.

Suddenly, the phone in her pocket began to ring.

Elissa pulled it out and smiled when she saw the caller ID. "Cliff, it's my day off. Don't even think about dragging me to the clinic to work..."

"It's not that."

Cliff's voice sounded panicked and unusually grim. "Elissa, I think Jacqueline has been poisoned. Her pulse is wildly erratic, and Mr. Blaine isn't home. I'm not entirely sure what I'm dealing with."

"I'm taking her to the hospital right now—the Murphy Group's hospital. You need to get here immediately..."

Elissa's mind went blank. Panic instantly seized her chest. She turned around and sprinted for the stairs, nearly missing the first step.

Thankfully, Rowan was still holding her hand. With quick reflexes, he yanked her back. Seeing that she was about to recklessly throw herself down the stairs, he gripped her shoulders tightly, forcing her to focus on him. "What happened? Don't panic. I'll go with you."

"And remember, you and Mr. Blaine are doctors. Incredible doctors. You are the last people who need to panic right now."

Rowan had only vaguely caught the word "hospital" through the receiver.

Elissa slowly forced her racing heart to steady, but her voice still trembled. "It's... it's Jacqueline..."

It was Jacqueline, the woman who had just lovingly cooked a meal for her yesterday.