A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 228

Landing this project would be enough—Paige could finally regain her leverage in negotiations with Rowan.

So, the matriarch gritted her teeth and agreed.

Marcia smiled, her confidence barely contained. “Don’t worry. As long as Elissa can finish the research, there’s no way she’ll slip through our fingers.”

The thought made Marcia grin in her sleep.

Just imagining herself as a lead researcher for a cancer drug was almost surreal; she didn’t dare picture what her life might look like after that.

If she wanted to marry Frank, even Carmela wouldn’t have much to say about it anymore.

All she could do was hope…

That Elissa wouldn’t let her down.

After chatting a bit more with Carmela, Marcia took Hickey upstairs to play.

Something occurred to her. She turned onto the balcony and dialed a number.

“Matriarch Paige Murphy, I just heard something and thought you ought to know.”

“What is it?” Paige’s voice was stern.

Marcia’s expression was cold, but her tone was lightly amused. “Elissa and Frank are divorced.”

There was a note of surprise in Paige’s reply. “Divorced?”

Given Elissa’s character, she wouldn’t let go of the Atwater family unless she’d truly been pushed to her limit.

Paige hadn’t expected the girl’s tolerance to have dropped so much over the years.

Marcia nodded. “That’s right. My mother-in-law told me herself. The divorce papers were signed before New Year’s. Frank must have been so fed up that he finally agreed to it.”

“Perhaps,” Marcia suggested, her voice sugary sweet, “you could start arranging another match for her now. After all, her future is yours to decide!”

He hadn’t forgotten what Elissa had once confessed to him in that hotel room. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t wait. “Frank never even touched her.”

He honestly wondered if Frank was insane.

How could anyone turn down Elissa and go for someone like Marcia? Either he was out of his mind or blind.

Paige scowled. “And how would you know? Were you hiding under their bed every night? Don’t tell me you believe every word that girl says—haven’t you been fooled enough?”

She grew more convinced that Elissa needed to be married off as soon as possible.

Otherwise, one day her own grandson would be duped by Elissa and even help her count the money for it. Sweet-faced as she was, that girl had never had good intentions.

Spoiled by his grandmother’s favoritism, Slate shamelessly dug in his heels. “I don’t care. If you’re planning to find her a new husband, pick me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I want to marry her.”