A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 239

Janice couldn’t figure out why he’d suddenly asked about this, and found it all a bit bewildering. “She’s a sweet girl, really. Her name’s Elissa. And let me tell you, she’s just as lovely as her name sounds—bright eyes, charming smile, and her personality is even better—”

“I’m heading to Meridia Country for a few days.”

Hearing the name, Rowan cut off his grandmother’s enthusiastic praise. “When I get back, why don’t you invite her over? I’d like to meet her.”

He was genuinely curious to see what this girl was really like.

“Are you serious? You’re not just teasing me again, are you?”

Janice sprang to her feet, excitement lighting her face. Then she paused, suspicion flickering in her eyes. “Wait—what about your girlfriend? Don’t tell me you’re trying to juggle two women…”

“No, nothing like that.”

Rowan’s expression showed rare exasperation, though there was a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “Just wait for me to get back, okay?”

—

Elissa slept better than she had in ages, only waking up when her alarm blared insistently. She reached out, half-asleep, but the space beside her was empty.

She was alone in the bed.

A strange emptiness tugged at her chest. She silenced the alarm and glanced at her phone, noticing a new pinned message at the top of her WhatsApp chats.

Brother: [I’m going on a business trip to Meridia Country for four days. I’ll be landing in Vistapeak City at 5pm on the 21st. Come pick me up.]

He wanted her to pick him up?

He had a whole team at his disposal—surely any one of them could do a better job than she could.

Still, a wise person knows when not to argue. Elissa replied obediently: [Okay, sure.]

Only after sending the message did she realize something felt off.

She didn’t take the coffee, nor did she agree to his request. Her tone was cool but even. “If you want in, show me what you can actually do.”

She wasn’t about to let someone else coast on her hard work.

Raymond’s face lit up. “Of course, of course! Anything you need, just say the word.”

Today, Cliff was running late, so Xavier was helping Elissa in the lab.

Elissa worked with quick, practiced movements, as if she’d rehearsed every step a hundred times over. Xavier, meanwhile, was clearly struggling to keep up. He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. “Ms. Drummond, I’m sorry. I’m just not up to your level yet. As soon as Cliff gets here, I’ll hand things off to him.”

“It’s fine,” Elissa reassured him. “Everyone has a rough start.”

She remembered her own long hours of training under her mentor, the countless mistakes before she finally got it right.

If Aaron Blaine ever heard her say that, he’d probably be bursting with pride.