A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 292

“No.”

Elissa shook herself from her thoughts, changed her shoes, and walked over to the dining table. A frown creased her brow as she glanced back at the man behind her. “Which bakery did you get the cake from?”

She was surprised Rowan even remembered her birthday. Now, she was even more surprised he’d managed to find a baker with such questionable skills.

The cartoon character she loved—Doraemon—was so misshapen, it could probably be renamed “Doraemon Gone Wrong.”

Rowan caught her expression, then glanced at the cake. “You don’t like how it looks?”

It never crossed Elissa’s mind that he might have made it himself, so she replied honestly, “It’s a bit ugly. Next time, pick a different bakery.”

Rowan’s brows twitched. He cleared his throat, nodded seriously, and said, “Mm, maybe it got ruined on the way here. Make your wish first.”

There was something familiar about the way he said it.

She hesitated, then asked slowly, “Wait… did you make this cake yourself?”

Rowan struck a match, lighting the candles one by one with his long, deft fingers. At her question, his movements faltered for a split second. Just as he flicked out the match, his phone rang in his pocket.

He slipped out to the balcony, answering with his usual cool detachment. “Speak.”

“Boss,” came Ian’s voice on the other end.

He knew this wasn’t the best time to call, but the news was too important to wait. He kept it brief: “We’ve got the results you asked for. Miss Elissa and Frank… they’re officially divorced.”

“The Atwater family’s been keeping it under wraps, probably worried about their stock price or something, so it’s taken us a few days to confirm. But the paperwork went through before the holidays. Miss Elissa—and Mrs. Garrett—have been telling the truth all along.”

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