A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 474

Rex desperately wanted to tell him not to do anything rash.

After all, Frank was the biological father of both of their nephews...?

The moment that thought popped into his head, Rex's scalp went numb, and he mentally slapped himself.

If he actually said that out loud, Rowan would lose his mind and probably beat him up too.

Rex racked his brain and grabbed Rowan's arm just as he raised his fist to knock on the door. "Elissa is still pregnant. If you start a brawl right below her apartment, what if the shock hurts the baby?"

That worked like a charm.

Almost instantly, the murderous aura surrounding Rowan dissipated significantly. After a tense silence, he slowly lowered his suspended hand.

A flash of dark complexity crossed his eyes. He smirked mockingly at Rex. "Afraid I'll accidentally beat him to death and your unborn nephew will lose his father?"

"..."

Rex really wanted to say, *He's the father of your nephew too.*

But he didn't have a death wish.

He cleared his throat. "Not exactly. Besides, it's not even a sure thing that it's my nephew."

Deep down, he still felt that Marcia was absolutely nothing like Vera.

Even with the DNA test results staring them right in the face, he refused to believe it.

And it wasn't just him—all three siblings refused to believe it.

Downstairs, Tanya had been bursting with questions. The second the front door closed, she turned to Elissa, eager for gossip.

"What's the situation with you and Rowan right now?"

"... Exactly what it looks like."

Elissa pressed her lips together, looking up at the ceiling. Her voice carried a hint of hoarseness. "Tanya, do you know why he abandoned me back then?"

Perhaps the bullet that had grazed his heart was originally meant for her.

He had pushed her far away, just in time.

Tanya was stunned. "Why?"

"To protect me."

Elissa smiled, but the curve of her lips was laced with bitterness and melancholy.

She would have rather taken that bullet herself.

Who knew, maybe the old woman had even played a part in the shooting that nearly took Rowan's life back then.

These powerful families were drowning in dark secrets. When it came to power struggles, familial love meant absolutely nothing.

Tanya confirmed one last thing. "So, once the dust settles a bit, you're going to find a chance to clear the air with Rowan, right?"

"Right."

Elissa nodded again.

Tanya exhaled completely, her anxiety now fully shifting to when the internet scandal would finally blow over.

It had blown up too much.

If the PR team wasn't extremely careful, the public would just assume the Murphy Group was using their money and power to suppress the truth, which would only trigger a worse backlash.

Unless...

The next morning, Tanya opened her eyes, glanced at her phone, and instantly jolted awake.

She didn't even bother putting on slippers. She sprinted barefoot toward Elissa's bedroom, hearing the sound of running water inside. She didn't even knock, bursting straight in.

"Babe! Doing good deeds really does bring good karma!"