A Caged Songbird's Escape: Into the Arms of a Predator novel Chapter 532

By the time they stepped out of Atwater Manor, dusk had settled over the city. The evening wind slipped beneath Elissa's collar, sending a shiver down her spine.

Rowan opened the passenger door, and she quickly slid into the warmth of the car. Before getting in, she tossed her own keys to Ian, asking him to drive her car back to Rivercross Residence.

The moment Rowan settled into the driver's seat, Elissa turned to him, the question burning in her mind. "Why did you suddenly announce your relationship with Paige Jensen?"

His tension with the woman had been an open secret for years, but ripping the polite facade off the Murphy family at this exact moment felt calculated.

Rowan reached over, tracing the knuckles of her elegant fingers. He shot her a meaningful glance. "Why do you think?"

Because of her?

The thought bloomed instinctively in Elissa's mind.

If he had wanted to cut ties, he could have done it years ago when he first took control of the Murphy Group.

Unable to hold back, she asked, "Because of me?"

"...Hmm?"

Rowan arched an eyebrow, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. "Because the shares Paige Jensen held in the Murphy Group were officially transferred to my name over the last two days."

He had what he needed. He could finally burn the bridge.

"Oh..."

Elissa swiftly pulled her hand away and turned to look out the window.

She mentally kicked herself. She really needed to stop reading so much into things.

Watching her sulk, Rowan reached out with his long fingers and gave the hem of her jacket a gentle tug. His voice was laced with amusement. "Are you mad?"

"No."

She wasn't angry; she was embarrassed.

She felt like an absolute fool for assuming she was the center of his universe.

Seeing that she refused to look at him, Rowan laughed softly, shaking his head. "Alright, princess. It really was because of you. Happy?"

It was the truth. She was the only reason he had rushed to the hospital that day, ruthlessly backing Paige Jensen into a corner to sign over the shares.

He knew that if it came down to a war between Elissa and the matriarch, he would choose Elissa every single time.

So, he played dirty, securing the shares while he still could, giving himself the freedom to cut ties with Paige whenever he pleased.

Elissa still didn't turn around, but the corners of her lips twitched upward. She kept her tone icy. "Yeah, right."

"Yeah, right," Rowan echoed, his gaze dropping to the slight, happy shift of her ears. He couldn't resist teasing her. "Only a puppy would believe that."

Ever since she was a little girl, her ears would give a subtle twitch whenever she smiled.

Even though she was facing away and playing it cool, her body language completely betrayed her.

Elissa whipped around, glaring at him. "Who are you calling a puppy?"

"Me. I'm the puppy."

Seeing her puffed-up cheeks, Rowan immediately surrendered, throwing his hands up in mock defeat.

But beneath the teasing, his chest ached with an overwhelming sense of fullness.

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