Lullaby 228

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

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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!”

Paige let out a cold laugh. “I didn’t realize your grudge ran so deep.”

She hadn’t expected Marcia to come up with something so vicious. Then again, Elissa certainly knew how to make enemies.

Marcia laughed lightly. “It’s not really a grudge.”

If she had to call it anything, it wasn’t hatred.

It was just that Elissa’s luck had always been too good–so good that Marcia wanted to be the one to destroy it.

She could hardly wait to see how miserable Elissa would become after

Frank tossed her aside.

Paige raised an eyebrow in disdain. “Enough. If Elissa is divorced, I’ll take care of it.”

No sooner had she spoken than she caught Slate Murphy, who’d been lounging in an armchair with his phone, suddenly looking over at her.

She hung up and glared at him, exasperated. “Why are you mooning over someone another man didn’t want? Have some self–respect, will you?”

“Grandma, she’s not like that,” Slate shot back.

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?

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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.”