Chapter 367

"I'm almost positive," Rowan said, his gaze dropping, a terrifying glint in his eyes.

At the time, even though Matriarch Paige Murphy held power in the family, it would have been difficult for her to mobilize such a large criminal network. In the end, all his suspicions had pointed to Orion Stone. After Stone was imprisoned, his network likely fell under the matriarch's control, which was what had made her so fearless. But after the shootout, that network had vanished, disappearing completely off the radar. For all these years, they hadn't caused any trouble.

"This guy sounds dangerous. You need to watch out for Elissa," Rex warned. "If you have to, keep your distance from her for a while. Right now, he's in the shadows and you're in the light. It's best to wait and see what his intentions are."

"If he reconnects with your grandmother, he's probably aiming to help her seize power. And if that happens, given your relationship with Elissa, she'll be the first one they target."

"Don't worry," Rowan said, his voice tinged with self-deprecation. "This time, she's already running faster than a rabbit."

He didn't need to worry about her at all. She had truly grown up.

With no news from Orion Stone, Elissa threw herself into her work, but the news of his escape left her feeling unsettled for days. The man's methods were far more complex than she had initially imagined.

Patients came and went at the clinic. She had just finished with one when her phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, she answered. "Hello?"

"What's the code to your apartment?" The man's voice was casual, as if asking a single woman for her security code was the most natural thing in the world. His tone was deep and pleasant. "You forgot one of Max's supplements the other day. He hasn't had it in a few days. I'm going to let myself in and give it to him."

Max was getting older and needed his supplements. Left with no choice, Elissa's voice was curt. "I'll text it to you."

She hung up and quickly typed out a string of numbers. The moment she hit send, she realized her mistake. She tried to unsend the message, but he replied instantly: [Not entirely heartless, I see.]

The code was the date he had taken her from his grandmother's estate, the day they had started living under the same roof. It wasn't that Elissa had deliberately chosen it. But after hose nine years, most of the passwords she set were, in one way or another, connected to him. It was a habit she would have to

consciously break.

Janice walked in to find her looking annoyed. She sat down with a knowing smile. "Who's made our Dr. Elissa angry? A boyfriend?"

Elissa was always able to quickly compose herself in front of patients. She

managed a smile. "Not exactly." He didn't even qualify as an ex.

But Janice was perceptive and could see something was amiss. "What's going on

with you and my grandson?" she sighed. "You're both so unlucky in love."

While checking her pulse, Elissa asked with a smile, "What's wrong with your grandson? Hasn't he made it official yet?" Elissa remembered Janice telling her over the new year that his girlfriend was still adjusting.

"Official?" Janice sounded exasperated. "He must have done something to upset her. I called him a few days ago, and he said she's not even speaking to him now She had originally called to ask if he wanted to meet Elissa, but the question had only soured his mood further, and he had flatly refused. Fine, if he wouldn't see Elissa, she would.

Elissa withdrew her hand. "Don't you worry about young people's affairs. From your pulse, I can tell you

haven't been as well as you weret

last year. You need to learn to relax." With that she began writinga prescription.

***