Chapter 345: "Here to Send You to Prison.
Chapter 345: Chapter 345: "Here to Send You to Prison.
Since Renee Jennings didn’t answer, the receptionist spoke up again. "Miss, how many cats are you looking to buy?"
Renee Jennings looked up at her, her gaze cold. "You can leave first. I need to think it over."
Meeting her gaze, the receptionist felt a sudden, inexplicable jolt of alarm.
"Oh, I see."
After speaking, she went to take the cat carrier away.
Renee Jennings placed a hand on the carrier to stop her, saying calmly, "Leave it here for now. Let my cat get familiar with this one."
"Alright then." The receptionist turned and left the break room.
Renee Jennings took out her phone, snapped a picture of Bella, and sent it to Cecilia on WeChat: [They’re trying to sell Bella to me.]
Immediately after, she called Sawyer and asked if he was busy and if he could send someone over.
As soon as Sawyer received Renee Jennings’s call, he was no longer busy. "Are you dealing with the cat that was held at the pet shop after you took it for a bath last night?"
"Yes." Renee Jennings explained what she had learned. "The owner is a repeat offender."
Hearing this, Sawyer’s tone immediately turned serious. "That’s despicable! We’re on our way now!"
"Okay." Renee Jennings hung up and met Bella’s anxious gaze. She said softly, "Don’t be afraid. We’ll get you back to Cecilia’s house."
Bella’s sparkling eyes filled with anticipation and gratitude. "Thank you, you’re such a good person!"
A little while later, there was a knock on the break room door. It was pushed open from the outside, and the receptionist peeked her head in. "Miss, have you made a decision?"
"I think she’s great." A faint smile touched the corners of Renee Jennings’s lips as she tapped her phone screen a few times. "It’s a deal."
A huge smile instantly spread across the receptionist’s face. She opened the door wide, her voice full of unconcealed excitement. "You have excellent taste, miss! We’ve had so many clients who loved this Golden Chinchilla, but they just didn’t have the budget. They all had to give her up reluctantly."
’I can get a ten percent commission on this sale. That’s 850 yuan straight into my pocket. What an easy way to make money.’
"Have your boss ring up the sale," Renee Jennings said, cutting to the chase.
"I can ring it up for you right here," the receptionist said. "You can rest assured."
Renee Jennings said calmly, "I insist that your boss handles the sale personally."
The receptionist frowned and gave an awkward laugh. "Miss, it’s really not a good time. Our boss is out for a training."
Renee Jennings’s cool gaze fell on her face. "You’d better call him and get him over here."
The receptionist didn’t want to lose the sale, but she also worried that if the owner handled it, her commission would be drastically reduced.
While she was still hesitating, Renee Jennings and Michelle Fuller had already gotten up to leave.
Seeing this, the receptionist quickly said, "Wait! I’ll contact the owner now. Please, have a seat, ladies."
’I’ll just have to give up two percent of the commission, then.’
She returned to the front desk, made a call, and after getting a response, came back to the break room with a smile. "Miss, our owner will be here soon."
"Fine." Renee Jennings nodded.
Another ten minutes passed. The receptionist returned to the break room with a middle-aged man of about forty, dressed in trendy clothes. "Miss, our owner is here!"
Renee Jennings sent out a couple of messages, then looked up at the middle-aged man standing next to the receptionist.
His skin looked a bit strange; his whole face had a stiff and tight appearance.
Michelle Fuller leaned in and whispered in Renee Jennings’s ear, "That face is definitely the result of botched cosmetic surgery."
Although she had deliberately lowered her voice, the break room was small, so both the owner and the receptionist could hear. The former’s expression changed instantly, while the latter desperately tried to stifle her laughter.
Renee Jennings and Michelle Fuller were customers, after all. Though furious, the owner could only pretend he hadn’t heard anything.
"So, you want to buy this Golden Chinchilla, right? After the discount, it’s 8,500. Will you be paying by card or..."
Renee Jennings’s lips, pressed into a tight line, moved slightly as she asked coldly, "You’re trying to sell this Golden Chinchilla, are you?"
The owner found her tone odd but couldn’t quite put his finger on why. He frowned and said, "Yes, 8,500. Are you sure you want her or not?"
"Is this even your cat to sell?" Renee Jennings scoffed.
The owner and the receptionist exchanged a look. The more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong. "Are you actually here to buy a cat or not?"
Renee Jennings’s lips curved into a smile. "I’m here to send you to prison."
The owner’s face darkened. He said angrily, "Get out! The cat’s not for sale anymore."
"Who are you telling to get out?" a nonchalant voice called from the entrance.
Renee Jennings and Michelle Fuller looked over and saw Zachary Conway and Sawyer standing in the doorway, dressed in their solemn and dignified police uniforms.
The owner turned and saw the police. His heart skipped a beat. He hurried forward. "Hello, officers. What brings you here?"
’These two look unfamiliar. Are they new transfers to the station?’
Zachary Conway dropped his earlier casual demeanor, his expression turning serious. "We’ve received a report that your establishment, Cherish Pet Shop, is suspected of stealing animals. We’re here to conduct an investigation."
The owner’s heart clenched. Forcibly suppressing the rising tide of unease and panic, he feigned composure and said, "There must be some misunderstanding. Here at Cherish Pet Shop, we are law-abiding and love animals. We would never do something like that."
"Whether or not it’s a misunderstanding isn’t for you to decide," Zachary Conway said before walking over to Renee Jennings. "Consultant Jennings, have you found anything?"
After speaking, he discreetly greeted Michelle Fuller. "We meet again."
Consultant Jennings?
The owner spun around and stared at Renee Jennings in disbelief. "Consultant? What kind of consultant is she?"
"Our police department’s consultant." Sawyer said, his eyes filled with displeasure. "Were you telling them to ’get out’ just now?"
The owner’s mouth fell open, a sense of dread washing over him.
’It’s over, it’s over. Am I really going to get busted this time?’
"No." The owner waved his hands frantically, his tight face contorting into a fawning, stiff smile. "It’s a misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding! If I had known this young lady was a consultant for the police, I would have just given her the cat! I wouldn’t have been so distant as to talk about money."
He looked at Renee Jennings and said placatingly, "Consultant, the cat is yours. No charge."
Renee Jennings frowned, her tone icy. "This cat isn’t yours. You have no right to give it away."
The smile on the owner’s face froze instantly, his eyes flashing with guilt and panic. "This cat... this cat is mine. How could it not be mine? Consultant, you must be joking."
"That cat is not yours!" Another voice, filled with anger, cut in. "That’s my cat! You conspired with someone to trick me and steal my cat! You’ve gone too far!"
Cecilia and Rio had specially taken time off work to rush over.
Seeing them arrive, the owner felt a surge of anger and anxiety.
’What kind of rotten luck is this? Why is everything happening at once?’
"You can talk later!" the owner said, suppressing his rage. He told the receptionist to take Cecilia and Rio away. "You go have a nice chat with them."
"Miss, sir, let’s talk outside." The receptionist reached for Cecilia’s arm.
Cecilia shook her off angrily. "No need! I’m the one who called Consultant Jennings! Your crooked pet shop is finished today!"