Chapter 426: Her Mother Abandoned Her
Chapter 426: Chapter 426: Her Mother Abandoned Her
Owen Dunn called his colleagues to come over, then looked at Renee Jennings. "It’s getting late. Let Noctus know, and you can head back and rest. You can leave the rest to us."
Renee Jennings knew she couldn’t be of much help by staying, so she nodded. "Okay. We can keep in touch on WeChat."
"Sounds good." Owen Dunn smiled and nodded.
The group left the wildlife conservation base. On the way, they received a call from Henry Stark, who told them to take Renee Jennings home to rest first.
When Renee Jennings got home, she tidied up and lay down. She glanced at the time; it was exactly two in the morning.
She replied to Michelle Fuller’s message and then fell asleep.
The next day, she didn’t even hear her alarm, sleeping straight through until after eleven. She didn’t drive to the police station until the afternoon.
Only Sawyer was at his desk. Renee Jennings asked quietly, "Has Sean Quinn confessed?"
"No." Sawyer shook his head and explained, "He’s being stubborn. He insists he’ll only talk if you’re the one asking. The boss is furious."
Renee Jennings pursed her lips. "I’ll go talk to Henry Stark. Is he in his office?"
"He is."
"Okay."
Renee Jennings went to Henry Stark’s office and talked with him for about ten minutes. When she came out, she called Sawyer to go to the interrogation room with her.
Sean Quinn had placed his glasses on the table and was leaning back with his eyes closed, seemingly asleep.
Only after Renee Jennings and Sawyer sat down did he slowly open his eyes.
Sean Quinn’s gaze fell on Renee Jennings. After a few seconds, he put his glasses back on and said with a smirk, "Who are you?"
"I’m Renee Jennings."
"Renee Jennings?" Sean Quinn searched his memory but didn’t recognize the name. He frowned and asked, "Do you know me?"
Renee Jennings said flatly, "No."
"Then who exactly is Stella?" Sean Quinn had been thinking about this since last night.
’It’s impossible that the police are intentionally using this account to bait people.’
"Does it matter who she is?" Renee Jennings chuckled. "Isn’t it my turn to ask the questions now?"
Sean Quinn stared at her for a few seconds, then laughed. "You’re right, it doesn’t matter anymore. What do you want to know?"
Renee Jennings asked unhurriedly, "Why did you target these sensitive, vulnerable girls?"
"They were asking for it." A look of contempt appeared on Sean Quinn’s face.
Renee Jennings watched him with a calm expression. "Were you hurt by a girl of the same type in the past?"
Hearing this, Sean Quinn’s eyes flickered, and a flash of panic crossed his face. His tone grew agitated. "You don’t know anything, so don’t just spout nonsense!"
"Is that so?" Renee Jennings gave a small smile. "No one does something for no reason. There must be a reason why you did this. It’s just a matter of whether you’re willing to talk about it."
She crossed her arms and leaned back lazily in her chair. "You can take your time to think it over."
After speaking, Renee Jennings picked up her phone, typed a message in her notes app, and showed it to Sawyer: *Want to get barbecue tonight? I’m suddenly craving it.*
After reading it, Sawyer gave her an "OK" sign.
Sean Quinn frowned, staring at the two of them. Complex emotions churned in his chest, and even his breathing grew heavy.
An unknown amount of time passed.
Just as Renee Jennings and Sawyer thought he wasn’t going to talk, Sean Quinn took off his glasses again and gave a bitter, helpless laugh. "Hah..."
Renee Jennings raised an eyebrow slightly and asked in a gentle voice, "Have you made up your mind?"
"I’ve buried this in my heart for many years," Sean Quinn murmured. "I’ve never mentioned it to anyone."
Renee Jennings and Sawyer exchanged a look but said nothing.
Sean Quinn’s face was etched with weariness.
He raised a hand to rub his temples and began to speak slowly. "I’m thirty-seven this year. When I was seventeen, I fell for a girl named Penny Thorne."
"She was a classmate of mine in middle school, and we went to the same high school. She was very introverted, spoke in a tiny voice, and always walked with her head down. I happened to notice that she never ate in the school cafeteria; instead, she’d be in the classroom every day at noon, gnawing on a steamed bun."
"Later, I learned about her family situation from some classmates. Her father had died in an accident, and her mother had abandoned her."
"She could only live with her grandmother, but her grandmother had to rely on her uncle and aunt for support."
"Her uncle and aunt wanted her to drop out of school to work and earn money, so she could only spend as little as possible. Her three meals a day were all steamed buns."
"I never imagined her life was so hard. My seventeen-year-old self felt terrible for her, so from then on, I had my family pack two lunch boxes for me every day."
"I stopped going to the cafeteria and started eating with her in the classroom every day."
As Sean Quinn recalled the past, a gentle smile appeared on his face. "The introverted girl finally smiled at me, and I discovered she had dimples when she smiled."
"At the start of our sophomore year, I couldn’t find her in class. I ran to the teacher’s office in a panic and found out that her grandmother had passed away. Her uncle’s family refused to pay her registration fee and wanted to send her south to work."
"I was frantic. I went home, grabbed my lucky money, and went to find Penny Thorne. I told her I would pay her school fees from now on."
"Because of me, Penny Thorne was able to finish her sophomore year. Then, during the summer break before senior year, I was coming home after playing basketball and saw Penny Thorne squatting by the flowerbeds downstairs in my apartment complex..."
Her eyes were red, and her thin face was streaked with tears.
"Sean," she called his name, sobbing.
The basketball fell from the young man’s hand and rolled away. He rushed toward her in a panic. "Penny! What’s wrong? Who bullied you?"
"Sean." Penny Thorne carefully clutched the hem of his shirt and said in a trembling voice, "I came to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?" a young Sean Quinn asked nervously. "Why are you saying goodbye? Where are you going?"
"I have to run away from here." Penny Thorne’s face was pale, her voice thick with tears. "My aunt hates me more and more. This time, she’s not trying to force me to go work. She’s trying to force me to get married..."
"Get married?" Sean Quinn looked at her in disbelief. "How could your aunt do that? How old are you?"
Penny Thorne said through her tears, "I don’t want to get married, so I have to run away. Sean, if fate allows it, we’ll meet again."
"No." Sean Quinn’s tone was firm. "Where could you run to? You’re just a girl, a minor."
"I don’t know." Penny Thorne shook her head helplessly. "I really have no other choice. If I don’t run away, then I’ll just have to die. I will absolutely not get married."
Sean Quinn looked at her, his gaze serious. "Penny, do you trust me?"
Penny Thorne said through her tear-filled eyes, "Of course I trust you."
He took the girl’s small hand and said solemnly, "Then from now on, you’ll stay at my house. Don’t go back to your aunt’s."
"But..." Penny Thorne’s eyes widened in surprise. "Sean, are—are you serious?"
"I’m completely serious," Sean Quinn said with sincerity. "I can promise you, in The Quinn Family, my parents will treat you the same way they treat me."
"No." Penny Thorne shook her head. "That would be too much trouble for your family. And your parents would never agree."
Sean Quinn squeezed her hand. "Penny, trust me. I can convince them."