Chapter 260: This Family No Longer Needs Me
Chapter 260: Chapter 260: This Family No Longer Needs Me
Henry Stark watched Cathy Lee’s stooped back, his dark eyes narrowing. "She’s not telling the truth."
"Should we call her back for more questioning?" Levi Hollis asked.
Henry Stark shook his head. "We’ll question her son tomorrow."
Cathy Lee’s son was more severely injured and was still in the hospital.
Henry Stark then questioned the fake pregnant woman, the woman in the shirt, and the boy with glasses. The three traffickers’ answers were all more or less the same.
They had met Cathy Lee in a park. At the time, Cathy was worrying that her son had no woman to satisfy his urges, and the fake pregnant woman and the woman in the shirt offered to help solve her son’s physiological needs.
They said they would charge twenty thousand yuan, and Cathy Lee readily agreed.
"How many times have you worked together in total?" Henry Stark asked.
The fake pregnant woman: "Four... four times..."
The woman in the shirt: "Twice."
The boy with glasses: "Just this once."
Cathy Lee had said three times. Neither side was telling the truth.
They interrogated Cathy Lee’s husband, Connor Archer. He said he couldn’t remember clearly, but it was at least eight, if not ten times.
Henry Stark’s deep, dark eyes stared at the old man in the wheelchair. With a humorless smile, he asked, "Your surname is Archer, so why does your son have the surname Lee?"
"He’s not my son." Connor Archer lowered his head and explained, "He’s Cathy’s son. When Cathy and I got married, Heath Lee was already five years old."
He reached down to touch his withered, deformed legs and said with a bitter smile, "My legs ended up like this because of Heath Lee."
"Because of him?" Levi Hollis asked. "Can you tell us what happened, specifically?"
Connor Archer said with a calm expression, "In the tenth year of my marriage to Cathy, he pushed me off a fourth-floor rooftop."
Levi Hollis frowned immediately. "Why would he do that?"
’How old was Heath Lee back then? To do something so cruel...’
"I asked him." Connor Archer’s eyes dimmed. "He said he had grown up, and this family didn’t need me anymore."
Levi Hollis: "..."
The implications of that statement were terrifying.
Connor Archer continued, "I didn’t die. Heath Lee couldn’t stand the sight of me and kept trying to kill me. It was Cathy who knelt and begged him to spare me..."
"So, do you hate him?" Henry Stark’s eyes held a scrutinizing gaze; he wasn’t sure if Connor Archer was lying.
"How could I not hate him!" Connor Archer’s face was contorted in pain. "He’s the one who turned me into a cripple in my thirties, forcing me to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair!"
Henry Stark: "Whose idea was it to lure those young women to your home?"
Connor Archer shook his head, indicating he knew nothing about it. "Whenever the mother and son were talking, I was never present."
He paused for a moment, then added, "They planned to hide it from me at first. I only found out by accident. I even tried to convince Cathy not to do it, but she told me to stay out of it."
Henry Stark eyed him coldly. After a moment, he asked, "Your family doesn’t seem to be in a good financial situation. Where did Cathy Lee get the money to pay the criminals?"
Connor Archer explained with a blank expression, "Originally, only Cathy and I lived in this house. Heath Lee moved out after high school, but a couple of years ago, he said something about an accident at work and moved back in with us."
"You still haven’t answered my question about the money," Henry Stark reminded him calmly.
Connor Archer frowned. "I’m not sure about the details. I just heard Cathy say that Heath Lee earned some money online."
He had provided a lot of information, but its authenticity had yet to be verified.
After interrogating Connor Archer, Henry Stark went to the conference room to find Renee Jennings, only to see her asleep, slumped over the conference table.
He lightened his steps and slowly walked to her side.
Renee Jennings’s skin was very fair, her eyelashes long and slender, her nose delicate, and her rosy lips were lightly pressed together.
The German Shepherd sat beside her, tilting its head and looking at him curiously.
After an unknown amount of time, Henry Stark reached out and patted Renee Jennings’s shoulder, calling softly, "Renee Jennings."
Her eyelashes, like a butterfly’s wings, fluttered. Renee Jennings groggily opened her eyes and looked at him. "Henry Stark, what time is it?"
"It’s almost four in the morning," Henry Stark said softly. "I’ll take you home."
"No need." Renee Jennings yawned and stood up. "I drove myself."
"Aren’t you tired?"
"It’s fine. I just dozed off for a bit. I’m awake now."
Hearing this, Henry Stark nodded. "Alright. Be careful on the road."
**
Renee Jennings returned to Eastgate Villa with the German Shepherd. Perhaps because they smelled another animal, all the pets in the house were awake.
"Wow, so many brothers and sisters here?" the German Shepherd exclaimed, growing very excited. "This is awesome!"
Renee Jennings hadn’t expected them all to be awake. She raised an eyebrow slightly. "Why is everyone up?"
When Blueberry saw the German Shepherd standing next to Renee Jennings, his first thought was one of displeasure. ’Another one here to compete for affection!’
But the next second, he remembered what Renee Jennings had said a couple of days ago: he was the boss of this house and had to set a good example.
Blueberry came up to Renee Jennings and meowed in surprise, "Renee, is this a new friend?"
"That’s right." Renee Jennings looked at him and said with a smile, "Blueberry, this is Tyrant. He’s a new member of our family."
"Oh, I see." Blueberry nodded and meowed obediently, "I understand."
Renee Jennings introduced Tyrant to the other little companions, then said to Blueberry, "You can introduce Tyrant to our friends around the house. I’m a bit tired, so I’m going to bed first."
"Okay, Renee." Blueberry’s furry little face was full of seriousness. "I guarantee the mission will be completed."
’Renee has so much faith in me. I can’t let her down!’
Blueberry watched Renee Jennings’s figure disappear, then turned his head to look at Tyrant. "Hello, Tyrant. I’m Blueberry."
"Hello!" Tyrant grinned. "It’s great to meet you!"
Blueberry continued, "I’m the boss of this house. Now, let me introduce you to our other friends."
Although Tyrant was a stray, he was very polite. "Thank you. Sorry to trouble you!"
Blueberry led Tyrant around and introduced him to all their housemates. When they were about to go to sleep, he suddenly remembered that Renee hadn’t prepared a room for Tyrant.
He frowned and thought for a moment, then meowed hesitantly, "You can share my bed tonight. Renee will prepare a place for you tomorrow, okay?"
"Will I be disturbing you?" Tyrant was a little embarrassed. "I can just find any spot to sleep."
"No, no, it’s fine." Blueberry had to be the boss and shoulder his responsibilities. "Just follow me."
Since he had said so, Tyrant smiled. "In that case, I’ll take you up on your offer."
"What’s there to be polite about?" Blueberry said. "We’re all family here."
When Renee Jennings woke up, she suddenly remembered that she hadn’t prepared a room for Tyrant last night.
"Where did Tyrant sleep last night?" She patted her forehead in frustration. "I forgot to prepare a room for him."
Blueberry came up to her, puffed out his little chest proudly, and said, "Renee, I had Tyrant share my bed last night."