Chapter 357: I’m Worried They’ll Sell Lele
Chapter 357: Chapter 357: I’m Worried They’ll Sell Lele
"My Owen isn’t as bad as you say..." The young woman was about to criticize Owen, but she saw him staring at her with wide, round eyes, and the words on the tip of her tongue turned to praise. "My Owen really is a good, well-behaved boy."
Owen, who had been wearing a stern expression, immediately broke into a grin at her words, panting happily with his tongue lolling out.
’That’s right, that’s right! I’m the best and most well-behaved dog in the whole world.’
Charmed by his cuteness, the young woman reached out and stroked his head, her tone doting. "Oh, you."
"Tori, I’m serious. Want to go on a trip?" her best friend brought up the topic of travel again, her tone a mix of wheedling and complaining. "It’s been so long since we’ve gone anywhere together."
Hearing her friend’s words, Tori Lynn felt a pang of guilt.
The last time they had planned to go, they were supposed to climb Mount Zorya, but she had to cancel after suddenly discovering she was pregnant.
She’d promised her friend they would go out after the baby arrived, but then the trip was postponed because she wanted to breastfeed. Now, her child was already over two years old.
Tori Lynn felt she couldn’t disappoint her friend again. She looked at her and said earnestly, "Okay, I’ll go home and talk it over with Lele’s dad. I’ll ask my in-laws to help watch her for a few days."
"Great!" Her friend’s face instantly lit up.
Seeing this, the middle-aged woman spoke up. "Tori, you don’t need to go to all that trouble. I can look after Lele. I can just take her back to my place to get some fresh air and be around nature. The air quality where I live is wonderful."
"Besides, with so many people looking after Lele, she’s sure to develop quickly!"
Owen started barking again. WOOF WOOF! "No! That’s not good at all!"
The middle-aged woman continued, "Didn’t I take Lele there once before? She absolutely loved it. She had so much fun playing with my relatives’ children."
Owen began to growl fiercely. "You’re lying! You’re lying to Mom! You’re a bad person!"
"Owen, why are you being naughty again?" Tori Lynn quickly tried to soothe him. "Don’t bark!"
But this time, Owen didn’t stop. Instead, he barked frantically. "Mom, listen to me! You can’t let Lele go home with the bad woman! She’s really, really bad!"
"Owen! I’m really getting angry!" Tori Lynn felt the disapproving stares from those around them, making her anxious and ashamed. "I’m so sorry to have disturbed you all!"
"Mom!" Owen’s barks grew louder. "Didn’t you tell me to protect Lele? That’s exactly what I’m doing right now!"
"Jean, take Lele home." Frazzled by Owen’s outburst, Tori Lynn said to her friend, "Vivi, let’s message later."
Her friend was understanding. "Okay, be careful on your way home."
"Wait a moment." Renee Jennings stepped forward, blocking Tori Lynn as she was about to leave. She crouched down in front of the agitated Owen and said softly, "First, you need to calm down. I can help you."
Sensing her friendly presence, Owen immediately quieted down.
Tori Lynn was stunned to see this happen.
Owen had stopped causing a fuss, but now it was her friend’s turn to get excited.
"Renee Jennings! Aahh! I can’t believe I’m running into you here!" Yvette Brooks sidled up to Renee Jennings, her face alight with joy. "This must be fate!"
Renee Jennings tilted her head and saw who it was. She raised a slight eyebrow. "Ivy. It seems we are."
Tori Lynn asked in surprise, "Vivi, you two know each other?"
"We do," Yvette Brooks said, quickly making the introduction for her friend. "This is the Renee Jennings I was telling you about. She’s saved me twice!"
Tori Lynn thought for a moment before it dawned on her. "You mean the incidents with Evan Shepherd and Shannon Lynn?"
"That’s right," Yvette Brooks nodded.
Tori Lynn immediately crouched down and extended a hand toward Renee Jennings. "Miss Jennings," she said gratefully, "thank you for helping Vivi. I’d like to treat you to dinner sometime, if you’re free."
Yvette Brooks was one of her dearest friends.
"Don’t mention it." Renee Jennings shook her hand, her gaze falling back to Owen. "He’s so agitated because he has something very important to tell you."
"Huh?" Tori Lynn was confused. "But I can’t understand a word he’s saying..."
Yvette Brooks looked just as bewildered.
Renee Jennings didn’t explain. Instead, she looked at the middle-aged woman pushing the baby carriage and asked, "And this is?"
"That’s Jean," Yvette Brooks explained. "She’s the nanny Tori hired to help look after Lele."
Renee Jennings stood up, her cool gaze sweeping over Jean.
’So this is the ’bad person’ Owen was talking about.’
"How long has she been working for you?" Renee Jennings asked.
Although Tori Lynn didn’t understand the reason for the question, she answered, "For about a year."
"I see." Renee Jennings nodded. She looked at Owen and said gently, "Owen, you can continue."
Owen wasn’t sure if this human could really help him, but he had no other choice.
"Mom told me to protect Lele, that I had to watch her carefully whenever we went outside. I remember," Owen said slowly.
"The last time the bad lady took Lele out, I followed them. I didn’t expect her to take Lele back to her own house."
Owen paused, then asked uncertainly, "Miss, can you understand what I’m saying?"
"I understand." Renee Jennings gently rubbed the dog’s head. "Keep talking. I’m listening."
Tori Lynn and Yvette Brooks stared at each other, their faces filled with utter disbelief.
Could Renee Jennings really understand what Owen was saying?
Jean was also staring at Renee Jennings, a hint of displeasure in her eyes. ’I don’t like this girl’s tone, or the way she’s looking at me.’
Owen continued, "She took Lele to her house without Mom’s permission, and Mom was furious."
"But the bad lady brought Lele and me back on time, so Mom wasn’t as angry. Still, Mom told the bad lady she was never to take Lele anywhere without permission again."
"The bad lady kept apologizing to Mom, saying she just wanted Lele to experience different places and that the air near her house was good for her."
"The bad lady was crying as she spoke, and she even knelt in front of Mom, saying she knew she’d done wrong and only did it because she loves Lele so much."
"Somehow, by the end of it, Mom was the one apologizing to the bad lady. But what Mom doesn’t know is that the bad lady wants to sell Lele."
Hearing that, Renee Jennings’s brow slowly furrowed. "You heard this?"
"Yes." Owen nodded his head vigorously. "The bad lady and her family brought strangers over to see Lele. They were right there, discussing how much to sell her for. Lele doesn’t understand any of that, of course. I was going crazy with worry."
Owen said, his voice full of grievance, "I was afraid they were going to sell Lele, so I lunged at them to bite them, but they knocked me unconscious."
After hearing Owen’s story, Renee Jennings glanced at the oblivious child in the carriage, and then her eyes fell upon the middle-aged woman gripping its handle. A flicker of anger crossed her fair features.
Jean met her gaze, and an inexplicable tremor went through her. She quickly looked away.
Seeing Renee Jennings’s attitude toward Jean, Tori Lynn couldn’t help but feel a flicker of worry.
’Could it be? Is there something wrong with Jean?’
Renee Jennings didn’t expose Jean on the spot. She looked at Tori Lynn and said softly, "Since fate brought us together, why don’t we all sit down for a chat?"