The Villainess's Heartthrob Script: I Can Talk to Animals

Chapter 620: Chapter 620: Compelling Reasons

Before they got out of the car, Willow finally spoke up sullenly, "We used to go to school. It’s just... Mom hasn’t been home lately, so no one has been around to enroll us."

A flicker of emotion crossed Renee’s eyes. She asked gently, "Where did your mother go?"

Willow opened her mouth as if to speak, but she seemed hesitant about something. After a moment, she fell silent.

Renee didn’t press the issue. Instead, she gestured for the siblings to get out. "Let’s get out first. We can talk more once we’re inside."

With that, she got out of the car and held the door open for them.

Inside the Western-style restaurant, crystal-tasseled chandeliers cast a warm, yellow glow, illuminating the exquisite tableware on each table.

Willow instinctively kept her head down, feeling utterly out of place. A wave of insecurity washed over her.

Glenn, on the other hand, was curiously looking all around.

Renee chose a four-person booth. She sat beside Willow, and Henry sat beside Glenn.

"See what you’d like to eat." Renee opened two menus and placed one in front of each sibling. "Don’t be shy. Order anything you want."

Glenn stared at the pictures of food on the menu, his mouth practically watering. "I want to try everything!"

Willow scolded him lightly, "Glenn, you can’t be like that!"

Glenn flinched and muttered under his breath, "I couldn’t help it..."

Willow said maturely, "As long as my brother and I have enough to eat, that’s fine. You don’t need to order too much."

"Let us order, then." Renee waved a waiter over. "We’ll have a Wagyu fried rice, a seafood pasta, two beef burgers, an order of honey-glazed wings and one of garlic wings, a side of potato wedges, and two Angus prime cut steaks..."

Hearing Renee rattle off more dishes than she could count on both hands, Willow hastily tried to stop her. "That’s enough, please! It’s too much."

Renee nodded, then turned back to the waiter. "We’ll start with that. And four Colas, please."

"Very good." The waiter confirmed the order one last time and was about to take the menus away.

Glenn put his little hand on the menu and asked in a small voice, "Could you please leave this here so I can look at it?"

Seeing this, Willow snapped, "If only you were this eager to read your textbooks!"

Glenn grinned. "This is way more interesting than a textbook!"

"You can leave the menu here," Renee said to the waiter.

Glenn flipped through the menu, studying every dish with surprising seriousness.

Renee turned to Willow beside her and asked warmly, "Willow, how old are you?"

Willow answered, "I’m twelve, and my brother is seven."

Renee asked, "What grade are you in?"

Willow replied, "My brother is supposed to start first grade, and I should have been in sixth grade this year."

"Why didn’t your father enroll you?"

"He thinks school is useless. It’s better to start earning money early."

Renee’s brow furrowed, her tone growing serious. "This country has a nine-year compulsory education system. As your guardian, if your father is preventing you from attending school, he’s violating the Compulsory Education Act."

Willow’s eyes widened in surprise. "It’s illegal for our uncle to keep us from school?"

"Uncle?" Renee looked puzzled. "The man who’s keeping you from school—he’s not your father?"

Willow explained, "He’s Glenn’s father, not mine. He’s my stepfather."

"Oh, I see," Renee nodded, her gaze falling to the Inky resting on her lap.

The restaurant wasn’t crowded, and a waiter soon arrived with the two orders of chicken wings.

Renee handed forks to the brother and sister. "Have a taste. See if they’re good."

At twelve years old, Willow had a strong sense of pride. Even though she had never eaten food like this before, she tried hard to look calm, refusing to betray any hint of longing or curiosity.

Glenn was another story. He had no such reservations and immediately began to wolf down his food.

The waiter returned with the fried rice and pasta.

Renee reminded the waiter, "Could you bring us the four Colas, please? Thank you."

The steaks came out last. Glenn stared without blinking at the aromatic meat, his face alight with excitement. "A classmate of mine said steak is super delicious!"

Willow had often listened to her classmates talk about the wonderful foods they had eaten.

It all sounded so new and delicious, but also incredibly expensive. A single one of those meals could cost what her family spent on food for a month, or even longer.

Willow watched the steak SIZZLE on the hot plate and asked in a low voice, "Did this meal cost a lot of money?"

Renee turned to her, a smile playing on her lips. "It’s fine. Do you like it?"

"Yes!" Willow nodded emphatically. "It’s delicious!"

A smile lit up Renee’s eyes. "Then that’s all that matters."

After the main course, Renee didn’t suggest they leave. Instead, she ordered dessert for the brother and sister.

"Is it cake?" Glenn asked, his eyes sparkling.

"Yes," Renee nodded, then added worriedly, "I just hope I’m not stuffing you both too much."

"No way, no way—HIC!" Glenn let out a loud burp right after he spoke, but he insisted firmly, "I can still—HIC—eat more."

Renee chuckled helplessly. "Alright, I’ll have them bring the dessert out in a little while. Let’s just sit and talk for now."

"Okay!" Glenn agreed. ’As long as it’s postponed, not canceled.’

Renee exchanged a look with Henry, then slowly began. "You said earlier that your mom wasn’t home. Did she go somewhere else to work?"

Over the course of the meal, Willow and Glenn had come to feel Renee and Henry’s kindness. They seemed like good people, and the children gradually began to relax and lower their defenses.

Willow shook her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her shirt. A sad note crept into her voice. "My mom has her reasons... things she can’t help."

Glenn, however, said naively, "My dad said Mom left to be a mommy for other kids."

Willow’s face fell. She glared angrily at her brother. "Don’t talk nonsense! Mom isn’t going to be a mommy to someone else! It was Uncle! He forced her..."

Renee waited for her to finish, but the young girl’s voice trailed off. Her eyes grew red, and she bit her lip, looking wronged.

Henry’s dark eyes narrowed. He asked in a gentle tone, "Did your uncle force your mom to go be a mother to other children?"

Willow hung her head, her shoulders starting to tremble.

She sniffled, her voice low and choked with tears. "Uncle loves to gamble. He took all the money Mom earned and gambled it all away. He only left us a tiny, tiny amount for living expenses."

Renee reached out to rub her back comfortingly.

Willow looked up, her eyes brimming with tears as she gazed at Renee. She choked out, "Do you know... Uncle used to beat my mom every night. That day... I heard her crying, begging him not to force her..."

"Force her to do what?" Henry asked.

Willow bit her lip. Very, very slowly, she said, "Uncle lost a gamble and had no money to pay his debts. He was afraid they’d cut off his hands and feet... so he told Mom to go sleep with someone else."