Chapter 491: Chapter 491: Neglected by Her Family

Renee Jennings walked over and opened the closet door. Her expression faltered as she saw the clothes hanging inside, and her slender eyebrows slowly furrowed.

She didn’t have professional knowledge in criminal investigation, but her intuition told her that Addie Sutton... didn’t seem to be well-loved in this family.

Director Leto had shown her the video of Addie Sutton leaving the house. She was only carrying a small bag, which couldn’t hold much at all.

It was currently summer vacation, yet her closet only held a few school uniforms, along with some faded T-shirts and jeans.

’She has so few clothes.’

Renee Jennings came out of the room and glanced at the other bedrooms.

It was a three-bedroom apartment. The master bedroom belonged to the parents, and the other bedroom was likely the grandmother’s.

Renee Jennings returned to the living room, sat down, and asked casually, "Is Mrs. Sutton not home?"

"She has to work today," Felix Sutton replied.

Sunny, who was playing with an Ultraman figure nearby, immediately piped up, "Daddy’s lying! Mommy went to get her hair permed!"

Felix Sutton’s expression changed abruptly. He shot his son a furious glare, then said to Renee Jennings, "Kids are mischievous, always saying silly things. My wife really did go to work. She told me to notify her immediately if there was any news."

"Nuh-uh!" Sunny ran over, clutching his Ultraman, to expose the lie. "Mommy went to get her hair permed! She said she wanted to come back looking pretty."

"Excuse me for a moment." Felix Sutton’s face was ashen. He shot up from his seat, picked up Sunny, and hurried toward the bedroom.

Seeing this, the old woman hurried after them. "You brat, be careful! Don’t hurt my precious grandson!"

Renee Jennings pressed her lips together, her porcelain-white face revealing a hint of solemnity.

"Consultant Jennings, have you communicated with that pet duck?" Director Leto asked in a low voice.

Renee Jennings shook her head slightly. "Not yet."

Director Leto nodded and said no more.

Felix Sutton returned to the living room alone, an apologetic smile on his face. "Sorry about that, what a scene. Sunny is spoiled by his grandma; he’s very mischievous."

"It’s no trouble." Director Leto waved his hand. "Addie Sutton’s case is more important."

’He was genuinely worried about the girl.’

Felix Sutton pressed his palms together gratefully. "Thank you so much, Director Leto, for being so dedicated to Addie’s case."

"Don’t mention it. Addie has helped me out before, too," Director Leto said, waving his hand. "It’s what I should be doing. It’s my duty."

"Did Addie take the college entrance exams this year?" Renee Jennings inquired.

Felix Sutton looked at her and nodded. "Yes, Addie is supposed to start college in the fall."

"Were her scores good?"

"She underperformed a bit. She was quite unhappy with her results. I think she might have run away because her scores weren’t ideal."

"I see." Renee Jennings asked again, "If you don’t mind my asking, what was Addie’s score?"

"Somewhere in the four hundreds, less than five hundred."

"No specific number?"

"I think it was somewhere in the four-eighties."

Renee Jennings smiled faintly. "Alright."

’This man doesn’t care about his daughter at all,’ she thought.

’He can’t even give a clear answer about something as important as her college entrance exam score.’

"Would it be convenient to call your wife and ask her to come back?" Renee Jennings asked with a polite smile. "There’s something I’d like to ask her."

"Okay, I’ll contact her now," Felix Sutton said as he walked toward the balcony.

"Mr. Sutton," Renee Jennings called out to him. "May I go into Addie’s room again?"

"Of course," said Felix Sutton.

Renee Jennings entered Addie Sutton’s bedroom again and walked to the bedside, looking at the Call Duck that seemed to be sitting upright on the bed.

She said softly, "Hello, little duck. Can I talk with you for a moment?"

The Call Duck blinked its beady eyes. "QUACK~ Duck wants Dee~"

"I know. I’m here to find Dee, too."

"QUACK~ Dee’s not home! Dee’s gone!"

"Little duck, did Dee talk to you often?"

"QUACK~ Duck’s name is Ducky~ Duck likes listening to Dee talk~"

Renee Jennings knelt by the bed and looked at it. "So your name is Ducky. Did Dee give you that name?"

Ducky made a nodding motion. "QUACK~ Yup~ It’s pretty~"

"I think it’s very pretty, too." Renee Jennings gazed at its round, plump body and head. "Dee took very good care of you."

"QUACK~ Yup~ Dee was so, so good to Duck~"

Renee Jennings found it incredibly cute and couldn’t resist reaching out to stroke its head. "Ducky, can I ask you a few questions about Dee? It’s the only way we can find her quickly."

Ducky tilted its head and quacked, "QUACK~ Dee isn’t coming back~"

"Why do you say Dee isn’t coming back?" Renee Jennings frowned. "Did she say anything to you when she left?"

Ducky: "QUACK QUACK~ Dee told Duck lots and lots of things~ Dee was crying~ So sad, so sad. Duck was sad, too..."

Renee Jennings could feel its sudden wave of sadness. She said softly, "Ducky, can you tell me why Dee was crying?"

"QUACK QUACK~ Dee was crying~" Ducky’s voice seemed to take on a mournful tone. "Dee said, ’Why did Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa stop caring about me after my little brother was born? They’re like strangers, total strangers.’"

Ever since her younger brother, Sunny, was born, Addie Sutton had felt neglected by her family.

At first, she’d comfort herself, thinking it was only natural for everyone to pay special attention to her brother since he was a newborn.

But as the days went by, this feeling of neglect grew stronger and stronger in Addie Sutton’s heart.

She was miserable, often crying under the covers while hugging Ducky.

Ducky: "QUACK~ Dee was crying again. She said, ’I feel like Mommy and Daddy don’t love me anymore. They only have eyes for Sunny.’"

Whenever the weekend came, Felix Sutton and his wife would take Sunny out to play. Addie Sutton would wake up to an empty house.

She would call them, only to find out they had all gone out without her.

Her parents no longer cared about her, not her schoolwork, not her life.

She didn’t know how to cook and didn’t have a phone to order takeout.

One day, she was starving. She found some ingredients in the fridge and tried to cook for herself.

The moment hot oil splattered onto her arm, her eyes welled with tears. She cooked tomato and egg noodles while crying.

Addie Sutton sobbed as she finished the bowl of noodles. She sat in the empty, quiet living room, hugging Ducky, and choked out, "Ducky, I’m suddenly so tired of living."

Ducky didn’t know how to comfort her and could only nuzzle her cheek with its head.

"QUACK~ Dee was sad~" Ducky quacked. "Grandma was mean to Dee. Dee’s face hurt so much~ But Duck doesn’t know how to make it better. Dee asked, ’Ducky, what do I do? I think Grandma hates me. Am I still supposed to love her?’"

That day, the grandmother had noticed some money was missing. The first thing she did was shove open Dee’s door—ignoring the fact that she was changing—rush in, and slap her across the face, all while cursing at her.

"You damn girl, did you steal the money from my room? Hand it over now!"

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