Reborn Young Miss: Phoenix Burning Red-Chapter 135: Scarlett Qin (1)
Two months passed in a blink of an eye. Adrienne, Hunter, and Irina arrived in an exclusive village three cities away from Changshi City. They were here to see Lennox’s youngest sister, Scarlett Qin. Among Lennox’s siblings, the younger girl wasn’t suffering any financial difficulties. However, according to the reports Adrienne received from Gavin, the girl wasn’t spared from domestic abuse, just like Samantha.
"Do you have a plan, Addie?" Hunter asked. The car they were using was parked a few meters away from Scarlett’s home. "Considering the child is homeschooled, it would be impossible for you to meet her outside."
"No, not really. Scarlett’s mother is ashamed of her, but she can’t hide the child forever. The reports said that her homeschool teacher occasionally brings her outside. We only need to wait a little and strike when the chance presents itself." Adrienne answered her brother.
"Why would her mother hate her?" Hunter frowned. He couldn’t understand why Scarlett’s mother would hide her from the world like this.
"Because her mother is an actress. If people knew she had a child out of wedlock and was fathered by Richard Qin, wouldn’t this besmirch her public reputation?" Adrienne explained. "I have a way to convince her to give up Scarlett’s custody to Lennox, so I would need to know what the child thinks of her mother."
Most of the time, abused children thought they were responsible for their abusive parents’ actions. Adrienne wouldn’t be surprised if Scarlet blamed herself too.
"Irina, would you be able to set a meeting with Scarlet’s mother and me soon? Tell her I know her daughter’s existence, and I can get rid of her problem if she’s willing to cooperate." She glanced at Irina, who looked at her in surprise.
"Of course, Miss Addie. When do you want to meet her?" Irina asked once she recovered from her shock. Adrienne hadn’t given her an order like this before. Most of the time, it would be Hunter who would run this kind of errand for her.
"The sooner, the better," Adrienne replied. Once she said this, they saw a woman dressed casually, leaving the manor with a young girl. They then entered the car together.
The three watched the car leave the premises, and Hunter discreetly followed them. After fifteen minutes of driving, they reached a public park where several children were happily playing with each other. Scarlett looked scared as she clung to her tutor.
Adrienne stood a few feet from them, not bothering to get closer because listening in to what they were discussing was enough.
"Scarlett, don’t you want to play with them? Your mom would be home by the weekend and agreed for me to take you out to have fun." Her tutor said gently, but the young girl shook her head, unwilling to join the other children.
"Don’t want to..." Scarlett replied, and her companion could only look at her with pity.
"Well, it’s too early for us to see the expo for pet adoption. Is there anything you want to do?"
Scarlett didn’t answer and remained silent, watching the other children play instead. Adrienne didn’t know how long she’d been waiting, but when the ball the children were playing ended up at Scarlett’s feet, she watched with curiosity how the girl would react.
Despite Scarlett’s earlier rejection, Adrienne could see the girl yearning to play with the other children. Her mother had no doubt sheltered her and didn’t allow Scarlett to live like any other normal child. Adrienne didn’t have a good impression of Scarlett’s mother.
Scarlett Qin was already eight, but her social skills were no better than her younger brother, Noah Qin. Even the girl’s height was shorter than the other young girls around her age. Though her clothes were made with the finest material, her stature and build look weak, as if she wasn’t fed regularly.
Adrienne’s expression hardened. She knew how strict an actress’s diet was. Most of them need to stay slim and keep their figure appealing, and Adrienne wondered if Scarlett’s mother was also strict with the girl’s diet.
Half an hour later, Adrienne and her brother followed the girl and her tutor to an expo near the park. There were so many people there looking for a new pet to adopt. The local authorities rescued most of the animals presented there. They were either lost, unowned or abandoned by their owners. The city animal bureau allowed them to find a new family by holding events like this.
If Adrienne weren’t here to meet Scarlett, she would have adopted one to take home. Now that her father and his new family had moved out, the estate felt empty with fewer people. She didn’t want to hire new people to serve her but didn’t mind taking in a large dog to keep her company at home. Perhaps she could also take in a cat for Mother Wang, for the older woman was fascinated with them.
Hunter noticed her interest in the large dogs at the expo. He leaned forward and whispered, "Do you want me to choose one for you?"
Adrienne shook her head. If she were to bring some pets home with her, she and the animals should understand each other.
"There’s no need, Brother. Let’s focus on Scarlett for now." Without Irina around, Adrienne didn’t need to pretend before her brother.
As they were talking, Scarlett paused and stared at an encaged white puppy. She looked interested in it but knew she could not take it home because her mother would disapprove of it. No matter what she said, Scarlett was certain she wouldn’t be able to persuade her mother.
"Do you want to take it home? It looks beautiful." Adrienne used this chance to approach the child. She glanced at the small white dog and noticed its right front leg was injured and covered with a bandage.
The dog met her gaze and immediately curled as if afraid of her. She then realized that Scarlett could see herself on the injured dog.
