Chapter 735: Revisiting the Tattoo Shop

Chapter 735: Revisiting the Tattoo Shop

I glanced at Brett and nodded. "Sure thing, buddy. You can head back to class. We got this."

After saying that, I ruffled Brett's hair, letting him know he could go.

Brett finally turned to leave, but Sam and his parents stayed put.

"We're not gonna push this any further, but if it happens again, we won't be so forgiving," I said firmly, looking at the adult and child in front of me.

The woman's face soured, but she kept her mouth shut.

Then I turned to the school administrators. "Thanks for your help, but I don't want my son to be mistreated in any way."

"We understand, and it's our fault for the oversight," the administrator replied, showing a reasonable attitude, at least on such a clear-cut issue.

After that, Royce and I headed back home.

Once in the car, I couldn't help but ask Royce, "How'd you know that woman's husband was cheating?"

"Our company has a business deal with them, but it seems she doesn't know. I found out by chance," Royce said while starting the car.

I nodded thoughtfully, not dwelling on it.

The next few days were uneventful, and Brett seemed happy going to school every day.

He really liked his classmates and friends, and he always had lots to tell us after school.

Like which friend brought him something tasty or which friend he helped with homework.

Hearing Brett talk about these things always filled my heart with joy.

This peaceful and happy life was what we pursued and what I wanted to provide for Brett.

One day, I went to pick Brett up from school by myself and unexpectedly ran into Renee.

Renee looked even more glamorous than before, with wavy hair and rare sapphire earrings.

"Fancy seeing you here. Do you pick up your kid too?"

I didn't expect Renee to greet me, but I replied out of politeness.

"Yes."

Renee gave a strange smile. "You still haven't found what you're looking for, have you? Don't worry, you never will."

Her words sent a chill down my spine, making my hair stand on end.

How did Renee know we were investigating something? Was she still keeping tabs on us?

"Why are you looking at me like that? I'm just kindly reminding you," Renee said, putting a finger to her lips. "Be careful."

I didn't believe Renee was being kind; she was probably just indulging her twisted sense of humor.

Then, Renee took Briar and left.

It wasn't until Brett tugged on my hand that I snapped out of it.

"Mom, are you okay? You look so pale. Are you feeling sick?"

Hearing Brett's worried voice, I crouched down and hugged him.

"No, Mom was just thinking about something else."

Brett nodded, half-understanding, and started telling me about his day at school.

All those little things made Brett so happy that I couldn't help but feel his joy.

After dropping Brett off at home, Renee's words kept echoing in my mind.

Were they planning something bigger?

No matter what they were planning, we wouldn't be afraid.

Royce and I decided to check out the tattoo parlor ourselves, but when we got there, we found one of the shops was closed.

With no other choice, we went to the one that was still open.

"Hey there! You guys here for a tattoo?" The owner greeted us warmly.

Royce and I nodded. "We wanted to see what your tattoo skills are like. Does it hurt much?"

"It stings a bit, but we can give you anesthesia during the process," the owner said.

I was taken aback. Morphine? That's not something private shops usually have; it requires medical certification.

Even in hospitals, if the morphine count doesn't match, there's a thorough investigation.

Morphine outside the operating room is essentially a drug.

"Do tattoos become addictive? I have a friend who started with one letter and ended up covered in tattoos," I said, frowning and pretending to be worried.

I wasn't lying; we did see someone covered in tattoos a few days ago, looking like a delinquent.

"Some people might get hooked, but it varies," the owner explained patiently.

I nodded. "Can we see some designs? I want to find one I like."

The owner brought out a book of designs for us to look at.

I was surprised to find that the designs were different from the ones he had shown Kathy and the others.

After flipping through a few pages, I put the book down.

"Are these all the designs you have? Can I bring one from the internet?"

"Of course, but custom designs are more expensive and riskier," the owner explained.

"We'll think about it. It's our first tattoo, so we're a bit cautious," I said with a smile.

The owner didn't seem upset and even brought us a plate of fruit before getting busy again.

Royce and I took the opportunity to look around the shop but didn't find anything unusual or smell anything strange like Kathy mentioned.

At least from today's visit, the tattoo parlor seemed fine.

Royce and I exchanged glances, ready to find an excuse to leave, when we suddenly heard a short scream.

We followed the sound, but a tattoo artist stopped us.

"Customers aren't allowed back here," the artist said before pulling back the curtain and going inside.

I sensed something was off. Last time, there was only the owner, but now there was another tattoo artist.

Just then, the owner appeared beside us.

"Sorry about that. We heard someone scream and thought something was wrong."