Chapter 496: The Pitiful Clayton Xavier
Jacqueline Spann drew a little closer, just enough to faintly hear Phoebe Huxley’s booming voice. She was laughing and chatting with Juliana Rhodes and the others. Adrian Hawthorne had gotten them so much fabric, which meant they could make a fortune again. Of course they were happy.
But to Jacqueline Spann’s ears, their laughter was exceptionally jarring.
Her own family was shrouded in a miserable gloom, their suffering beyond words, yet these people were as happy as if it were a holiday. It felt like they were mocking her family. Jacqueline Spann’s mind raced. As she passed the Hawthorne residence, she quickened her steps, not wanting to see Phoebe Huxley and the others.
After a few hurried steps, Jacqueline Spann heard Clayton Xavier’s name. Phoebe Huxley and the others were talking about him, so she stopped and strained to listen.
"That bastard Storm Xavier better die a horrible death. Verna gave him such a wonderful son, yet he still had to go and mess around with that slut Phoenix Golding. Doesn’t he ever think about how his philandering ruins his son’s reputation? How is the boy supposed to find a wife in the future?"
The speaker was Fiona Rhodes, filled with righteous indignation. She had never seen Clayton Xavier before and had only just met him, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was so handsome, so polite, and had such a pleasant way of speaking. By comparison, her own two sons were like blocks of wood; they couldn’t even compare to one of Clayton’s toes.
Their pity for Clayton Xavier made the women’s maternal instincts surge. It also deepened their loathing for Storm Xavier and Phoenix Golding. That wretched pair had their fun, but it was the innocent child who got dragged into their mess.
"His family’s background was already a mark against him, and now there’s this ugly scandal on top of it. It’s going to be hard for that boy to find a wife!" Sylvia Swann was quite sympathetic toward Clayton Xavier as well.
"It’s a little better since he’s a boy. Thank goodness Verna didn’t have a daughter, or she’d really have a hard time getting married. I heard that boy Clayton does very well in his studies. The Xavier family matriarch is dead set on him getting into a university. Maybe he’ll test his way out of here. As long as he’s not in his hometown, those scandals won’t matter as much. A boy that handsome won’t have to worry about finding a wife."
Juliana Rhodes, who was normally quiet, had rarely said so much. It was just that Clayton Xavier evoked so much sympathy. The women all felt an involuntary urge to protect him, as if they were afraid he might suffer the slightest harm.
In contrast, they didn’t feel the same way about Adrian Hawthorne, whose circumstances were even more tragic. They always felt that Adrian needed no sympathy at all—he was so strong he’d even dare to kill someone. Plenty of adults weren’t as formidable as him!
"He’s a considerate boy, too. He knows Verna is struggling, so he wants to earn money to support the family. I just don’t know if he’ll manage to sell anything. He’s so shy, his face turns red when he even speaks."
"He’ll get better with practice. The first step is always the hardest, after all. If he can sell some things, life will be a little easier for Verna. I went back to my parents’ village the other day and saw Verna... sigh, she’s aged so quickly. Her back is so stooped she can’t even stand up straight anymore."
Phoebe Huxley sighed, her heart going out to Verna Golding. ’She’s a few years younger than I am, but she looks even older. Her hair has turned white and her back is hunched. It’s just a tragedy.’
Jacqueline Spann didn’t dare get too close, so she didn’t hear everything. But she had heard enough.
She was no longer sad or hurt. All she felt now was hate.
She hated Adrian Hawthorne, and she hated the Thorne family even more.
First, they’d turned Grandpa Tate against her, and now they were turning Clayton Xavier against her too. They were just throwing their weight around and bullying people because they had a little money.
Jacqueline Spann let out a silent, cold sneer and walked away quickly. As soon as she got home, she would write to her aunt. She had to become powerful—so powerful she could look down on all of Millstone Peak, including Adrian Hawthorne.
She would also make Clayton Xavier regret what he had done today.
Rushing home in a single-minded fury, Jacqueline Spann was assaulted by such a foul stench at her front door that she nearly gagged. Someone had thrown feces on her doorstep, attracting swarms of green bottle flies.
Swallowing her disgust, Jacqueline Spann cleaned the doorway. She didn’t even bother trying to find out who did it. Right now, her family was treated like disgusting rats in the village, even worse off than Adrian Hawthorne used to be. All she could do was endure it.
’Everything will be better once I get in touch with my aunt.’