Chapter 520: Niohuru Xiao Nan
Struggling to support Phoenix Golding, Jacqueline Spann watched Clayton Xavier’s retreating back with disappointment. She knew with perfect clarity that things between them could never go back to the way they were.
She had gone to great lengths to feign ignorance, striving to be the person she thought he wanted. It was all to keep Clayton Xavier from discovering the sordid affair between her mother and Storm Xavier, not to mention the existence of that bastard child, Ulysses Spann.
She had worked so hard to hide everything, and now it had all been for nothing.
A sharp pain stabbed at Jacqueline Spann’s heart, and resentment flashed in her eyes. Phoenix Golding was a dead weight pressing down on her. ’I just want to throw this woman on the ground and walk away,’ she thought.
’Why couldn’t my mother be Phoebe Huxley?’
’Phoebe Huxley might be coarse, but she dotes on that incredibly stupid Tang Xiao’nan. I want a mother like that, too. I want a father like Felix Thorne, grandparents like Byron Thorne and Raina, and a brother like Jim Thorne...’
’I want everything Tang Xiao’nan has.’
But in reality, she had nothing.
’No, that’s not right,’ she thought. ’I have my aunt.’
Jacqueline Spann straightened her back, feeling a little better. Her aunt was so capable, having already established herself in a big city like Tristone. Although her aunt hadn’t specified what her job was in the letter, Jacqueline could guess. ’She must be in business.’
Her aunt had mentioned she was going to Capria on business in a few days and was extremely busy. Then there was her aunt’s partner. Her grandmother said he was very wealthy but just wasn’t willing to marry her aunt.
Jacqueline Spann’s mood lifted further. ’What does Clayton Xavier matter? Once I get to Tristone, I’ll meet even more exceptional men. A tiny, remote place like Millstone Peak is completely beneath me.’
’My world is in Tristone!’
"Hold her steady!"
The shout from Linden’s mother snapped Jacqueline Spann out of her thoughts. She flinched, burying her resentment deep in her heart, and resumed her pitiful act, helping Linden’s mother support the barely-conscious Phoenix Golding back to the house.
Everyone else had dispersed, and Tang Xiao’nan trailed behind. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with Jacqueline Spann, as if she were cooking up some wicked scheme. ’That viper is far more venomous than Phoenix Golding,’ she thought. ’I need to be careful.’
Still, Tang Xiao’nan was quite relieved. Jacqueline Spann’s official love interest from the story, the author’s golden boy Clayton Xavier, had finally parted ways with her. And even better, he had teamed up perfectly with Adrian Hawthorne.
Adrian Hawthorne’s business acumen and Clayton Xavier’s charisma—they were the most perfect partners in the world.
Tang Xiao’nan was absolutely certain that once these two titans joined forces, they would build the most dazzling business empire imaginable—one even grander and more magnificent than what was described in the book. And the person who made this powerful empire possible was none other than her—the Kingmaker, Xiao’nan!
’What a sense of accomplishment!’
’Mmm, I’ll reward myself with an extra piece of meat at dinner.’
********
The next day, Adrian Hawthorne was set to head south again. Having Clayton Xavier on board was like giving a tiger wings. Not only did Clayton shoulder nearly half of the sales on his own, but he had also lined up a massive order.
One of Clayton Xavier’s regular customers, an enthusiastic middle-aged woman, was particularly fond of him. She didn’t just help him sell the fabric; she also promoted it with gusto, eventually reeling in a big fish.
It was the machinery factory where Clayton Xavier had been selling on his first day. With July and August approaching, the factory was preparing to issue its high-temperature subsidies. Since the factory was profitable, in past years they had given employees items like fruit and towels in addition to cash.
But the employees were tired of getting fruit and towels year after year. As it happened, the enthusiastic woman’s son was the director of logistics, so she gave him an idea: why not just give each employee a few yards of fabric? The workers would surely be delighted, and the cost would be roughly the same.
Her son agreed immediately. Everyone was short on fabric, and summer clothing required a lot of material for floral dresses, shirts, and pants. Giving each person about three and a half yards of fabric would make everyone happy, and when he did the math, the total cost was no higher than in previous years.