Chapter 509: Revealing True Nature
Phoenix Golding lay on the bed, utterly drained. Her wounds had become inflamed and were healing slowly in the heat. Meanwhile, Vernon Spann was off enjoying himself, and Jacqueline Spann pretended not to see, ignoring her completely. Phoenix didn’t even have the strength to curse.
All Ulysses Spann did was cry, completely useless. Phoenix Golding was both furious and worried that her young son would suffer. Her inner turmoil made things worse, and her fever refused to break for days. She had wasted away, becoming a shadow of her former self.
Fortunately, she still had her mother. Her mother would sneak over behind her father’s back to clean her wounds and brew some herbal remedies for her. It was a miracle she survived. The fever eventually broke, but she was left profoundly weak. The ordeal had taken a serious toll on her, and it would likely take half a year for her to recover.
She was also lucky to have Storm Xavier. As they say, hardship reveals true feelings. In this trying time, only Storm Xavier remembered her, secretly bringing her the money she needed to survive.
"Mom, could you buy me some meat? I haven’t had any in so long."
Phoenix Golding’s voice was raspy. Her hair was a tangled, greasy mess, and her face was pale and gaunt. Compared to her usual vibrant, radiant self, she looked to have aged at least a decade.
Linden’s mother sighed. "Your father has all the money. How about I steam an egg custard for you?"
She had to scrimp and save just for that one egg. Her daughter’s family was so poor they couldn’t even produce a single egg. And whenever she asked Jacqueline Spann, the girl claimed to know nothing. Linden’s mother could see it all clearly now: her own granddaughter was a cruel, heartless girl, and all her previous kindness had been an act.
"I have money..."
Phoenix Golding pulled twenty yuan from under her pillow: one ten-yuan bill, one five-yuan bill, and five one-yuan bills. Linden’s mother’s eyes lit up, and she asked happily, "Is this back pay from the school?"
"Sean sent it."
Phoenix Golding gave a bitter smile. ’As if the school would be so kind.’ She originally had some savings, but that robber Phoebe Huxley had taken it all a few days ago—twenty-eight yuan, down to the last cent. She hadn’t dared refuse; that thug would have really smashed her sewing machine.
If Storm Xavier hadn’t brought her twenty yuan, Phoenix Golding truly didn’t know how she would have survived. With no salary and no ability to work, and with her father and brother certainly not about to help her, she would have simply starved to death.
Linden’s mother frowned. She glanced at the miserable-looking Ulysses Spann outside and sighed. ’Such a cursed entanglement.’
"At least he has a conscience," she said. "I’ll go to town tomorrow morning and buy that meat."
Linden’s mother tucked away one of the yuan bills. Seeing her daughter’s wretched state filled her with both heartache and anger—anger at the viciousness of the Thorne family, and anger at the cold-heartedness of Jacqueline Spann and her father. She’d long seen Vernon Spann for the ungrateful wretch he was. But Jacqueline Spann... she had surpassed all expectations. She was even more ruthless than her father. It was as if she’d raised this granddaughter for nothing.
"So what are you going to do about that ungrateful little brat? I told you not to marry Vernon Spann from the start. It was obvious that man had no heart. Jacqueline is just like her father—born treacherous, more vicious than a wolf. You’ve wasted ten years of your life on them!"
There was a note of complaint in Linden’s mother’s voice. If only her daughter had listened to her back then and married a strong, hardworking man, she wouldn’t be suffering like this now. What good is a pretty face on a man? They’re all the same with the lights off. What really matters is someone who can earn work points.
Phoenix Golding gave a cold, silent sneer and gritted her teeth. "It wasn’t a waste. That little beast won’t be escaping from the palm of my hand."
’I see that little beast’s intentions as clear as day,’ she thought with a snort. ’I’m not dead yet. She can forget about celebrating.’
Linden’s mother remained noncommittal. She had to get home. How Phoenix Golding chose to handle Jacqueline Spann was not her business, nor did she want it to be. If she was late, her old man would start yelling at her again.