Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Secret Meeting

After returning to school, Fia Thorne barely made it through the rest of her classes. She had to stop Jim Thorne, who wanted to go and settle scores with Phoenix Golding. Phoenix Golding was a teacher, so Jim would surely be at a disadvantage if he confronted her openly. ’I’ll have to find a way to secretly make trouble for that woman later.’

’Hmph, she’s not getting away with hurting my hand for nothing.’

’And I’ll give Felix Thorne an earful, too. We’ll see if he still pines for that black-hearted woman after this.’

Jacqueline Spann was on edge all afternoon, filled with a touch of regret. ’If I’d known it would blow up like this, I never would have said those things to Phoenix Golding. I just wanted her to give Fia Thorne a little punishment. It’s only right for a teacher to punish a student. Even a family as overbearing as the Thornes couldn’t argue with that.’

’But who would have thought Phoenix Golding would actually break Fia Thorne’s hand? That little brat is the Thorne family’s precious treasure, and she’s a notorious tattletale. There’s no way the Thornes will let this go.’

Jacqueline Spann’s resentment toward Phoenix Golding and Ulysses Spann grew. ’All they ever do is cause trouble for me, and they’re never any real help. If I had a powerful family like the Thornes backing me, I wouldn’t have to live such a stifled life!’

But then she saw Fia Thorne return, seemingly unharmed, and Jacqueline felt a wave of relief. ’As long as it isn’t broken, it should be fine. The Thornes probably won’t make a big deal out of such a small thing, right?’

’After all, my mother is a teacher. It wouldn’t look good if this gets blown out of proportion. Besides, Jim and Fia Thorne still have to go to school here!’

Jacqueline’s thoughts turned to Clayton Xavier. ’He must be the one who healed Fia Thorne’s hand. He’s just that incredible. He’s a brilliant student, an amazing doctor, so gentle and polite… and so handsome.’ In her mind, Clayton Xavier was absolute perfection.

’I wonder what Clayton has been up to these past few days. He hasn’t come to see me at all. Now that Grandpa Tate refuses to teach me, Clayton is my only hope. Otherwise, my studies will be too difficult.’

The last period before school let out was study hall, so Jacqueline Spann skipped it. The Xavier family home was near the school. In fact, the school building itself had once been the Xavier family’s granary before it was confiscated. The village committee building, the cowshed, the mortuary—they had all belonged to the Xavier family. Now, all that remained in their name was the large, gray-brick and white-walled house. Everything else had been seized by the state.

(The mortuary was the village’s morgue. When someone in the village died, their body would be laid out there. There probably aren’t any places like that now; people are usually cremated immediately after death. But when I was a child, most villages had a building like this.)

Jacqueline Spann quickly arrived at the Xavier family’s home. The courtyard was empty but immaculately clean, and the air was thick with the rich scent of medicinal herbs. She pushed open the gate and went inside, making her way to the backyard with practiced ease. There, she gently tapped on a glass window—the window to Clayton Xavier’s study.

Clayton Xavier pushed open the window. When he saw Jacqueline Spann smiling at him, he felt none of his usual pleasant surprise, only a sense of unease. He instinctively glanced outside, afraid his mother might see her. However, he quickly remembered she had gone to the mountains to gather herbs, and his fears were assuaged.

“Clayton, why haven’t you come to see me?” Jacqueline asked in a low voice, her tone a mixture of grievance and playful pouting.

“I’ve had some things to deal with at home. Aren’t you supposed to be in class?”

Clayton Xavier didn’t dare to meet Jacqueline’s eyes, and he could feel his face flush. It was his first time telling a lie, and he felt a pang of guilt. Jacqueline’s heart sank. ’He’s not telling the truth. He’s avoiding me.’

“It’s just study hall. I haven’t seen you in a few days, so I came to see how you were. How’s that book you bought last time coming along?”

“It’s… fine. I’m getting through it slowly. You should hurry back to class. It’s not right to skip.”

Clayton was afraid of alerting his grandmother, who was upstairs. His grandmother disliked Phoenix Golding just as much as his mother did, which meant she naturally disliked Jacqueline as well.

Jacqueline’s heart plummeted. Her first thought was that someone had been badmouthing her to Clayton. And her number one suspect was Fia Thorne. ’That rotten girl must have said something awful about me.’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep