Transmigrated as the Villain Boss's Precious Darling-Chapter 72: The Uncle and Nephew’s Uncanny Synchronization

Jacqueline Spann sighed, a bitter smile on her face. "You think I want to deceive people? I really don’t have any money, but I’m just so desperate to know more about the outside world. Clayton, I... I know what I did was wrong, but I didn’t have any other choice. I only delayed him for a little while; it’s not like it was a major loss."

"But you shouldn’t have stopped me from paying them. It’s not easy for them, carrying their wares on shoulder poles over mountains," Clayton Xavier said, his handsome face still showing his displeasure.

Jacqueline Spann’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly put on a placating smile. "I know I was wrong, but I was just worried you wouldn’t have enough money for your books. You worked so hard to save that up. If you couldn’t buy your books, it would affect your studies. I... I wasn’t thinking clearly, that was all that was on my mind. Clayton... I was wrong. Please don’t be mad at me. Later... once I’ve earned some money, I’ll pay back that gentleman from earlier, okay?"

Her last few words were choked with sobs. Jacqueline Spann’s eyes were rimmed with red, and the hand she used to wipe them was swollen and raw. The pressure had split her chilblains, and beads of blood oozed from the cracks. Clayton Xavier’s heart softened, and he let out a faint sigh.

"Don’t do this again in the future. No matter how hard things get, you can’t deceive people. It’s just not right."

"Okay, I won’t do it again."

Jacqueline Spann breathed a sigh of relief, though inwardly she disagreed. Her way of thinking was completely different from Clayton Xavier’s. ’He’s too rigid, always clinging to his unchanging principles. A gentleman’s code of conduct is all well and good, but sometimes you need to be flexible.’

She just wanted to maximize her gains with minimal cost. The peddler hadn’t really lost anything from a half-hour delay, but she had managed to find out a lot about Wraven.

She hadn’t spent a single penny, yet she’d learned that private trade was still forbidden in Wraven; the crackdown was very tight. She also hadn’t found a supplier for the postcards. Jacqueline Spann’s mood soured once again.

She was desperate to make money. If she only had money, she could change her current predicament, continue her schooling, and leave this impoverished mountain village.

She had seen the article in the newspaper as well, even before Adrian Hawthorne. Her mother, Phoenix Golding, was a teacher and would bring newspapers home. Jacqueline Spann often used them to learn about the outside world. The news about someone being arrested for selling postcards had opened up a whole new world to her, and she had sensed a business opportunity.

Yesterday, when she heard Tang Xiaonan say she was going into town, Jacqueline Spann had been tempted. She felt she also needed to go into town to ask around and see if there were any ways to make money. So, she had dragged her childhood sweetheart, Clayton Xavier, along with her.

"Don’t touch the cold water, you’ll make the cuts split open again." Clayton Xavier stopped Jacqueline Spann as she was about to cup some water to drink. He plucked a few large leaves, washed them, and fashioned them into a small bowl, which he then filled with water and handed to her.

A warmth spread through Jacqueline Spann’s heart. She smiled at him, took the makeshift cup, and drank.

Tang Xiaonan and the others overheard their entire conversation. Patrick Thorne scoffed. "So it was her. No wonder she can wrap people around her little finger. Just like her mother—a real piece of work."

"Hmph. What good can you expect from the daughter of a cheap slut," Goldie Thorne added, his face twisted in contempt.

The uncle and nephew’s words dripped with scorn for Jacqueline Spann and her mother. Tang Xiaonan was a little confused. ’Phoenix Golding has a great reputation in the village. How did she get mixed up with the word ’slut’?’

Adrian Hawthorne remained expressionless. He had only ever had a slightly favorable impression of Jacqueline Spann, and now, even that was mostly gone. How Goldie Thorne and his nephew chose to judge Jacqueline and her mother had nothing to do with him.

Jacqueline Spann heard their footsteps. Unsurprised to see them, she smiled in greeting.

"Hmph!"

Goldie Thorne and Patrick Thorne both snorted, clearly having no intention of acknowledging her. Jacqueline Spann gave an awkward laugh, then turned her smile to Adrian Hawthorne. Inwardly, however, she was puzzled. ’How did the Thorne family’s relationship with Adrian Hawthorne suddenly get so good? Good enough that they’d even bring him into town with them?’