The villagers stared with wide eyes, a mixture of shock and amusement. The Thorne family’s girl was fiercely protective of her mother—a surprisingly devoted daughter. Although fighting was wrong, the onlookers, especially the women, all envied Phoebe Huxley for having such a caring daughter.

Tanya Thorne sat astride Phoenix Golding, panting heavily. Fighting was exhausting, but it was a great way to let off steam. She felt much calmer now.

’Phoenix Golding’s vicious scheme has failed. As long as I’m here, the Thorne family will be just fine. It’s Phoenix Golding’s family that’s going to get what’s coming to them.’

"Tanya, you must be tired."

Jim Thorne came over, wanting to hug his little sister. His eyes shone with admiration, but his heart ached for her. ’Tanya’s hands must be hurting,’ he thought.

Tanya Thorne shook her head. She stood up and looked down at the limp form of Phoenix Golding, her gaze so cold it baffled Jim Thorne. ’Why does my sister look at Phoenix Golding with such deep-seated hatred? All that bitch did was freeload some meat off our family and try to seduce Dad, which she failed at anyway. When you think about it, it’s all pretty minor stuff.’

Felix Thorne picked up Tanya Thorne and touched her sweaty forehead, a mix of amusement and heartache in his heart. ’This is the first time I’ve seen my precious daughter fight like this,’ he thought. ’That’s my girl.’

Phoenix Golding lay on the ground, as still as a corpse. Ulysses Spann was frightened out of his wits, staring blankly, completely speechless.

Vernon Spann hurried over, having been summoned by someone, along with Silas Golding and his family. Seeing the pathetic sight of Phoenix Golding on the ground, her family was filled with rage and resentment. Linden Golding, in particular, was clamoring to get justice for his sister.

Felix Thorne handed Tanya Thorne to Phoebe Huxley, then grabbed Linden Golding and lifted him with one hand. "Your sister, Phoenix Golding, owes me for twenty-eight dollars’ worth of meat she bought on credit," he said coldly. "I’ll give your family one month. Pay up every last cent, or don’t blame me for what happens next!"

"Just because you say it’s twenty-eight dollars doesn’t make it so! I could just as well say you owe my sister two hundred and eighty! You want your payment in shit? I can give you that!"

Linden Golding stubbornly denied it. That meat was long gone, eaten and digested; he wasn’t paying a single cent. If Felix had the guts, he could go look for it in the cesspool.

Felix Thorne’s face darkened. "Everyone in Millstone Peak knows that I, Felix Thorne, never go back on my word. When I say it’s twenty-eight dollars, it’s twenty-eight dollars. Not a penny more, not a penny less."

The other villagers nodded in agreement. Though Felix Thorne was fierce, his word was his bond; he was known for never exaggerating. That said, Phoenix Golding was truly shameless to have freeloaded so much meat. It was no wonder Phoebe Huxley had latched onto her like a leech, refusing to let go.

"Who’s going to believe you with no proof? It’s just your word! Besides, your family beat Phoenix up this badly. You’re the one who should be paying!"

Linden’s mother leaped to her feet, yelling, "We haven’t even settled the score for you splashing her with dung last time! Now my daughter’s been beaten up like this, and you’ve fabricated some twenty-eight-dollar debt out of thin air! The Thorne family is taking things too far!"

"You want compensation? How about I compensate you with shit? Just a moment ago, Phoenix Golding stopped me on the road, demanding meat. Wanted to eat meat without paying a single cent! Hmph. In the past, I only extended credit out of neighborly decency. But your family? You give them an inch, and they take a mile. Don’t even think about getting more meat on credit until you’ve cleared your old debt!"

Felix Thorne shot her a look of disgust. On the ground, Phoenix Golding’s breathing quickened and her eyelids fluttered, but she kept them clamped shut. She was already awake. Hearing Felix’s words, she almost fainted again from sheer rage. ’All that meat before was a gift from him! And now he’s saying it was on credit? Phoebe Huxley must have put him up to this.’

Phoenix Golding continued to play unconscious, but her acting was so terrible that not only Felix Thorne but all the other villagers could see she was faking. No one could be bothered to call her out on it, but the contempt they felt for her only deepened.

Felix Thorne then turned to Phoebe Huxley and said, "If they don’t pay the money back within a month, you go to their house and collect the debt. Twenty-eight dollars. Not one cent less!" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Don’t you worry," Phoebe Huxley sneered. "There isn’t a debt in this world I can’t collect. If they don’t have the cash, they can sell their own flesh to earn it!" Inwardly, however, she was ecstatic. ’Finally, my husband has come to his senses!’ she thought. ’Now I can torment that bitch without holding back!’