Chapter 779: Jacqueline Spann’s Hatred

"Don’t bother calling again."

Ethan Hawthorne grew even more frustrated. Goldie Thorne was playing far too hard to get, ignoring his repeated friendly overtures. There was no point in calling again; it would just make him look desperate and subservient.

"Ethan, why don’t I go talk to Goldie Thorne?" Bernice asked, a hint of panic in her voice.

Ethan Hawthorne had been growing colder and more distant toward her lately, and he’d stopped telling her things. The situation with Madman Feng wasn’t looking good either. Bernice worried that once she was no longer useful, Ethan would abandon her.

She had to do something to make Ethan Hawthorne see her value again.

Ethan Hawthorne’s expression was indifferent. "It’s useless for you to go," he said coldly. "Contact Madman Feng’s people. When are they sending us the new shipment?"

"Okay, I’ll go make the call right now."

Bernice cursed silently but didn’t dare let it show on her face. In truth, she had already called to ask yesterday, but Madman Feng’s men had been incredibly rude. They’d hung up after barely a few words and said they wouldn’t be supplying her with any more goods.

She had called again this morning, but their attitude was just as foul, and they’d told her the same thing. Ace had been slightly more civil, explaining that he was following his boss’s orders to stop shipping to her. He didn’t know the reason why; Ace was just doing as he was told.

Bernice couldn’t understand it at all. She’d been working with Madman Feng for nearly four years and was a long-time customer. How could he just turn on her like that?

She suspected Goldie Thorne was pulling the strings, but she didn’t even know the man, let alone have offended him. There was only one other possibility: Goldie Thorne wanted to monopolize the southeast market and force her and Ethan Hawthorne out.

Ethan Hawthorne still didn’t know that Madman Feng had blacklisted him. He put on his hat and left, feeling antsy. He needed to go out and clear his head.

Bernice was also on edge, and neither of them noticed Jacqueline Spann’s unusual behavior.

A storm was raging in Jacqueline Spann’s mind. ’Goldie Thorne... Could it be someone else with the same name?’

"Auntie, is that Goldie Thorne the bad guy who’s stealing business from you and Uncle?" Jacqueline Spann asked, her expression concerned and her tone innocent.

Bernice gritted her teeth and nodded. "That’s the bastard," she said hatefully. "He’s from Vessaria, too. I have no idea how he got in with Madman Feng, but he’s got him wrapped around his little finger and has stolen half the business from me and your uncle."

Jacqueline Spann’s heart sank. ’From Vessaria, named Goldie Thorne, and also in the fabric business... The odds are it’s the same Goldie Thorne she knew.’

What a small world for enemies. She had finally managed to escape Millstone Peak and was living a good life with her aunt, only for the Thorne family to come and ruin it all again.

The Thorne family was her curse, her personal bane. As long as they were around, she could never have a peaceful day. Jacqueline Spann grew obsessed with this thought, her hatred for the Thornes seeping into her very bones.

"Don’t worry, Auntie. Uncle will figure something out. It’s not a big deal even if business slows down. Uncle still has his properties, right? He won’t abandon you," Jacqueline Spann said, offering lukewarm comfort while inwardly preparing for the worst.

Even if Ethan Hawthorne’s business failed, their lifestyle likely wouldn’t suffer. She knew he owned several properties in Tristone—her aunt had told her as much. They could live off the rental income, so a business failure wasn’t the real disaster. What worried Jacqueline Spann more was their lack of official standing.

She had to find a way to get her aunt and Ethan Hawthorne to marry. That would make her own position more legitimate, too.

Bernice laughed self-deprecatingly. "So what if he has properties? His mind is always on his wife and son. In his eyes, I’m just a servant who knows how to get things done."

That photo album in the study... whenever Ethan Hawthorne had a spare moment, he would flip through it, but he wouldn’t even let her touch it. To this day, she still hadn’t found the exact address for Rosalind Green and her son. Ethan Hawthorne watched her as if she were a thief.