Chapter 797: Threat

Vernon Spann’s face grew even paler. He shook his head repeatedly, muttering to himself, “Impossible… Jacqueline couldn’t have set me up… She would never hurt me…”

But he was already starting to waver. Adrian Hawthorne was right—hadn’t he just been caught? While no one had died, he had destroyed so much property. He was looking at a few years in prison, at least!

‘With my poor health, how could I possibly survive in prison?’

‘I probably wouldn’t even last a few years before dying behind bars!’

But he still refused to believe it. ‘I’m her only family left! Adrian Hawthorne must be doing this on purpose, trying to drive a wedge between father and daughter. That has to be it!’

“I won’t believe you. Jacqueline isn’t a murderer, and she wouldn’t set me up. I won’t believe a word you say!”

Vernon Spann felt a pang of shame. ‘How could I doubt my own daughter? Even if she wasn’t close with Phoenix Golding, she would never hurt anyone. Besides, she’s only eleven… no, she was just ten last year. How could a ten-year-old girl be cruel enough to murder two people?’

‘Two of her own family members, no less. It’s simply impossible.’

‘The more Vernon Spann thought, the more certain he became. Adrian Hawthorne was just telling shameless lies, trying to sling mud at his daughter. Jacqueline had already told him how Phoenix Golding died, sobbing the whole time. It was obviously just a case of bad luck—Phoenix had fallen into the manure pit while using the outhouse.’

‘As for his mother-in-law, she was never well-liked and had a nasty mouth. Who knows who she might have offended? It definitely had nothing to do with his daughter.’

Vernon Spann’s reaction was exactly what Adrian Hawthorne had expected. A few words weren’t enough to make him suspicious of his daughter. But then again, everyone in the Spann family was selfish. The bond between Vernon and Jacqueline was, in reality, not that strong.

“Believe it or not, it’s up to you. When you go down there and see Phoenix Golding and your mother-in-law, you can ask them yourself!”

Adrian Hawthorne’s expression was mocking, and his words scared the soul out of Vernon Spann. He stammered, “Wh-what do you mean? I just started a little fire. At worst, I’ll pay for the damages.”

‘No one died. He just burned some stuff. At most, it’s a few hundred bucks worth of damage. It’s not like Bernice can’t come up with that. He might not even see the inside of a cell. That bastard Adrian Hawthorne is just trying to scare me again.’

“You’ll have to pay for the damages, of course. But as for your life…”

Adrian Hawthorne paused, letting the suspense build before he said coldly, “Your life isn’t yours to decide. You’ve lived on Millstone Peak for more than ten years; you should know the rules around here. Sherman Golding’s family… your former father-in-law and brother-in-law… do you really think they’re going to let you off the hook?”

Vernon Spann shuddered violently. Before he could react, a commotion erupted outside. A moment later, Sherman Golding and his son, Bowman Golding, burst in. Bowman was in the lead and, without a word, landed a punch on Vernon.

Mandy York also rushed in, looking crazed. When she saw Vernon Spann, her eyes turned red. She lunged at him, biting and scratching. “Pay up! All our things are gone, the house is burned down too… I hope you die a horrible death!”

“Don’t waste time talking to him, search him!”

Sherman Golding quickly emptied all of Vernon Spann’s pockets, but all told, it only came to a little over fifty yuan. Compared to the Golding family’s losses, it was just a drop in the bucket.

“Where’s the money? If you don’t give it to us, don’t even think about leaving here alive!”

Bowman Golding was furious. He kicked Vernon Spann several times in a row, wishing he could just kill him. His wedding was just ten-some days away, and now this bastard had ruined everything.

“I don’t have any money… Spare me… My sister has money! Let me make a call to Tristone, I’ll have my sister send money over!” Vernon Spann begged for mercy. Even now, he refused to drag Jacqueline into it, mentioning only Bernice.