Chapter 798: Confess Honestly

Adrian Hawthorne suddenly cut in, “Your sister won’t care whether you live or die, and she certainly won’t compensate you. But she *is* fond of your daughter, Jacqueline Spann.”

Sherman Golding and his family of three were stunned for a moment, looking dazed at the mention of Jacqueline Spann’s name. Mandy York was the first to react. Gritting her teeth, she glared at Vernon Spann and spat hatefully, “It’s that black-hearted daughter of yours again! She’d even harm her own mother and grandmother, and now she sent you to burn down our house! The whole Spann family was raised in a viper’s nest—your hearts are all black!”

Bowman Golding’s expression was a mixture of sorrow and indignation. He had taken such good care of Jacqueline Spann in the past, but his cousin had turned out to be utterly heartless. She’d sent people to burn down their house, ruining his chances of getting married. He had been truly blind to mistake a venomous snake for an innocent little rabbit.

Linden Golding rushed in, his eyes bloodshot. Without a word, he started beating Vernon senseless. He’d been bottling up his rage for months. Since he couldn’t find that little beast, Jacqueline Spann, he would take it out on this old beast, Vernon Spann, first.

“How has the Golding family ever wronged the Spann family? Even if my sister was at fault, could a good-for-nothing like you, Vernon Spann, have lived so well without her? And as for that little beast Jacqueline Spann, you just wait! Sooner or later, she’ll be the one to end your pathetic dog’s life!”

Linden Golding had just returned from the hospital. Fortunately, Byron Thorne had performed bloodletting in time, and his father, Silas Golding, had survived. But now, one side of his body was paralyzed. Not only could he not work in the fields, he even needed someone to wait on him.

It had been a perfectly good family, but one disaster struck after another. In less than a year, their home was in shambles, and it all started with Vernon Spann and his daughter. Linden Golding wished he could just slaughter the bastard; his hatred ran that deep.

Everyone else was outside watching. Not a single person stepped in to intervene. In fact, they thought Linden Golding was going too easy on him.

Adrian Hawthorne watched with a cold expression, letting Linden Golding and the others vent their frustration. Before long, Vernon Spann was covered in wounds. If the beating continued, a man might actually die. Only then did Adrian Hawthorne speak up to stop them.

“If he’s dead, you might not get any compensation.”

Sherman Golding stopped at once and grabbed the frenzied Linden Golding to hold him back. He was still hoping to get money out of the bastard.

Adrian Hawthorne nudged the corpse-like Vernon Spann with his foot and said coldly, “Stop playing dead. If you want to leave Millstone Peak alive, you’ll listen to me. Otherwise, I’m washing my hands of this. They can beat you to death, toss your body on the mountain behind us, and the snakes and bugs will pick you clean in days. No one will ever know what happened to you.”

Terrified, Vernon Spann shook his head frantically. ‘I don’t want to die. I haven’t had enough of life yet!’

“If you want to live, then listen to me. Confess everything honestly. Say one wrong thing, and I walk out of here.”

Vernon Spann nodded vigorously. ‘I want to live.’

Adrian Hawthorne sneered. ‘This kind of good-for-nothing folds with the slightest threat. If I didn’t need his testimony, I couldn’t care less if he lived or died. I would’ve just let Linden Golding and the others beat him to death.’

“Who told you to set the fire?”

Vernon Spann hesitated for a moment. Adrian Hawthorne made a move to leave, turning away. Terrified, Vernon Spann shouted, “It was Jacqueline! She’s the one who told me to set the fire!”

Linden Golding gritted his teeth. ‘That little beast again. What sins did our family commit to deserve this?’

Adrian Hawthorne turned back around. “How did your sister find out my mother and I were living on Millstone Peak?”

“Jacqueline told her. She knew you were Ethan Hawthorne’s son, so she told her aunt.”

“Jacqueline said it had to be foolproof, so her aunt could marry your father. I did everything she told me to.”

“I don’t live with them. My sister can’t stand the sight of me, but she’s quite fond of Jacqueline.”

“My sister was the one who hired those three men; it had nothing to do with Jacqueline. All Jacqueline told me to do was set the fire to coordinate with them and show them the way.”

After the first question, Vernon Spann was completely cooperative, confessing everything. Adrian Hawthorne’s expression remained calm, but his fists were clenched tight.