Transmigrated as the Villain Boss's Precious Darling-Chapter 107: Jealousy

Jacqueline Spann jogged to catch up. The walk had left her terrified; everything she looked at seemed like a monster. Even Clayton Xavier’s reassurances were useless. It was only now, hearing the voices of the Thorne family, that she finally felt at ease.

’Even evil spirits must be afraid of bullies. Right now, the brutish Thorne family feels more reliable than Clayton Xavier.’

"What a coincidence..."

Jacqueline Spann smiled and greeted them, secretly sighing in relief. She even felt a little warmer.

Patrick Thorne snorted softly and turned his head, pointedly ignoring her. Adrian Hawthorne gave a slight nod. Undeterred, Jacqueline Spann continued to follow them closely. Clayton Xavier hurried to catch up. He wasn’t scared at all. As a staunch atheist, he simply couldn’t understand Jacqueline’s fear.

Clayton Xavier had bought a few books, all high school study materials. He still needed one more, but he had taken notes from it. He could start reviewing with what he had and buy the last book later when he had more money.

When Clayton Xavier saw Adrian Hawthorne shouldering a large burlap sack, he was filled with envy. Judging by the rectangular shapes pressing against the fabric, it had to be full of books—and quite a few of them. "How many books did you buy?" he couldn’t help but ask.

"Not many. About twenty."

Adrian Hawthorne didn’t really want to talk to him. He didn’t like Clayton Xavier—or to be more precise, he was jealous of him.

’We both came from bad backgrounds, but while I’m all alone, adrift and having to care for my frail mother, Clayton Xavier has a stable, warm home. He has a formidable grandmother protecting him from everything.’ Old Mrs. Xavier was a renowned matriarch for miles around.

The Xaviers had been major landlords. Before their property was confiscated, Old Mrs. Xavier had donated money every year to repair local roads and bridges. The family also ran an apothecary and, being skilled in medicine, offered free treatment to the poor, saving many lives.

Therefore, the older generation in the village all remembered the Xavier family’s kindness. Even after the Xaviers were classified as landlords, the villagers didn’t go out of their way to make things difficult for them. Only when inspectors from above came would they symbolically hold a struggle session. Once the officials left, things would go back to normal, and everyone went about their business as usual.

Of course, not everyone was so kind. Some fiery young radicals couldn’t stand the sight of the Xavier family and would bully Clayton. But Old Mrs. Xavier never argued. Instead, she would find the youths’ parents and speak with them calmly. The matter usually ended with the young radicals getting a beating from their own family.

’After that, fewer and fewer people bullied Clayton. Aside from not being allowed to attend school, his life was so much better than mine.’

That was why Adrian Hawthorne was so incredibly jealous of Clayton Xavier.

’Why did Clayton get to have a grandmother protecting him?’

’And a hardworking, resilient mother to take care of him?’

’And why was I hated by everyone?’

’I really want to drag Clayton Xavier down into the abyss with me, make him taste all the suffering in this world. Then we’ll see if he can still smile so warmly.’ The warm, kind smile on Clayton Xavier’s face was an eyesore.

’He and I are like night and day. We could never merge.’

"That’s so many." Clayton Xavier was even more envious. He had only managed to buy six himself.

’I had to choose so carefully just to pick out those six. If I’d had the money, even sixty books wouldn’t have felt like too many.’

"So many books must have cost a lot, right?" Jacqueline Spann was also envious. She couldn’t even afford a single book.

’But I can read them with Clayton,’ she thought. ’He’ll even explain the practice problems to me, which is better than studying on my own.’

"They only cost a few bucks. I bought them used; I can’t afford new ones."

Adrian Hawthorne didn’t want to reveal his wealth. He wasn’t worried about Clayton Xavier—the guy was annoying, but his integrity was sound. The one he didn’t trust was Jacqueline Spann. The day’s events had drastically changed his opinion of her, and his wariness had grown.

A thought struck Clayton Xavier. ’How did I not think of buying used books? They’re so much cheaper than new ones!’