The old madam searched everywhere, lowering her standards again and again. Looks and age no longer mattered—as long as it was a woman, she would suffice. She could not allow the Xavier family line to be extinguished. Before long, Verna Golding appeared before the old madam. Aside from her rather plain appearance, Verna was perfect in every other respect. The old madam was naturally overjoyed. Storm Xavier, however, was not. He thought Verna was ugly.

But in the end, Storm Xavier resigned himself to his fate and had a son, Clayton Xavier, with Verna Golding. Afterward, he got involved with Phoenix Golding and wanted even less to do with his wife. He couldn’t even be bothered to look her in the eye, treating her like a servant and perpetually wearing a sour expression in her presence.

But the stable life the Xavier family now enjoyed was entirely Verna Golding’s doing. Verna was strong and efficient, single-handedly shouldering all the labor at home and in the fields. She took excellent care of everyone, young and old alike. Everyone in Xavier Village praised Verna for her competence and said that Storm Xavier was heartless.

Clayton Xavier had a distant relationship with his father. He was closer to his mother and the old madam—he adored his mother and respected his grandmother. Whenever he had a problem, he would discuss it with the old madam. His mother couldn’t offer much in the way of advice, simply telling him to study hard and listen to his grandmother.

"Goodbye, Mr. Xavier!"

Tang Xiaonan still didn’t acknowledge Jacqueline Spann. She just waved at Clayton Xavier and skipped off to school. Jacqueline was furious. ’This Tang Xiaonan has her nose in the air now. She doesn’t even say hello. She completely ignores me. What an ill-mannered little brat.’

Clayton Xavier smiled. The slight dislike he had developed for Tang Xiaonan because of Jacqueline Spann’s words dissipated. ’She’s clearly a cute and polite little girl. The Thorne family adults went overboard, but you can’t blame the kid. Jacqueline is just being childish.’

Tang Xiaonan nearly bumped into someone, but Armstrong Huxley pulled her back. The newcomer was Storm Xavier, with his rosy lips and pearly teeth. Even in ragged clothes, with one pant leg higher than the other, the man was still dashing and debonair, a stark contrast to the drab, dusty villagers around them.

Following behind Storm Xavier was Verna Golding, carrying a shoulder pole. They were five or six meters apart, looking like complete strangers. There was no trace of the intimacy and familiarity one would expect from a husband and wife.

"Jacqueline, why don’t you come inside and sit down? What are you doing standing out here?"

Storm Xavier was delighted to see Jacqueline Spann and greeted her enthusiastically. He also gave Tang Xiaonan a shove, his eyes filled with disgust. Tang Xiaonan felt it distinctly. ’This scumbag really hates me, and that push wasn’t gentle either.’

’I already moved out of the way, and the road is this wide. Couldn’t he walk anywhere else? Did he have to take the exact path where I was standing?’

’That scumbag definitely did it on purpose!’

’Phoenix Golding must have been whispering poison in his ear. But my third brother and I have been watching them every single day. How could we have missed seeing that shameless pair carrying on their affair?’

Pushed off balance, Tang Xiaonan stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. Armstrong Huxley quickly caught her, glaring resentfully at Storm Xavier.

Verna Golding set down her shoulder pole and hurried over. She was relieved to see Tang Xiaonan was unharmed and shot a look at Storm Xavier. After pushing the girl, Storm had felt a pang of regret. ’But who asked this brat to be Phoebe Huxley’s daughter? Phoebe Huxley bullied my Phoenix, so naturally, I have to settle the score with her daughter.’

But such petty acts were all Storm Xavier dared to commit. His family was classified as landlords, while Tang Xiaonan’s was poor peasantry. If he made a real scene, he would be the one to suffer the consequences. After being glared at by Verna Golding, Storm sulkily went inside, not forgetting to call out to Jacqueline Spann, "Jacqueline, have you eaten yet? Just eat here with us."

Jacqueline Spann felt Storm Xavier’s starkly different treatment of her and was secretly pleased. She gave a shy smile, ready to accept his offer. The truth was, she had already eaten, but she wanted to sit at the same table as Clayton Xavier. ’Even just sitting with him for a little while would make me happy.’

But—

"We don’t have any special dishes, so we won’t be having guests over. Clayton, go help me start the fire," Verna Golding said coolly.