Chapter 810: Teaching Jacqueline Spann a Lesson

Someone shouted from outside the courtyard, prompting Ethan Hawthorne to step out. It was the family from next door, accompanied by a few other neighbors. To his surprise, Jacqueline Spann was there too, firmly grabbed by a stout woman.

“Mr. Hawthorne, you’d better keep a tight leash on your niece! She actually snuck over to my place to start a fire. Poured liquor all over my yard and stood there holding a lighter. How can a kid her age be so wicked?”

The stout woman fumed. She had just returned home from watching the commotion. The moment she entered her yard, she had spotted Jacqueline collapsed on the ground. Initially, she had kindly intended to carry the girl back to the Hawthorne family. However, the heavy stench of alcohol combined with the lighter clutched in Jacqueline’s hand made the situation obvious to any fool.

Her entire family was both furious and terrified. Thank goodness some good Samaritan had knocked the girl out. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have noticed until the flames had already spread. Her yard was packed with drying clothes, random clutter, and a few chickens and ducks. If a fire had truly started in that cramped space, it definitely would have burned down the house.

Ethan stared coldly at Jacqueline. He had never paid much attention to this girl before, but he could tell she was usually sharp and cautious. Why would she suddenly run next door to commit arson? It wasn’t a smart move.

However, he quickly figured it out. She had intended to cause a distraction. By creating a fire to draw the neighbors’ attention, she could have prevented Bernice from being recognized. Even if the neighbors had their suspicions, as long as they hadn’t seen Bernice’s face, they could vehemently deny everything. It was actually a clever plan.

But why did it fail? He mentally cursed her for being so utterly useless.

Jacqueline kept her head bowed in terror. The back of her neck throbbed with pain, and her heart pounded with anxiety. She had no idea how her aunt was doing. Her uncle definitely knew by now. Was he furious? Would he kick her and Aunt Bernice out?

“Did the fire start?” Ethan asked coldly.

The stout woman froze for a second before answering honestly, “Well, no. Someone knocked your niece out. If it had actually caught fire, I’d be reporting this to the police.”

Ethan frowned slightly. Someone had stopped Jacqueline. Who was it?

In truth, he wished she had succeeded. Burning down the yard wouldn’t have been a big deal; he could have just paid for the damages. At least Bernice wouldn’t have suffered such a massive public humiliation. But who exactly had knocked the girl out? He had a sneaking suspicion that an unseen hand was orchestrating everything from the shadows.

From the vicious market competition to Mad Master cutting off their supply, and now Bernice’s public disgrace—it all felt like a targeted attack against him.

The note had clearly stated, “Reporting to Lord Hawthorne.” Such malicious mockery proved that the culprit knew him and knew that Bernice was his woman. The entire goal was to humiliate him. Just which bastard was behind this?

Ethan gritted his teeth. There was no time to dwell on it now. The stout woman was relentless, her booming voice giving him a headache.

“I apologize. The child is entirely out of control. I will discipline her properly!”

Without offering further explanation, Ethan strode up to Jacqueline and suddenly delivered a vicious slap. He held nothing back. The sheer force spun the girl around on the spot, her ears ringing loudly. Before she could even process what had happened, a second slap struck her, sending her crashing to the dirt.

The stout woman jumped in fright. She hadn’t expected him to be so brutal. She had only come over to argue and demand some compensation. But his ruthlessness instantly made her cower.

“Stop hitting her! You have to reason with kids. If you beat her half to death, you’ll be the one regretting it later.”

Seeing this, the others quickly chimed in to intervene. Ethan was hitting her far too hard. They couldn’t bear to watch, terrified that the girl might actually be beaten to death.