All Chapters of Five Years of Marriage to Mr. Bradford: Chapter 701 - Chapter 710

"No, this is straight-up bullying! Someone should call their parents!""Parents won't do jack! Call the police! So young and already seducing boys while picking on a poor girl!"Jenny was livid. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to storm over and rip into Catherine. Rebecca grabbed her arm and held her back, signaling her to stay cool.Jenny was straightforward and naïve. She'd never dealt with this kind of calculated malice before.Though she was instantly triggered, a spark of reason told her that ripping into Catherine right now would only play into her hands and validate her victim act.Seething with frustration, she whipped around to look at Vance, whose face had already gone stony.From years of knowing him, Rebecca knew that behind that tightly locked mask lay pure fury. But he wouldn't explode; he would only get colder and harder.The whole scene playing out before them felt painfully familiar. It was a mirror image of what had happened in another timeline.Back then, Va

Rebecca was dazed by the turn of events, and Catherine's sobbing act was cut short."Jenny is bold and loyal. Rebecca is gentle and genuine. They're not the kind of people you're imagining," Vance continued firmly.The two girls exchanged a surprised glance. They couldn't believe he was actually defending them for once.Catherine couldn't keep the act up anymore. Her tearful mask cracked, shifting into a strained smile before she quickly melted back into an expression of deep grievance."Then... maybe I got it wrong. I don't really know them. I'm sorry."She stepped over to the two girls and squeezed out a painful, apologetic smile through her remaining tears."Rebecca, Jenny, I'm so sorry. Can you ever forgive me? I actually... wanted to be friends with you guys. I was just always so scared... that you wouldn't accept someone like me."By now, a good portion of the crowd that had swarmed into Vance's restaurant drifted back out. Since the place was completely packed, they had n

Catherine looked around, suddenly realizing she had only made matters worse. The moment she snapped back to her senses, she reverted to her old pitiful act."Vance..." she whimpered. "I'm so sorry. I... was just so terrified of causing you trouble. I didn't mean to. I just didn't want to drag you down. You're so wonderful, always top of the class, so upstanding...""A clean shirt needs no washing," Vance cut her off, glancing at the bistro staff. "If you want to keep working at this place, go ahead. This won't affect your employment."Then he turned to Rebecca and Jenny. "Let's go.""Where to?" Jenny asked, her voice laced with irritation.They had originally come out to get dinner, but instead of food, they had been served a massive helping of absolute aggravation. There was no way they were just going to walk away empty-handed."To eat," Vance replied in a flat tone."Are you treating us to an absolute feast as an apology? What kind of budget are we talking about here? Let me

"The history we have..." Vance's voice dropped, turning raspy and thick. "I thought you'd get it.""What?" Rebecca gave a thin, hollow laugh. "I don't get it."She was already 30 in her soul, so of course, she understood him perfectly. Yet in this world, she had to play dumb.A sudden spark flared to life deep within his eyes; he had truly changed. The old him had been nonchalant toward everything, as if nothing could ignite anything in his life.But now, she saw a temper burning in his eyes, though it flared for only a fraction of a second before dying down. He instantly locked his calm composure right back into place."Don't overthink it.""I'm not overthinking anything."His expression practically screamed disbelief. "Jenny was just demanding to know what my stance is, right? Well, my stance is..."Rebecca tilted her head up, meeting his gaze squarely.He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm just glad that the silly, naïve Rebecca has finally figured out how to protect herself."Re

That night, Catherine went home.The house was empty and bleak. Her mother was on the night shift, and her dad was probably out drinking somewhere.She used to have a happy, perfect family. She'd once been a little princess, living in a big house and enjoying a life of luxury. Even at the fanciest mall in Soliaridge, she could buy whatever she liked.But everything disintegrated after her dad's investments failed. They were forced to downsize from their massive house to a cramped rented apartment, and the family car went from a million-dollar luxury vehicle to a cheap, battered runaround.She was too embarrassed to ever let that car pull up near the school gates. The fine restaurants she used to frequent, the gourmet food, the designer items she had once owned... she would never get any of that back now.Her dad was still saddled with a mountain of debt, and her mother's meager salary wasn't even enough to cover the family's basic living expenses.She had no idea when they would