جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 730

Jenny gripped Beatrice's phone tightly, navigating straight into her messaging app. She instantly located a chat log with a contact saved as "Cathy CC."Tapping on the thread, she began playing the consecutive voice messages."Beatrice, don't be scared. My mom went straight to Mr. Pearson to set this up. I'm untouchable at this school, so do what I told you and do it well. The Van Cleef & Arpels bracelet is all yours."Below it was an $18 transfer with the memo: [Buy yourself a cup of bubble tea.]Rebecca finally understood why Fabio had been so dead set against calling the police. Her intuition hadn't been wrong after all. Catherine was the culprit behind everything.The fact of Fabio's involvement shocked Jenny, but she quickly composed herself, steadying her camera and recording the entire chat log, including the parts mentioning Fabio and the transfer details.She did it twice: once with the audio playing and the other time with the voice-to-text transcription displayed on sc

Jenny ran off, feeling heartbroken for everything Rebecca had endured that day and for the collapse of her friendship with Vance.Rebecca's heart ached at the scene, and she hurried downstairs. When they met on the side of the building, Jenny looked startled, then quickly wiped her tears.She didn't want Rebecca to see her cry, but her tears kept coming.A sharp, bittersweet sting pricked at Rebecca's chest. In truth, with her 30-something mindset, she no longer experienced the raw, explosive emotions of youth the same way.The rumors, the assault in the bathroom, Vance's disappearance, his fierce protection of Catherine... none of it shook her deeply. Yet Jenny's loyalty as a friend made her feel both bitter and warm at the same time.She took Jenny's hand. "Jenny, thank you."That only made Jenny cry harder. "For what? I didn't accomplish a thing.""You have already done so much for me. Thank you for being such an incredible friend," Rebecca said sincerely.Jenny always viewe

"What are you running from?" Vance's voice rang out behind her, chillingly cold.Rebecca paused at his words."Afraid the teachers will think we're secretly dating?" he pressed, his tone laced with a sharp, interrogative edge that felt distinctly aggressive.She turned around. "No.""Then why are you trying to hide from me?" His eyes looked like they were coated in ice. "We're not in any kind of relationship anyway. So, what are you afraid of?""I..." she murmured. "I said the wrong thing. I wasn't thinking so much."He stared at her quietly, then turned and walked downstairs. The whole encounter left her baffled. She had no idea when he had arrived on her floor or what his true purpose had been in coming here.Throughout that entire evening, Rebecca's mind remained a chaotic whirlwind. It wasn't because of the malicious slander or the ambush in the shower stalls; rather, it was because of Vance and Darren.When she finally lay down in her dormitory bed that night, the faces of

"What the hell?" Vance cursed. "Whether I have anything to do with Catherine doesn't matter to you?"Rebecca blinked, trying to get his logic when the topic had suddenly veered off."In that case, why did you run to me and cry your eyes out? Why did you say you didn't want me near her? Why did you compete with her for the speech competition slot? Why did you try to kick her out of my restaurant? And why did you pinch my thigh like a pervert?""Wait!" She interrupted his bombardment of questions. "Who are you calling a pervert? That was because..."She caught herself; she couldn't tell him the real reason. It felt frustrating. Everything he listed was true, but her reasons weren't what he thought."What? Go ahead and say it!" he pressed, his eyes blazing.She couldn't just tell him about his tragic end. It was better to play dumb."Anyway, it's not what you think," she said, covering her face with her hands."Don't try to dodge it! Make it clear." He held the notebook up again.

In the cafeteria, Vance and Rebecca sat at a quiet corner table.The blush on his face still hadn't fully receded. A pink tint lingered from the base of his ears all the way down his neck."I'll peel an egg for you," he muttered, picking one up and fumbling with it.Yet it took him five whole minutes to peel the egg. Once he finally finished, he placed the white egg onto the empty plate in front of her. Then, he immediately grabbed a second one to repeat the process.Then he moved on to oranges...Rebecca watched him battle with eggshells and orange peels. This version of him was something she had never seen in either world. It was deeply amusing.He felt the weight of her scrutiny and blushed even further. His movements grew noticeably slower and clumsier.Finally, unable to stand it, he snapped his head up and glared weakly. "I told you... don't push me to do something terrible."Yet when the threatening tone was paired with his flushed face and evasive eyes, it became even f