Five Years of Marriage to Mr. Bradford (by Koi Fish) novel Chapter 710

Chapter 710

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 ever see the end of this crushing debt. The home she had once loved had become what she hated the most.

Her dad was perpetually drunk, and her mother was never home. Even on the rare occasions they were both in the house, they did absolutely nothing but scream at each other.

They would fight, smash things, and shatter everything in sight. The kitchenware and household appliances were all completely broken, and there were barely even a few stools left intact. 

She just wanted a good life. What exactly was wrong with wanting to escape this broken, filthy home and live like a princess again? She couldn’t stomach this shabby, cash–strapped lifestyle for even another second.

And then, she had crossed paths with Vance, who owned a big house and ran a restaurant despite only being a senior in high school. He was incredibly generous, and on top of all that, he was stunningly handsome.

If she could just lock a guy like him down, wouldn’t she be able to instantly break free from her nightmare of a dysfunctional family?

But now, he had ruthlessly informed her that the only thing connecting them was a transactional debt of gratitude and that they were nothing more than mere classmates.

On major holidays or on her birthday, she would drop subtle hints for gifts, and he would always purchase them for her without a second thought.

“I’m the only person in the whole school who has ever gotten a gift from him, right? Oh, wait, there is also Jenny. But she is just a friend.”

But now, Rebecca had popped up out of the blue… and Vance had downgraded all those luxury gifts into a cold repayment for a favor.

A toxic wave of pure hatred toward Rebecca surged up in her chest. Come to think of it, Rebecca had also underhandedly hijacked her slot in the upcoming speech competition….

“The city–wide speech contest is just around the corner, right? Perfect! Rebecca, just you wait!” Catherine murmured hatefully.

Meanwhile, Rebecca was indeed channeling every ounce of her energy intò preparing for the city–wide competition.

Since she had fought so hard to seize the nomination, she was going to prepare meticulously and make sure she didn’t embarrass herself on stage.