Chapter 101 Old Woman

They wondered if what they had just heard was true. The person who gave Catherine the bracelet was actually Manuel's mom? How was that possible?

An elder giving such an expensive bracelet to someone of her son's age, the implication was obvious.

Lily was also in disbelief. She glanced at Catherine and then awkwardly looked at Manue. "Dr. Green, you must be mistaken. I'm talking about the old woman who bought Catherine a gift."

Manuel sneered coldly, "You don't look much younger yourself. You've used so much collagen, yet you still look old. My mother takes much better care of herself than you do."

Lily's face turned pale instantly. No woman could stand being criticized about her appearance.

And Manuel said it so bluntly, calling her old in front of everyone, completely trampling on her dignity.

Seeing Manuel so angry, everyone could guess that what Catherine said was probably true.

They didn't expect that Manuel's mom really gave a bracelet to Catherine.

Everyone's gaze towards Catherine changed immediately. They didn't realize she and Manuel were together before.

Lily trembled and said, "So, Catherine is actually your girlfriend?"

Manuel nodded indifferently. "So what if she is?"

Lily's face turned ashen, cursing in her heart, 'Why didn't you say so earlier!'

Manuel looked at her inexplicably. "Why would I need to report who my girlfriend is to you?"

Catherine sat back down and snorted, "I didn't want to argue with you, but you started spouting nonsense, accusing me of being a kept woman. So you deserve it."

Manuel calmly sat back down.

The crowd whispered among themselves.

Only Lily stood there, becoming the center of attention. Her face was panicked. She had planned to get close to Manuel and connect with his father, but now everything was in vain.

Her mind was in chaos, and she could only bow her head and apologize, "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Manuel turned his head and looked at Lily. "I remember you work for BioGenix Pharmaceuticals, right?"

Lily's body stiffened, unsure whether to nod.

Manuel continued, "This company will definitely not be included in my dad's business partners. I'll tell him about this when I get back."

"Wait, no!" Lily panicked immediately. She stepped forward, trying to grab Manuel's sleeve to plead. "This is my personal mistake, it has nothing to do with my company. And I didn't do it on purpose. Please, for the sake of our few years of us being alumni, don't be mad at me."

Manuel sneered and shook off her hand. "I'm not familiar with you at all. I have so many alumni, do I have to look after all of them?"

Lily wanted to say something, but Manuel's cold words shattered her last hope. "I have nothing to do with you. Don't cling to me. You're really annoying."

Lily's face turned pale, and she took a few steps back.

Everyone around looked over, whispering, "So this is what Lily is like. I saw her talking to Manuel earlier, but he didn't respond. Turns out she was sucking up to him. How shameless."

"She was also trying to sell me cosmetics earlier, saying my skin was aging badly. Her sales tactics are really annoying. And she didn't even realize it. Finally, someone said it out loud."

"Haha, serves her right. Trying to climb up to Manuel with that attitude."

Lily felt dizzy, surrounded by the murmurs of others. She couldn't stay at this party any longer without any dignity. She had become the laughingstock of her classmates!

Tears welled up in Lily's eyes. She turned and glared at Catherine before running out.

Catherine was baffled. 'I'm not the one who insulted her. Why glare at me before leaving? Shouldn't she be glaring at Manuel?'

Catherine sat back down, feeling frustrated. She was about to continue playing on her phone when people started coming over to talk.

"Manuel, I didn't expect you and Catherine to be together. I remember you two were in the same study group in college."

"So you two have been dating since college?"

Catherine said, "No, we didn't know each other for a long time after that."

Another girl, not very familiar with Catherine, also came over to talk. "Catherine, your bracelet is so beautiful. It's from Manuel's mom, right? It must be expensive."

Catherine smiled, "I don't know the price."

Their responses were cold, but it didn't stop people from trying to curry favor with Manuel and, by extension, Catherine.

Catherine had attended many class reunions, but this was the first time she felt like the center of attention.

Although she was attractive and occasionally had guys fawning over her, the level of attention today, with both men and women congratulating her and Manuel, was unprecedented.

Catherine sighed inwardly, 'This is the power of money. But being surrounded by so many people is annoying.'

After a while, Manuel frowned slightly, looked at his watch, and said to Catherine, "It's about time. Let's go."

Catherine nodded. She also felt it was time to leave. She was usually introverted and didn't like socializing with so many people. She picked up her bag and said goodbye to a few people around her before turning to leave.

But before she left, Catherine followed the etiquette and said goodbye to Michael, "Michael, Manuel and I have something to do, so we're leaving."

Michael's eyes flickered between Manuel and Catherine before he looked away. "Alright, you're welcome to come again next time."

Catherine nodded in response.

Just as she was about to leave, she heard Michael's low voice behind her, 'Wait...'

Catherine turned back in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Michael looked at her carefully for a moment before choosing not to say that. "No, nothing. Be careful on your way, and I wish you and Manuel happiness."

Catherine smiled, "Thank you, and I wish you happiness too."

On the way back, Catherine smiled, feeling quite pleased.