Chapter 102 Too Noisy

Although Catherine felt really frustrating to be slandered at first, seeing Lily leave in embarrassment make her feel pretty good.

Catherine looked at Manuel with a bit more favor. "You really gave it to Lily just now. I never thought I'd see the day you'd be on my side."

Manuel glanced at her indifferently. "I'm not on your side; I just found her too noisy."

Catherine pouted, "Indeed, Lily is too gossipy. I was just wearing a bracelet, and without knowing if it was real or fake, she started accusing me of being a kept woman. Thinking back to her pale face now is still funny."

Manuel didn't say anything, just reached out with one hand, lifted Catherine's coat, and slipped his hand underneath.

Catherine's face immediately turned red. "What are you doing? We're still on the street!"

"Fine, then let's go home," Manuel said with a smile.

Catherine's face flushed even more. Manuel's low, smiling voice was very charming, with a special kind of sexual tension. And doing this on the street made them look like a couple.

She couldn't help but ask, "Manuel, what are you really thinking? Do you actually plan to treat me like a girlfriend, or are you just using the title?"

Manuel raised an eyebrow. "What's the difference? We already sleep together."

Catherine pouted, "Of course, there's a difference. If you're just using the title, do you plan to announce it publicly? If you don't plan to announce it, I won't say anything. Even if people ask, I won't bring it up. In situations like just now, if you hadn't stopped me, I would have said it."

"Go ahead, I didn't stop you," Manuel said indifferently.

Catherine said, "But if you don't want to say it, I won't either. If you want to say it, you should say it yourself. It would make you look like a true man, protecting your girlfriend, and I would have dignity in front of others."

Manuel didn't say anything, just let his fingers slide down Catherine's spine, bringing a wave of stimulating pleasure.

Catherine shivered and glared at Manuel. Seeing Manuel remain silent, she felt a chill in her heart, already understanding Manuel's thoughts.

Manuel probably just wanted to put on a show for Robyn and Kismet, without any real intention of making it public.

In the end, Manuel didn't really think much of Catherine.

Catherine had no resources or family background, making her unfit for the position of his wife.

And most importantly, Catherine was Henry's ex-girlfriend, which meant Manuel would never marry her.

Marrying his cousin's ex-girlfriend would definitely attract gossip.

Manuel wasn't afraid of rumors, but he didn't think it was worth explaining to his family for Catherine.

Today, he stood up for Catherine partly because he found Lily really annoying.

Being clinged by her, Manuel was very impatient.

Using this reason to drive Lily away was a convenient choice for him.

And even though Catherine wasn't important to him, she was still his temporary girlfriend.

For Manuel, his temporary girlfriend had some priority, at least more than Lily.

Catherine had guessed this, but she still had a bit of fantasy, feeling that Manuel had some mercy.

But Manuel was destined to disappoint her.

From the beginning, when Manuel had no qualms about sleeping with her, to even earlier when he could watch a girl who confessed to him jump off a building without guilt, Manuel was cold and unlikely to develop real emotions for many people.

But Catherine had once taken a knife for Manuel, practically saving his life. One should at least stand up for their savior, right? But not Manuel. Every bit of his effort was clearly marked and very expensive.

When they got home, Manuel couldn't wait to take off his coat, reach for Catherine's waist, and unhook her bra, quickly covering her breasts with his large hand, kneading continuously.

Catherine let out a suppressed moan in his ear. Manuel soon picked up her, about to place her on the bed, when the phone at the entrance suddenly rang.

Manuel frowned, and Catherine froze for a moment before realizing.

Manuel had different ringtones for different people, and this one was particularly special. Catherine hadn't heard this ringtone before.

Manuel put Catherine down, leaving her half-dressed, and walked barefoot to the entrance.

He didn't turn off the speakerphone at first, and the first voice that came through was clear to Catherine, "Manuel, are you free lately? Can you lend me some money?"

Hearing this voice, Catherine froze. She recognized this voice. It was Isabella's.

Catherine thought, 'Why is Isabella calling at this hour? Does she still have contact with Manuel? And she started by asking for money?'

Manuel said a few words to the person on the phone, then turned around. When he saw Catherine, she was already dressed.

Manuel asked, "Why did you put your clothes back on?"

Catherine pouted, "I guess you're not interested anymore."

Manuel chuckled, stepping forward to wrap his arm around Catherine's waist. "Why do you think that?"

Catherine raised an eyebrow, looking at Manuel with some sarcasm. "Why not continue the call? I thought you'll have someone else to accompany you tonight."

Suddenly, the phone rang again.

Catherine moved away from Manuel.

Manuel didn't say anything, just put his underwear back on and took the phone to the bed to reply to messages.

Catherine didn't know if he was still talking to Isabella, just sat silently on the other side of the bed, far from Manuel, and started scrolling through her phone.

After a while, Manuel suddenly spoke, "The person who just called was Isabella; you know that, right?"