Chapter 107: Confession

"How come you two are together now? That girl, aren't you chasing her anymore?"

Manuel's face turned cold for a moment. "It's none of your business, why are you asking about this?"

Michael smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, I just..."

He paused here, looking a bit embarrassed.

Seeing Manuel's face, he couldn't help but recall the time a few years ago when he first started pursuing Catherine.

That day, he had just finished tutoring Catherine, on the day she finished her exam.

Michael felt that Catherine had some affection for him, and now might be a good time to confess.

He had liked Catherine for a long time and had been pursuing her for a while. Catherine was beautiful and a bit delicate, which matched his aesthetic.

During that time, he tried to increase Catherine's affection for him through tutoring.

Now that she had successfully passed the exam, Catherine wouldn't refuse his confession, right?

Thinking this, he went to the supermarket to buy a bouquet of 99 red roses and wrote a long confession letter, hiding it behind his back, and waited for Catherine under the tree.

However, it was not just Catherine who showed up.

Michael still remembers the awkwardness of that moment.

Walking out from the street was Catherine, along with another man.

Drunk and dazed, Catherine was held in the arms of that man.

A blush appeared on her cheeks, making her look somewhat unclear.

She was wearing a beautiful rose-pink dress at the time, highlighting her curvaceous figure.

The hem of the dress curled slightly, revealing a smooth thigh.

The man beside her glanced at her thigh, put his hand on her shoulder, and kissed her lips.

The two were fully engaged in front of him, entangled for a long time until the kiss ended.

There were still traces of connection between their lips, and they looked at each other for a while.

Catherine slowly curled her lips into a smile that Michael had never seen before, a drunken smile. "You are good at it."

The man holding her also slightly curled his lips.

That usually abstinent face, as if untouched by worldly desires, showed a smile that was almost never seen, with a hint of wickedness.

The man leaned to Catherine's ear and bit her earlobe.

The two were whispering, but Michael still vaguely heard Manuel's voice. "Catherine, will you come with me?"

"Let's book a king-size room at the nearby hotel, it's inconvenient here."

At that moment, something fell to the ground with a loud sound.

Michael looked down and saw that the flowers in his hand had fallen to the ground—rose petals scattered, like his broken heart.

When Michael reached out to pick up the flowers, he met Manuel's gaze.

The man, who had a gentle look while talking to Catherine, had a cold gaze when he saw Michael. "It's you, Michael."

Manuel called out his name.

Michael was so embarrassed that he didn't know where to put his hands, he could only respond, "Well, I... happened to pass by."

He looked at Catherine, who was held in Manuel's arms, and couldn't help but ask, "Are you two dating?"

"No." Manuel denied it at the time, explaining to him, "She drank some red wine and is now drunk, I need to take her back."

"I see."

Michael awkwardly hid the roses behind his back and turned to leave. The situation was too embarrassing, no one would want to stay.

At this moment, Manuel called out to him. "No need to hide your roses, I saw them."

His tone was indifferent, almost like a piece of advice.

"You've been pursuing her for quite some time, right? If she was interested in you, she would have agreed long ago, you wouldn't have to chase her until now."

Later, Michael threw the bouquet of 99 roses, which cost him hundreds of dollars, directly into the trash can.

The prepared love letter, and all the plans, the photos of the two were either torn or thrown away.

From that day on, Michael began to avoid Catherine, as long as Catherine was around, he would escape.

Because as soon as he saw Catherine, he couldn't help but think of that day—Manuel's calm expression. Although his tone didn't seem like showing off, Michael felt like his self-esteem was trampled on, a complete mess.

Michael withdrew his gaze from the memory, looking at Manuel with a complex expression. "I thought you wouldn't be with Catherine, didn't you have a girl you liked at the time? That girl named Isabella."

"Later I heard that you were entangled with her, dating for a long time, how come you changed your taste now?"

Michael tried to put on a nonchalant smile, pretending to be indifferent.

But this matter had been buried in his heart for many years, becoming a heart disease. No matter how he pretended, in Manuel's eyes, he was still full of flaws.

"Just felt like changing, no particular reason." Manuel answered very plainly.

"I see." Michael replied dryly, "Haha, that's quite normal."

He noticed his tone was a bit odd, so he turned his head to hide the embarrassment in his eyes. "You should go back early, I'll stay here to get rid of the smoke smell. It's still quite cold outside, Catherine should be waiting for you at the banquet."

Manuel responded. Before leaving, he said to him, "I attended your son's birthday party before, although I didn't see the child, you have a family now, haven't you?"

"Since you have a family, don't think about other things." His tone made the remarks sound like a warning.

Michael's body stiffened, and he didn't relax until the footsteps behind him completely disappeared.

He took out another cigarette from the pack, put it in his mouth, and lit it. "Why am I still so embarrassed now?"

Whenever he met Manuel, he always felt a head lower.

Michael laughed at himself.

No wonder he lost to Manuel when pursuing Catherine, he simply didn't have the same courage.

He threw the half-smoked cigarette to the ground and stomped it out, letting the cold wind blow across his face to clear his mind.

Manuel was right, he was already married, had a child and a beautiful wife. The past should stay in the past, no need to immerse himself in those messy things anymore.

Moreover, now Manuel and Catherine were dating, he couldn't possibly abandon his wife and child to pursue Catherine, could he?

In the cold wind outside, the cigarette ash gradually extinguished.

After Manuel left, he didn't immediately return to the private room but leaned against the door, standing there and scrolling through his phone.