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Chapter 9 Don't Waste Time on Him

Catherine headed to the airport in Emerald City that evening to pick up Alison. As soon as she spotted her, Alison came rushing over with her suitcase, exclaiming, "Guess who I saw when I got off the plane?"

Catherine shook her head, curious.

"I think I saw Manuel," Alison said, her eyes twinkling with a mix of mystery and infatuation. "He looks amazing, his skin is so smooth and perfect, even better than mine."

"Where did you see him?" Catherine's interest was instantly piqued. She felt it had been ages since she last saw him.

"I saw him near the restroom entrance, but I don't know who he was waiting for," Alison added, suddenly remembering.

Catherine felt a wave of anxiety wash over her. 'Could he have brought back a foreign girlfriend during his three months abroad? It's possible,' she thought.

Over the past three months, Catherine had tried reaching out to Manuel, but he never responded to her messages.

Noticing Catherine's silence, Alison looked back at her, puzzled. "Why do you look so pale all of a sudden?"

Catherine shook her head. "It's nothing, let's go."

Catherine had never chased after a guy like this before. But thinking about that jerk Henry still out there after all the terrible things he did, she couldn't let her guard down and decided to continue with her plan.

Finally, the weekend came, and Catherine couldn't wait to get to the hospital. But Manuel wasn't on the schedule. Confused, she asked around and found out he was in the operating room today.

Two hours later, Manuel emerged from the operating room building and saw Catherine waiting outside.

She quickly caught his eye, offering a small, sweet smile.

Manuel glanced at her but kept walking towards the outpatient building, as if she were a complete stranger.

Catherine hesitated for a moment, then decided to follow him.

Meanwhile, Ophelia jogged up to Manuel, playfully shaking his arm. "Manuel, you were so amazing during the surgery today, it was almost mesmerizing. Coming back to the country was definitely the right choice."

Her voice was sweet and tender, and her tall, curvy figure quickly caught Catherine's attention. The white coat barely concealed her shapely figure, and as she walked, her curves were hard to miss. Even Catherine couldn't help but take a second look.

Manuel didn't push her away or show any resistance.

Noticing someone following them, Ophelia raised her voice on purpose. "How about me being your assistant? I'm way more professional than the other nurses, right? And having a beauty like me around must make you feel better, doesn't it?"

Manuel nodded slightly, acknowledging her, "You are quite professional, and your figure is impressive."

The two seemed to be getting along well as they walked into the elevator one after the other.

Catherine felt awkward and didn't follow them into the elevator. She waited for the next one a short distance away.

Lost in her thoughts, Catherine was startled by a familiar voice, "Here to see Manuel again?"

She turned to see Gabriel, who appeared to have just finished his work and returned. Catherine nodded slightly, not offering much of an explanation.

"I guess Manuel hasn't reached out to you at all these past three months, huh?" Gabriel cut straight to the chase.

Catherine finally looked up, meeting his eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

Gabriel cleared his throat. "He had some involvement with you before, but since he got back, he hasn't contacted you at all. That means he's completely lost interest in you. Can't you see that?"

Catherine blinked, not saying a word. She knew the situation all too well, but her obsession with making Henry pay kept her from giving up.

Seeing her silence, Gabriel thought she was listening and continued, "You had a long relationship with Henry, and all his friends know about it. Even if Manuel was interested in you, they wouldn't fall out over a woman. Even if you were with Manuel, he couldn't give you a future."

Gabriel spoke with conviction. "So you shouldn't waste your time on him."

Every time Catherine came to see Manuel, she would wait for hours, and Gabriel had seen it all, feeling a bit unable to stand it anymore.

As soon as he finished speaking, the elevator doors opened.

"I understand what you're saying, thank you." Catherine didn't argue or explain; she just smiled politely at him and then stepped into the elevator.

Seeing that Catherine was unmoved, Gabriel sighed deeply and shook his head helplessly.

Upstairs, at the door of Manuel's office.

The door was only half-closed, and from outside, Catherine could clearly see a man and a woman standing very close, looking at the same surgical report.

It was Ophelia, who had been acting all flirty with him earlier. In terms of both looks and figure, Catherine felt Ophelia was much better than herself. They looked very well-matched standing together.

This must be the foreign first love Gabriel mentioned before, right? Thinking of this, her heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

Could it be that making Henry pay through Manuel really wouldn't work? But at this moment, she couldn't think of a better way.

After all, Henry was from the Green family, and taking down a business tycoon like the Green family with just her weak self was simply a fantasy.

Meanwhile, Manuel looked up and saw Catherine standing at the door with a sorrowful expression.

Her long, delicate eyelashes trembled slightly, and her pale, thin lips quivered for a moment before she ultimately didn't step through the door, turning to leave, her back lonely and fragile.

Manuel glanced in the direction she left, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

Catherine's mood was complicated on the way back. After much hesitation, she sent Manuel a text message: ["Dr. Green, is there really no chance between us?]

After a long time, Manuel finally replied with the first message since they added each other on Facebook: [Yes.]

Catherine was unwilling to give up: [I really can't be without you.]

After sending this message, Catherine waited for a long time but didn't receive a reply. Manuel probably deleted it as spam.

Meanwhile, Ophelia was still lingering in Manuel's office. His phone was lying flat on the table, and she could clearly see the content of Catherine's messages as they came in.

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