Chapter 129: A Minor Confrontation

Michael approached the two and made his presence known.

"Good evening," Michael greeted, his eyes fixed on Catherine. "Happy birthday. I hope I can give you a gift but I don't have the time to pick one up, unfortunately. I hope my presence can somehow make up for it."

Catherine turned towards Michael, her eyes lighting up with recognition and a warm smile spreading across her face. "Michael, thank you so much for coming. Your presence is more than enough. I'm really glad you could make it," she replied, her voice filled with genuine happiness.

Joshua, standing next to Catherine, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it's great to have you here, Michael. It's not every day we get a CEO to attend a birthday party," he added.

Michael noticed a tinge of protectiveness in his voice as if Joshua didn't want him to speak to Catherine at all. Well, it's expected, that he saw him as a threat to their relationship, thinking that he might steal Catherine from him.

Michael smiled and replied. "Yeah...how is the potato chips business going?"

"It's doing good, making headlines," Joshua said.

"I heard that you are also opening up an academy to nurture students in the world of business. The tuition is high I might say but for me, it sounds like a..." he paused, not wanting to spoil the mood of the evening.

"Sounds like?" Joshua tilted his head to the side, curious about what Michael had to say to his program.

"Nothing at all," Michael decided to steer the conversation away from potentially contentious topics. "I'm sure it will provide great value to those who attend. Education is an investment, after all," he smoothly transitioned, wanting to keep the atmosphere light and friendly.

Catherine interjected, perhaps sensing the subtle tension, "I think what Joshua is doing with the academy is wonderful. It's about giving back and creating opportunities for others. And Michael, your work with SolaraTech has been equally inspiring. Who would have thought that you'd reach such heights."

"Yeah...literal rags to riches," Michael said with a loftiness in his tone, acknowledging the distance he had traveled in his career. "But it's important to remember where we come from, and the challenges that have shaped us. That's something I try to embed into SolaraTech's culture."

The price was steep, especially for the average Filipino, and Michael had always questioned the ethics behind such a high fee for mentorship, especially when it targeted young aspiring entrepreneurs who might not have that kind of money.

"Your business plan, it's all BS. It's networking. But yeah, that's my beef to all the content creators and businessmen here in the Philippines is that when they get rich, they start to take advantage of the people who would want to have the kind of life they are advertising. So yeah...sometimes, I'm just irritated by it. But who am I to care right? It's your hustle.

I'm just saying this. On social media. I understand the need for profit, but where do we draw the line between making a living and exploiting those who aspire to improve their lives?" Michael didn't mince his words, his frustration apparent.

Joshua seemed taken aback by the bluntness of Michael's criticism. "So, you're saying I'm exploiting people?"

"I'm saying there's a fine line, and we need to be careful not to cross it. It's about integrity in business," Michael clarified. "You have the platform and the influence. Use it to genuinely uplift others, not just profit off their dreams."

"How dare you make such baseless accusations?" Joshua's tone hardened, clearly offended by Michael's blunt assessment. "I know it's because of Catherine. You are not being honest, you do like her."

"I don't like her, in fact, I already have a woman in my life. I'm just saying this as CEO to CEO, we may have the same title but different values. Don't become one of those creators, you'll ruin your reputation and possibly harm those who trust you," Michael said earnestly, trying to get his point across without causing further offense.

After saying that, Antoinette found them.

"You two, what are you doing here?"

"Mrs. Estolas, I apologize, we were just speaking about something," Michael said, his gaze flickering toward her.

"Well...great, because I invited someone."

"Who?" Joshua asked.

"Alexander Tan," Antoneitte revealed.