Umberto listened to his grandfather and drank his cup of tea in one gulp.
If he had known Yolanda was here, he would never have come back.
-Tea should be savored, that drinking it as you do is a waste of this fine tea.
-I’m just a rogue,” Umberto smiled.
Sergio gave him a look and put the tea cups away.
-Why did you come back all of a sudden, was it a bad stay in the mountains? -Umberto saw his grandfather so stingy and said jokingly.
-It was your mother who begged me for days to come back -the old man didn’t hide it, he said directly- She asked me to convince you to marry Carballal’s girl.
-Grandfather, she said I could make my own decisions about my marriage,” Umberto scoffed and said.
-Yes, I said so -Sergio raised his head, his eyes that were a little cloudy as he aged, but the look still had a lot of energy in it-, you’ve started losing sleep again recently, haven’t you, I see you’ve lost a lot of weight.
Compared to a year ago, Umberto had become thin, with a lot of depression, not at all the lively look he had before.
-I’ve just been so busy with work lately,” Umberto replied.
-You haven’t come out of the past yet! -Grandfather interrupted him, telling the truth in a whisper.
Umberto said nothing, his grandfather was so wise that all his lies in front of the old man would be childish.
-I’m not going to force you, you’re on your own with your own marriage. If you don’t want to marry her, I’ll go all out to refuse this marriage.
-Grandfather, you don’t have to do anything, I’ll find a way -Umberto was very moved, for only his grandfather would care about him in the whole family.
As soon as he said that, the mother went out with the dishes, followed by Yolanda, who was so busy that she really considered herself the mistress of this house.
-Dad, Umberto, stop talking and come and eat,” the mother shouted.
Umberto helped the old man to take the seat and Yolanda was pushed by the mother to sit next to Umberto.
-I thought this was a family dinner,” said Sergio.
-Yolanda is not an outsider, we are all family sooner or later,” the mother froze for a moment and said.
-Sooner or later, but not yet,” the old man said coldly.
-I remembered I have things to do at home, so I’m sorry, I’m leaving.
Yolanda felt ashamed, she could not stay still when she heard those words. Her face was so pale that she took her bag and went out regretfully, not even taking off her apron.
-Dad, what are you doing? Yolanda has been very busy since she arrived, and it’s not easy to cook so many dishes. So, you seem to be a bit rude,” the lady looked behind Yolanda’s back and said to the old man.
Daniel heard his wife complaining and hurried to pull the hem of her dress, signaling her to stop talking.
However, the woman was in the midst of her anger and talking non-stop, when the old man suddenly banged loudly on the table,
-Olivia, I haven’t been home for a while, can’t you see me anymore?
For then Olivia noticed the old man’s expression and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead; it had been so long since she had been home that she had almost forgotten her character.
-No, Papa, I just thought Umberto is already engaged to her, so a meal would be nothing.
-It’s just an engagement, not a wedding. Now I’m back, and it’s a family dinner, what’s the point of having a stranger come, it’s not like we don’t have servants at home, there’s no need for her help.
-I…
-You didn’t inform me, nor Umberto, that you specially designed this scene, what an idea you have we all know it very well, don’t say anything anymore.
The mother fell silent and took a deep breath with difficulty before saying with a stiff smile:
-Dad, I do it for Umberto.
-¿Y? -The old man seemed indifferent.
Olivia’s eyes lit up when she heard this and she looked at Umberto,
-The Carballal Group and the Santangel Group have a lot of cooperation and are very strong, and Yolanda is the only daughter, and then she will inherit everything from the Carballal Group, so she will be able to help us a lot.
-After all this talk, you just want the money! -the old man interrupted impatiently.
Olivia was embarrassed, although what the grandfather said was true.
-I’m helping the Santangelo Group, Umberto….
-Mom! -Umberto, who had not spoken, suddenly spoke, with a cold look -this year, the market value of the Santangel Group has doubled!
-What? -His mother was very surprised.
-I can take Santangel Group to the next level without the help, so all your intentions are useless to me -Umberto continued- besides, if I need a woman to grow a business, don’t I look too useless? If so, I don’t deserve to be the one in charge, and sooner or later the Group will end up in my hands.
Daniel did not dare to say anything at these words, he was the guy his son said.
-You are worthy of being my grandson, and you are right. If you are really a coward and it occurs to you to depend on a woman, I will personally remove you from this position,” the old man patted Umberto’s shoulder approvingly.
In this way, the mother could say no more. However, she was so angry that she had no appetite at all.
After dinner, Umberto asked to leave to avoid further confrontations.
-It is not easy for grandfather to come back, so you go back home these days -his mother hurried to stop him and told him with a smile.
-Before Umberto could say anything, the old man quickly waved his hand, “Why let him come back? I can’t even eat when I look at his cold face. I’d rather he stayed outside, so I was more eager to see him.
Umberto couldn’t help but smile at the old man’s words.
The mother couldn’t force any more and had to watch Umberto leave. Daniel looked at his wife and shook his head helplessly.
Umberto opened the window, and the cold breeze came in, which made him feel better.
As he passed a flower shop, he looked at the bouquets of fresh flowers, stopped the car and entered the store.
-A bouquet of white eustoma.
-Do you need other flowers to make a nice bouquet? -The saleswoman looked at him and asked enthusiastically.
-No!” Umberto refused.
-The meaning of eustoma is eternal love, this is for someone you like, isn’t it? -The saleswoman wrapped a bouquet of eustoma and handed it to him, smiling.
Umberto took the bouquet and looked fondly at the large and small white buds.
Albina’s favorite flower was the white eustoma. She had said that this type of flower kept looking as if it had been bought, that it was most sincere, just like her love for him.
He did not understand it then, and always felt discomfort when she told him that she loved him.
Now that he had lost her, however, he came to love everything about her except himself.
-Good morning, a bouquet of white eustoma, please.
Ten minutes after Umberto left, the doorbell of the florist’s shop rang again and a girl in white came in and said to the clerk.
The salesgirl froze for a moment, the girl in front of her had beautiful eyes and was very pretty.
-The last gentleman also bought white eustoma,” she said as she handed them to him.
-What a coincidence!