-What? What do installment payments mean?
Albina was stunned and looked at Umberto’s face without understanding what he said.
Umberto smiled:
-For example, I’m going to help you destroy a business of the Carballal family, then, will you let me kiss you?
Hearing the words, Albina blushed completely and a long time later, she showed a complicated expression:
-Do rich people like you chase girls like that?
Umberto gave a smile, lowered his head and looked at her. His light-colored pupils were sympathetic under the moon:
-I don’t know what the others are like, but I vehemently wish to be with you again.
Who could bear a shock like that?
Albina was very moved and abruptly took several steps backwards to get away from Umberto and was very confused.
Umberto frowned and looked at her doubtfully:
-Albina, why are you backing up so much? I’m not going to do anything to you.
Albina remained silent. Umberto wasn’t going to do anything, but if she didn’t back off, under his temptation, she had many worries that she wouldn’t be able to restrain herself.
-Well, it’s already late, go home to bed early! -Albina changed the subject quickly, turned around and ran into the community.
Umberto’s clear voice sounded from behind.
-Albina, you still haven’t answered me whether you can accept the installment payments or not.
Albina stopped for a while and then ran faster like a shy rabbit.
Umberto was very nice whose smile stayed on his face for a long time.
After returning home, Ariana opened the door for Albina and when she was about to say something, she saw Albina, who blushed a lot, put a big bag of meals in her arms and then ran into the room fast.
Ariana was astonished and noticed that in the living room there was only her left.
She was puzzled and knocked on the bedroom door:
-Albina, come and have something to eat.
-No, thank you. I’m not hungry. Bon appetit.
Albina’s voice was low as if she were talking under a quilt.
Ariana had an intuition that something had happened, but she heard a slight shyness conveyed in her voice, so she knew it would be a good thing even if it did. She laughed without paying any attention to it.
Nearly half an hour later, Albina left the room, her face no longer flushed.
On her way out the door, she met Ariana’s curious gaze and smiled unnaturally:
-You’re not going to bed yet.
-At last, you’ve come out of the quilt.
Albina’s ears turned red, she took her hand and sat down together with her:
-I have good news.
Albina talked to her about the competition, and Ariana was so happy that she went into her own room looking for a pile of documents and handed them to Albina.
-Here they are. They are documents I compiled earlier. Let’s see if you can use them or not.
Albina turned around with a joy on her face because they were from the special customs that Ariana collected while traveling around the country to collect the folkloric pictures as well as the hidden information that could not be found on the net.
Albina immediately got up and hugged her:
-Ariana, thank you so much for helping me so much.
Ariana presented to be annoying in her voice but her face was full of softness:
-Albina, don’t hug me, I don’t like women.
Albina hugged her without pulling away, and they laughed. Outside it was very cold but in the room it was warm with a spring atmosphere.
***
Umberto returned home and saw a car parked in front of the door that belonged to his grandfather.
He was very surprised that he did not know why the old man came there even though it was very late.
Seeing Umberto coming back, Sergio got out of the car:
-Umberto, why did you come back so late? Ruben told me you left work early.
Umberto walked over and held him to go into the house together. At the thought of Albina, he smiled:
-Grandfather, we young people always have the night life.
-Did you go to look for Albina? Three hours have passed. Let’s see, you’ve been with her for three hours, and what have you done?
Sergio asked but Umberto paused without saying anything else.
-Did you hold her hand?
-Of course I did!
You could see the pride in Umberto’s eyes. Not only did he take Albina’s hand, but she also warmed her hands and felt sorry for him.
-Did you kiss her?
Instantly Umberto turned angry because Albina still hadn’t accepted about the installment payments.
Sergio understood what happened when he saw her expression:
-How stupid! When I was dating your grandmother, I took her hand the first day and kissed her at sunset. Then we got engaged the next day. You don’t look as handsome as I did when I was young, and you don’t even know how to chase the girls.
Umberto listened to Sergio’s teasing with a very serious expression and led him into the house.
It was the first time Sergio entered the home because earlier Umberto went out with Albina from the old mansion and Sergio was convalescing in the mountain place without leaving.
The decoration of the house was still the same as before Albina left.
Sergio looked around and nodded with satisfaction:
-The decor here is quite cozy, not like in the old mansion where there is a cold aura. Umberto, did you ask someone to do the decoration?
-No, Albina arranged it before,” Umberto poured Sergio a glass of water.
Seeing that he did everything himself with skills, Sergio felt very fond of Umberto. Umberto had never done anything at home since he was a child and lived not like a normal person but after he married Albina, he gradually achieved all kinds of feelings he should have originally.
-Albina is a very nice girl.
-Yes, I know -Umberto accepted Sergio’s praise unceremoniously.
Sergio glanced at him, took a sip of water and then said:
-They tell me you’re going to mess with the Carballal family, is it true?
-You’ve heard this news.
Sergio hit him on the head:
-Don’t blame me for the meddling. The Carballal family has cooperated with our family for so many years and there has never been a single conflict. You don’t like that girl and now the engagement is broken off, but why are you still going to do this? Now we have broken off the relationship with the Carballal family completely.
Umberto scoffed:
-Grandfather, didn’t you know that when I broke the engagement with the Carballal family, I asked for a condition, that is, they could not harm Albina.
Sergio became serious:
-Did they do something wrong to Albina?
-Yes,” Umberto nodded his head. Yolanda asked someone to kill Albina and that person failed. Since they broke the agreement first, why should I keep my promise?
Sergio looked at him:
-Is Albina hurt?
-No -Umberto shook his head-, Grandfather, don’t worry, I’m not going to cause trouble to the Carballal family and I’m only going to cancel the benefits I promised them.
Sergio still wanted to say something.
Suddenly Umberto said to him:
-Grandfather, if grandma was mistreated like that by the others, what would you go and do?
-I will kill those who dare to bully your grandmother.
Sergio said full of righteous indignation but he was stunned for a while, then he pointed at Umberto and reproached him smiling:
-You are so cunning. You even left me a trap.
Umberto laughed:
-I just want to tell you that Albina is important to me as grandma is to you.
Sergio noticed the seriousness on his face and suddenly gave a sigh:
-If your grandmother were still alive, she would have been comforted by the fact that her favorite grandson has gotten someone she wants to protect.
Umberto noticed the sadness on Grandpa’s face.
Sergio loved grandmother in all his life. When she died, Sergio, who was always in good health, suddenly collapsed and still not cured after a year of treatment. Then Sergio left the affairs of the Santangel Group and handed over power to Umberto, so he left to recuperate in the mountain location and only returned once in several years. During the three years after the marriage between Umberto and Albina, Sergio had never seen Albina.
Umberto was considering, and when he had the chance to let Sergio meet Albina, he would definitely like her.
Sergio looked around the house and spoke to him suddenly:
-Umberto, in the mountain there are few people, so from now on I’m going to live here. The atmosphere of the old mansion is cold, without the love of the family. What do you think if I live here with you?
As soon as Sergio said it, Umberto was embarrassed. Albina promised to help him adjust his sleep every week, so what would he do if Sergio was here and Albina didn’t dare to come?
More importantly, if Sergio was here, how could he do anything with Albina and get along with her?
-Grandpa, if you want to have great-grandchildren as soon as possible, drop the idea, please.