Yolanda was curious as to why Albina had not been affected at all when it was obvious that she already knew what had happened on the Internet. If she was in her normal state, then there was no point in causing her the trouble. If she won the contest by chance, this might give her more fame.
Yolanda’s face became increasingly grim.
-Let’s ignore this crazy woman, come on.
Albina looked at the three of them and walked towards the enclosure, followed by Macos.
Umberto stood in his place and looked at Yolanda, he said coldly:
-Yolanda, because you have done so many things, I will pay you back for Albina, and I hope you will be in a very good mood when the time comes.
Yolanda turned pale and stared at Umberto’s back. To cheat Albina, her image in front of Umberto had been completely ruined. It was already impossible to get Umberto to marry her.
After this match, she would have to find another way.
The crowd at the final was several times bigger than before, due to the attention of the last match, and there were even some people with Albina banners, which made the scene seem a bit exaggerated.
-Don’t panic, don’t be bothered by them. By the way, Claire Favre is also present at today’s final, so behave yourself in front of her -Macos was still encouraging Albina before she came out on stage.
-Are you thirsty? Some water? -Albina smiled and handed him a glass of water.
-How can I drink water at this hour, I? -Macos looked confused.
Before he could say more, Umberto took the glass and put it in his hand,
-Stop messing around, you’re a bit noisy.
Only then did Macos realize that he was pushing Albina. He stopped talking and stood silently drinking. It was true that he had been anxious. The match, two against one, was a big disadvantage for Albina, but it also meant a lot for the company.
When Umberto saw that Macos had calmed down, he stepped forward, touched Albina’s cheek and kissed her on the lips,
-I wish you a good victory.
Albina instantly felt at peace, and the voices from the audience seemed to disappear.
-Don’t worry, I’m fine!
Albina pounced on Umberto and wrapped her arms around his neck, biting him hard on the lips.
-Wait for me, when I come back, you’ll be my boyfriend.
With that, she left happily, like a child.
Macos gaped, and the water in his mouth came out.
Before Liliana and Linda came out on stage, Yolanda had a serious face and kept emphasizing:
-You have to win. You must never lose. If you lose to a rookie, your reputation in the industry will be ruined.
Both Liliana’s and Linda’s mood worsened a little and they became more nervous. There was no turning back; if Albina won, not only would they not get the money the Carballal Group had promised them, but also their reputation would be tarnished, as Yolanda had said.
After all, it was rather ironic that a famous designer would lose to a newcomer.
In the midst of Yolanda’s threats, Liliana and Linda also took the stage and, for the first time, a mischievous feeling appeared in the eyes of the two sisters at the sight of Albina. There seemed to be a change in the hearts of these two.
But it was none of Albina’s business, she just had to do her best.
Claire Favre was a very serious woman, with short curly hair and a very intelligent and capable appearance. When she looked at the three of them, there was a softness in her eyes,
-Welcome to the final, I have seen your previous matches, they were really very exciting, and I hope that today you can play to your strengths and give your best.
At that moment, Claire’s blue eyes suddenly met Albina’s and lit up.
Albina was confused, why was there surprise in her eyes? It was as if she knew her. She didn’t remember meeting Claire before, how strange!
But now was not the time to think about that, she had to concentrate for the final.
The presenter began to read how the final would be played:
-For this contest, you will have five hours to design and cut your own garments, without anyone’s help, using the materials behind you.
When the curtain opened, Albina and the three looked back with astonishment in their eyes.
The whole wall of fabric behind them was particularly spectacular, along with all the accessories and all the necessary materials.
-What a luxury,” Albina muttered to herself.
The presenter continued:
-We have done our best to have everything ready, but if you need anything else, just tell the staff and they will do their best to find it. However, if you are delayed for something you need, we will not prolong the game, it would not be fair to the other competitors.
Albina, Liliana and Linda nodded in agreement.
-Then,” the presenter looked at the clock and smiled, “the final begins.
Hearing this, Albina and the others rushed to their workstations and began to draw their designs.
Albina, who had been working on her designs for a month, started to put them into practice, as she had a picture in her head of the dress she wanted to make.
She was concentrating, her slender fingers gripping the pen as they moved.
The pressure on Liliana and Linda increased pro Albina, and the more they thought about what Yolanda had said, the more anxious they became.
But as professional designers, they quickly adapted to the situation and began to draw.
As the minutes passed, Umberto settled into the seat and watched the competition intently, keeping an eye on Albina.
Liliana and Linda went to choose their canvases, but Albina was still standing at work, looking intently at her design.
-Albina, why aren’t you moving?
A male voice came from beside her and it sounded familiar to Umberto.
When he turned his head, he saw Miguel’s kind face.
-Miguel!
Miguel let out a snap at being called by name and turned around, meeting Umberto’s gaze and an expression of displeasure on his face.
-Why are you here?
-I should say that -Umberto’s face was disgusted and he looked at him coldly-, with my relationship with Albina, how am I not present at such an important match for her?
-I’m close to Albina too, so I had to come and cheer her up.
-Why aren’t you working today? It’s not Saturday.
Miguel, who had taken time off work to come, looked at him:
-Umberto, I’m warning you not to get your hopes up, this time I’m not committing myself.
-You’re thinking about it too much, am I such a bad person?
-Why not?
The mere mention of this filled Miguel with indignation. He had a grudge against the last time he was supposed to meet Albina, but Umberto had spoiled it by calling the hospital.
This time he had made all the arrangements in advance and had spoken to the director, so there was no way Umberto was going to get away with it.