Seeing Albina’s eyes slightly reddened, Umberto gently took her in his arms and led her outside.
The old woman froze at this scene. She thought Umberto didn’t take Albina seriously, but it seemed that he really loved her.
When the two left the asylum, Umberto said to Albina:
-Go back to the car and wait for me, I have something to tell the director.
Albina nodded. Her mind was in turmoil and she needed to be left alone to calm down.
When the headmistress saw that Albina left and Umberto stayed, she nervously approached her and asked:
-What else can I do for you, sir?
Umberto pulled out his wallet, handed her a check and gave her Ruben’s contact information.
-I see that many parts of the house are in bad shape, so use the money to repair them. It’s full of old people, so don’t let anything go wrong. In the future the Santangel Group will give an annual grant to the nursing home. If something happens here and you need help, you can contact my assistant.
He had just taken a look around the yard and noticed that there were no fire precautions and many emergency items were not available. The elderly were forgetting things and were more likely to get into trouble than other people, especially since flammable items tended to accumulate in the courtyard.
The headmistress hastened to say:
-The girl who comes with you today also gave me money.
Umberto was surprised and laughed:
-Take it. She gave the money as a token of her good will, while I gave it as a token of mine.
With that she left.
The headmistress took the check and watched him go. Only when another old man approached her and asked about it did she look down at the check. When she saw the amount on it, she froze.
One hundred thousand dollars!
The gentleman had given her one hundred thousand dollars!
The director had tears in her eyes.
The nursing home was full of elderly people who had no children and no money. She had exhausted all her savings to support it and was on the verge of not being able to continue. Those days she was worried about the future of the elderly, not knowing what she would do when they ran out of money.
At their most difficult time, that Lord was helping them and would commit to making an annual donation to the nursing home.
***
As soon as Umberto got into the car, he saw Albina looking at him with reddened eyes.
He reached out and touched her eyelids, saying:
-It’s only been a few moments and you’re already crying.
-I’m not crying -with tears in her eyes, Albina denied it.
Umberto smiled:
-No, you’re not crying. I was wrong.
-I just saw you and the director. Are you going to finance the nursing home?
-The Santangel Group does some charity activities every year,” Umberto explained lightly, rubbing her hair, “the director told me that you also gave her money.
Albina blushed a little and whispered:
-I haven’t forgiven grandmother. But as much as she’s overdone it, she’s still my father’s mother. She’s so old that I’m afraid something might happen to her. Besides, the money I give to the nursing home is not for her. The old people here are so old and seem pretty miserable.
Her voice was getting lower and lower.
Umberto smiled tenderly at her. Looking at her face, hidden by her long hair, he could not resist putting his hand on her head and rubbing her hair, not stopping until he was tousling her long silky hair.
Albina was stunned by the rubbing. When she reacted, she saw her messy hair in the rearview mirror and looked at him angrily.
Umberto laughed and started the car to drive away.
-I’ll take you to your parents’ house.
Mrs. Espina said Juan’s things were in the attic, and Albina should be looking forward to seeing what’s left of them.
Albina nodded, feeling a little depressed.
Umberto, fearing that she might be thinking too much, talked to her as he drove:
-I am ready to take on the Carballal Group, and will attack in a few days.
-What about the Grupo Seco? -Albina’s attention was really diverted by him- -I heard Macos say that Jaime and Yolanda are always together these days. Will they marry for the common good?
Umberto laughed with disdain.
-Jaime will never marry Yolanda.
Things didn’t work out well between him and Jaime, but he had known him for many years and knew him well.
-Jaime did not grow up in the Seco family. After his parents died, he came home with a letter from them. At that time, he was almost ten years old and his temperament was already determined.
Perhaps because Jaime lived with his mother and father as a child, life was difficult and that led him to behave very ungenerously. He was vindictive and very calculating.
If he had not been like that, he would not have become involved with Yolanda for such small interests.
But despite his shortsightedness, Jaime’s ambitions are great. He would never marry Yolanda, but rather a lady of high family, and she would have to be one of those who would bring much profit.
Moreover, as Yolanda could not have eyes, her grandfather would never have allowed Jaime to marry her. Jaime would never have disobeyed his grandfather until he had truly dominated the Dry Group.
Listening to Umberto’s analysis, Albina nodded thoughtfully:
-Jaime is not a good person. I originally thought he had a bad temper and was used to getting what he wants at the cost of anything. I didn’t realize that he was also bad in his relationships.
-There are many things you don’t know about Jaime, he’s a tough guy…..
Umberto was talking when his face suddenly changed. He pressed hard on Albina’s head and forced her to bend down.
Albina froze for a moment at his sudden movement. She was about to speak when suddenly she heard the sound of gunshots behind the car. The bullet flew over her head and went straight through the front and rear windshields of the vehicle.
If Umberto had not pressed his head down, he would have been shot in the head.
A cold sweat immediately broke out on Albina’s back at the thought.
-Get down and don’t look up.
Umberto warned, with a serious expression. In the meantime, he grabbed the steering wheel and sent the car speeding.
Albina crouched down, not daring to look around.
There was nothing she could do to help Umberto, but she had to do her best not to cause him trouble.
Luckily, she was used to putting on her seatbelt when getting into the car, otherwise she would have been thrown out if the car had accelerated.
Albina could feel the wind coming through the broken windshield. There was also the constant sound of gunshots coming from behind them.
The nursing home was on the outskirts. It was a relatively isolated road with no monitoring. Maybe that was why these people were so fearless.
Albina guessed why these people were attacking them, when she suddenly heard Umberto speak.
-Albina, there are vehicles in front and behind attacking us. Sit down, I’m coming down the hill beside me.
Albina was nervous, she was gripping the seat tightly and her heart was pounding.
She felt that a car could not be her thing in her life. Every time she rode in a car she was prone to something bad happening to her.
She looked up slightly at Umberto in the driver’s seat, his face austere, and at the same time the image of John slumped over the steering wheel flashed through her mind.
She couldn’t help reminding him, in a trembling voice.
She had no other relatives. Umberto was the closest person to her, nothing should happen to him.
-Albina, don’t worry, I’ll be fine.
It was already a critical moment, but Umberto still took the time to smile at her. His sweet voice reassured her.
Albina’s mind was at peace for a moment. The next moment she heard a loud engine noise next to her and suddenly the car was hit hard and careened out of control down the dirt slope.
The moment the car went down the hill, Umberto suddenly reached out and grabbed Albina and embraced her in his warm, wide arms, so tightly that he almost had her whole body between his.
Albina’s face pressed against his chest. She could see nothing. She heard only the sound of a fierce heartbeat and Umberto’s panicked voice over her head:
-Albina, don’t be afraid.