Sergio was in a hurry and it didn’t take him long to get to the door. As soon as he opened it he saw four people standing in the doorway talking, with the maids behind carrying large bags of things.
Albina heard the door and when she looked up and saw Sergio, she ran to him cheerfully and greeted:
-Grandfather, we’re back.
Sergio’s expression tensed from the moment she ran up and said repeatedly:
-Albina, Albina, run slowly. Don’t rush. Don’t run too fast.
Seeing that he was too nervous, Albina hurried to slow down his pace.
-Grandfather, don’t worry. I’m in good health now, I can run and jump.
Sergio was so scared that he called Umberto.
-Umberto, hold Albina. Don’t let her jump so high.
The jump made his heart skip a beat.
Umberto, who was actually quite nervous, reacted to the words and pulled Albina backwards in a hurry.
-Albina, be careful. Don’t scare us.
Daniel and Olivia nodded desperately.
Albina had one more life now, and the first trimester of pregnancy had not yet passed, so she had to be careful. If she wanted to jump, she could wait until the baby was born first.
Albina laughed at his nervousness, but she knew they were doing it for her own good, so she reassured herself.
Sergio finally focused his eyes on Umberto and his smiling face sank instantly.
Umberto was speechless, wondering what was wrong with Sergio.
-Are you better now? -Sergio asked as soon as he spoke.
Umberto nodded.
-He’s almost cured, I can do simple exercises. Grandfather, I’m in good health. I can recover in a while and I’ll be completely cured, there won’t be any after-effects.
Hearing these words, Sergio nodded.
-That’s good.
With that, he raised the cane, twirled it in his hand and the next second, with everyone watching, he picked it up and gave Umberto a blow on the buttocks.
It sounded quite loud, but the force was actually very small.
Umberto felt no pain, but his whole body froze.
He had grown up next to Sergio from a very young age and had always been well-behaved, but he had never been scolded or hit by him.
For the first time in his life, he was being spanked by Sergio in front of all those people and his own wife.
Daniel, Olivia and Albina were stunned and the maids behind them didn’t even dare to look at him, turning their backs on him in unison.
They were trembling, watching their young master being whipped, and when the young master slowed down, he would not shut them up!
-Grandfather, you, you’re….
Umberto was slow to find his voice, and before he could finish, Sergio raised his cane and gave him three more swats on his ass.
Umberto didn’t even dare to dodge, for fear that Sergio wouldn’t be able to gather his strength and fall, so he could only take the three blows in shame.
It didn’t hurt at all, but his face burned, especially with the look on Albina’s face.
It was Albina who finally got over herself and interrupted Sergio with a smile.
If Sergio didn’t stop, Umberto was going to die of embarrassment.
-Grandfather, what’s wrong? What has Umberto done to make you so angry? Tell me and I’ll scold him later.
Albina took Sergio’s arm and smiled sweetly.
Sergio looked at Albina and withdrew his cane with a red face.
-I’ve been wanting to slap this boy for a long time. When he was in the hospital he was so badly hurt I couldn’t get my hands on him, now that his wounds are healed I can finally do it.
Sergio snorted coldly.
-They took Albina from me, and they didn’t even inform me of something so big. The whole family kept me in the dark. Everyone knew, but I was the only one who was kept in the dark.
While the whole family was scrambling to find Albina, he knew nothing. He was just sipping his tea and thinking about a better life with his grandchildren, when the next thing he knew, Umberto had been stabbed in the back of the heart and taken to the hospital.
It almost scared him to death!
Now Sergio gets angry every time he thought about it.
They said they were afraid his body couldn’t handle the emotion, but he was part of the Santangels. They always made him feel like a useless old man, and the frustration inside was even stronger!
Sergio had also wanted to scold Daniel and Olivia, but they were older and had to save face in front of his son and daughter-in-law, so he could only reprimand Umberto.
They weren’t dumb enough not to understand the reason Sergio was angry.
Umberto didn’t care about his embarrassment, so he stepped forward and whispered:
-Grandpa, I know I was wrong. I’ll tell you anything in the future. Don’t be angry, or you won’t hold your great-grandson when he is born.
I knew Sergio was disappointed. Although they were aware that Sergio’s body was resilient, they had neglected his heart.
Sergio was in a better mood after the fight, and he listened to Umberto’s last words with a grunt and lifting his chin haughtily.
-I’m so tough I can even hold my great-grandson’s father, let alone my great-grandson!
He raised his arms and showed them his invisible biceps, making everyone present laugh and the courtyard a happy place.
Alfredo stood in the doorway and enviously watched the family laughing and having fun together.
If his son were still alive, he would have been able to enjoy the same kind of happiness as Sergio.
His look was somber, for in all the years since his son’s death, even he would have forgotten what he looked like if he hadn’t looked at his picture every day.
The rest of the family, including Jaime, had so many things to do each day that they didn’t even have time to remember him, and he feared he was the only one who considered him a father.
Umberto quickly caught sight of Alfredo. The smile on his face lingered for a moment and he said to Sergio:
-Grandfather, Mr. Seco is still waiting for you!
Daniel and Olivia had already told him about the rumors and he had already guessed the intentions of Alfredo’s visit.
Jaime was forced to leave. Even with or without Alfredo’s pleading, he would not let the man go.
If he had confronted him openly, Umberto might have admired Jaime, but this man was a sewer rat, playing behind his back with tricks so petty they were disgusting.
Sergio remembered Alfredo.
He wanted to tell Alfredo about the paternity test, but he was interrupted by Umberto and Albina’s arrival home.
Sergio briefly whispered what had happened to Umberto and asked:
-Do you think you should tell him? I see that Alfredo is quite pathetic, treating an impostor as a treasure, and now he is upset and disappointed by that impostor.
-Is he really disappointed with Jaime? -Umberto asked again, unsure.
Paternity tests like this were very important, and in case Alfredo was only momentarily angry with Jaime and still had feelings left, the paternity test would be of little use, and he feared it had all been useless.
Sergio patted the back of his hand and nodded.
-You don’t want to worry about Jaime anymore, so it’s a good time to take the paternity test. Isn’t that grandson of yours doing well at the company these days? I hear he’s made a lot of deals, much more competitive than Jaime.
Jaime, who is now a phony, and Alfredo’s favorite, has gone on a rampage, playing pranks on the Santangel Group and Umberto and Albina. Sergio couldn’t bear the thought of breaking Alfredo’s heart.
He too had a personal agenda, and he couldn’t swallow the fact that Jaime had let rumors spread to slander Umberto and Albina’s reputation.
-Yes, then I will give the paternity test to Senor Seco,” said Umberto.
Then he paused to look at Sergio.
-But, grandfather, why do we have a paternity test for Mr. Seco and Jaime? It’s up to you to explain it to Mr. Seco.
Sergio froze for a moment and then filled with anguish.
It was true. They were suspicious and well-meaning, but they were outsiders after all. The Seco family themselves hadn’t noticed anything wrong, but on the other hand, the Santangel family had found out before them, and had done the paternity test in secret, which was a little hard to explain.
While Sergio was struggling, Umberto was already walking towards Alfredo with Albina in tow.
-Hey!
Sergio hurried after him on his crutches, exasperated and glaring angrily at the brat who had left him the most difficult mess to sort out.