In the private patient room, Alfredo was hooked up to a respirator, lying on a hospital bed, his body emaciated. He would look like a corpse if it weren’t for the faint breathing in his chest.
Pedro, Jaime and a host of other family members stood with worried eyes.
Secretary Diaz stood in the doorway and watched the expressions of the crowd.
“I’m afraid that few of these people, with the exception of Pedro, are really worried about Alfredo, and each one is planning how to get better benefits.”
Jaime looked at Alfredo lying on the hospital bed. Clearly he should have felt happy, but his heart was heavy.
The medicine he used was extremely harsh, and it had only taken a few days to torture Alfredo to that state.
The old man, who used to be serious, majestic and imposing, was now like an ordinary old man, frail and pale and dying, struggling with the line between life and death, not yet knowing if there was any chance of waking up.
Jaime bit his lower lip and forced himself to push his emotions aside.
It was Alfredo who aggravated him first. It was clear that the Dry Group was his by a single step, but Alfredo wanted his own grandson to hand over all his power to him and leave nothing to Jaime, so he couldn’t blame him for being unkind.
The room was so silent that no one dared utter a word, they looked around quietly and waited for someone to break the silence.
Soon after, the man the crowd was waiting for finally spoke.
The first person to sink her teeth into him was Stephanie.
-We are all sad and worried that dad is in a coma, but the big Dry Group can’t be without someone in charge, and we are afraid that some people with bad intentions will attack it and maliciously destroy it, and that would be serious.
At these words, several people behind her responded.
There were quite a few relatives of the Seco family from various corners, and a group of Leoz family, who knew they had no right to the Seco Group, but still wanted to take some benefit.
From time to time, Stephanie’s eyes would glance at her son, trying to talk to him because this was a great opportunity.
However, Pedro didn’t even look at her, his mind was on Alfredo.
Stephanie was angry and anxious.
Jaime, who witnessed all this, scoffed:
-Are you forgetting that I am Alfredo’s only grandson and that I am the only one who can inherit this position of power in the Seco family?
When he finished, he looked at Secretary Diaz at the door and his voice was calm:
-Isn’t it, Secretary Diaz?
This he said with a hint of temptation. Jaime wanted to see if Secretary Diaz would really keep the secret for him right now.
If this man showed the slightest doubt, Jaime would find a way to get rid of him in private.
Secretary Diaz did not expect to see these people talking about this so soon and looked up and said:
-Alfredo had predicted his ill health before and had prepared beforehand.
This was something the crowd did not anticipate.
One of the family members became upset and said with a bad face to Secretary Diaz:
-If Alfredo had a preparation, why didn’t he say so beforehand?
Secretary Diaz smiled and looked in the direction where the voice came from. His face did not show any expression, it seemed very cold.
-I’m sorry, Alfredo had a sudden accident and my mind was in a trance, I didn’t think about it for a while.
Hearing these words, the person who uttered them turned red with embarrassment.
Yes, an outsider was so concerned about Alfredo and his condition, but they, the relatives, intended to set about counting his assets before asking him about his condition, which did seem a bit cheeky.
Jaime’s brow furrowed and his heart soared as he wondered how Alfredo had arranged it.
Secretary Diaz produced a document.
-Alfredo said that if he had health problems, the company’s affairs at this stage would be handled jointly by Jaime and Pedro, and that the rest would be arranged when he woke up. Here are the written documents, and the lawyer’s justice.
-Well, but just in case? -Stephanie said the rest of her words a little.
It was Secretary Diaz who took the initiative.
-You mean what should the firm do in case Alfredo doesn’t wake up, don’t you?
Stephanie nodded.
Secretary Diaz said:
-Alfredo arranged it privately with a lawyer, and even I don’t know, except for himself and the lawyer who commissioned him. I don’t even know who the lawyer is.
Everyone, except a muddled Pedro, breathed backward at these words.
Alfredo was the Seco family leader who has been in power for so many years and really had many tricks up his sleeve, so even if they wanted to bribe the lawyers they would have no way of doing it.
Jaime, in turn, looked at Alfredo, who was lying on the bed.
“Alfredo is evading me. But no matter, now that Alfredo has put the company’s affairs in my hands and Pedro’s, I have to take advantage of that moment to put all the resources and contacts of the Seco Group in my hands.”
“When the time comes, even if the will doesn’t really have my part to play, I will have some foothold.”
“Y…”
Jaime looked at Pedro beside him and a cold smile curved his mouth.
Only now did he admit that Peter had deep feelings for Alfredo, and he feared that in his present state it would be impossible for him to devote much of his mind to his work and the company.
His obstacle became smaller again.
Once the matter was settled, a group of relatives excused themselves and Stephanie went out to see these people off, leaving Jaime, Pedro and Secretary Diaz alone in the living room.
Jaime was listening to the ticking, and for some reason guilt was weighing on his heart.
He could not stay any longer and turned to Secretary Diaz.
-Secretary Diaz, take care of grandfather for me. Now that something has happened to Grandpa, the company must be in shock. Things can’t be done without a leader, so I’ll go back to take care of it first.
With that, he lowered his eyes and made a sad face.
-My grandfather must not have been able to bear to see the Dry Group, which he had built, maliciously attacked and annihilated.
Secretary Diaz looked disgusted by his appearance, but without any expression on his face, he merely nodded his head and said respectfully:
-Yes, I will do my best to take care of Mr. Alfredo.
Jaime was about to leave the room when Pedro, who had said nothing, spoke:
-Jaime, you had better pray that my grandfather’s illness has nothing to do with you, or I will gamble my life to eliminate you.
He gritted his teeth and his voice emitted a malice that sent a shiver down her spine.
Jaime froze for a moment and then sneered:
-Don’t talk nonsense.
Secretary Diaz picked up on the conversation between the two men and, slightly alarmed, looked at Pedro.
Pedro was surprisingly sharp, having sensed that this had something to do with Jaime.
But thinking of Alfredo’s plans, Secretary Diaz stepped forward to speak for Jaime:
-Pedro, that’s something you can’t say! Mr. Jaime couldn’t have hurt Alfredo! After twenty years of affection, how could he do such a thing!
When Jaime saw that Secretary Diaz was speaking for him, his eyes searched his expression warily, and he was relieved to see that his face was serious, not pretentious.
It was also true that even if Secretary Diaz knew he was not Alfredo’s own grandson, he would not suspect him.
After all, Jaime had always shown respect for Alfredo.
-Secretary Diaz, thank you for trusting me. Otherwise, I could have been really denigrated by some people,” Jaime said with a bad face, glanced at Pedro, and left the room.
Pedro was furious, with his fists clenched to death, he looked at Secretary Diaz, and said with a hoarse voice and tight cheeks:
-Secretary Diaz, my grandfather can’t have suddenly become ill! There must be a reason for this! It must be found out and investigated thoroughly!
Secretary Diaz sighed and patted him on the shoulder. He could sense that Pedro really cared about Alfredo, but he had to hide it for a while for the sake of the plan.
-Alfredo has not been well for a long time and this illness is not sudden. As you know, Alfredo has never taken care of his health and often stayed up all night….
Jaime did not leave immediately. He leaned against the wall by the door, took Secretary Diaz’s words into his ears and, finally relieved at last, left silently.
Pedro said nothing, squatted down in front of Alfredo’s bed, took his hand and whispered to him:
-Grandfather, haven’t you always longed for your other grandson? Get well soon and I’ll get him back for you, even if he’s just a tool to pave the way for you, I’ll accept him!
She finished, wiped the tears from her face and left with a resolute face.
In the hospital bed, Alfredo’s eyebrows twitched and a line of tears ran down the corners of his eyes.