Albina was talking to Mateo when Olivia suddenly interrupted them:
-Albina.
The call caught Albina and Mateo’s attention.
Olivia, dressed in an elegant and beautiful black dress, and exquisite makeup, smiled as she walked towards the two, followed by Daniel.
Compared to Olivia’s exuberant appearance, Daniel looked very un-decayed.
-Dad, Mom, where are you going? -Albina asked as she looked at the fine dress Olivia was wearing.
Olivia saw that she had asked the key question and immediately picked up the conversation.
-Your father and I are going to a charity auction, but he’s a little sick to his stomach right now, so I’ll have to leave him at home.
She sighed, grabbed Daniel’s arm and gave him a quiet shake.
Daniel was quick to put on a weak face.
-Yeah, yeah, I didn’t pay attention to what I ate this morning and I seem to have some diarrhea.
-Is he okay? Should we have a doctor look at him? -Albina looked at Daniel with some concern.
Daniel waved his hand.
-Don’t bother, it’s probably because my stomach isn’t used to it, I just need to rest and eat something light. But I promised your mother that I would accompany her to the auction today, so I’m afraid I’ll have to go back on my word….
He said with his eyes on Albina and suddenly suggested:
-Albina, you haven’t been going out much these days, go to that charity auction with your mom today and see if there’s anything you like that you can buy.
Olivia also pretended Daniel reminded her and pressed her palms together.
-Yes, Albina, you must be bored staying at home, so come with me. Didn’t the doctor check you out this morning? They say you’re healthy and the baby is normal, so it’s okay to go for a walk. It’s also a beautiful day, the sun isn’t so hot, it’s breezy and sunny, haha….
She said a bunch of reasons, as if it was a shame not to go to that charity auction.
Albina saw their expectant looks and smiled.
-Well, good thing I’m idle at home, so I’ll go out with you.
-There are quite a few rich people attending the auction today, we can still develop clients… -Olivia gave Daniel a secret wink and took Albina’s hand towards the cloakroom- Come. I’ll help you pick out a dress.
Daniel watched the two enter the room before saying to Mateo:
-Mateo, stay and chat with me and tell me what became of your father when he left the Seco Family.
If Mateo remembered correctly, Daniel had already heard about his father several times.
-Mr. Daniel, don’t your intestines bother you now? -Mateo asked, before Daniel suddenly remembered that he was pretending to be sick and hurriedly covered his stomach and let out a few moans.
-Yes, I’m not feeling very well, I need to go back and lie down, and you should stop being in the yard and go back to rest.
Matthew had just taken in the small gesture of Daniel and Olivia’s interaction. They were both on guard against him making contact with Albina.
Mateo sighed, as the basic morale he still had.
Albina quickly put on the gown. The style of the dress was loose fitting, covering her slightly bulging belly and exposing her slender arms and calves. She was tall and wore her hair braided, looking fresh and literary.
-No need for makeup, that’s fine,” Olivia nodded in satisfaction.
Albina’s last few meals were very healthy, her skin glowed, she looked better than anyone with foundation, and she looked as good without makeup as she did with it.
-It’s a charity auction and not a particularly formal occasion, so just think of it as a shopping trip.
Daniel and Mateo were gone when Olivia brought Albina out.
Olivia was pleased with Daniel and took Albina to the venue.
It was a small auction and, as Olivia said, most of the attendees were wealthy ladies with time on their hands.
Olivia was very sociable and soon introduced Albina into the conversation of the guests, becoming the center of attention in a few words. Albina was breathless.
She really had something to learn when it came to socializing.
But Olivia soon hit a wall when her rival, Stephanie Seco, aka Mrs. Leoz, came to the auction.
News of Alfredo Seco’s recent hospitalization had spread and Pedro and Jaime were evenly matched, making Stephanie increasingly arrogant.
Stephanie raised her head as she walked through the door of the venue. She was surrounded by people and looked imposing.
Olivia whispered in Albina’s ear and murmured:
-I’m afraid if this woman were a peacock, she’d be flaunting her tail by now.
Albina imagined a picture of Stephanie with a tail and didn’t hold back her laughter.
Stephanie, who happened to be walking past the two, heard Albina’s soft laughter and turned her head, looking at Albina with distaste.
When Albina saw her, she didn’t dodge her and smiled as she looked directly at her.
Distracted by her peach eyes, Stephanie mentally cursed and said:
-Mrs. Santangel, what are you whispering to your daughter-in-law? She seemed to laugh so happily.
With a single word, the eyes of those nearby averted.
Whenever Stephanie and she met on an occasion, the woman always liked to pick a fight and didn’t even want to talk to her.
-Mrs. Leoz, you seem lively these days, do you even care what I say?
Stephanie looked at Olivia’s beautiful face and burst out in anger. But seeing the people beside her, she forced herself to restrain herself.
-I’m just asking a casual question, there’s no need to get so angry. If you don’t want to talk then you don’t need to talk, it’s not like I want to hear it.
She finished with another glance at Albina and fell in line as she led the people behind her into the venue.
It was about time and Olivia led Albina to their seats.
The auction was small, but there were a lot of good lots, and Olivia gave Albina a flyer in advance to see if there was anything she wanted.
Albina flipped through the flyer and saw a small jade pendant. The pendant was carved in the shape of a tiger and looked especially cute and realistic.
It was a perfect pendant for her son, who was to be born in the Year of the Tiger, to wear as a lucky charm from a young age.
When Olivia heard her say this, she also thought it was a beautiful pendant. Although the jade pendant was small, it was made of the finest sheep fat jade, very oily and lustrous, so it was perfect for her future grandson or granddaughter.
As the two discussed the pendant, they did not realize that Stephanie was listening to their conversation not far away from them.
Hearing them talking about the pendant, Stephanie turned to the page and already had a plan in mind.
She was going to snatch the pendant from her.
She had lost to Olivia Cortez many times before, even to men she liked. Since they liked the pendant, Stephanie decided to do whatever it took to get her hands on it.
Stephanie calculated the amount of money available to her and painfully gave up the few pieces of jewelry she had previously looked at.
She convinced herself that she could buy those pieces later, but that the opportunity to thwart Olivia and Albina would only present itself from time to time.
With that in mind, she managed to convince herself.
The auction for the jade pendant was a little later, and there were rather better things before that.
Stephanie watched Olivia raise her hand several times, including the jewelry she had her eye on, and became even more annoyed.
Albina watched her with a smile on her face the whole time. She had a good sixth sense and several times during this time she felt an unkind look on her and Olivia that made her uncomfortable.
-Mom, did you feel someone watching us?
Albina finally couldn’t contain herself and whispered in Olivia’s ear.
Olivia heard this and looked at Stephanie, and sure enough, she met her eyes full of hatred and jealousy.
Stephanie didn’t expect her unsuspecting stare and looked away in fright.
Olivia scoffed and slapped Albina on the back of her hand.
-It’s that dead woman Stephanie. Leave her alone, she hates me every time she sees me.
Albina looked curiously in Stephanie’s direction and said suddenly:
-Mom, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Stephanie hold a sign.
Stephanie’s character would have disagreed with Olivia at this point, but Olivia had won several items without any trouble, and she hadn’t seen Stephanie go out and give her a hard time.
This was not normal!