Because I had a meeting with Lucila and I had to pick up Alonzo.
When she arrived at the early childhood centre, she saw from outside that Alonzo and the teacher were the only ones in the classroom.
Allyce walked in with a puzzled look on her face and asked, “Teacher Badia, is school out early today? Why is Alonzo alone?”
Teacher Badia’s face changed imperceptibly at her words.
“None of them came today. He finished and quickly added: “Mrs. Betances, you came very early today.
His smile was a little forced.
Allyce guessed something vaguely, but said nothing, just smiled and said, “I had an appointment with a friend today, so I came early, so bye Master Badia, we’re leaving now”.
“Yes, goodbye Mrs. Betances”. Teacher Badia seemed to want to say something else, but in the end she said no more.
Allyce’s smile remained the same and she lifted Alonzo up: “Alonzo, say goodbye to teacher Badia”.
Alonzo greeted his teacher Badia with a goodbye, “Goodbye”.
…
Once outside the early childhood centre, Allyce headed for the restaurant she had agreed with Lucila.
Only he hadn’t even arrived at the restaurant when he got a call from Lucila.
“Allyce, don’t come yet, go straight home and I’ll come to yours.” His voice was a little less than usual.
Allyce was silent for only a moment before saying, “All right, then I’ll take Alonzo first.
After hanging up the phone, Allyce was slightly out of breath.
There were only a few children in the same class as Alonzo, and the other children were not there today, not because they all had something to do at the same time, but because they all knew about Severo.
Whether Severo was the killer or not, he was involved in a criminal case.
It is understandable that the parents of these children do not want to leave their children in a room with the child of a potential murderer for a whole day.
Everyone has their own aversion to risk, and Allyce can understand that.
If she had been one of the parents of those other children, she might have behaved in the same way.
Suddenly he realised that the destinations were very similar.
If Severo’s conviction was final, Alonzo would be the son of a murderer.
The label would stay with him for the rest of his life.
Just as it had been then.
Allyce couldn’t be calmer.
Nothing could happen to Severo, and his son could not go through life with the label of the son of a murderer.
And Severo had not killed anyone at all.
Aletia had held no grudge against the family when she worked with them as a maid, and Severo had no reason to kill her.
Besides, Severo had told him not to worry.
Since he said that, it means he did not kill Aletia.
…
Shortly after Allyce and Alonzo returned home, Lucila arrived.
Allyce poured him a glass of water: “Drink first, we’ll eat soon”.
On his return, he had called home and asked the maid to prepare three portions of dinner.
Lucila arrived just in time to eat now.
Lucila picked up the water and took two stiff gulps.
Allyce sat across from her, “Why did you suddenly stop going out at that restaurant?”
“I was surrounded by paparazzi, it was very scary, I used to see those celebrities dodging the paparazzi, it seemed quite exaggerated, I finally got to experience it myself, it was scary, angry and annoying.”
Lucila gritted her teeth in anger when she spoke of the paparazzi.
She had said she knew nothing and the paparazzi were still determined to chase her.
When she left the restaurant, she was followed outside, and if she had not been so quick and had not stopped the car, she would not have been able to escape from them.
After Lucila drank some water to help her breathe, she began to tell Allyce what had happened at the restaurant.
It turned out that she had been watched as soon as she left work, but she had called a car with her mobile phone and got into it as soon as she left the office, so the paparazzi had to follow her to the restaurant.
Maybe there was another reason, because the paparazzi probably knew she was going to meet Allyce.
Allyce heard this and, after a long silence, said: “I’m sorry to have bothered you.
“What’s the problem, it’s not that I’m good as a person, and it’s a novel experience for me to experience what it’s like to be chased by the paparazzi.” said Lucila, smiling.
But Allyce’s heart grew heavier and heavier.
At first glance, it seemed that Severo was the only one involved in a criminal case.
But it turned out that everyone around her was affected.
It was not difficult for them to discover that Allyce and Lucila were good friends; after all, she and Severo were not public figures, but they were in the limelight.
So it was easy for them to find Lucila as Allyce’s only best friend.
Luckily, Neto was at home and not at Cloud Cit.
She remembered with a jolt the look on Severo and Xabat’s faces the night before after she said Neto was back home in Ciudad del Cielo …
There was surprise and understanding in his eyes.
Neto probably didn’t come back from nowhere; it was too much of a coincidence that he did.
Returned just the day before Severo’s accident …
“Lucila, did Neto say why he came back?” Allyce looked at Lucila with a straight face.
Lucila thought for a moment before saying: “He just called me in the middle of the night, out of the blue, saying that something was going on at home and that he was cancelling all his trips for the next day and that his return date was uncertain”.
Speaking of Neto, she was a bit heartbroken because she had still not been able to get in touch with him today.
Allyce listened to Lucila’s words with a flash of doubt.
Perhaps I was overthinking things?
Maybe Neto had just come back for something at home?
Allyce wasn’t sure what she was thinking and called Xabat while Lucila went to play with Alonzo.
As soon as the call was answered, he immediately asked: “Xabat, tell me, do you and Severo suspect that Neto was deliberately set up to leave Cloud City?
Neto’s family has a record, his father is big and the police department listens to him.
If he knew that something like this had happened to Severo, he would have found a way to avoid it.
Severo himself had contacts, but they were not as good as those of Neto’s father.
Xabat was silent for a few seconds and said, “Yes”.
Allyce couldn’t resist asking again, “Did the Severo affair have anything to do with grandfather?”
This time Xabat did not speak again.
Silence meant acquiescence, and most of the time it did.
Allyce’s heart sank to the bottom.
I had to admit that Tajo was as ruthless as the Delahoz family.
No, he was even more ruthless than the Delahoz family.