Xabat’s words silenced Allyce.
His heart was surprised and he became a little nervous.
But even if there was a possibility that it was as Xabat had said, that was all I could do.
Allyce smiled and said: “But the truth is, there’s nothing more we can do.
There was helplessness in his smile.
Xabat moved his lips but no words came out, a dishevelled look on his tall frame.
“When it doesn’t happen, we can only anticipate. But when things have broken in and threaten our lives now, we can’t let the possibility of what might happen next stop us from acting. We have to at least get Severo out first; the longer we delay, the worse it can get, and if we have to think about the consequences of everything we do, what else can we do?”
Allyce’s tone was gentle.
But to Xabat’s ears, somehow, it made him feel a little sad inside.
He had known Allyce for a long time, and as she was an important person to Severo, he had respected her and grown fond of her over time.
When he heard Allyce’s words, he was unable to refute them.
Because what she said was true.
He was at the limit of his strength. Tajo had set a net so that he could not resist and hoped that Severo would surrender.
But there was no way Severo was going to give in.
It was a criminal case in which Severo was involved, but in reality it was a war between Severo and Tajo.
Neither of them is a good guy, and they are fighting a psychological war.
And it was clear that the longer the Severo affair dragged on, the worse it would be for him.
Severo was already in the doldrums.
Xabat took a deep breath and twisted his head to look away.
“Go check on Alonzo, he hasn’t seen you for days and probably doesn’t remember you as an uncle. Allyce told him with false lightness.
“Hmm.” Xabat didn’t say much more and after handing the phone back to him, he turned and headed for the exit.
He was moved by Allyce’s words, a gesture in which he acquiesced to what she was doing.
Only when the door closed did Allyce redial Tajo’s number.
It had to be said that Tajo was very good at psychological tactics, and after making the call, it rang until a second before he was about to hang up automatically, when he picked up.
Allyce had to wonder how happy he must have been during the time it took for the call to go through.
Once the call was answered, Allyce spoke first: “Grandfather”.
Tajo’s voice was mid-toned and there seemed to be a hint of surprise in his tone: “Oh, it’s you?
The tone of surprise was clearly feigned.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Grandpa, how have you been? Allyce turned her head to look out the window, her voice soft and calm.
Tajo said: “You get older, of course, not as well as you young people, but lately I’m in a good mood.
Allyce’s hand on the desk tightened involuntarily.
What was Tajo thinking? Was it so important in his mind that Severo should voluntarily live under his control for as long as he could?
So important that it would do so even at the risk of losing its reputation.
Instead, he couldn’t help remembering that time two years ago, when Tajo was seriously ill in hospital, Severo was so worried about him ….
Severo for Tajo, if he had been as ruthless and heartless as he had been with that maid, I fear Tajo would not have had the opportunity to do such things to Severo.
“When grandfather is free, I’d like to visit him and we can talk about Severo. Allyce said no more.
When Tajo received her call, he knew what she intended, and if she kept pretending to be calm in front of Tajo now, it would only be a joke to him.
It would have been better to say it out loud.
What she did not expect was that Tajo rejected her as soon as she spoke: “Wait a couple of days, I have other things to do in the next few days”.
Allyce froze slightly.
He thought that Tajo was waiting for them to take the initiative to come to see him, and now that she had taken the initiative to call him, Tajo’s purpose had been achieved and he would have agreed to meet.
But she had underestimated Tajo.
He wanted to delay things further, but she couldn’t wait any longer.
“I don’t know if Grandpa likes fishing, but when a fish is hooked, it’s better to catch it as soon as possible, otherwise the line gets too long and becomes more than valuable”.
Allyce played it safe by saying that.
He had a sneaking suspicion that Tagus must also have concerns and worries.
“Is that so? Then you will go fishing with me this afternoon”. There was a noticeable change in Tajo’s tone.
Allyce was relieved: “Good”.
“I’ll have someone inform you of the exact time and place afterwards”.
Tajo finished and hung up the phone.
Allyce heard a busy tone on the other end of the phone, and only then did she feel her whole body disconnect, letting her body lean back and sink into the chair.
Fortunately, Tajo also had concerns on his mind.
Probably a man like Tajo, who was too intelligent and scheming, had more worries on his mind than others.
Although Tajo had absolute certainty in his mind about this moment, he could not bear what Allyce had calmly said. As intelligent as he was, he was also very suspicious.
That is why he had changed his mind after hearing Allyce’s words and set the time for the afternoon.
It was the first time he was really aware of Tajo’s tactics, and making the call had made his hair stand on end.
Thinking about what he had said to Tajo last time, he couldn’t help but laugh in his mind at his naivety and ignorance.
…
She sat in her study for a while until Alonzo approached her and brought her back to reality.
“Mum”.
Alonzo called out to her as he came running towards her.
Allyce got up to catch up with him.
“Where is Uncle Xabat?” asked Allyce.
Alonzo blinked and said, “Down there”.
He said, and bent down and pointed to the ground.
Allyce knew he meant Xabat was downstairs and, without further ado, led Alonzo downstairs.
Indeed, Xabat was still in the corridor, he was talking on the phone, not knowing what was being said on the other end, his face was hard, his face was stony as he said a few words and then hung up.
Allyce saw him and paused for a moment, waiting for Xabat to finish his call before pulling Alonzo towards him.
“Xabat, Alonzo is going to bother you, grandfather and I have agreed to go fishing together this afternoon”. Allyce said this with a smile on her face, as if she was really going fishing with her husband’s grandfather.
Xabat’s face froze again and he pondered for a moment with a tense face before answering with a jerk: “OK, you can contact me if anything comes up.