Chapter 5

I needed to act as soon as possible or they would force Guadalupe to marry Gabriel, Leonel already had a lot of gambling debts and I bought all the notes he had signed with other gamblers in the region.

It was a good amount, enough to buy two ranches like his.

“Sebastian, go to old Leonel's ranch and bring him here. Tell him I have a matter of his interest to attend to.” Atilio asked and Sebastian nodded in agreement.

"Yes sir."

He went there on horseback, Leonel was feeding the pigs and the farmhand from the neighboring farm approached.

“Mr. Leonel, my boss needs to talk to you now. He asked me to take him there now.” Sebastian took off his hat and approached.

"Tell him I can't go now."

"He said it's a matter of interest to you."

Leonel was worried, after all, what could that important and rich man want to deal with him? He mounted his old knight and went there with the pawn.

"Glad to see you didn't turn down my invitation this time." Atilio says when he receives him at his house.

“Sebastian said it was a matter of interest to me.”

“Of course, I do, and sit down.”

Leonel seemed cornered and above all very curious about the subject I had with him.

“Do you recognize these notes?” Atilio asks.

I handed them to him, who examined them one by one.

“Yes, they're mine, but how did you get them all? I know I owe you good money, but some of these debts I didn't incur, at least not with you boy.” Leonel looked at all of them scared.

“You're right, I paid a lot for some of them and much more than they were actually worth.”

“And why would you do that? What interest can you have in making me owe so much?”

“We got to the point where I need to.” Atilio got up and poured whiskey into a glass for Leonel and for himself.

I got up and took a few steps while he followed me with a worried look and didn't even taste the drink in his glass.

"I want something from you."

"What could you want from an old man like me?" Leonel asked.

“Your daughter!” Atilio smiled and drained the entire contents of his glass in one gulp.

“Guadalupe is not an object nor is it for sale.” He screamed.

“Of course not, your daughter is a magnificent girl and I want her by my side.”

“My Guadalupe does not intend to marry!”

“And who spoke of marriage? I want her to come live with me in this house in exchange for me not sending you to jail for all these debts and leaving her and her mother on the street of bitterness.” Upon hearing such things, Leonel was furious, he never imagined that Atilio could be such a cruel man.

“My daughter has been refusing several marriage proposals all these years, why do you think she would want to live with you and even more so with a partner and without any marital commitment?”

"I know you'll convince her, just as you've been trying to convince her to marry that imbecile Gabriel, and they even got engaged."

"She won't accept Gabriel and she won't accept this filthy proposal of yours!" Leonel broke the glass on the floor with all the anger he felt.

"It's up to you. Either bring her to me tomorrow, or I'll send you to jail.”

“I already advance our answer is no! My daughter is a straight girl and will not live in sin with anyone!” Leonel left that room to the point of suffering an attack of so much hatred for what he heard.

I swallowed that damn insult and the urge I had was to personally go get her by force from that filthy ranch.

Leonel arrived home, with no floor, he couldn't even face his wife properly.

“ What kind of face is that, old man? That man came back from the house without being able to look me in the eye, tell me what happened?”

“I am lost, I have put our daughter in a terrible trap and she will never forgive me for it.” He says throwing his old hat on the bed.

"What did you do?"

"I've owed that damned man a huge debt, and he intends to send me to jail and take our house away if Guadalupe doesn't become his lover."

“This man really is a monster!” Esther responds by firing up her heartbeat.

"He's obsessed with her and I should have known he'd do anything to get that, he set me up and I stupidly fell for it."

“Poor our daughter...” Esther says.

"No! she won't pay for my mistakes, I’ll turn myself into the police. I don't want you to say anything about it and if you ask why I was arrested, say I fought in the tavern and they took me. The animals we have and the milk will give you to live for a while.” He touches the shoulders of his wife who was crying in disbelief.

"What will become of the two of us without you?"

“You have to be strong for Guadalupe to be too.” Leonel hugs Esther.

That night Leonel and Esther couldn't sleep thinking about what could happen the next day.

Far away.

“Father, what a pleasure to see you again.” Atilio says caressing the priest's hand.

“He seemed determined to conquer Guadalupe.”

“ And I am.”

"So you don't know that her family came to talk to me with the intention of arranging a wedding date as soon as possible."

“She will not marry Gabriel!” Atilio raised his tone.

“So what do you intend to do, Atilio?”

"Help me meet her, we need to talk to each other without anyone getting in the way."

“At church there, I would have my eye on both of them and I’m sure she wouldn’t turn down a request from me.”

"In church?...all right then, tomorrow at the latest."

Atilio and the priest said goodbye after settling the details of some charity works.

“Is the priest gone?” Amelia asked approaching.

"Yes and now I'm going to the city, I have something very important to take care of and I can't wait another second for it."

I took my car and a few minutes later I arrived at the police station and the deputy promptly attended to me because the law of power prevailed in that city.

“What brings you here, young man? “ The delegate asks as he greets you with a handshake.

"I need a big favor, I know you wouldn't deny me a request." Atilio smiled shyly.

I gave him all those notes and he went over them carefully.

"It's a good amount."

“ Yes, delegate, I want you to arrest old Leonel today! ” He demanded in a serious tone.

“And do you think that if I arrest him, he will be able to pay off this debt?”

"I know not, but I just want to teach you a good lesson."

"Already understood." The sheriff felt sorry for being an old man, but he was a powerful man who was in front of him and he couldn't deny it.

“And one more thing, I don't want anyone to know the reason for this arrest, or criticize me for having sent him there, much less attack or frighten his wife, much less his daughter. "

“Of course Atilio, I will do everything as you wish and without violence.”

“I trust you, sir.” The two shook hands once more and he withdrew a value handing it to him.

I gave him good money so that everything was done as I wanted, now I just had to wait for a few days in jail to make him understand and convince his daughter to come to live with me.

At Guadalupe's house.

We were having dinner, my father seemed very quiet that night in particular we heard someone knocking on the door.

"I'll see who it is." Esther announces, pushing away her chair and going to open the door.

"Good night ma'am, forgive me for coming so late we have to take your husband." The delegate says, already entering the house.

“Who is Mom?”

“The deputy daughter came to take me to prison.” Esther responds with a shaky voice, but deep down she was already expecting it.

“There must be a mistake, my father arrested?” Guadalupe covered her lips with both hands and began to cry.

"Sorry young lady, but there is no mistake, let's go now, Leonel."

I started crying desperately, my mother hugged me and they took my father.

“Your father took to drinking, got into trouble at the tavern, and was denounced.”

"I already know what to do to get him out of there mom and I'll do anything."

At Atilio's house.

“Did you really have the courage to send that poor man to jail Atilio?” Amelia entered the room and saw him thinking and looking out the window.

"It's just a lesson, he'll leave as soon as he convinces his daughter to come."

“No one in this world will be able to convince that young woman to go against God, she will not accept living here without being her Atilio at all.”

“She will accept sooner or later, obey her parents in everything, and this time it will be the same.”

"She must be suffering so much for her father, poor thing."

"Stop talking about it, I'm going to sleep because I have an appointment at church tomorrow." he says irritated.

"If you're going to be able to sleep, after all, you've done."

Atilio

I went to my room, Leonel was already fragile by time and would suffer a lot inside a prison.

I thought about her, Guadalupe would not sleep that night thinking about her father, whom I had sent to jail without any mercy.

The next day the priest went to the ranch to try to convince Guadalupe to meet Atilio at the church to talk.

"Father, they arrested my father and we don't know what to do." She cries and hugs the priest.

"God!" he exclaims, surprised.

“He got into a mess in the city.” Esther complements.

"Let's go with me to the church, daughter, if your mother allows we can talk to someone and ask for help."

"Of course, you can go, Father, I'll stay here praying for him while you talk better."

This was the perfect opportunity to bring the two together, Guadalupe was sad, and who else in that place was so powerful and could intervene in that unfair prison?

The priest believed that Atilio was the solution to that problem.

I was already waiting for her, as I had arranged with the priest. It wasn't the ideal place, but at least I would be able to talk to Lupe one more time. She arrived arm in arm with the priest in the sacristy, beautiful as ever. But he was sad and the dark circles under his eyes betrayed the difficult night he must have had.

“Lupe, Atilio is here and I think you should talk for a moment, I believe he can help you in some way.” The priest says, guiding her to sit next to him.

"What happened? Does it look so sad?”

He helped her to sit next to me, I could only look at those lips so perfect as the priest left and left us alone.

“My father is in jail, Atilio.” Revealed in a shaky voice.

"How is this possible? Your father is a good man, why did they take him?”

I put a handkerchief in her hand.

“My mother said he fought in the city and that's why they took him, it hurts me so much to think about what he might be going through alone in that place.”

"Don't cry princess, everything will be clear I will talk to the delegate and try to solve everything."

“Would you really do that?” Guadalupe asked.

"Of course I do, your tears pity me, I've been feeling alone in that big house." Atilio spoke in a touching tone.

"Alone?"

“Yes, I need someone to talk to and understandable and sweet person. Just like you!"

I took one of her hands, Guadalupe breathed more quickly and flushed her cheeks.

"I don't intend to marry anyone, Mr. Atilio!" She responded fearlessly.

"I respect your decision Lupe, but that wouldn't stop you from keeping me company in that big, cold mansion."

She stood up visibly annoyed by my words.

"I accept that you want to help me with Dad, but if you intend to gain some advantage..." He cut her off before she could finish her sentence.

"No way, I'm going to do everything I can today to get your father out of prison and in return, I just want to return the joy to your face."

I kissed her hand and soon the priest came in, we said goodbye and he took her back home.

I stayed in the city for a while and resolved matters related to business, and almost at night, I went to the police station to free the ungrateful Leonel.

I arrived at the police station and went straight to his cell.

"Why are you here? Have you come to see if I'm really paying dearly for falling into your dirty trap?” Leonel says if he sat on that hard and cold bench that was called a bed there.

"Without remorse my dear, I came here to take you home."

"I don't believe a single word that comes from you."

"Stop being stupid and get your stuff." Atilio leaned against the railing and smiled. "Come on man!"

Leonel didn't question my good intentions, he packed the few things he had and headed back home.

“I was with your daughter just now.” Atilio says while driving.

“What did you do to her?”

"Calm down old man, don't get upset like that (sigh) we just talk in church."

“Get away from her, leave my daughter alone! She didn't do anything to you!"

“I can't walk away from her, not even if I wanted to…” Atilio didn't notice, but in his speech, there was more submission than power over his own feelings.

We arrived at the ranch and he barely waited for me to stop the car to leave.

“Lionel? Thank God you're home!” Esther says as she hugs her husband.

"Daddy?"

"Yes daughter, I'm home and this time I promise I will never fail you again."

“I brought your father back to you Guadalupe, just as I promised.” Atilio insisted on making himself noticed by her and revealing that he had done his good deed.

Leonel wanted to shoot me with his eyes.

“Thank you Atilio, really thank you so much!” Guadalupe thanks you with a smile and a tear of gratitude.

Returning the joy to her gave my heart peace at that moment, but I couldn't deviate from the real intentions I had.

“So I'm going now, could I come and talk to your daughter, Esther, for a moment? I know it's late now so..."

“My daughter has nothing to deal with you!”

"Dad I'm sorry, but please this time, let me answer for myself...yes Atilio, come tomorrow and we'll talk."

I left there with a smile from ear to ear, tomorrow I could put my small talk into practice and I'm sure she will fall in love with me.

A humble girl and in the end, just another dreamer and romantic for my collection.