Alejandro Mendoza arrived at his own house with a bouquet of roses in his hand and an old guilt squeezing his chest. He had crossed half the world before his time, abandoning in Madrid a million-dollar negotiation that everyone considered impossible to postpone. But over the past few days, every time he heard his daughter Valentina\u2019s muffled voice on the phone, something inside him would crack a little more.<\/p>\n
He wanted to surprise Regina, his wife. I wanted to enter without cameras, without escorts, without a driver. He wanted to show that underneath the cold businessman, the owner of luxury hotels and the man who lived between airports, there was still a husband capable of returning with flowers and a father willing to stay.<\/p>\n
That is why he asked the taxi to leave him one block from the mansion in San Pedro Garza Garc\ufffda. He went downstairs with his suitcase, tucked the white and pink roses against his chest, and walked toward the service entrance. But as he approached, he stopped.<\/p>\n
The house was lit up as if she were celebrating a wedding. Imported cars occupied the entrance. Elegant music came from the garden. Glasses clinked, voices laughed, guests toasted under the golden lamps.<\/p>\n
A party. At home. Without it.<\/p>\n
Alexander felt that the bouquet suddenly weighed down like a funeral wreath. Regina had told him earlier that morning that she would go to bed early. No dinners. No guests. No celebrations.<\/p>\n
He entered through the back door using his personal key, making his way down the service hallway. He didn\u2019t make it ten steps when Mercedes, the oldest employee in the house, appeared from the pantry with a tray of empty glasses. When she saw him, her face lost all color. A glass fell into the marble and exploded like a shot.<\/p>\n
Alejandro opened his mouth to reassure her, but she ran to him and covered his mouth with a trembling hand.<\/p>\n
\u00ab\u00a0Don\u2019t speak, sir,\u00a0\u00bb he whispered, his eyes full of terror. For whatever you want\u2026 You need to see something before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n
Never, in all the years that Mercedes worked for her family, had she dared to touch it. He had never forgotten his place, his uniform, his silence. But that night she didn\u2019t look like an employee. She looked like a woman trying to stop a tragedy.<\/p>\n
Alexander slowly pushed his hand away.<\/p>\n