Gabriel did not lower his gaze.
It wasn’t a challenge. It was a certainty.
“I choose her,” he repeated.
Elena took a step back, nervous.
—Sir, I didn’t…
“This is absurd,” Ricardo interrupted, frowning. “Gabriel, behave yourself.”
The five women exchanged awkward glances. One of them let out a short, almost offended laugh.
“We understand that the child is confused,” said the woman in the red dress. “It’s natural for him to cling to the person he sees most at home.”
Gabriel clenched his fists.
—I’m not confused.
Ricardo felt his patience beginning to break.
—Then explain why you’re pointing the finger at a female employee when you have well-prepared, educated women of our caliber standing right in front of you.
The word “level” hung in the air.
Gabriel looked at his father.
—Because they look at me as if I were part of the house.
Silence.
—She looks at me as if I were her.
Elena felt her heart overflow.
Ricardo frowned.
—That’s not a sufficient argument.
Gabriel took a deep breath. His hands were trembling, but his voice wasn’t.
—The night I had a fever and couldn’t breathe… you were in New York.
Ricardo blinked.
—I called the doctor.
—Yes. But she stayed with me. All night. She didn’t leave.
The women began to feel uncomfortable.
“When I have nightmares,” the boy continued, “I don’t call the guard. I don’t call the housekeeper. I call her.”
Ricardo tried to interrupt, but Gabriel continued.
—When they ask me at school who makes my breakfast… I say his name.
The millionaire felt a strange blow to his chest.
—That doesn’t make her a mother.
Gabriel stepped forward.
—Being a mother isn’t about having money. It’s about staying put.
The words pierced the garden like an invisible crack.
But the real blow was yet to come.
Gabriel looked directly at one of the women, the one with the perfect smile.
—And because I heard what they said.
The air changed.
Ricardo tensed his jaw.
—What did you hear?
—That whoever married you would have control over my actions until I turn eighteen. That they could decide which school I go to. That they could manage Mom’s trust.
The faces of two of the women lost color.
Ricardo turned slowly towards them.
-It’s true?
No one responded immediately.
