PART 4
Javier's chest was rising and falling violently.
"I've tried everything," she said, turning to Natalia. "Psychologists, tutors, nannies, summer camps, activities, gifts... Nothing works!"
Natalia held the mop with one hand.
—Because you keep trying to fix them as if they were your company's problem.
The silence fell with a bang.
Santiago, who was just entering with a folder, was petrified.
Javier blinked, incredulous.
-Sorry?
Natalia left the mop against the wall.
"They're not broken down. They're grieving. They're furious. They're scared. One wets herself because her body no longer knows when it's safe. Another breaks things because she'd rather hear the sound of breaking glass than the sound of her own head. The twins play mean pranks because they're less afraid together. And Camila…" She glanced toward the stairs, where the little girl was eavesdropping. "Camila thinks that if she becomes unbearable, no one else will be able to come in and take away the last thing she has left of her mother."
Javier opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Natalia took a step towards him.
"You don't need another nanny, Mr. Hernandez. You need to be your own father again."
The man received the phrase like a slap in the face.
Her fingers closed so tightly on the back of a chair that her knuckles turned white.
—He doesn't know what he's talking about.
—I know what happens when adults hide at work so they don't cry in front of the children.
That really hit him hard.
Something worse than anger appeared in Javier's eyes: shame.
The girls remained on the stairs, motionless as if the air might break.
The richest man in Mexico City had just fired his 50th chef in a single month. His daughter refused to eat anything at all. The girl was getting thinner every day. Doctors said she might die if she didn't start eating soon. But wait until you see what happens when a poor, young, white maid appears at his doorstep.
Alejandro Castillo owned the largest conglomerate in Mexico. He had everything anyone could want: a huge mansion in Lomas de Chapultepec, luxury cars, power, and money… but his little princess, Isabella, wouldn't eat. The girl threw food at the employees. She screamed every time the chefs tried to feed her. Twenty doctors had examined her. They all said the same thing.
The girl's body was perfectly healthy. She simply refused to eat.
That day, another chef was fired. Chef Ramirez had prepared the most expensive soup in Mexico City. Isabella glanced at it once and threw the bowl to the floor. That soup cost what many people earn in a month. But Isabella turned around and left as if nothing had happened.
Alejandro was desperate. His wife had died when Isabella was born. The little girl was all he had left. If she died, he would have nothing.
He posted ads everywhere: he offered 20 million pesos to anyone who could get Isabella to eat. Professional chefs came from Monterrey. Masters of French cuisine flew to Mexico. Experts in Italian food did their best. No one managed to get Isabella to even take a bite.
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