The servants whispered in the corners. They said Isabella was cursed. Some believed she missed her deceased mother too much. Others thought she was possessed.
Alejandro didn't believe in ghosts, but he was running out of options.
Then something unexpected happened.
The doorbell rang on a rainy Tuesday morning. The butler opened the door. A young woman with fair skin stood there, soaked. She was about twenty years old. Her clothes were old and cheap. Water dripped from her hair onto the marble floor.
The butler was about to close the door. That girl didn't belong in such a wealthy neighborhood.
But she spoke quickly. Her name was Elena Navarro. She came from a poor town in Jalisco. She had seen the ad online. She had spent all her savings to get there. She believed she could help Isabella eat again.
The butler laughed. Top chefs had failed, and a poor maid thought she could pull it off?
At that moment, Alejandro came downstairs. He saw Elena. Her eyes were full of determination. She didn't seem afraid, despite being in the house of the richest man in Mexico City.
Alejandro was tired of failing. He decided to give it a try. If he failed, he would call security to have her removed. But if he succeeded, perhaps his daughter would eat again.
Elena entered the enormous kitchen. The servants murmured behind her. They thought she was crazy.
The kitchen had every expensive utensil imaginable. But Elena paid them no attention. She opened her small cloth bag. She took out simple ingredients: rice, tomato, garlic, onion, chicken broth, fried plantains, and some spices from her homeland.
