A Second Proposal

Not Employment — Something Deeper

The next morning, he returned — without a card.

With humility.

“Would you consider working with my mother?” he asked directly. “Not as a nurse. As company. As someone who treats her like a person.”

“Why me?” Valeria asked.

“Because you can’t fake what I saw.”

He named a salary.

More than triple what she earned.

“That’s too much,” she said.

“No. My mother is worth that much.”

Before Valeria could answer, Doña Mercedes spoke.

“You remind me of someone,” she said softly.

“Who?”

“A girl who once worked for me. Her name was Clara.”

Alejandro stiffened.

“Mother…”

“Let me speak.”

Valeria sensed the tension.

“Who was Clara?”

Mercedes inhaled.