“That’s not my style, ma’am.”
She smiled and told him he could consider the extra money a reward, a bonus for his honesty.
He thanked her, but just as he was about to leave, she called after him. “Raúl, spend the night with me.”
The young man thought he’d misheard. “Ma’am, did I hear you right?”
“One night, and I can give you anything you want. A house, a car, money.”
Raúl froze. “I’m sorry, I can’t do that.”
“Why? Do you want to save your mother?”
“Just one night is enough.”
“No, I’m not that kind of man. Excuse me.”
And he left. His rejection struck Raquel to the core. She had always been courted for her money, never for who she was. Divorced four times, humiliated, betrayed, and robbed—her last ex-husband had stolen all her belongings on their wedding night. And now a young stranger, poor and desperate, was rejecting her. That very night, she called him.
