“Ma’am… are you okay?”
The woman looked up with tired but dignified eyes.
“I have Parkinson’s disease,” she replied gently. “Some days, even eating becomes difficult.”
Something inside Valeria tightened instantly.
Not because she pitied her.
Because she remembered.
Her grandmother’s hands had once trembled exactly the same way. She remembered the embarrassment in her grandmother’s eyes whenever she needed help doing simple things most people took for granted.
Without hesitation, Valeria smiled warmly.
“Give me just a minute.”
A few moments later, she returned carrying a bowl of hot soup instead.
Ignoring the irritated looks from other customers, she pulled up a chair beside the woman.
“Take your time,” she said kindly. “There’s no rush.”
The elderly woman let out a soft laugh filled with gratitude.
“Thank you, dear.”
The Stranger Watching from Afar
Near one of the restaurant columns sat a man who had quietly observed the entire interaction.
His untouched espresso had gone cold.
His name was Alejandro Castañeda.
At forty-one years old, Alejandro owned luxury hotels, industrial developments, and several successful companies across the region. Newspapers described him as brilliant. Business partners admired his discipline. Competitors feared his ruthlessness.
But sentimental was never a word anyone would have used to describe him.
