Chapter 11: Seeking Elena
With the immediate threat neutralized and the guilty parties banished into the night, Valeria and Mateo turned their attention to the unfinished business that mattered most. Hand in hand, they walked past the bewildered guests and out through the service doors into the quiet back hallways of the estate. They found Elena standing by the open loading dock doors, breathing in the cool night air, slowly folding her canvas cleaning bag and preparing to leave for good. Valeria quickened her pace, her white lace train dragging slightly across the concrete floor.
"Elena, wait," Valeria called out, her voice softening into an earnest plea. The maid stopped, turning around with a guarded expression that broke Valeria's heart. Without a word of hesitation, Valeria unclasped the diamond necklace from her own neck, stepping close to the older woman. Before Elena could protest, Valeria gently pressed the heavy, glittering metal into the maid's weathered palm, closing Elena’s fingers tightly around it. Elena gasped, trying to pull back as if the diamonds were burning her skin. "I can't take this, Señora," Elena whispered, her eyes wide with shock. "It's your grandmother's." Valeria shook her head, tears finally spilling over her lashes, carrying no anger now, only deep, remorseful gratitude.
