Chapter 1: The Christmas Party Upstairs
The Santillán mansion glowed like a palace on Christmas Eve.
Crystal chandeliers sparkled above hundreds of guests. A towering Christmas tree reached toward the ceiling, wrapped in golden lights and silver ornaments. Laughter echoed through the grand ballroom while waiters carried trays of champagne.
At the center of it all stood Jimena Santillán.
Wearing a glittering diamond gown, she danced and laughed as guests admired her beauty and wealth.
Everyone believed she was the perfect wife.
Everyone except the four little girls hiding upstairs.
Valeria, Camila, Regina, and Sofía sat on the staircase landing wrapped in dirty nightgowns.
Their hair was tangled.
Their feet were bare.
Their stomachs hurt from hunger.
On a cracked plate beside them sat several pieces of stale bread covered with green mold.
The girls stared at the bread silently.
Finally, Regina whispered,
"I'm so hungry."
Valeria broke off a tiny piece.
"Eat slowly. Maybe Daddy will come tomorrow."
The words barely left her mouth when a deep voice echoed from below.
"My babies..."
All four girls froze.
They knew that voice.
"Daddy?"
Standing at the bottom of the staircase was Alejandro Santillán.
The billionaire dropped the gifts in his hands.
His face turned pale.
For six months he had been sending thousands of dollars every week for his daughters' care.
Yet the children looked thin and exhausted.
He climbed the stairs and knelt before them.
"What happened to you?"
Camila burst into tears.
Sofía wrapped her tiny arms around his neck.
Alejandro looked at the moldy bread.
His hands began shaking.
"Who gave you this?"
The girls exchanged nervous glances.
Finally Valeria answered.
"Mom Jimena."
Alejandro felt his heart stop.
"She said pretty girls shouldn't eat too much."
Silence filled the staircase.
Then something inside him snapped.
For the first time in years, Alejandro stopped thinking like a businessman.
He started thinking like a father.
And that terrified him.
Because he knew someone was going to answer for this.