Chapter 1
The Ramirez family had never been rich.
Their restaurant was small enough that five people could fill the entire place without trying. There were six tables inside, three more outside, and a kitchen that was so narrow that Eliza Ramirez had learned how to move around it without bumping into anyone.
The restaurant wasn't much to look at either.
The paint on the walls had started fading years ago. One of the ceiling fans made a clicking sound whenever it turned too fast, and the sign outside had lost two letters from the name.
But it was theirs.
And that mattered.
“Drake!”
Drake Ramirez stopped with one foot already outside the kitchen.
He slowly turned around.
“Yes, Mom?”
Eliza stood behind the counter with her hands on her waist.
“Where are you going?”
“Nowhere.”
“You're holding a plate.”
Drake looked down.
He was, in fact, holding a plate.
He looked back at his mother.
“I was taking it to a customer.”
“There are no customers outside.”
Drake glanced toward the empty tables.
“Oh.”
Eliza narrowed her eyes.
“Put it back.”
“But I'm hungry.”
“You ate twenty minutes ago.”
“That was twenty minutes ago.”
“You are twenty years old.”
“And?”
Eliza stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.
“Go and sit down before you eat something that belongs to a customer.”
Drake grinned.
“Yes, ma'am.”
He put the plate down and walked away.
From one of the tables near the window, Chase Ramirez watched the entire exchange without saying a word.
He had a book open in front of him, but he hadn't turned the page in several minutes.
Reina noticed.
“You've been reading the same page for ten minutes.”
Chase looked at her.
“No, I haven't.”
“You have.”
“You timed me?”
“I don't need to.”
Reina leaned across the table and looked at his book.
“You haven't even read that part.”
Chase closed the book.
“You're annoying.”
She smiled.
“You love me.”
“Unfortunately.”
Reina laughed.
At the counter, Eliza heard them and smiled.
“That is not how you talk to your sister.”
Chase looked at Reina.
“She's annoying.”
“I heard you.”
“You were supposed to.”
Reina kicked his foot under the table.
Chase kicked her back.
She kicked him again.
“Both of you,” Eliza called.
They stopped.
A few feet away, Donald Ramirez sat on a wooden chair near the restaurant entrance.
He had been sitting there for almost fifteen minutes without saying anything.
He was checking the day's sales on a small calculator.
Donald was a quiet man.
Very quiet.
Some people might have called him boring.
His wife definitely had.
More than once.
“Donald,” Eliza said.
He looked up.
“Hmm?”
“Are you listening to me?”
“Yes.”
“What did I say?”
Donald looked at her for a moment.
“You asked if I was listening.”
Eliza put her hands on her hips.
“That was not what I said.”
Donald looked back at his calculator.
“I was listening.”
Eliza sighed.
“Forget it.”
Reina smiled.
Her father looked at her.
“What?”
“Nothing, Dad.”
“Hmm.”
He returned to his calculations.
Reina looked at her mother.
Eliza looked back.
They both started laughing.
Donald frowned.
“What?”
“Nothing,” Eliza said.
“I know you are laughing at me.”
“We would never.”
“You are.”
Eliza walked over and kissed his cheek.
“You're too serious.”
Donald wiped the spot where she had kissed him.
“You have oil on your lips.”
Eliza gasped.
“My own husband.”
Drake started laughing from across the room.
Chase shook his head.
Reina covered her mouth.
Donald looked around at all of them.
“What did I say?”
That only made them laugh harder.
For a moment, the restaurant felt warmer than usual.
It was late afternoon, and business had been slow.
The kindergarten across the street had already begun closing for the day. A few parents were arriving to pick up their children, while teachers stood near the gate, watching the children leave.
Reina turned toward the window.
“I think we should close early today.”
Donald looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because there aren't many customers.”
“We'll wait.”
Reina nodded.
That was her father.
They waited.
They always waited.
The restaurant was their livelihood. Every customer mattered, even when the money from one meal barely seemed worth the effort.
Eliza walked over to the window and looked outside.
“It's going to rain.”
Donald glanced at the sky.
“No.”
She looked at him.
“How do you know?”
“I checked the weather this morning.”
Eliza stared at him.
“You actually checked?”
“Yes.”
“Donald, sometimes I wonder how I married you.”
“You married me because you loved me.”
Eliza smiled.
“Maybe.”
Donald raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe?”
She laughed and walked away.
Reina watched her mother disappear into the kitchen.
Then she looked at Chase.
“Mom loves Dad.”
Chase opened his book again.
“Obviously.”
“Dad loves Mom too.”
“Obviously.”
“Then why does Dad act like that?”
Chase looked toward their father.
Donald was still working with his calculator.
“That's just Dad.”
Reina nodded thoughtfully.
“True.”
Drake suddenly appeared beside them.
“Are you two gossiping about Dad?”
“No,” Reina said.
“Yes,” Chase said at the same time.
Reina turned to him.
“Traitor.”
Drake laughed and pulled a chair over.
“You know Dad can hear you.”
Donald didn't look up.
“I can.”
The three siblings froze.
Drake slowly leaned toward Reina.
“See?”
Reina whispered, “He's always listening.”
Donald finally looked up.
“I am sitting right here.”
They all laughed.
It was an ordinary afternoon.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing that would make any of them remember the exact moment years later.
There was no warning.
No strange feeling.
No sign that their lives were about to change forever.
Then someone screamed.
The laughter stopped.
Donald was on his feet before anyone else.
“What was that?”
Another scream came from across the street.
This time, they all heard it.
A child's voice.
Then another.
Then several voices at once.
Eliza rushed toward the window.
Her face changed.
Smoke was rising from the kindergarten.
And then they saw the flames.
“Donald.”
He was already moving.
“Stay here,” he said.
Eliza grabbed his arm.
“No.”
Donald looked at her.
“They're children.”
“I know.”
Another scream came from the building.
Reina was already running toward the door.
“Reina!” Chase shouted.
She stopped.
Her father turned toward all four of his children.
“Everybody stay together.”
Drake stared at the burning building.
“There are people inside.”
“I know,” Donald said.
For once, there was no hesitation in his voice.
Eliza grabbed a cloth from the counter and wrapped it around her hand.
“Let's go.”
Donald looked at her.
“Eliza—”
She shook her head.
“Those children need help.”
Drake was already opening the restaurant door.
Chase followed.
Reina was right behind him.
Donald stared at his family for half a second.
Then he ran after them.
None of them looked back at the restaurant.
Not once.