His mother-in-law, however, had for years believed that it all came from Mauricio, her son.
“Mom, stop,” he said, moving towards her.
Beatriz didn’t even look at him.
“I’m not going to share a roof with people who don’t know how to behave in places like this. Valeria, take your parents and find a cheap inn. There’s no more room here.”
Doña Rosa lowered her head. Don Ernesto picked up the suitcase without protesting, but his hands were trembling.
“We don’t want to cause any trouble,” he murmured. “We can come back today.”
That humility finally broke something inside Mauricio.
“They didn’t cause any problems. You did,” he replied, with a firmness no one had ever seen in him. “Valeria paid for this house. The trip, the food, and even the car you brought were paid for with my wife’s earnings.”
Ximena, Mauricio’s sister, stopped recording videos for her social media and let out an incredulous laugh.
—Now you’re going to humiliate your own mother by defending those people?
Mauricio stood in front of both of them.
—Those people are my family. And they’re more educated than the two of you put together.
Beatriz, confident that her son would eventually give in, raised her chin.
—Then everyone can leave. Ximena and I will stay. We’ll enjoy the house without farmers ruining the photos.
Valeria looked at Mauricio. He understood without words.
“Okay,” he said. “Enjoy it while you can.”
Mauricio took his in-laws’ suitcases and walked toward the door. Before leaving, Valeria approached the manager and spoke to him in a low voice. Then she smiled with a calmness that made Ximena nervous.
An hour later, as the car drove down the road, Valeria had already booked four flights to Cancún and a private beachfront villa. Don Ernesto and Doña Rosa still believed they would be returning home.
But Valeria made one more call.
“I’m the reservation holder,” she said. “Cancel all services and remove the two women who stayed from the property. It doesn’t matter if there’s no refund.”
