She reached across the table to take Carmen’s hand. I always told Derek he was a fool to leave you. You were always the strong one, the one with integrity.
Roberto saw that too, didn’t he? Carmen felt tears threaten at this unexpected validation. Thank you for saying that. It’s been overwhelming.
I can imagine Patricia squeezed her hand. How can I help with the girls with anything? Just being here helps. The girls need their family around them, especially now.
Their whole world has been turned upside down. Patricia promised to visit regularly to provide whatever support she could. As she was leaving, she turned back with one more observation.
You know, seeing you here in Roberto’s place, it fits. You have his quiet strength, his dignity. The station is in good hands.
The following day brought another development. Michael Reeves called to inform Carmen that Victoria’s attorney had officially withdrawn their challenge to Roberto’s will. With the criminal charges pending, they’ve decided to stop fighting the inheritance, he explained.
Practically speaking, this means there are no more legal challenges to your ownership of Estrella or any of the assets Roberto left you. It was a small victory amid the larger chaos, but significant nonetheless. Carmen’s position was now legally secure.
Even as her siblings faced years in federal prison. That evening, Carmen held a family meeting with the twins. They sat in the small living room above the station, the space now decorated with their belongings, family photos.
Things have been crazy these past weeks, Carmen began. With Abuello’s secret work, Uncle Marcus and Aunt Victoria’s arrests, the reporters outside. I want to check in with you both.
How are you feeling about everything? The twins exchanged one of their silent communications before Mia spoke. It’s weird. Kids at school say our family is like criminals and spies, but Abuello wasn’t a criminal.
He was a hero, right? Absolutely, Carmen confirmed. Your Abuello served this country for decades. He helped keep people safe.
And Uncle Marcus and Aunt Victoria? Luna asked. Are they bad people now? Carmen considered her answer carefully. They made bad choices, serious ones.
I believe they started with small compromises that led to bigger ones until they were involved in things they shouldn’t have been. But that doesn’t mean they don’t love you. Or that you can’t still care about them.
Will they go to jail for a long time? Mia’s practical nature always led her to the concrete questions. Probably, Carmen admitted, the charges are very serious. But you can write to them maybe visit sometimes if they want that.
They’re still family. Luna, always more emotional than her twin, had tears in her eyes. Everything’s different now.
Dad’s sad all the time when we see him. People look at us funny. And you’re running a gas station and doing Abuello’s secret work.
Carmen moved to sit between her daughters, putting an arm around each of them. Yes, everything is different. But some changes are good ones.
We have a stable home now. We don’t have to worry about money for rent or college or medical care. And we’re carrying on Abuello’s legacy, which is a tremendous honor.
She took a deep breath before continuing. I’ve been thinking about our future, about what we want Estrella to be beyond its special functions. I’d like to rename it Roberto’s Memorial Station and renovate it to be both a successful business and a tribute to your Abuello.
The idea clearly resonated with the twins, who immediately began suggesting designs and features for the renovation. Their enthusiasm was infectious, reminding Carmen that amid all the complexity and pain of recent events, there was also opportunity for growth and new beginnings. Later that night, after the twins were asleep, Carmen descended to the underground facility for her nightly check-in with Elena and Harrington.
They had become her mentors, guides through the transition from waitress to station operator to intelligence asset manager. The FBI concluded their interviews with Marcus today, Harrington reported. He’s provided names and details on his foreign contacts, hoping for leniency.
Some of it is actually valuable intelligence. And Victoria? Carmen asked. Still maintaining her innocence, claiming she didn’t know the source of the money flowing through her properties, Elena replied with a hint of disdain.
Carmen nodded. Unsurprised by her siblings’ divergent approaches, Marcus had always been pragmatic to the point of amorality, while Victoria’s pride would never allow her to admit wrongdoing. There’s something else we wanted to discuss, Harrington said, his tone shifting.
Your father left a recommendation letter for you for a position with the CIA’s Cultural Heritage Protection Program. Carmen stared at him in surprise. A job recommendation? From beyond the grave? Elena smiled slightly.
Roberto believed you would be an ideal candidate, your art background, your languages. Yes, we know you speak Spanish fluently and have been studying French and your proven integrity. The program works to recover stolen cultural artifacts and protect heritage sites from trafficking networks.
It would be part-time initially, Harrington added, compatible with managing Estrella and raising your daughters. I’d like to think about it, she said finally. It’s a lot to process.
Of course, Elena agreed. The offer remains open. Roberto was highly respected within the agency.
As Carmen returned upstairs, she paused in the store, looking around at the humble gas station that had concealed so much for so long. Her father had chosen this life deliberately, living simply while serving quietly, accumulating wealth but valuing purpose over possessions. Carmen moved to the window, looking out at the night sky.
Somewhere up there, she liked to think, her father was watching, perhaps with her mother beside him. She hoped they were proud of her. To Quiero, Poppy, she whispered…
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