Chapter 115: Pozole

"Here you go, mijo," María said as she set the steaming bowl of pozole before him,"dig in."Ethan looked at the dish with a smile on his face as he sat down, "this brings back memories."

"Yeah, it really does." María responded as she also sat on the opposite side of the table, "now eat up before it gets cold."

"Thanks for the food," he said as he picked up a spoon and mixed the soup for a bit before taking a spoon full into his mouth.

An explosion of rich, savory flavors spread across his tongue, as he felt the tender chicken that fell apart easily, the earthy sweetness of hominy, the slight smokiness of chilies blending with the tang of lime.

Ethan closed his eyes briefly as he savored it.

He had completely forgotten how her cooking tasted as though he hadn’t had it in years..... which he hadn’t.

María on the other hand just looked at Ethan with a smile on her face as he ate, causing him to look up from his bowl and at her.

"Yours is gonna get cold," Ethan said, pointing his spoon at her bowl.

"Don’t worry, I’ll eat," she responded, "it’s just that I’ve never seen you eat this happily."

She is right, Ethan thought to himself.

Since he was trying his hardest not to get attached to her, whenever she brought food, he preferred eating it alone in his room.

No matter how hard she tried inviting him to have a meal together,he always denied, so she really was happy seeing him eat like this, right in front of her.

It really did fill her heart with joy.

"So, Ethan," she started, "tell me about the girls try to court you."

There was a mischievous smile on her face which caused Ethan to sigh, he knew she’d bring this up and there was only one person to blame for it,

Irina.

"Irina was only joking," he muttered, setting his spoon down with a faint sigh, "she likes stirring up trouble."

María chuckled, her eyes twinkling. "Ah, but jokes always carry a grain of truth, mijo. You’re handsome, smart... and now that you’ve grown up, I’m sure many young ladies notice."

"Not yet, María." Ethan shook his head, lips forming a faint smile. "Not interested."

Well, that was a lie, since there was a certain someone the even he knew he was interested in.

He knew that he now saw her as more than a friend, a business partner or even a pawn on his board, but he couldn’t tell María that.


"Not even a little?" she pressed, tilting her head, pretending to be casual but clearly enjoying his discomfort.

He met her gaze with his calm and resolute one. "I have too much on my plate to worry about that kind of thing."

María leaned back in her chair, her expression softening. "Mijo, life isn’t just work and responsibility. One day, when you’re older, you’ll look back and regret the things you didn’t allow yourself to feel. Don’t close your heart completely."

Ethan stirred his pozole slowly, her words cutting deeper than she realized. If only you knew, María... if only you knew how little I can afford to open my heart.

Still, he let out a small smile. "Maybe someday. But not now."

María let the topic drop, though she was still smiling. She picked up her spoon and finally began eating, clearly satisfied she had at least planted the seed.

The meal passed with a companionable silence after that—Ethan eating more slowly, savoring the warmth of the moment.

When the bowls were finally empty, María stood to clear the table. "You’ve eaten well, huh? I’ll have to cook more tomorrow."

Ethan stood as well, grabbing his bowl before she could. "I’ll wash up."

"Don’t worry about it, Mijo," she said, waving a hand in front of her, "you need some rest after your trip, just let me get your key and you’ll move in."

"I’m fi—" before he could say anything else María’s phone rang, interrupting the two.

With a small frown on her face, since she wasn’t expecting a call from anyone, she moved to the table she dropped her bag and started rummaging through.

Getting her phone out, her frowned got deeper as she identified the caller ID before she picked up and moved away from dining room and towards her room.

Seeing the frown on her face, Ethan immediately suspected that something was wrong so he said, "Athena."

His phone on the dining table suddenly lit up as the Athena’s avatar appeared, {On it.}

He knew whatever was wrong, María wasn’t going to tell him since she wouldn’t want him worried.

And though he knew it was wrong to spy on her phone call rather than asking her directly, he couldn’t just be left in the dark with what was going on with her.

{Connected,} Athena’s calmly said, and Ethan took out his ear pods and connected them to his phone, as she added, {her call has been routed.}

The faint sound of María’s came in, although she was trying to keep her voice as low as possible.

"...I told you already, I’m not selling."

A man’s voice responded through the line. "Señora, you should reconsider. The market in this district is changing. Your building is... an eyesore compared to the new developments. If you cooperate now, we can offer a generous package. But if you wait..."

There was a short pause on the other end, definitely one to set the tone whatever threat he was planning to say next,"...well, things tend to break down in old places, don’t they? You know, there could be a sudden electrical failure and the building might... I dunno, catch fire."

María’s voice grew firmer, though he could hear the tension in it. "I said no. Don’t call me again."

"Oh and know this," she added, "I’m currently recording this call, so if anything happens to my building, I’m taking it to the police."

With that she ended the call.

So that’s it, Ethan thought to himself as he quickly finished doing the two bowls. Predatory developers. They were trying to bully her out of her own home.

Athena’s avatar reappeared on his phone’s screen. {Do you want me to dig into the caller, Ethan?}

"Yes," he murmured under his breath, eyes fixed on the kitchen doorway. "Names. Company. Who they work for. Everything."

{Understood.}

María soon reemerged, her face carrying a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She tucked her phone away as if nothing had happened. "Sorry about that, mijo. Just a wrong number."

Ethan returned her smile gently,"no problem."

She turned to the sink where she had left the bowls, only to find nothing in them which caused her to turn to Ethan whose face held an innocent smile.

"You really are stubborn, Mijo." María said with a sigh before walking towards a shelf. Raising her hand a bit, she moved it a bit to the left and the dangling of some keys were heard.

Pulling her hand back, she turned to him and handed him the keys she had just taken.

"The keys to your apartment," she explained, "I had it cleaned when you informed me you were coming and I also made sure the water heater works so you should be able to take a bath and get some rest."

"Alright," Ethan nodded and took the keys from he, "Thank you, María."

"You don’t need to thank me, Ethan." She replied with a smile before adding, "now go take a shower, you stink."

With a chuckle, he left her apartment and crossed the hall to his old one. Slotting the key in, he stepped inside.

He dropped his bag on the couch, exhaled, then muttered under his breath, "Athena."

His phone lit up instantly as a bunch of files were received from her, alongside her avatar that had shrunk to just a part of the screen.

{Report ready.}

Ethan sat down, leaning forward. "Let’s hear it."

{The caller’s number was routed through a shell company registered out of Miami. Digging deeper... the real owner traces back to Solterra Development Group, a mid-tier real estate firm with a reputation for aggressive acquisitions.}

He scrolled the files received from her as she explained.

{They’ve been circling this neighborhood for two years,} Athena continued. {Three other buildings sold after similar harassment tactics. Residents complained of break-ins, ’accidental’ water damage, even sudden city code inspections. None of it stuck legally, but the pattern is clear.}

"I see," he muttered to himself as he continued scrolling through before something interesting on the files made him pause.

"What a coincidence," he said with a smile before turning to his phone, "Athena, call Irina."

{Sure,} Athena responded, and the screen switched to a dialing interface. A few rings later, the line connected.

"I expected a lot of things, but you calling me was definitely not one of them." Irina’s voice came through as soon as the call connected.

"I need a favor."