Chapter 6 - The Quadruplets' Test
By the second week, the other three quadruplets—Mateo, Leo, and Isabella—decided that if Valentina couldn't scare away the new nanny, they would have to launch a coordinated campaign of their own.
It started innocently enough. During breakfast, Mateo tried to substitute Elena's coffee with a cup of pure hot sauce. Elena simply took a sip, smiled across the table at him, and asked if he wanted her to bake him some chicken wings to go with his condiment obsession.
Then Leo tried to rig the music room door so a bucket of ice-cold water would dump on her head. Elena spotted the tripwire before she opened the door, calmly disarmed it, and used the water to water the ficus tree in the hallway.
The final test came on Friday afternoon.
The children had locked themselves inside the high-tech media room, refusing to come out for lunch or tutoring, playing loud music to drown out anyone knocking.
Elena didn't yell or call security. She walked down to the estate’s industrial kitchen, baked a massive batch of warm, gooey chocolate chip cookies, and brought them tray-and-all to the media room door.
She sat down cross-legged on the floor right outside the door, picked up a book, and began reading aloud in a clear, expressive voice—not a textbook, but a classic adventure novel.
Within ten minutes, the heavy bass of the music inside the room lowered.
Within twenty minutes, the lock clicked.
Isabella peeked her head out, her dark eyes staring at the tray of cookies, then at Elena. "What are you doing?"
"Reading," Elena said without looking up from her book. "And eating warm cookies by myself. It's a shame nobody else is here to share them. They have extra chocolate chips."
Mateo and Leo appeared behind Isabella, their expressions suspicious yet tempted. Finally, Valentina stepped out, crossing her arms. "You didn't get mad."
"Getting mad gives you wrinkles and wastes good baking," Elena said, closing her book and looking up at all four of them. "Look, guys. I know you're trying to make me quit. I know you think if you're difficult enough, I'll pack my bags and leave just like everyone else."
The children fell silent.
"I'm not leaving," Elena said firmly. "Not because of your pranks, and not because your dad pays well. I'm staying because I like you. Even when you're acting like little mobsters."
May you like
Mateo looked down at his sneakers. Leo exchanged a glance with Isabella. And slowly, one by one, all four quadruplets sat down on the floor around Elena, reaching for the cookies.
The fortress walls around their hearts had just sustained their first real breach.
