Michael was sitting at his desk, trying to examine the documents. How can dad remember all this information? He wondered, if Michael had understood everything written in those papers at once, he would not be looking at them now like a student looking at the notes of a course he had skipped. Why hadn’t his father allowed him to be involved in the management of the company before? And why hadn’t he taught him anything about it? He had asked his father about it many times.

But his father was adamant. He kept saying that Michael had to study and gain experience, and only after that he could join the family business. Sometimes it seemed to Michael that his father either didn’t trust him or was jealous of his own business.

It was difficult to understand his father. He had always been introverted and taciturn. And the sudden death of his wife had affected his emotional state severely.

And now he was rarely happy about anything that was happening in his life. Michael treated his father with understanding. He saw how hard it was for him to work and at the same time take care of his son in a house that suddenly became empty.

Michael was just a child then and could not help his father much. But his father had a strong personality and exceptional stamina. He could not give the child enough warmth and affection.

But he provided care, attention, and food, and also achieved a good result in his business. His father was very vigilant about the business, and Michael had always felt that he would never let anyone else run the company, not even his son. But now things have changed.

The guy had to run the company without any experience. Maybe his father believes that the most effective method of learning is to enter the business and start solving problems right away. Maybe there is some reasonable explanation for that.

Michael felt like the stupidest person in the world. It took him a long time to understand the tricky details in the documents, and he constantly felt the skeptical glances of the company employees. Fortunately, at least his father told him who he could ask questions to and who he could trust.

But still, he had to win respect without anyone’s help. How many more mistakes will he make? And will he be able to become a real leader for his employees? For example, Alan always speaks kindly to Michael, but he keeps his lips tight and has a mocking look on his face. The staff says Alan was hoping to become the head of the company.

Michael should be careful with him. He’s a cunning man, thinking of Alan, who is ready to set him up for any mistake. Michael began to study the financial report even more diligently.

Two hours later, the exhausted man was driving home through the night city. It was already dark outside, and he could see the colorful restaurant signs and storefronts. Driving by a nightclub, Michael got a little upset and thought, is Lily there now? If she is there, who is she with? But why do I even care? We’ve both made our own choices.

Oh, be honest. It was clear from the beginning that their relationship would end quickly. Lily was the daughter of the head of an international company, and her parents had never denied her anything.

She didn’t know where the money came from and was used to wasting it without realizing its value. Michael is not a poor guy either, but the income of the family business can’t compare to the level of life Lily is used to. After learning about Michael’s girlfriend, his father immediately realized that they couldn’t be together.

Michael didn’t understand why, but his father only told him, you should choose an ordinary girl who will suit your status. His father realized what awaited his son in this relationship. But it was a good thing that he didn’t tell Michael that Lily was just a silly, spoiled girl.

Instead, he let his son realize it himself. Now, when he was sick of Lily’s constant whims and resentment that he could have bought more expensive perfume, chosen a better restaurant for dinner, and given her more exotic flowers, he realized she was the wrong girl. But she was so beautiful, he couldn’t stop thinking about her long brown hair, attractive body, and green eyes.

Even now, after the fights, after the disappointment, thinking of her, a shiver came over his skin. But he also remembered unpleasant moments. She had mocked his sincere but not rich friends when he invited Lily to his graduation party at the university, and she didn’t want to go with him to the hospital to see his sister after her surgery.

He thought then, why does such a beautiful girl have such a selfish personality? After they tried to spend a vacation together, the man could no longer tolerate Lily’s behavior. At that time, his father had just failed to make a profitable deal and had to pay a penalty to his partners. The guy realized how hard his father had worked to earn the money.

It was Michael’s father who gave the money for the vacation in Malta, but Lily wanted to go to Mexico, as she had dreamed of visiting Mexico all her life. But the man couldn’t pay for such an expensive vacation, and he couldn’t control his emotions anymore. He told Lily everything about her incapability to live normal life and work hard and about her unwillingness to look at the world not from the window of a nightclub or from daddy’s fancy car, but to try to achieve something on her own.

He told the girl that she didn’t know how to be kind to other people. In response, she told Michael that he was greedy and didn’t realize what a wonderful girl he was dating and that it was his responsibility to take care of her. Michael stated that there are many other beautiful girls out there, and they are not as cranky.

After this conversation, Lily slammed the door loudly, and they never met again. Thinking of Lily, Michael got angry and promised himself that he would improve his father’s business and bring it to a new financial level so that no one would ever dare to humiliate him because of money. The next day’s meeting went well.

Michael even managed to answer Alan, who tried to ask the new head of the company difficult questions. So when the door to his office opened, and the young girl asked if she could enter to water the plants, Michael nodded and even took his eyes off the papers to look at her more closely. The girl entered the office and lowered her eyes.

She’s pretty, the man thought. Yes, her hair is messy, and her clothes are old-fashioned, but she’s attractive considering there’s no makeup on her face. Are you a new employee? Michael asked.

Yes, today is my first day. I just came from the HR department, so I didn’t have time to clean your office before you arrived. Michael noticed that the girl was acting modestly but with dignity, and he liked that.

What is your name? My name is Valerie. The girl replied and smiled slightly. Her smile was friendly, and her face was kind.

I’m glad to have a new employee in our team, Michael said smiling. Valerie, if you need anything, feel free to tell me, and I’ll take into account all your requests and wishes. Thank you, the girl replied, smiling once more, and taking the watering can, left the office.

Well, at least now there is one really kind face in this company. Michael fought and enthusiastically began to review the draft of the new contract. From that day on, he gradually began to understand the specifics of the company’s activities.

He started to use the accumulated information correctly, and he managed to make the right decisions and give the right comments to the employees. This inspired him, and he felt a new energy that he poured into the business. Michael started to come to the office earlier to have time to work in silence, or to stay late after working hours to analyze the information accumulated during the day.

On one such day, when he arrived an hour early, he noticed his deputy’s office doorjar. Why did you come so early, Alan? The man thought to himself. Alan had never been early for work before, but then the indignant voice of the new cleaning lady and Alan’s displeased voice could be heard from behind the door.

Alan, if you ever behave like that again, I will have to defend myself. The girl muttered, struggling to control her emotions. Oh, I’m so scared.

Alan replied mockingly. I wonder how are you going to do that? Don’t pretend to be a shy girl, or you’ll be fired. Then there was some noise, then the sound of a slap in the face, a bang on the door, and footsteps.

Valerie was running out of the office. Well done, Valerie. Michael rejoiced in his mind.

That’s what he should have done. He probably came to work early on purpose so he could be alone with Valerie. The thought of Alan getting a slap on the face from Valerie for harassing her pleased Michael.

He realized the girl needed protection, but a couple of days later, the situation changed. A frowning Alan came into Michael’s office with a piece of paper and placed it on his desk. What is it? Michael asked in surprise.

It’s an official report. Alan replied, I’ve already made an official record of it at the secretary’s office. Why? So you don’t ignore or pretend I didn’t bring this report to you.

We have an emergency in our office. Someone is stealing money from the staff. This has never happened before.

I have provided the names of the victims. Please organize an inspection of the newly hired staff to identify the thief. I suspect the new cleaning lady.

She has the keys to all the rooms. We had no such cases until she joined our team. With these words, he happily left the office, and Michael almost broke his pencil from irritation.

So this scoundrel decided to take revenge on her. But still, Michael must find the thief. If Valerie is guilty, action must be taken.

But Michael was sure Valerie hadn’t done it. Michael told the security manager to install additional cameras in the building, check all the footage every day, and send him the footage from his office cameras. Then he summoned all the victims one by one and made sure that Alan wasn’t lying.

Someone really did steal the money. When he was alone in his office, he was sitting in confusion for a while. Perhaps Alan was trying to find a reason to fire the cleaning lady.

But then who had stolen the money? They hadn’t been hiring new employees lately. And when his father had been running the company, there had been no such cases. His father always paid special attention to the normal work atmosphere in the office.

Michael hoped that Valerie was not the person who stole the money. She seemed like a decent girl to him. Or maybe he simply doesn’t understand anything about people’s nature.

He joined the company just recently, and he already has to find the traitor. But how? After thinking for a while, Michael decided that he should catch the thief red-handed. He immediately took his wallet and pulled out his bank cards, but left the cash in it.

The man carelessly tossed the wallet on the floor near his desk so it looked like he dropped it and didn’t notice it. If a thief needs money so badly and steals it from their colleagues, they will not miss the easy prey and will definitely take a few bank notes. Hoping that the owner does not remember the exact amount of cash that was in the wallet.

The wallet was on the floor right under the hidden camera. Expecting to catch the thief red-handed, Michael left the office and went to a business meeting. Valerie will be cleaning the office today, so today he’s going to find out if this nice girl is guilty.

Michael was busy with other company matters all day, so he only thought about his plan when the security manager sent him the video. Michael pushed aside his unfinished coffee and turned on the video. Valerie came into the office and started watering the plants, then dusting the shelves.

She didn’t see the wallet from that spot, but that’s okay. She would vacuum the carpet anyway. After a few minutes, she picked up the vacuum cleaner and started vacuuming.

She finally spotted the wallet, took it in her hands, and examined it. Is she really the person who stole the money? Now the truth would be revealed. She opened the wallet and looked inside, but didn’t take the money.

But then she began to do something strange. She sat down at the table, took a piece of paper, wrote something on it, put it in the wallet, and put the wallet on the desk. Why did she do that? Now the situation was even more confusing.

Now Michael would have to wait until morning to find out what she had written. Alan, you shouldn’t have done that. I won’t let you hurt this fragile girl.

Michael didn’t sleep well at night for some reason, so he headed off to work early in the morning. There was no one in the office yet. Michael impatiently took the wallet and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

There was text written on it, thanks for the test. I think I passed it successfully. Did she really realize it was a test? Valerie turned out to be a very smart and brave girl.

But why is she working as a cleaning lady? I should talk to her, get to know her better. The man thought, at the end of the next day, all the employees had already left, but Michael stayed in the office waiting for Valerie. Soon he heard footsteps and keys jingling.

Valerie was preparing to clean the building. Michael focused on the paperwork, knowing she always cleaned his office first. Indeed, a moment later, the door opened, and Valerie, seeing Michael, stopped on the threshold.

I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were still here. I’ll clean the other offices for now, she said. The girl was about to leave, but Michael stopped her and said, no, wait, I actually wanted to talk to you.

Valerie worked over to the desk and sat down on the chair across from Michael. She was calm and focused. I’m sorry about this wallet situation, but someone recently stole money from employees.

I am the head of the company, so I had to do something. I don’t want to call the police, you know. I understand, Valerie said quietly.

This office has a very challenging environment, even for you. Did you notice anything? Of course, it’s not like I’m always cleaning the office before or after working hours. I do it during the day too.

You know, I’m just a cleaning lady. Nobody notices me. I’m almost like an inanimate object, like a robot that just moves around with a mop.

That’s why in front of me people talk about things they wouldn’t talk about in front of other employees. They believe that the cleaning lady is stupid and can only count to a hundred. So I already understand a lot about the ethical and financial situation of the company.

You must have a couple of university degrees, Michael said with a laugh. Now he liked this smart and taciturn girl even more. No, I have only one university degree, but it was a very good university, Valerie replied.

But please don’t ask me why I work as a cleaning lady. It’s temporary and there are reasons for it. So you are quitting soon.

Too bad. I just found a like-minded person and I’m already about to lose you. Can I ask you, what do you think is the worst thing about the company? There’s a big problem in the company.

One of your deputies is looking for supporters. Many employees say he was planning to become the head of the company and he was very angry when you got the position. If I understand the situation correctly, he’s trying to persuade one of the lawyers to forge some documents and sign a contract that is clearly unsuccessful.

The company would lose a lot of money and could file bankruptcy. After that failure, you won’t be able to solve the company’s problems. But Alan, Valerie uttered the name and grimaced squeamishly.

Alan has already prepared a plan on how to save the company in this situation. Eventually, the company will suffer monstrous losses. But Alan will solve the problem he created himself and take your position.

With such analytical skills, you should be the CEO, not Alan. Why don’t we have a cup of coffee? No need to clean my office today. I’ll make coffee now.

Ten minutes later, they were already holding cups of hot drink in their hands. They talked about many different topics, and it turned out that Valerie was a very intelligent and well-read girl with an extraordinary mind and an ironic way of looking at things. Michael didn’t want to say goodbye to her, but he realized she still had to clean the whole building and not miss the last bus.

Michael couldn’t sleep that night. He kept imagining Alan’s cunning grin and the unfortunate contract. And then he had a nightmare where he tried to catch up with Valerie, who was running away.

But when he caught up with her, he realized it was Lily, who was laughing mockingly, looking him in the eye. He got up in the morning in a depressed mood and went to the office with a headache, wondering who was actually the thief and how he could find this damn fake contract among all the contracts of their company. Michael had been anxious for a few days, and he was also thinking about how to ask Valerie out on a date and where to take her so that the atmosphere would be relaxed.

She’s a simple, modest girl. She wouldn’t feel comfortable in a fancy restaurant. After thinking about it for a long time and surfing the Internet, he decided to take the girl out for a country horse ride.

Valerie looks athletic, and she won’t have to worry about the outfit. They can rent shoes and uniforms right there. Slightly cheered up, Michael arrived at the office and immediately saw the security manager.

Any luck in catching the thief? The security manager nodded and followed his boss into the office. I finally caught the thief yesterday. The security manager pulled out his tablet, found the video and showed it to Michael.

Michael looked closely at the video and saw a middle-aged man enter the office and look in the desk drawers. He found money in one of the drawers, quickly put it in his pocket, and hurried to the exit. Near the door, he turned his face to where the camera was.

It was Billy, their lawyer, one of the first employees of the company. What on earth could have happened to him that he had dared to steal money? Thank you for a good job. You will get a bonus, but don’t tell anyone about it yet.

Okay. The security manager nodded affirmatively and walked out. Michael summoned a lawyer.

Billy entered the office and hesitantly sat down on the edge of the chair. He looked so confused that Michael even felt sorry for him. But still, he’s a thief, and he must be stopped.

Michael placed the tablet with the video on the desk in front of him. After watching the video, his face turned pale, and he whispered, What are you going to do now? It depends on how frankly you tell me the reason that forced you to do that. Michael said harshly, especially since it wasn’t the first time.

Billy loosened his tie with trembling fingers. I didn’t know what to do. My mom needs urgent surgery.

She has a tumor progressing in her brain, and the worst part is that there’s no way to know if it’s benign or malignant without surgery. It could require different treatment methods. I’ve sold everything I could, but I still need some more money.

I would give it all back to my colleagues. But later, I just really need the money. Billy, you’re not a child.

Michael looked at him reproachfully. Why haven’t you applied for financial aid from the company? I did, but I asked for days off too often because of my mom’s illness. And Alan said I already got my financial aid in the form of extra days official.

I would give all the money back to my colleagues. I even made a note in my notebook of how much money I took from each person. I would give all the money back when I got my bonus.

The man replied in a trembling voice, a bonus that Alan promised you for the fake contract. Michael asked. Billy started gulping for air, turning even paler, and Michael realized that the cleaning lady was right.

I refused to sign it. My co-worker, Richard, is working on it now. It’s a multi-million dollar contract.

I can’t set you up. Thank you, Billy, Michael said and gave the frightened lawyer a glass of water. Now listen to me.

You’ve got to calm down and tell me the name of the contractor and the subject of this contract, and I will give you an interest-free loan. You can pay for the surgery and give your colleagues back the stolen money. You must return the stolen money immediately, and you’ll pay back the loan within three years.

But I have one condition. I want to know everything about Alan’s actions. He wants to harm my company to achieve his dubious goals, and I have to stop him.

What do you think, Michael? You have no idea what you’ve done for me. I have been suffering from insomnia for months now from my powerlessness. You literally saved me.

I will never betray you. I promise you. Okay, enough.

Michael interrupted the lawyer. Go ahead and prepare the loan application and get your mom ready for surgery and bring me the information on the contract. When the overjoyed Billy worked out, Michael lay back in his chair with a sense of relief.

It seemed that he had already solved two big problems. He still had to figure out how to completely destroy Alan, but he would think about that later. For now, he had more pleasant things to do.

He finally decided to ask Valerie out on a date. Mrs. Stone, Michael said to the assistant on the phone. Mrs. Stone, I think the plants in my office need watering.

Please call Valerie. The date went great. It turned out that Valerie knew how to ride horses, and she was more relaxed than she had been at work.

She laughed and joked, and Michael admired her face, which was illuminated by the setting sun, her long shiny hair, and her smiling, beautiful eyes. She was so natural and relaxed. Michael looked at her and didn’t understand why he had tolerated lying.

Insolent Lily, he felt like a 17-year-old boy who had finally been able to break free. The day came to an end very quickly, and Michael was already driving Valerie home in his car through the night city, but she asked to drop her off at the bus stop and flatly refused to let Michael drive her home. Michael was left alone in the car, little surprised at the end of the date, and he didn’t even notice Alan coming out of the bar across the street and looking at Valerie.

When he saw Michael’s car, he smirked. The next time, Michael invited Valerie to the yacht club, but suddenly his disgruntled father entered the room. Where are you going? Gregory asked gruffly.

Michael realized that now he would have an unpleasant conversation with his father. I’m going on a date with a girl. Michael answered honestly, noticing that his father had lost a lot of weight and looked bad lately.

Are you going on a date with the cleaning lady? Dad asked angrily. Do you have a problem with that? The son asked. Yes, I’ve already found a suitable fiancee for you.

She’s the daughter of our investor. This is not the right time and not the right circumstances to go out with a cleaning lady, another rich girl. Dad, after my relationship with Lily, I don’t want to hear anything about rich girls.

I finally met a decent girl. By the way, who informed you about that so promptly? The employees of the company are still my friends. Are you talking about Alan? Well, no wonder then.

He’s been trying to woo this girl himself. If he’s really your friend, has he told you about his cunning plan? He’s preparing a contract that will drive the company into bankruptcy. I’ve been thinking about how to punish him for several days now, and I need to fire him urgently.

Tell me more about that, father said, and his eyebrows shifted, forming a deep wrinkle on his forehead. Michael, continuing to get ready for his date, briefly explained the situation in the company. Interesting information.

Well, I’ll handle his dismissal myself. I have some debt on him, but promise me you won’t see that cleaning lady again. Father, let’s talk about it another time, not today.

Michael exclaimed, grabbed his travel bag and ran out of the house. Michael didn’t regret choosing a boat trip for their date. Valerie really liked being away from the citanoids and crowds of people.

She was mesmerized looking at the water’s surface while the wind blew her hair. The girl even tried to steer the yacht. Michael looked at Valerie with a smile and felt that he was falling in love.

The feeling that he had finally found the girl he was ready to spend his life with was growing stronger by the minute. But the end of such a wonderful day was hopelessly ruined. Valerie didn’t allow him to drive her home again.

Getting out of the car at the same bus stop as before that same evening, his father said to Michael, Michael, I have kept my promise. Alan will quit tomorrow and will never come back to our company again. Don’t ask me what I did to make that happen.

You don’t need to know anything about it. But now it’s your turn. Stop seeing that cleaning lady.

And tomorrow I will wait for you at the restaurant at six o’clock for dinner. I will introduce you to your future wife and her parents. No objections.

The future of our business depends on it. Michael tried to say something, but his father just wouldn’t listen. He used to listen to his son’s opinion before, but now he had turned into a cruel man who didn’t want to hear anything.

He just turned pale and frowned. At one point, Michael, whose voice was already hoarse, fell silent, noticing his father’s unhealthy look. Are you all right? The son asked.

If you do everything I ask you to do, I’ll be fine. The father replied gruffly and left for his room. Michael couldn’t sleep all night.

He didn’t want to marry a rich woman, but he couldn’t understand what was going on with his father. Gregory’s behavior had been strange lately. First, he made his son the head of the company, and now he was trying to force him to marry a girl he didn’t even know.

He had never been so violent and rude, and his unhealthy appearance frightened Michael. Maybe he’s terminally ill and trying to get everything done before he dies. This thought frightened the boy even more.

It was useless to ask his father. He obviously didn’t want to talk about it. The next day, Michael impatiently drove to the office.

He knew that Valerie was supposed to be at work early in the morning, but she wasn’t there, and her phone was off. It was already noon on the clock, but she still hadn’t shown up at the office. Michael got nervous

Even the fact that Alan was parking his belongings before quitting his job didn’t make Michael happy. The guy didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t stand it and called his father.

Father, did you do this? Where is Valerie? I know you don’t like her, but you shouldn’t have done that to her. I’m not a toy. Don’t you dare manipulate my life.

Calm down. The father replied calmly. I have no idea where Valerie is.

I don’t care about the cleaning ladies. Please don’t forget. I will wait for you at 6 o’clock at the restaurant.

You can look for Valerie tomorrow. Michael got angry and pounded his fist on the table. I can’t ignore my father’s request.

I have to go to the restaurant, but I don’t want to marry some spoiled lazy girl. What happened to Valerie? Where is she? Michael showed up at the restaurant on time. Gregory, the investor, and his wife were already at the table.

Only Michael’s future wife wasn’t there. I hope she’s not coming at all. Michael thought hopefully.

After greeting everyone, he sat down at the table and began scrolling through the news on his phone with total indifference in his eyes. His father and the investor pretended not to notice anything and continued their conversation. Valerie, sweetheart, you’re finally here.

The man suddenly said happily, come and sit down at the table. We’re getting hungry. Hearing the name of his future wife, Michael shuddered and looked at the girl.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. Valerie was standing in front of him, but she was different. She had light makeup, a nice hairstyle, and a beautiful peach color dress.

She was smiling slightly and looking at Michael. At first, the man got up from the table, then coming to his senses, sat back in his chair without taking his eyes off the girl. This is my daughter, Valerie.

The investor introduced the girl, and this is Michael, Gregory’s son. Valerie nodded and smiled sweetly, but Michael felt unwell and started staring at his phone again. But how could this happen? Valerie is an investor’s daughter.

Is this some kind of prank? Then why was she mopping the floor in my office? Michael was getting very nervous. The shrimp was slipping off his fork as he tried to eat his salad. He silently stared at his plate and couldn’t raise his eyes to look at Valerie.

But suddenly, slow music started playing, inviting people to dance, and Michael immediately took the opportunity to talk to the girl. Can I ask you to dance with me? Michael asked, holding out his hand to Valerie, inviting her to dance. The girl got up from the table, and they went to dance.

Valerie, is that really you? Michael asked, hugging the girl gently. Yes, you recognized me. Why do you ask? I just don’t understand why it was necessary for you to work as a cleaning lady.

Everything is quite simple. I’ve already dated men who only wanted my father’s money. So when my father told me about Gregory’s wonderful son, I decided to find out what kind of person you are.

After all, you didn’t have to pretend in front of the cleaning lady. That’s pretty much it. Is that why you didn’t want me to see that you lived in a house that wasn’t suitable for a cleaning lady? Michael said and breathed in the soft scent of her hair.

I thought I was going to lose my mind today when you didn’t show up at the office and your phone was official, but you found me. Valerie replied with a smile. Aren’t you happy? Instead of answering, Michael hugged her even tighter and pressed his cheek against hers.

The couple didn’t even notice that when the music ended, they were left alone on the dance floor under the approving glances of their parents and the interested stares of the people around them. See, I told you Valerie is a decent girl. Gregory remarked contentedly on the way home.

Your father wouldn’t have chosen a bad girl for you. You even instantly forgot your cleaning lady. Father, what about your health? I’m not a child.

I have a right to know. Michael asked confidently. I’m going to the hospital tomorrow for surgery.

I’ve been diagnosed with a tumor in my lung. The doctors can’t say whether it’s a benign tumor or not. We’ll find out after it’s removed.

But I’m not worried. You’re doing even better with business than I expected, and you’ll marry a nice girl soon. I have nothing to worry about.

Dad, you still have to educate your grandchildren. I won’t have much time for that. Michael stated looking hopefully at his father.

A year later, Michael was running around the house putting the right papers in his briefcase and trying to find his tie. Dad, why don’t you run today’s meeting yourself? Valerie and I have to go to the childbirth preparation class. You’re fully recovered now, so maybe it’s time to get back to the company.

No, son, reschedule the meeting if you can’t make it. I’m not ready to get back into the business yet. I’ll be your remote business advisor for now, at least until your wife gives me grandchildren.

Gregory looked at Valerie in her big belly and winked at the girl, and she smiled back at him mysteriously.