A millionaire calls to fire a cleaning lady, but the person who answers is a little girl who says, “Sir, please don’t fire my mom.

If you do, we won’t have anything to eat.

“That phrase, so simple and powerful, changed everything.

The businessman’s reaction was unexpected.

Leticia entered the large office on the top floor with the same routine as always, pushing her cleaning cart with her ponytail messed up, her blouse faded from so many washes, and her hands a little red from the chlorine.

It was early, 7 in the morning.

The bosses hadn’t arrived yet, and she liked that because she could clean in peace, without anyone looking at her as if she were in the way.

That day, however, she was more distracted than usual.

Camila, her daughter, had woken up with a fever in the early morning and had hardly slept at all.

He left her with the neighbor next door and promised to return quickly.

In her mind, she only wondered if the girl was okay, if her temperature had already gone down, or if Mrs. Letti, her neighbor, had given her the syrup as she had instructed.

That’s why, upon entering the office of Esteban Ruiz, the owner of the entire company, he didn’t even stop to look around the place as usual.

That room was imposing.

It had leather armchairs, furniture that shone as if no one was using it, and a strange smell, like expensive cigars and perfume that aren’t sold in normal stores.

Lety put on her music softly, the old cumbias that cheered her up, and started to catch from one side to the other.

I cleaned quickly because I had to leave early that day.

But as he swept the cloth under the enormous glass desk, he accidentally moved one of the corners of the furniture with the broom.

He didn’t even feel like he pushed anything, he just heard a loud thud like something heavy hitting the ground.

Her heart stopped, she turned around slowly and there she saw him.

The painting, a large one with a gold frame, one of those that seem more important than they really are.

He was leaning against the wall on his side, glass shattered in one corner.

It wasn’t completely broken, but it did have a clear crack.

And she knew, she knew well, that this painting was special for the boss.

I always saw it hanging right behind the main chair, as if it was just there for everyone to notice when they walked in.

Leti approached with trembling hands.

I didn’t want to touch it, but I couldn’t just leave it lying there either.

He lifted it carefully, checking the edges.

It was heavier than I thought.

He leaned it against the wall as it was before, trying to put it back just the same, even though he knew the damage was noticeable.

He took off his glove and wiped it on the sleeve of his sweater.

The glass had dust on it and that crack that looked like a lightning bolt shaped crack.

Her breathing was shallow, like when you’re about to cry, but can’t because you’re in public.

He looked towards the door.

No one had arrived yet, the other employees had not arrived yet.

He grabbed the dry rag and quickly wiped it over the desk, the armchairs, everything, as if that would distract attention from what had happened.

She thought about reporting it, she thought about going to the supervisor, to Doña Rosa, and telling her what happened, but then she thought about Camila, who had already been told that the next mistake or the slightest error would mean she’d be out of a job.

And that job, even though it was poorly paid, even though it was hard, was the only one he had.

He couldn’t risk it, could he? Now then, he did something he didn’t like to do: pretend.

He pretended that nothing had happened, that the painting was the same, that it hadn’t fallen, that no one had touched it.

She finished cleaning in a hurry, without looking back, her stomach in knots.

Every step towards the exit weighed more heavily on him.

She kept telling herself that maybe the boss wouldn’t even notice, that maybe the damage wasn’t that obvious, that with luck he’d forget to check the office that day.

But while she was waiting for the elevator to go down, she had a thought that she was freezing and if there were cameras and if they saw her.

He swallowed.

I hadn’t seen any cameras, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

The rich always had everything under surveillance.

Every corner, every door, every employee.

He closed his eyes and pressed the button for floor one as if that would speed up the descent.

When he finally left the building, the hot air from the street hit him in the face.

He walked quickly toward the subway station, mingling with the street vendors, the shouts of “Llévele,” “Llévele,” and the smoke from the basket tacos.

She felt like everyone was looking at her as if she had a guilty connotation plastered on her forehead, but she couldn’t do anything else.

I had no choice.

When she got home, Camila still had a fever.

He gave her the syrup, changed her diaper, put a light blanket on her, and sat next to her, stroking her forehead.

The girl opened her eyes slightly and said softly, “Are you done working, Ma?” Leti didn’t answer, just nodded and kissed her on the cheek.

She sat there, staring at the leaking roof, wondering if she would still have a job the next day.

That night he didn’t have dinner, not because of a lack of food, but because of the knot in his stomach.

He went to bed with his clothes on, his uniform dirty and his socks crooked.

In the darkness of the room, all that could be heard was Camila’s slow breathing and the echo of her own guilt, bouncing back and forth.

She was afraid, so afraid that she couldn’t sleep.

It wasn’t the fear of being scolded, it was the fear of losing everything.

Let it sit still, moving from one side to the other in the small room, where the spotlight hung without a shade and barely illuminated.

He’d already showered, he’d already tried to eat something, he’d already checked on Camila twice, but the thought wouldn’t go away.

The painting, that painting that fell because of him.

Did they notice? Already? Did they fix it? Is the boss watching the cameras right now? He sat down on the swollen chair, the one with a hole in the seat, and looked at his cell phone.

Nothing, no messages, no missed calls.

It was a good sign, wasn’t it? If they were going to fire her, they wouldn’t have spoken to her by now.

But she also thought that maybe they were just waiting for her to arrive the next day to do it in person, with everyone watching, with Doña Rosa screaming as always and embarrassing her in front of the other ladies.

He looked at his watch.

9:45.

Too early to sleep, but too late to do anything.

I had already washed the dishes, picked up the clothes, swept Camila’s little room.

I had nothing else to do, just think.

And that was the worst part.

He walked towards the girl’s bed.

Camila slept peacefully with her face half sweaty from the fever.

He touched her forehead with the back of his hand, as his mother had taught him, and noticed that it was no longer so hot.

She breathed a little easier.

At least that, at least Camila was recovering.

He sat down next to her on the edge of Minos’s bed and looked at her for a long time.

His daughter was the most beautiful thing he had in life.

Her little face, her round cheeks, her long eyelashes.

Sometimes I didn’t understand how she had come out so beautiful.

He smoothed back the strand of hair that always fell into her face and stood there with his hand on her tummy, feeling it rise and fall with each breath.

She remembered when her husband was alive.

It wasn’t perfect, but at least they shared the arguments.

When Camila was born, he was selling things on the street.

He then tried working in a winery, but it didn’t last long.

They assaulted him one night as he was coming home from work, took everything from him, and left him lying on a sidewalk.

Leti didn’t tell Camila what happened, she just told her that her dad was in heaven.

Sometimes the girl spoke to the sky at night.

I told him, “Daddy, take care of my mommy.

“And Leti had to turn away so he wouldn’t see her cry.

Now it was all about her.

It all depended on her.

If she lost her job because of that silly painting, what would they do? Who would she turn to? Her mother couldn’t help her anymore.

Her sisters barely had enough for their own children.

And she had no education.

I didn’t know how to do anything other than clean and take care of things.

And yet, life gave him no respite.

He looked at his cell phone again.

10:15.

Nothing.

Total silence.

The silence weighed more than anything else.

It was like a void that got into your chest and didn’t let you breathe.

She lay down on the bed without changing, with her jeans already tight and her blouse stained with bleach.

He laid his head on the hard pillow, hugged a blanket, and closed his eyes.

But sleep never came.

His neck hurt, his feet hurt.

His whole soul ached from enduring so much.

In his mind he repeated the scene over and over again.

The dry sound of the painting falling, its image lifting it, its hands shaking.

I imagined Esteban Ruiz watching the cameras, pausing, zooming in, frowning.

I saw him furious, screaming her name, demanding that she be fired.

That scene felt so real that at times he had to open his eyes to convince himself that it wasn’t really happening.

He tried to distract himself.

He thought about Camila singing her made-up songs, the times she asks him to paint her nails with marker, the way he runs to her when he gets home from work.

That girl was his driving force, his reason for everything, and for her he would endure anything.

Outside on the street, dogs could be heard barking, with the music of a distant party playing in the background.

They were common sounds in her neighborhood, but that night they made her feel lonelier than ever, because even though she was surrounded by noise, neighbors, and movement, she was alone with her thoughts, and that was what was most tiring.

At about 1 a.m. he got up to go to the bathroom.

The floor was icy and as he walked he felt his knees creak.

She looked in the mirror and saw herself exhausted.

Dark circles, dry skin, sad look.

He washed his face as if that would help, and went back to bed.

She lay there, staring at the ceiling, following the wet spots with her eyes.

They gave it shapes.

One looked like a rabbit, another like a boot, another like the face of someone she didn’t want to recognize.

He closed his eyes again and tried to count.

One, two, three, four, up to 100.

But nothing, sleep never came.

At 3 he heard Camila coughing.

He got up quickly, gave her water, wiped her nose, and tucked her back in.

The girl mumbled something she didn’t understand and went back to sleep.

Leti sat there with her forehead against the wall, without the strength to return to her bed.

I no longer knew if I was awake or asleep, if it was a dream or reality.

All she knew was that the next day was going to be long, very long, and something inside her told her the storm was just beginning.

It was 7:10 in the morning when Esteban entered his office.

Like every day, he had coffee in his hand, a bag hanging over his arm, and a look of annoyance.

I hadn’t slept well.

I had an important meeting at noon and traffic had been worse than ever.

His assistant, Pamela, was already waiting for him with a pile of papers, but as usual he ignored her.

He pushed open the door to his office with his shoulder, adjusted his watch on his wrist, and went straight to his desk.

He put down his coffee, sat down, and turned on his computer.

When he looked up, he felt strange.

He didn’t know exactly what, but something in the air didn’t fit.

He crossed his arms, turned his chair slightly, and that’s when he noticed it.

The painting, the one that was right on the wall behind the guest chair.

That painting had to be perfectly straight, well centered, without a single fingerprint on it.

He was like that, everything in order, everything symmetrical, anything out of place bothered him.

He stood up and walked over to the painting, looking at it closely.

One of the corners of the frame had a small crack.

The glass had a barely visible line, as if it had been hit.

He frowned, ran his finger over the surface, dust and that stuff shouldn’t be there.

The cleaning ladies came every morning.

That was clear.

So what had happened? He looked around.

Nothing else looked strange.

The desk is clean, the chairs are in their place, the blinds are as always.

But that painting, that damned painting, he had a tight frown on.

Esteban walked to his desk, sat back down, and dialed an extension.

Pamela, call the systems guy.

I need the security videos from last night.

Of all the cameras on the 18th floor.

Yeah, thanks, he hung up without waiting for a reply.

He didn’t like wasting time.

Ten minutes later, Julio, the systems manager, arrived, a nervous kid with fogged-up glasses and a face that said, “Please don’t scold me.

“He was holding a USB in his hand.

“Here are the videos from last night, sir,” he said without looking up.

“Thank you.

Leave it and jump.

“Esteban connected the memory to his computer and began to review.

The first few hours passed quickly, everything was calm, the lights off, the office empty.

Then, at about 5:40, a figure entered the office.

She was a short, thin woman with her hair tied up.

He was wearing a gray uniform.

It was the cleaning lady.

He paused it, enlarged the image, and recognized it as Leticia.

I had seen her a few times in the building, but I had never paid attention to her.

Up to that point, he played the video in normal camera.

He saw her come in, take out the rags, start cleaning as if it were her own house.

He passed the cloth quickly, without looking much.

One of those times, he accidentally moved the desk and the painting fell down, hitting the floor with force.

Esteban jumped in his chair at the exact moment.

Her face was pure despair.

He covered his mouth with both hands and looked at the painting as if he had just committed a crime.

In the recording, Leticia carefully picked it up, wiped it with her sleeve, and tried to arrange it just as before, clearly nervous.

You could see how his hands were shaking.

Then he left the office without looking back.

Esteban paused the video again, leaned his elbows on the desk, folded his hands in front of his mouth, and thought.

I wasn’t upset by the painting itself.

He knew the damage was minimal, but what upset him was that no one had said anything to him, that someone in his company, even if it wasn’t the cleaning service, had hidden something.

I couldn’t stand that.

played the video again.

Leticia’s expression was impossible to ignore.

She was not a careless or indifferent woman.

She was a woman with fear, a fear that seemed familiar to him.

He had seen that face before.

In his mother’s case when the collectors arrived and there was no money to pay.

In her sister when she was left alone with her children and didn’t even have enough gas.

Esteban blinked a couple of times uncomfortably.

What was wrong with him? Why did he feel a strange knot in his stomach? He took a deep breath and dialed reception.

Get me the number for Mrs. Leticia Jiménez, the cleaning lady.

I want it now.

Pamela walked in without knocking.

As always, he heard the last part and raised an eyebrow.

What do you want it for? Esteban didn’t answer.

He closed the video window, took out the USB and put it in his coat pocket.

He looked at Pamela as if he didn’t want to explain anything to her.

She twisted her lips, crossed her arms, and left without saying a word.

Esteban picked up his cell phone again, looked at the screen, hesitated for a second, then dialed a number he wasn’t even sure was correct.

What happened next left him frozen, because the person who answered wasn’t Leticia, it was a tiny, trembling voice, with background noise and a tone that would break anyone’s heart.

Well, Leticia, I’m not Camila.

My mom is not here.

Who’s speaking? Esteban remained silent.

Hello, said the girl.

He swallowed.

Hey, I’m Esteban, your mom’s boss.

There was a silence.

Then the girl said something he hadn’t expected, something that completely disarmed him.

Sir, please don’t fire my mom.

If not, we won’t have anything to eat.

Esteban closed his eyes and remained silent.

He held the phone to his ear for a few more seconds without saying anything.

Then he hung up and in that instant something changed inside him.

Esteban stared at his cell phone as if he didn’t know what to do with it.

He held it between his fingers, but it had already hung up.

He said nothing, thought nothing, just stood there motionless with that little voice echoing in his head.

Sir, please don’t fire my mom, otherwise we won’t have anything to eat.

His chest was burning.

I didn’t understand why he wasn’t one of those people who let that kind of thing affect him.

He was used to making tough decisions, to firing people without a shake in his hand.

The company was her life, her name was on everything, and she couldn’t let anything or anyone taint it, much less an employee who broke things and remained silent.

I knew that.

I had always known that.

But that girl, that girl changed something inside him.

He pressed his lips together, stood up from his chair, walked to the window, and stared out at the city buildings.

Below, cars moved forward like ants.

People were hurrying, everyone in their own world.

And he stood there, feeling more confused than ever.

The door opened without warning.

Pamela came back in now with a folder in her hand.

I already have Mrs. Jiménez’s details.

He said in his usual dry and direct tone.

Esteban didn’t turn around.

I don’t need them anymore.

Pamela blinked in surprise.

Sorry, I don’t need them.

I’m not going to fire her.

Pamela slammed the folder down onto the desk.

What? Why did you watch the video? He lied.

He broke something valuable and walked away as if nothing had happened.

He didn’t break anything valuable, he replied without moving from the window.

He just got scared.

Since when do you care whether someone is scared or not? Esteban finally looked at her with an expression Pamela had never seen on him before.

It wasn’t anger, it was something else.

A mixture of doubt, discomfort and guilt.

She’s a mother, he said softly.

Pamela took a step back.

What does that have to do with anything? Esteban didn’t answer. He just grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair, put it on, grabbed his cell phone, and left the office.

Pamela stood there gritting her teeth.

Esteban went down to the ground floor and left the building.

He didn’t tell anyone.

He walked one block, then another.

I didn’t even know where I was going.

I needed air.

I needed to clear my head.

In his mind he kept hearing that little voice.

I didn’t know what the girl looked like.

He had never seen her before, but that innocent way of asking for help, that way of speaking with fear, had already become embedded in his memory.

He had grown up surrounded by screams, problems, and doors slammed in his face.

No one ever spoke to him like that.

No one ever asked him for anything with such purity.

He sat down on a bench in the nearest park, took out his cell phone again, and checked his call history.

Leticia’s number was still there.

He hesitated.

He thought about dialing again.

I wanted to hear the girl’s voice again or perhaps speak to Leticia directly, ask her what had happened, why she hadn’t told me anything.

Why did she remain silent? But she didn’t.

He put away his cell phone and stared at some children playing on the swings.

One of them looked like he did when he was 6 years old.

skinny guy in a public school t-shirt, laughing without knowing that life was a storm.

He remembered something.

One day, when he was eight, his mother went to beg the boss not to fire his father, not to leave them without an income.

The boss didn’t even let her in.

He sent word that he had no time for begging women.

His father also lost his job and left home weeks later.

He never came back.

That memory tightened his throat.

It was one of those I had buried deep, but there it was floating again.

Esteban got up, returned to the building and went up to his office.

Pamela was waiting for him with her arms crossed.

Now that he’s moving on, you’re going to give him a raise too.

Tell maintenance to fix the glass on the painting, he said without looking at her.

And let no one say anything to Leticia.

Are you serious? Yes, absolutely.

Pamela pressed her lips together and looked at him with cold eyes.

You don’t know her, you don’t know who she is.

And you are not like that.

Maybe I’m not the same anymore.

And with that he walked into his office and closed the door.

He was distracted all day.

The important meeting was a disaster.

He didn’t pay attention.

He hardly spoke.

He signed papers without reading them.

All I could think about was the cleaning lady who had picked up that painting with her hands shaking and the little girl who begged her not to fire her.

It was already 6 p.m. when she called human resources.

Mrs. Leticia Jiménez has a fixed schedule or is it based on shifts?

He arrives every day at 6 in the morning, the girl on the other end replied.

It’s okay if you come straight to my office tomorrow.

Go talk to her now.

Yes, I want to meet her.

The alarm clock rang at 5 o’clock.

Let turned it off before Camila woke up.

The girl moved a little with her hair all disheveled and her pajamas half pulled up.

Leti covered her well and stood for a moment looking at her, wanting to record that image, because yes, that morning she had a feeling that something bad was going to happen, something big, something that would change her course.

He washed his face with cold water, combed his hair as best he could, put on his gray uniform blouse and worn-out sneakers.

He didn’t have breakfast.

I wasn’t hungry.

Rather, she felt a knot in her stomach that didn’t even let her breathe properly.

He left quietly, leaving Camila asleep under the teddy bear’s blanket.

In the hallway, her usual neighbor said good morning to her, but she barely responded.

The walk to work was slow, more because of the weight of fear than the traffic.

Every step he took toward the building felt like he was getting closer to a verdict.

She had dreamed a thousand times during the night about her boss yelling at her, about the camera capturing her scared face, about the other employees mocking her as she was escorted out.

The painting, the damn painting.

When he arrived on the 18th floor, the first thing he noticed was the strange silence, like when someone is waiting for you.

No one spoke to her, no one greeted her, she just heard someone from human resources say, in a low voice, “She’s here.

“He pretended not to have heard.

He went straight to the bathroom, splashed water on his face, and looked at himself in the mirror.

Calm down, Leticia, calm down.

At 6:20 they called her.

A voice on the radio told her, “Leticia, Mr. Ruiz is requesting you in his office.

Urgent.

“His heart went to his heels.

He walked to the door on numb legs.

He played with a loose hand.

Inside.

A voice told him, “Come in.

“He pushed the door and entered.

Esteban was sitting at his desk looking at something on his laptop.

He didn’t look up immediately.

She stood before him like a statue.

She didn’t know whether to speak or stay silent.

Her eyes were red, but not from crying, but from not sleeping at all.

And there I was standing in front of the boss, the owner of everything, the one who could decide whether I ate today or not.

Esteban looked up, looking her up and down, not with contempt, but with a serious, very serious expression.

Leticia, please sit down.

She hesitated.

It was cheating.

Why so polite? He sat on the edge of the chair.

“Look,” he said, folding his hands on the desk.

“I know what happened yesterday.

“Leti gasped.

I saw the video.

I know the painting fell.

I know he tried to accommodate him.

I know he didn’t say anything.

She lowered her head.

He didn’t say anything.

She had a lump in her throat that wouldn’t let her breathe.

Why didn’t you tell me? She swallowed.

He had his eyes fixed on the ground because he was afraid.

He said barely in a muffled voice.

Afraid of what? Of being kicked out.

What if they fire me? I have no way to support my daughter.

Stephen remained silent.

He turned towards the window for a few seconds.

How old is your daughter? Six.

She was the one who answered the phone yesterday.

Leti looked up in fear.

He spoke to my house.

He nodded.

I asked her about you and she told me not to fire you, otherwise you wouldn’t have anything to eat.

Leti bit her lips.

Shame rose to his face like fire.

Sorry, sorry about that.

I swear I didn’t know she was going to answer.

I always tell him not to pick up the phone.

I was going to tell him about the painting, I swear, but I got scared.

Esteban said nothing, he stood up from his chair, walked to the window, stood there for a few seconds with his hands in his pockets, then turned around.

I’m not going to fire her.

Leti blinked.

Sorry.

You heard right.

I’m not going to fire her.

She didn’t understand anything.

But why? Because her daughter asked me to.

Leti looked at him with a face that said, “This can’t be happening.”

Esteban returned to his chair as if nothing had happened.

He will continue working here.

You’re going to keep cleaning this office, but I want you to tell me straight away if anything happens starting today.

She didn’t stay silent.

Let was able to nod.

I was so confused that I didn’t even know whether to thank him or apologize again.

may withdraw.

She stood with her heart beating so hard her ears were ringing.

He left the office without turning around.

He walked to the bathroom, closed the door, and there, for the first time since yesterday, he collapsed and cried.

She cried like a child, from nerves, from fear, from relief.

She cried because she was tired of enduring it and because of a strange miracle.

This time not everything fell.

This time it held.

Meanwhile, in his office, Esteban couldn’t concentrate.

He read the mail, signed papers, but his mind wasn’t there.

Every time I closed my eyes, I heard that little girl’s voice.

And even though he didn’t want to admit it, a part of him felt good about not firing her, like he’d done the right thing.

For the first time in a long time.

The alarm clock rang again at 5.

Leticia turned it off without thinking.

She wasn’t tired, but she felt as if she had been run over, even though her heart was calmer than the day before.

His body was tense.

He got up, went to the bathroom, washed his face with ice water and looked at himself in the mirror.

Her eyes were swollen from crying so much the night before, but it wasn’t sadness, it was something else, something strange, as if something new had started, but she didn’t know what.

He dressed the same as always, with the gray uniform, the fuzzy sweater, the same low ponytail hairstyle.

He woke Camila up with a kiss on the forehead and made her some bread with milk.

The girl opened her eyes, still with a hoarse voice.

They kicked you out, ma.

Lety stood still, staring at her, her soul crushed.

No, love.

The gentleman said he’s not going to fire me.

Camila smiled with relief.

He grabbed her hand from his bed.

If you spoke to him.

Leti looked down.

He couldn’t tell her that he had called her for her, that her little voice was the only thing that kept him from losing his job.

He just replied, “Yes, I talked to him.

Everything’s fine.

On the way to work, everything seemed different.

The people, the air, even the sound of the subway, everything resonated as if it were louder.

He was thinking about how to behave, whether he should greet the boss, whether he should act as if nothing had happened, or whether it was better to never look him in the eyes again.

He arrived at the building just in time.

Rosa, the supervisor, gave him a strange nod.

As of today, don’t get into trouble.

Lety nodded.

I didn’t want any trouble, I wanted to go unnoticed.

But as I was preparing the cleaning cart, Pamela approached.

She was wearing her usual folder, her hair was perfect, her lips were painted as if she were going on a red carpet.

Leticia, the lawyer wants me to clean his office today.

Only you.

Let stopped.

She looked at her confused.

Me you, just you, but I’m assigned the ninth floor today.

Pamela looked at her with a don’t-make-me-repeat-it look on her face.

Today you go to the 20th directly to the boss’s office.

Or do you want me to say no? Leti lowered her gaze.

No, it’s okay.

She rode the elevator alone with the cart full of rags, air freshener, and a broom.

Every number that passed made his heart race.

Floor 11 12.

13 20 He took a deep breath before the doors opened.

He entered the long hallway and walked to the office he knew all too well.

Everything was quiet.

He knocked on the door.

A calm voice answered from inside.

Happens.

Leti pushed the door.

Esteban was sitting there in the same place as always.

This time he didn’t have the computer in front of him, he was just looking out the window with his hands crossed.

She walked in without saying anything, walked straight to the cart and started taking out the rags.

I didn’t want to look at him, I didn’t know how to act.

They greet each other, they ignore each other.

She thanks him for not running her away.

Everything was confusing.

Esteban watched her, he didn’t speak, he just watched her as she began to clean the window frames as if it were a normal day.

But he knew it wasn’t.

Something in his chest was strange.

That lady, that woman who seemed invisible to everyone, was now in his head as if she had been there for years.

Leticia, he said suddenly.

She turned around.

with the rag in hand.

Yes sir.

Is your daughter okay? Lety was surprised by the question.

No one at work asked about her daughter.

Nobody.

It was as if Camila didn’t exist.

Yes, it’s better now.

Thanks for asking.

What’s her name? Camila.

Esteban repeated the name in a low voice as if he wanted to memorize it.

It was her who answered, wasn’t it? Yes, she has a very sincere voice.

Lety nodded.

I didn’t know what to say.

It seemed very strange to have a conversation like that with the boss.

I was used to seeing him only as a serious, cold, distant figure.

And now he was there asking about his daughter, telling her she had a sincere voice.

It was like I was meeting him for the first time.

Leticia, he said again.

I want to be clear, I didn’t do him a favor.

I don’t like people who make mistakes and hide them, but I also don’t like people who act like other people don’t have a life outside of work.

She remained silent.

I don’t want him to be afraid of me.

I want you to tell me things as they are.

That’s all.

Lety felt something loosen inside her.

It wasn’t relief, it was a mix of respect and nerves.

I was realizing that this man was not like the other bosses I had had.

He was not one to shout or humiliate for just anything.

It was different.

I had something.

All right, sir.

I promise.

He nodded.

Thank you.

can continue.

She returned to her work, began to clean the desk.

At one point, she accidentally saw a photo of Esteban with an older man.

They looked like father and son.

He had another, more relaxed face.

The photo was in a simple frame.

He didn’t say anything, but Lety looked at him curiously.

I had never imagined the boss as someone, with parents, with a life, with a family.

It’s his dad.

Esteban looked at her, hesitated for a second.

Then he said, “It was Leti.”

He looked down.

Sorry to ask.

No problem.

There was a long silence, one that wasn’t awkward, but heavy, as if the two were discovering something they didn’t know was there.

She finished cleaning, put the rags in the cart, and walked toward the door.

Excuse me, sir.

Thank you, Leticia.

She nodded and left.

When the door closed, Esteban stared at the place where she had been.

He felt something in his stomach, a kind of tickling, a sensation he hadn’t had for a long time, and although he didn’t understand why, he wanted to see her again.

The first thing to leak out was gossip, as always happens in places where everyone has something to hide and nothing better to do.

It started quietly in the staff dining room, between two ladies who were always talking while nibbling on their sweet bread.

One said, “They say Leti went to the boss’s office again.

“And the other responded with a grimace.

Again.

And what was she doing there? In less than an hour, everyone on the ninth floor knew that Leti and the cleaning lady had been to Mr. Esteban’s office twice in a row, and not just to mop.

According to what they said, he had called her personally, that he had her brought directly, that he asked that no one else enter with her.

People didn’t need proof, they just needed an idea and the idea was planted.

The girls at reception started raising their eyebrows every time they saw Leti walk by.

The systems guys looked at her sideways.

In the accounting department, a young woman said loudly, “No wonder they didn’t fire her.

after the painting, right? And another, mockingly, commented, “That’s the true power of the mop.

“Lety didn’t find out right away.

She continued doing her work, bowing her head, wiping the cloth, greeting him with a small but sincere smile.

I felt something was different, yes, but I didn’t know exactly what.

Sometimes she felt looks that weren’t there before or comments cut off when she arrived at the dining room.

But as always, he thought he was exaggerating until he got to the human resources area.

Good morning, said one of the secretaries named Nancy, as she did every morning.

He barely looked up.

The other one didn’t even look at her.

A third, pretending to be busy, said loudly.

Now it turns out that there are already levels in the cleaning staff.

Some go directly to the boss, others clean hallways.

Leti blinked, understanding the blow.

He tolerated it slowly, didn’t answer anything, just left.

He knew that answering back meant getting into trouble, and he’d had enough of that.

Pamela, on the other hand, did notice everything from the beginning.

She was an expert at reading the environment.

I felt when something changed in the office, even if it was small.

And this was not minimal.

From the moment she heard Esteban say, “I’m not going to fire her.

“He knew something strange was going on.

Not because it was unfair, but because she knew Esteban better than anyone.

I knew how he thought, how he acted, what bothered him.

He did not tolerate mistakes, especially those that were hidden.

And yet, this time he did the opposite of everything he always said.

And the worst part wasn’t that.

The worst part was how he looked at her afterward, how he remained silent, how he left the office without giving any explanation.

That was not normal.

Pamela began to look more closely.

He noticed how long Leti stayed in the office, how she came out with her eyes lowered, but with a different breathing.

I noticed that Esteban was more distracted than usual, that he came to work looking at his cell phone, and that he had sudden mood swings.

One morning she found him looking at something on his cell phone.

As he got closer he managed to see an image, a girl, a blurry photo, but it was clearly a curly-haired girl smiling.

Pamela said nothing, but something inside her burned.

The next day, Esteban asked reception to have Lety come again to clean his office.

That was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Now they weren’t just murmurs, they were disguised laughter, indirect, shameless, low-voiced jokes.

A secretary said, “Oh, I wish I too would drop an expensive painting.”

“And another replied, “Yes, but you don’t have Letti’s luck.

“Lety could no longer ignore it.

Every time she walked through the halls, she felt the conversations fall silent, the glances follow her, the giggles increase when she turned around.

She felt dirty, not because of the uniform, but because of the environment.

One afternoon, while cleaning the hallway on the 14th floor, he was approached by a tall, slim, well-groomed woman.

She had straight hair, high heels, and a folder in her hand.

It was Pamela.

Hello, Leticia.

Good afternoon, she replied, lowering her gaze.

Can we talk for a minute? Lety tensed.

He nodded slowly.

Look, I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but I think you should be more careful how you behave around here.

You know, in the company everything is known and not everyone understands things as they are.

Letía, what are you referring to?

Pamela looked at her as if she were talking to a silly child.

To the lawyer.

I know he’s been nice to you, but that doesn’t mean you can be complacent, much less think he’s special.

Lettió felt her face tighten.

I’ve never thought that, I’m just doing my job.

I’m glad to hear that, Pamela said with a fake smile.

Because I’m telling you this for your own good.

Things here look bad very quickly.

Leti looked down.

He didn’t answer.

Pamela walked away with slow, confident steps, as if she had just won a battle.

That night at home, Leti couldn’t sleep, not because she was afraid of being fired, but because of helplessness, because of injustice.

She wasn’t looking for anything, she just wanted to keep her job, take care of Camila, fly under the radar, and yet they pointed at her.

Camila, as always, approached the bed.

Did you have a fight at work? Lety remained silent.

He stroked her hair.

No, my love, it was just a bad day.

The bad boss yelled at you.

Let se smiled slightly.

No, he didn’t yell at me.

And without realizing it, she thought of him, of Esteban, of his serious face, of his calm voice, of how he had asked about Camila and how, with just one decision, everything had changed.

That Monday seemed like any other.

Lety arrived at the office with her shopping cart, her gray uniform, and her usual face, the one she put on so it wouldn’t be obvious she was tired.

But inside things were no longer the same.

Ever since Pamela had advised her with that fake smile, she felt like everyone was seeing her differently, as if she had done something wrong, as if she had to beg for forgiveness at every turn.

She walked through the halls trying to go unnoticed.

He didn’t greet anyone, he just did his job quickly and quietly.

But no matter how hard she tried to hide, the stares followed her.

And not just the looks, the words too.

There goes the boss’s favorite.

He managed to hear another one once.

Tomorrow, as she was clearing the trash from one of the desks, a young man said to her mockingly, “Don’t you want me to give you my number, ma’am? Maybe you’ll recommend me to the boss.”

Leti bit her tongue and didn’t answer.

He left without looking back.

He didn’t want any trouble, he just wanted to work and finish his shift.

But the day everything started to change again was a Wednesday.

She was cleaning the hallway on the 20th floor when she saw Esteban coming out of his office.

He had been talking on the phone, but when he saw her he made a sign with his hand as if to say, “Wait a minute.

“He ended the call, put his cell phone in his jacket and walked over.

“Leticia,” he said in a calm voice.

She tensed.

“Yes sir.

You have one minute.

” “Clear.

“Esteban looked at her seriously, but not harshly.

“Camila, you’re better now.

“Leti was surprised.

That question was not expected.

No one else had asked about his daughter in days.

Yes, that’s fine, thank you.

He goes to school.

Yes, but sometimes he gets sick often.

His defenses are low, the doctor says.

He nodded.

He remained thoughtful for a moment, as if considering something.

Then he said, “Can I ask you a question without offending you?” “Yes.

“Do you have anyone to help you with the girl? Someone to look after her, to support her?”

Lety looked down.

I already knew where that was going.

No, sir, I’m alone.

My mom lives far away and my sisters have their things.

I manage as best I can.

And how do you get around? Subway, minibus.

Yes, by subway and sometimes on foot.

If there is no fare, then it’s a shame.

Esteban grimaced.

Not out of pity, out of discomfort, as if he couldn’t believe that someone from his own city lived with so many problems and he never noticed.

“Look, I don’t want what I’m going to say to be misinterpreted,” he began.

“But I would like to help her a little, so that she doesn’t lack basic things, at least for her daughter.

“Leti froze, she didn’t know what to say.

She looked at him with wide eyes.

help me.

What? Nothing unusual.

Don’t worry, just make sure you have a pantry at home.

Clothes for the girl if she needs them, something to make her day-to-day life easier.

It’s not charity, it’s the least I can do after that girl made me think so many things.

Lety didn’t know what to answer.

There was a lump in my throat.

She wanted to say no, that she could do it alone, that she didn’t need anyone’s help, but she also knew it wasn’t true.

I knew that many times they didn’t eat anything for dinner, that there were nights when I only gave Camila milk and she pretended to be asleep with an empty stomach.

“I don’t know what to say,” he murmured.

“Tell me yes, nothing more.

I send you a biweekly support.

In cash, no strings attached.

Leti clenched her hands and took a deep breath.

It wasn’t easy to accept help.

Never had been.

But this time, this time it was different.

It’s okay, but only for a while, until I can level out again.

Stephen nodded.

He did not argue.

He didn’t ask any more questions, he just said, “Thank you for your trust.

Let me know if you need anything for Camila, anything at all.

She nodded too and said goodbye.

He left pushing his cart, but with his head spinning.

Honestly, the boss had just offered him help.

Just like that and without expecting anything in return.

As soon as she got home that day, Camila ran to hug her as always.

How did it go, Emma? Good, my love.

Very good.

And for the first time in a long time.

He said it without lying.

Two days later someone knocked on the door of his house.

He was a delivery man.

He handed her a medium-sized box.

Lety opened it with fear.

Inside was a package of diapers, powdered milk, two bags of rice, beans, a size six unicorn t-shirt, and a handwritten note.

It’s not much, but I want Camila to get what she deserves.

Hey, Leti didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Camila screamed excitedly when she saw the shirt and wanted to put it on immediately.

Leti hugged her tightly and thought that maybe not all was lost, that there were people who did good things without asking for anything.

And without seeking it, that man began to enter her life, not out of luxury, but out of necessity, and for something else that was just beginning to grow.

The comments had been coming from all sides for a week.

Have you got your dress for the party yet? They say there’s going to be an open bar.

The boss is going to speak in person, right? Every floor of the company had the same atmosphere: excitement, nerves, and a desire to shine.

It was the biggest event of the year, the famous end-of-year party that Esteban always organized for all the employees, from the highest ranking to the newest.

But what no one expected was that Leti would appear.

It all started because a girl in human resources made a mistake.

Well, it wasn’t so much a mistake, but rather that he thought that since Leticia was now going straight to the boss’s office to clean, maybe she was part of the trusted staff or something like that.

So he put her on the guest list without asking.

Lee left the invitation in a little bag with his name and everything.

When Leti found it, she thought it was a joke.

He read it about three times, hesitating.

He thought maybe they had made a mistake, but the card had his full name on it.

The date, time, and address of the venue.

A huge, elegant hall in Polanco, with everything paid for.

Lety didn’t want to go, she didn’t have any clothes, and she didn’t feel comfortable, but when she told Camila, the girl got so excited that she almost jumped.

Mom, are you going to a party like the ones in the movies? Lety laughed ruefully.

I don’t even have to put it on, Camila.

I’ll lend you my glitter headband.

The girl said happily.

You’re going to look really pretty with that image in your head.

Leti decided to go.

She searched through what little she had and found a simple black dress that had once been lent to her for a wedding.

She pinned it, ironed her hair, and put on some shoes that were a little tight, but looked ladylike.

She looked at herself in the mirror with fear.

He hadn’t dressed like that for years.

She felt strange, but also a little excited.

The party had already started when Leti arrived.

He got out of the taxi in front of the salon.

There were lights, soft music, waiters with trays, decorated tables, and a stage in the background.

He entered with a timid step, looking at everyone.

There were employees in expensive suits, women in shiny dresses, glasses of wine, laughter.

It was another world.

Almost no one recognized her at first.

They were so used to seeing her in a gray uniform that seeing her like this.

combed and dressed made them doubt.

But as soon as someone said, “That’s not Letti and the cleaner.

“The looks began to become uncomfortable.

“What are you doing here? Who invited you? Did you come to serve or to dine?” Leti realized, she felt it in her skin, but she was already there and didn’t want to run away.

So he walked over to an empty table and sat down.

He didn’t ask for anything, he just stood there watching, hoping it would all be over soon.

But then Esteban arrived, walking in with his light gray suit, no tie, his hair more disheveled than usual and that serious face that made him look like the boss, even at a party.

He greeted a few, received hugs, made short comments, but when he looked toward the tables he saw her.

Letí.

alone, with her black dress and her gaze glued to the tablecloth.

He walked towards her without thinking.

“Leticia,” he said, smiling slightly.

She stopped suddenly, nervous.

“Sorry, I didn’t know I wasn’t supposed to come.

I got the invitation and don’t worry, he interrupted her.

You are here because you have every right.

“Yes, yes.

“And that was it.

But it was enough at that moment everyone saw.

All those who had already begun to speak softly now saw it clearly.

The boss talking to her, smiling and defending her.

Pamela saw too.

From his table, with a glass in his hand, he pressed his lips together, stood up, walked through the crowd, and reached them.

“What a surprise to see you here so relaxed,” Pamela said with a fake smile.

“Good evening, Pamela.

“And Leticia.

Wow, I hadn’t recognized her.

What a change, huh? Lety forced a smile.

Thank you.

And you came alone? Yes.

I don’t know anyone from this kind of party.

Pamela looked around.

Yes, I imagine.

This environment is not for everyone.

The comment fell like a stone.

Leti remained silent.

Esteban too, but his face changed.

He tensed.

Pamela, he said.

Come with me, please.

I need you to check something from the beverage supplier now.

She asked in surprise.

Yeah.

Now Pamela left with him upset.

Leti sat back down feeling even more out of place, but less than 10 minutes passed when Esteban returned without Pamela, sat down across from Letti, ordered two sodas from the waiter, and stayed there with her.

They talked briefly, but enough, about simple things, about Camila, about the food, about how strange it was to see each other at a party and not in an office.

And even though the music continued, the lights changed, and the people danced, Leti only thought about that, about how a man like him could sit with her without caring what people would say.

The party continued, but something had changed, because now everyone knew and what had previously been whispers was beginning to turn into judgment.

After the party, the atmosphere in the company felt different.

It wasn’t a sudden change, but it was noticeable.

There were new glances, more careful comments, and an awkward silence every time Esteban and Leti met.

People were no longer so dissembling.

Offices are like small towns: everything is known, everything is magnified, and everything is interpreted as everyone wants.

Let continued doing her job the same as always, but inside she was no longer the same.

I felt like I was walking on glass.

Every step he took he measured twice.

Every word he said he thought about beforehand.

I didn’t want people to believe things that weren’t true.

I didn’t want any trouble.

I didn’t want to be seen as someone who was looking for something with his boss.

But the hardest part was that she didn’t even know what was going on.

Because something was happening.

She didn’t say it out loud, she didn’t even confess it to herself, but she felt it.

Every time she saw him approaching, her heart would race without permission.

Every time he spoke to her in that calm tone, something inside her trembled.

It wasn’t love.

It was still something else, a change, a doubt, a closeness that made her feel seen like never before.

And Esteban didn’t know what was wrong with him either.

He had always had everything under control.

their schedules, their meetings, their relationships, everything planned, everything in order.

But ever since that woman appeared with her daughter, her story, her tired voice, and her firm gaze, something had moved inside him.

At first it confused him, then it made him uncomfortable.

Now I was looking for him.

So, one day, for no particular reason, he waited for her outside the building.

Let was leaving at 3.

He always went straight home without detours.

But that day, as we turned the corner, there was Esteban.

He was dressed as always, jacket, white shirt, cell phone in hand, but his posture was different.

He seemed nervous, as if he didn’t know what to say.

When he saw her, he put away his phone and approached.

Hello.

Hello, she said in surprise.

Are you in a hurry? No.

I’ve already finished my shift.

Do you want to walk for a while? She hesitated.

She looked at him with a confident face.

He just nodded.

They walked aimlessly.

They didn’t speak immediately, they just walked side by side.

With the sound of traffic in the background and the sun slowly setting.

They passed through a small park full of children and street vendors.

Lety watched everything in silence, not knowing if she was dreaming or what.

I don’t usually do this, he said finally.

What? Going for a walk with someone, except someone from work.

She laughed softly.

And I don’t usually walk with a boss, or maybe.

Everyone smiled sincerely.

“Do you know why I’m doing this?” he asked after a while.

No, because I feel comfortable with you.

Leti looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

He didn’t know what to say, he just looked down, feeling something stirring inside him.

Your daughter made me think a lot and so did you.

You made me see things I had forgotten.

It wasn’t my intention.

I know, but it still happened.

They walked for a while in silence.

They passed by a corn stand.

He stopped and asked, “Do you want one?” “Really.

“Yes, I’m treating.”

“They ordered two.

He asked for it with everything.

She too.

They sat on a bench.

and they ate without haste.

They laughed about the chili being hot and passed napkins around.

They looked like two ordinary people, not a millionaire and a cleaning lady.

Just two people sharing a moment.

“How did you end up at the company?” he asked.

A friend recommended me.

I had been looking for a job for months.

They didn’t want to hire me anywhere because I had a little girl, but they gave me a chance.

And dad died 5 years ago.

He was robbed.

We never knew who it was.

I was left alone.

Camila had just one.

Esteban didn’t say anything, he just listened to her.

Really, without interruptions.

It wasn’t easy.

She continued.

Sometimes I don’t even know how I did it.

There are days when I think I’m going to fall, but then I see her and everything goes away.

Esteban looked at her with something in his eyes that wasn’t pity, it was something else, admiration, perhaps, respect or something that was beginning to look a lot like affection.

I admire you, he said.

Lety looked up in surprise.

Yes, to me.

You are strong, you are brave.

I don’t know if I could handle everything you carry.

She remained silent.

The corn had already gone cold, but he didn’t care.

They stayed there for a while longer, without talking, just sitting, with the sun going down and the city making its usual noise.

Afterwards he accompanied her to the subway station.

He didn’t say anything else, just thanked her for keeping him company.

“Thank you for inviting me to walk,” she said as she was about to enter the platform.

“Thank you for accepting,” he replied.

They stared at each other for another long, strange second.

Then she left and Esteban stood watching her walk away with a small smile, with a silence that said it all.

Pamela was no fool.

If there was one thing she was clear about since she started working with Esteban, it was that everything in that company worked on strategy.

Everything was planned, everything had an order, nothing happened for no reason.

So when she began to notice that Esteban was no longer the same man who arrived more relaxed, who smiled for no reason, who went out in the afternoons without warning, she knew something was happening, and that something was called Leticia.

I didn’t need proof.

I saw it in his eyes.

I could tell when he said her name.

Leticia this, Leticia that.

Leticia gained his trust.

Leticia changed his character.

Leticia quietly entered a space that Pamela had been guarding for years, and it was driving her crazy.

It wasn’t just jealousy, it was anger, because Pamela had been by Esteban’s side since the company had only three rented floors.

I had helped him grow.

I had endured his bad expressions, his mood swings, his coldness.

She always thought that with time he would see her, that one day he would understand that she was the ideal woman, strong, educated at his level, but no.

Now, for some reason he couldn’t understand, Esteban was fixated on a woman mopping the halls, and he wasn’t going to allow that.

He started watching her.

Discreetly, when Leticia arrived, Pamela already knew when she was being called to clean the office; she was already counting the minutes.

He started checking schedules, cameras, attendance lists, everything.

I wasn’t just looking for gossip, I was looking for something more.

And he found it.

One morning, while reviewing staff logins, he noticed that the security file had videos from previous days that were mislabeled, as if someone had changed the folder names.

He called Julio, the systems guy.

Hey, I need to check last week’s logins.

At dawn.

At dawn.

For what? For something internal.

Just do it.

Julio didn’t ask any more questions.

He handed her a copy with everything.

Videos, records, names.

Pamela spent that night in her apartment with her laptop open, a glass of wine, and anger in her chest.

I went video by video, camera by camera, hours of material, but I already had what I needed.

Images of Leticia entering the boss’s office alone, cleaning, touching objects.

In one of the recordings, he is seen holding a wooden box, a desk, and looking at it.

He left it where it was, but that didn’t matter.

Pamela had her plan.

The next day, he printed screenshots, made copies, and edited two videos by cutting out parts and speeding up others.

I just needed to make it look like Leticia had been looking through things without permission or worse, stealing information.

I wasn’t going to invent anything, I was just going to show what was necessary.

Ill-equipped, he went up to Esteban’s office without knocking.

I need to talk to you.

“What’s up?” he replied, still staring at the screen.

Pamela closed the door and sat down.

It’s about Leticia.

Stephen looked up.

Automatically his face changed.

What’s wrong with her? I want you to see something.

I’m not saying anything, just look at it.

He took out the USB, plugged it in, and showed her the edited video.

In the recording, Leticia walks in, looks around, approaches the desk, takes out a box, opens it, and looks at it.

The video cuts off just before she returns to her.

Esteban frowned.

What’s this? Images from the office cameras from three days ago.

They are edited.

No, I just cut down on dead time.

The rest is as is.

What are you implying? I’m just saying it’s not normal for someone without authorization to be opening things in your office, especially when there are important documents in that safe.

Stephen remained silent.

The image of Leticia alone opening things disconcerted him.

“Do you want me to investigate further?” Pamela asked.

Let’s check your background.

We called human resources.

He shook his head.

No, let me think about it.

Pamela smiled inside, but on the outside she just stood there and said, “Esteban, I’m just looking out for you.

“He left the office and as soon as he did, his serious face disappeared.

He smiled.

At last.

Esteban, on the other hand, sat watching the screen.

felt something strange.

It wasn’t anger, it was disappointment, confusion.

I didn’t want to think badly of Letti, but I didn’t understand what I had just seen.

He took out his cell phone, thought about dialing her, then stopped.

I couldn’t accuse her without knowing, but I couldn’t ignore what I had seen either.

And that was exactly what Pamela wanted, for me to doubt, to distrust, to feel.

Even if it was just for a moment, Leti wasn’t who she thought she was.

And that’s where the seed was planted, right where it was going to hurt the most.

Lety entered the office that day as usual with her cleaning cart and her morning routine.

I was distracted by thoughts of Camila, who had woken up with a cough and a slight fever.

Nothing serious.

According to the doctor, but he was still worried.

That girl was his everything, so every step he took at work was for her.

He first went through the ninth floor, then the 11th, and finally went up to the 20th, where he always cleaned Esteban’s office.

I already did it by heart.

The window frames, the glass on the desk, the leather armchairs, the piece of furniture that held the awards, and yes, the painting too, that painting that had unwittingly changed his life.

But just as he was cleaning the glass, he heard the door slam open.

It was Stephen.

He didn’t have his normal expression.

He didn’t greet us as usual, he didn’t smile.

He came serious, cold.

Something in his gaze made her feel small.

“Good morning, sir,” she said in a low voice.

He didn’t respond to her greeting, just carefully closed the door and stood there looking at her.

“Can we talk?” he asked in a dry tone she had never heard him use before.

“Sure,” he replied, dropping the rag and wiping his hands on his apron.

“Have you taken anything from here?” he asked directly.

Leti froze.

How? From my office.

Have you taken something that doesn’t belong to you? Have you opened something without permission? She couldn’t understand what she was hearing.

No, sir.

Why are you asking me that? Because I saw a video of you opening a box, one that’s on my desk.

You took something out, looked at it, and put it back down.

Lety felt a lump in her throat.

What video are you talking about? I just clean.

Sometimes I arrange things, but I’ve never taken anything.

I swear.

Esteban looked at her harshly.

It’s a video.

Of course, Leticia.

And you think I stole from you? I’m not saying that.

I just want you to tell me the truth.

Letti took a step back, not out of fear, but out of pain.

Do you really think I’d do something like that? After all, “I don’t know,” he said, lowering his gaze slightly.

I don’t know what to think.

That’s where it all broke down.

She felt like something inside her was breaking.

It wasn’t anger, it was sadness.

of the ugly one, of the one that hurts in the chest.

You know what, sir? I don’t have to explain myself for something I didn’t do.

I come here to work.

I don’t have time to go looking at what’s on his desk.

I have enough on my plate without getting involved in their business.

Esteban wanted to say something, but she interrupted him.

And you know what else, if you don’t believe me, there’s nothing else to talk about.

Leticia.

No, that’s it.

Don’t worry.

I’m not going into your office anymore.

Tell whoever it is to assign someone else.

I’m going to ask to change apartments.

Esteban took a step towards her.

I don’t want this to be misinterpreted, I just want to understand what happened.

Nothing happened.

And if someone showed him a cut video, well, too bad, because I’ve never let him down.

She pushed her cart, left the office without saying goodbye, and went down the stairs.

I didn’t want anyone to see her.

Her eyes were full of tears, but she didn’t wipe them away.

Not this time.

As she went down, she thought about everything that had happened, how that man made her trust, how he dared to see her differently, and how at the first stumble she believed the worst.

Esteban was left alone in his office, closed the door and sat down.

He ran his hands over his face.

He took a deep breath.

I wasn’t sure what I had just done.

I had that horrible feeling of having messed up, but also that doubt that Pamela had sown.

At night, Leti arrived home with no desire to talk.

Camila ran to hug her.

How did it go, ma? Everything’s fine, my love.

He said in a muffled voice.

She made her dinner, gave her her medicine, put her to bed, and then, sitting on the couch with the lights off, she cried.

Because it didn’t hurt to be singled out.

It hurt who had pointed at her and it hurt even more that for a moment she thought she could trust.

Two days passed without Esteban hearing anything from Leti.

He didn’t see her around the office, he didn’t hear her in the hallways, he didn’t receive any cleaning reports from her office.

It was as if he had been wiped off the map.

And although he didn’t say it out loud, it weighed on him.

She tried to continue with her routine, meetings, emails, meetings with investors, but she wasn’t the same.

Everything seemed drier, more hollow.

Even the coffee tasted different.

And in his head he kept repeating the scene.

The one where Letti looked at him with sad eyes and told him he didn’t have to give explanations.

The one in which he didn’t know how to defend her because, deep down, he knew it.

I had hesitated, I had made a mistake.

That same Friday, while he was reviewing some papers in his office, Pamela knocked on the door.

Do you have a minute? Esteban didn’t answer, just waved for me to come in.

Pamela walked in as if nothing had happened, smiling.

He was carrying a folder, his cell phone in his hand, and had an air of confidence that not even the wind could take away from him.

The dates for the meetings with the new partners have already been released.

I’ll schedule you with Arturo for Tuesday.

Do it, he said without looking at her.

By the way, did you find out that Leticia no longer comes into your office?

I guess it was for the best, wasn’t it? Esteban looked up.

Did you edit the video you showed me? The question hit like a bombshell.

Pamela froze, her eyes widened, then feigned surprise.

“Sorry, I’ll say it again.

“Did you edit that video?” “Of course not,” he responded quickly.

I just cut out the irrelevant stuff.

I did it so you could see it more clearly.

“And what part did you cut out?” “Well, the usual, when nothing happens.

Because someone sent me the full video, the original.

Still, Pamela blinked.

He no longer had a calm face, now he was afraid.

Esteban stood up, walked to his desk, took out his cell phone, unlocked it, and played the video.

He put it in front of her.

There it was clear to see.

Leticia would come in, clean, open the box, look at the papers on the outside, arrange them, and put them back without stealing, without hiding, without doing anything that wasn’t part of her job.

Everything clean, everything clear.

Pamela tried to speak.

I hadn’t seen that, for sure, because you had already sent other files to be edited before.

And I trusted you, Esteban.

I just wanted to protect you.

That woman, that woman has more dignity than you and I combined.

Pamela gritted her teeth.

Are you falling in love with her or what? It’s none of your business.

He said firmly.

Yes it is.

Because I was here from the beginning.

I did take care of you.

I was loyal.

Loyal.

Showing me a cut video so I would think badly of someone who hasn’t done anything.

I did it because you weren’t you anymore.

Since that woman appeared.

You’re weird, distracted, weak.

I had to do something.

Esteban took a deep breath, closed the video, and put away his cell phone.

I appreciate everything you’ve done over the years, Pamela, but this is as far as we go.

What? Are you firing me? Yes.

And don’t waste any more of my time.

Pamela wanted to say something, but she was speechless.

He turned around, grabbed his things, and walked out of there, his pride shattered.

Esteban was left alone looking out the window and then he understood something.

Not only had he doubted Leti, he had allowed someone with bad intentions to play with his perception and the only way to fix it was to look her in the eyes.

Lety was mopping the 14th floor when supervisor Rosa approached her.

They’re looking for you on the 20th floor.

Who? The boss.

Leti felt a blow to her chest.

Again.

He says it’s urgent.

He said nothing more.

He climbed with firm steps, but with a serious face.

She wasn’t the same woman who had been nervously climbing up before.

Not anymore.

Now if they were going to run her, they should do it head on.

He knocked on the door, heard Esteban’s voice, and entered.

He was standing alone, arms crossed, his face tired but not hard.

He just looked at her.

Thank you for coming.

Tell me quickly what you want, please.

I have work to do.

Stephen approached.

I come to ask for your forgiveness.

Letti looked at him without understanding.

What? I was wrong.

I saw a video that was edited.

I trusted the wrong person.

I doubted you and I shouldn’t have.

She didn’t know what to say.

She felt her chest tighten, not out of resentment, but because she wasn’t used to someone asking for forgiveness, much less a boss.

It doesn’t matter anymore, he said in a muffled voice.

It does matter because you taught me to look at things differently, to listen, to trust, and I blew it all because of something stupid.

Who did it? Pamela.

Your assistant.

It is no longer.

There was a long, awkward silence.

I don’t care whether you trust me or not, sir.

I didn’t come to your company to be liked.

I came to work.

And you do it better than anyone.

Lety looked up.

Her eyes were bright, but she didn’t want to cry there.

No, again.

Anything else? Esteban hesitated.

Yes, I want to know if you can give me another job opportunity.

Of person.

Lety didn’t respond, she just looked down, turned around, and left.

But as she rode down the elevator, a part of her had begun to forgive him, even if she didn’t know it yet.

After that last conversation in her office, Leticia never appeared again.

No, at least not where Esteban could see it.

That same day, after asking for her forgiveness, Esteban spent hours waiting for her to return, not to talk or explain anything more, but just to see her pass by, to know that she was still there, to feel, even a little, that he hadn’t lost her completely.

But it didn’t happen, it didn’t come back, and that hit him like a stone in the stomach.

He looked for her during her usual hours and asked human resources if she was still active.

They told him yes, that he hadn’t resigned, but that he had requested a change of department.

I was cleaning in another building of the same company, but further away.

Nobody told him why.

He did know.

It was because of him.

Esteban wanted to call her, but he didn’t have her number.

He remembered that he had dialed it earlier when Camila answered, but that number didn’t appear saved on his cell phone.

He looked it up in the history, in the records, nothing.

It felt like she had vanished and it started to make him desperate.

The following Monday he went to the other building, the one 10 blocks away.

I never did it, not even when I had meetings there.

He always sent someone else.

But that day he was alone.

He arrived wearing a suit, tie, and that serious face that everyone already knew, even though he was a mess inside.

He went up to the maintenance floor and asked for Leticia.

He left an hour ago.

They said to him, “Do you know if he’s coming back?” “No, sir.

Today I only came in the morning.

You have his number.

We cannot give out personal information, the lady in charge replied, lowering her gaze.

Esteban left the building frustrated.

I didn’t know what to do.

That day he couldn’t concentrate on anything.

He canceled two meetings.

He locked himself in his office.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he needed her, and not to clean his office or thank him for his forgiveness.

He needed her because he couldn’t stop thinking about her, her voice, her gaze, Camila, everything that woman had stirred in him.

Leticia, meanwhile, had decided to walk away without explanation, not because she hated Esteban or despised him, but because she was afraid.

Fear of trusting again, fear of having what little was left in his chest broken.

He had requested a change of zone as soon as he left that office.

He had packed his things and left the small room he rented.

She returned to an aunt’s house in Ecatepec, far away, where no one would ask about her, where no one would give her uncomfortable looks, where she could breathe, Camila didn’t understand anything.

You’re not going to work at that nice place anymore.

No, love.

And you’re not going to see the nice man? No, either.

Why? Leticia stroked his hair.

Because sometimes people make mistakes.

Cami, and you have to learn to walk away.

Camila didn’t say anything else, she just stared at him and then went to her notebook, took out a drawing and handed him one where the three of them appeared, her, her mother and Esteban, holding hands.

Leti folded it and put it away without saying anything.

Esteban, for his part, did not give up.

That same week he went to human resources under another pretext seeking information.

I just need your address.

I have to give you some documents.

We can’t, sir, it’s internal politics.

And if it’s an emergency, I’d have to talk to legal.

Everything was obstacles, silences, walls, but he was no longer willing to stay still.

It was with Mrs. Rosa, the cleaning crew supervisor.

Do you know where Leticia lives? Why are you looking for her? I want to apologize.

Good, because I was wrong about her.

Rosa looked at him for a long time, hesitated, then said, “I’m not going to give you her address, but I’m going to tell you something.

Leticia is not just any woman.

That lady has endured more than many, and you, with all due respect, failed her.

If you want to fix things, look for her as she deserves.

“And that’s what he did.

He began to walk through the streets.

He went to the colony where he knew she had lived before.

He asked for the lady who was taking care of Camila.

He found her.

Do you know where Leticia is? She left about a week ago.

He didn’t say where, just that he needed to start from scratch.

He didn’t leave any number.

No, but Mrs. Elvira, her aunt, lives in Ecatepec.

Maybe it’s there.

Esteban left without thinking, without a chauffeur, without warning.

He drove as if he was in a hurry to get back something he didn’t know he’d lost until he let it go.

He arrived at the neighborhood, rolled down his window, asked a man at the store, and was directed to a house made of tin and block with a hanging flowerpot and a piece of curtain fabric.

He played.

An elderly lady came out.

Gray hair, distrustful look.

Seeks.

someone.

Leticia Jiménez lives here.

Who’s asking? My name is Esteban Ruiz.

The lady looked at him strangely.

What does he want with her? Just to talk.

The lady hesitated and then a small voice was heard from inside.

Mommy, the drawing man.

And Camila appeared with her face covered in crayons and a smile that left no room for doubt.

Two months.

Exactly two months have passed since Leticia and Esteban last saw each other.

Two months in which each one tried in their own way to move forward.

She with her daughter, he with his company, she with her schedule, her uniform, her routine, he with his meetings, his suits and his silences.

Leticia stayed to live with her aunt Elvira in a small but clean house there in Ecatepec.

At first it was difficult for him to adapt.

It wasn’t her space, she didn’t have her own room, and Camila missed her bed, her drawings stuck on the wall, and even the noisy children from the neighborhood where they used to live.

But there was no choice.

They needed a break, a change, a place where no one would look at them strangely or ask them painful questions.

Camila couldn’t stop talking about Esteban.

He mentioned him as if he were a cartoon character.

Sometimes she said she dreamed about him.

Other times he asked if he could write him a letter.

Leticia just listened to her and smiled at her, even though inside she felt a void that nothing could make go away.

He never forbade her to talk about him.

I didn’t want to erase what they had experienced.

I just needed space to understand it.

He got a job at a local diner.

They paid him little, but enough so that he didn’t have to depend on anyone.

He got up before the sun rose.

I helped chop vegetables, wash dishes, and serve lunches.

Sometimes they let her take food for Camila.

That made his heart glad.

Because if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that her daughter didn’t deserve to be burdened with the decisions she made.

At times, between pots of broth and rice, I thought about Esteban, not out of anger, I no longer thought about him the way you think about someone who unintentionally shook your life, who made you feel things you’d never felt before, and who then unwittingly broke a piece of your soul.

I didn’t hate him, but I also didn’t know if I’d ever be able to trust him again.

Esteban, for his part, was not well either.

At first he tried to focus on work.

He wanted to fill his schedule with commitments, meetings, trips.

He went to Monterrey, to Guadalajara.

He even had a whole week in Bogotá.

But no matter how many flights he flew and how many nights he slept in luxury hotels, at the end of the day he returned to his apartment alone and the silence was the same.

He had fired Pamela without giving her much explanation.

He just told her there was no more room for her in me.

I don’t feel.

The girl left angrily, but without making a fuss.

Some employees noticed him becoming more serious since then.

Others said that the boss was more human, that he seemed different, but no one dared to ask him anything, because although Esteban was no longer as cold as before, he was still reserved.

He kept his things in his chest, very quiet.

Sometimes he would peek into the 14th-floor office, where Leti used to clean before shifts.

Everything remained the same.

his desk, the repaired painting, the same old armchair, but he no longer felt the same.

The space felt empty, as if something was missing that couldn’t be explained. One Saturday, while he was sorting through papers in his apartment, he came across the drawing.

Yes, the one Camila had left forgotten in a gift bag that Leticia had given her.

A crumpled paper with crayons.

Him, Leti and Camila, holding hands, with a sun in the corner and hearts floating.

Seeing him, he stood still.

He didn’t break it, he didn’t hide it, he put it on the desk and stared at Camila’s round face, handmade with colors.

That’s when he accepted it.

That he missed them both, that he thought about them, that he couldn’t just carry on as if nothing had happened.

That same night he called Rosa, the cleaning crew supervisor.

He asked her, almost in a broken voice, to help him, not to know where Leticia was.

I already knew, but I needed to know if she was okay, if she needed anything.

If I still thought about him.

Rosa didn’t promise him anything, she just told him that women like Leticia aren’t easily forgotten and that if he really wanted to see her, he had to go find her, but without excuses, without a suit, Esteban, without pretty words, just as you really are, because if you’re going to go, do it with your heart, not with guilt.

He remained silent, but inside he had already decided.

The next day he got up early, put on jeans, a black t-shirt, and tennis shoes.

He grabbed his car keys and drove to Ecatepec without telling anyone.

I had no plan, just an impulse.

As if something was pushing him from within.

Upon arriving, he got out of the car and stood in front of the house for a few seconds.

hesitated.

He was afraid, because when you really care about someone, the fear is greater.

He took a deep breath and played.

The one who opened the door was Camila, disheveled with red cheeks, a cookie in her hand.

You, he shouted.

Esteban bent down and smiled.

Hello, princess.

Camila hugged him as if they had never left.

And in the background, from the kitchen, Leticia came out with a rag in her hand and her eyes wide open in surprise.

He didn’t expect it.

Not that day.

No, like that.

Esteban looked at her without speaking, and just by looking at her they knew that everything unsaid was still there, ready to come out or to stay hidden forever.

Esteban had been without peace for days.

After Camila’s hug at the door of the house, Lety barely looked at him.

He didn’t chase him away, but he didn’t invite him in either.

She respectfully told him that it wasn’t the time, that she was busy, that her life had already changed.

And although those words were gentle, they hurt as if they were being shouted at him.

Since then he didn’t insist, he didn’t want to pressure, he left with a mixture of sadness and guilt.

But also with something clear in his chest, he couldn’t stay still.

No, now if there was a way to rebuild what he himself had ruined, he was going to find it no matter what, because it wasn’t about him anymore, it was about the two of them.

Two weeks passed, two weeks without calls, without messages, without news.

Esteban was weird.

His new secretary, close employees.

Even the building’s doorman noticed that something was wrong with him.

He continued to fulfill his responsibilities, but with his mind elsewhere.

He was easily distracted.

He had dark circles under his eyes, ate little, and almost never stayed up past 6, as if he were waiting for something that never came.

One afternoon, as he was leaving the parking lot, he ran into Doña Petra, the lady who was selling tamales outside the building.

I had known her for years, but they hardly ever spoke.

That day she smiled at him and said, “Do you know who I saw a few days ago, young Esteban? That girl, the one with the little girl, Leticia, do you remember?” He froze.

Where? Here, around the corner.

I was leaving a stationery store with the girl.

She was in a hurry.

He greeted me from a distance, but he didn’t stop.

I was glad to see her, although she looked tired.

Esteban felt something light up inside him.

Which stationery store? The one on the corner next to the juice stand.

That one that is small, but always open.

He asked no more questions.

It was direct.

He left the car a block away, walked as if his life was on the line, and went inside.

It was a narrow little shop with shelves full of pencils, notebooks, crayons and papers everywhere.

The owner, a woman with glasses and a chain hanging from her head, looked at him without much interest.

“Good afternoon,” he said.

“Hi, are you looking for something?” “No, well, yes.

I wanted to know if a woman with a little girl came here recently.

The lady’s name is Leticia, she has black hair, is thin, and has light brown hair.

The girl is about 6 years old with curly hair.

The lady frowned.

Are you related? No, but I’m looking for them.

I just want to know if you come often.

The lady hesitated.

We don’t give out customer information here, young man.

Please.

I don’t want to bother you, I just need to talk to her.

I was wrong about that woman and she won’t let me sleep.

The lady looked at him more closely, as if she suddenly saw something different in him.

Yes, he comes every Tuesday.

She buys materials for her daughter, sometimes notebooks, sometimes crayons.

I like him, he doesn’t talk much, but he’s a good person.

Esteban felt such relief that he even leaned on the counter.

What time does he come back roughly? Around 5:30, but not every Tuesday, just when he can.

Esteban thanked him and left with his heart racing.

There was no number, no address, no notice, just that, a clue, a thin thread.

But it was more than I had before.

That same night he did not sleep.

He gave the matter a thousand turns.

And if he didn’t go, and if she rejected him again, and if Camila didn’t even remember him, but then he thought about the girl’s hug, her laughter, the way she ran toward him and that gave him courage.

The following Tuesday he arrived at the stationery store at 5.

Early in the morning he stayed in the car, parked a few meters away with the windows down.

Minutes passed and every person who approached made him raise his head, but it wasn’t her.

5:1, 5:20, 5:30, nothing, 5:40.

And there were Leticia and Camila walking slowly hand in hand, with a small shopping bag.

Camila had her hair loose, was laughing loudly, and was pulling her mom with excitement.

Lety wore a worn white blouse and a face that mixed tiredness with tenderness.

They looked good, together, real.

Esteban got out of the car without thinking.

He walked towards them.

Camila saw it first.

Ma, look.

Leticia looked at him and stopped.

He didn’t frown, but he didn’t smile either.

Hello, he said softly.

Hello.

I don’t want to bother you.

I just needed to see them again.

Leticia looked at her daughter, then at him.

How did you know we were here? A lady told me.

I didn’t look for her to make you uncomfortable.

I just wanted a sign.

“So what now?” she asked, not harshly but firmly.

Now I want to start from scratch.

If you let me, if you give me the chance to show you that I’m not here out of pity, or guilt, or impulse, I’m here because there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about you.

Camila hugged her mother’s leg.

Leticia looked at him and for the first time in a long time didn’t say no.

She just let him walk by her side, without promises, without long apologies, just that, one step, a small one, but enough to start over.

Leticia didn’t know what to do with her hands.

They were on the sidewalk in front of the stationery store, with the sun setting behind the lampposts and the city making its usual noise.

Camila was stirring the new colors that had just been bought for her.

sitting on a concrete bench talking to herself, happy, oblivious to everything that was happening between the two adults in front of her.

Esteban didn’t insist, didn’t ask for anything, he just stood there looking at her as if he were facing something he didn’t want to ruin with words.

He didn’t bring gifts, he didn’t bring flowers, he just had the face of a man who has understood that he was wrong and that he no longer wants to lose.

Do you want to walk? he asked.

Leticia hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded.

She didn’t say yes, she just followed him.

He took Camila’s hand and the three of them began walking along the sidewalk between taco stands, bakery windows, and people exiting the subway with tired looks.

It was just an ordinary scene, but not for them.

They walked in silence.

He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, and she didn’t want to break the moment with questions she wasn’t ready to ask.

The only thing that could be heard was Camila’s voice counting how many colors the box contained, talking about her teacher, about what she wanted to draw that weekend.

“Are you still working on the same thing?” Esteban asked without looking at her.

Yes, at my aunt’s little restaurant.

I wash dishes, serve food, help prepare everything.

It’s quiet, I like it.

And Camila goes to elementary school that’s nearby.

She already has friends, sometimes the lady at the store takes care of her.

Esteban nodded, then looked down.

I haven’t stopped working, but it’s not the same anymore.

Why? Because I’m missing something.

I’m missing someone.

Leticia looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

He didn’t answer.

They arrived at a small park with a couple of old games and some children riding bikes.

Camila ran straight to the swings.

Leto walk away with his heart in his hand.

He was always afraid that she would fall, but he was also happy to see her happy.

You look much happier, said Esteban.

Yeah.

She doesn’t hold grudges, not like adults.

He stared at her.

Finally he dared to speak more clearly.

Leti, I didn’t come to make you uncomfortable.

I came because I don’t have enough time to explain everything I’ve thought about these past two months.

I acted like a fool.

I doubted you when you were the only person who was always honest with me.

I let myself be led by a person who only thought about his own interests, and you were just doing your job, taking care of your daughter, surviving.

Leti didn’t cry, she didn’t get angry, she didn’t play the victim, she just listened to him.

So why did you doubt? Because I’d never trusted anyone like that before.

Because it scared me to feel so much for you.

And the worst part is that I didn’t see it clearly until it was too late.

She took a deep breath.

I’m not special, Esteban.

I am a woman who cleans, who fights, who has a daughter and does what she can to get ahead.

Nothing else.

That’s exactly why you’re special.

Silence.

Camila shouted from the swing.

Look, mom, I’m flying.

Leticia smiled.

A small, tired, but sincere smile.

“So what’s next?” she asked, still not looking at him directly.

Whatever you want.

If you just want me to be someone who drops off school supplies for you, I’ll do that.

If you want me to go away, I’ll go.

But if there’s even the slightest chance you’ll let me back into your life, I’m not going to fail this time.

She looked into his eyes for the first time since they arrived at the park.

Not with love, not with anger, but with truth.

I don’t know what I feel.

I don’t know if I can forgive you completely, but I know that when Camila sees you she smiles like she doesn’t smile with anyone else and that can’t be bought or faked.

Take all the time you need, he said.

Don’t promise things you don’t know you can deliver.

I just promise that I won’t give up.

She looked down, walked over to the swing, wiped Camila’s face, which was already covered in dirt, hugged her, and without turning around said to Esteban, “No, yes, see you next Tuesday.”

“Here he stood, not knowing whether to shout for joy or sit down and cry.

But at that moment he knew he still had a chance, and that was worth more than any excuse.

After that Tuesday in the park, nothing was the same again, not because everything was fixed overnight, but because a door was now open.

Leticia wasn’t one to forgive easily, nor one to be swayed by pretty words, but she also knew when someone was serious.

And Esteban looked different, simpler, more human, with fewer walls, with less mask.

Tuesdays became a custom.

Every week he arrived at the same time without fail.

He didn’t call before, he didn’t write, he just showed up.

Sometimes he brought a juice for Camila, sometimes a bag of bread, sometimes just his empty hands and his tired eyes.

But what was never missing was that it arrived.

Camila adored him, she told him everything, she told him the names of her teachers, what she had dreamed of, what she wanted to do when she grew up.

And he listened to her as if she were the only important thing in the world, with attention, with affection, with that strange way that only those who never thought they would love someone who is not their own blood have so much.

Leticia watched them from afar.

Sometimes she would just sit on the bench letting them talk.

Sometimes he came closer, joined the conversation.

Little by little, without realizing it, they formed again the team they had once started without planning it.

But Leti didn’t want to go back to the same story.

She needed to move forward.

And so one afternoon, after watching Esteban play tug-of-war with Camila in the park, he told her what he’d been keeping inside for weeks.

Esteban, I want to start something of my own.

How? A small business, something that gives me freedom, that gives me dignity.

I don’t want to work for anyone again.

Not anymore.

I don’t want to be afraid of being fired if I make a mistake.

I want to give jobs to other women like me, who don’t have any education.

who have children, who have no one.

Esteban listened to her seriously.

He nodded.

What do you need? A loan.

I don’t want gifts or favors.

A fair loan and I’ll pay you back peso for peso.

Made.

It’s that easy.

It’s not easy, but if you want to do it, I’ll help you.

Let looked at him with something like respect.

It wasn’t solving his life.

I was just giving him a boost and that was exactly what he needed.

The following weeks were intense.

Leticia moved around the neighborhood looking for a place.

He found a small one near a market.

It was just a room with a cement floor and a tin roof, but it had potential.

She cleaned it with her own hands, painted it with her aunt, hung old curtains that her neighbor no longer used, and had a wooden sign made that said Strong Hands, home cleaning service.

Esteban helped him register the business, got the permits, and created a simple logo with a designer friend, but he didn’t get involved in anything else.

Everything else was Leti’s idea.

He hired two neighbors who were out of work.

He taught them how to organize their time, how to clean as a team, how to treat customers.

He didn’t just give them a job, he gave them dignity.

Camila cut the ribbon on opening day with plastic scissors and a smile from ear to ear.

There were people from the neighborhood, two new clients, Aunt Elvira and Esteban, with their shirts rolled up, carrying the fresh waters.

“And what are you doing here, so simple?” the aunt asked, half-jokingly.

I’m just a guest here.

The credit goes to them.

Leti listened from the corner.

He didn’t say anything, but he thought about it.

Finally someone who understands.

The business was not an immediate success.

The first few days we had to go out and distribute flyers, knock on doors, and give away services so people could try them out.

Lety walked entire blocks with her backpack, her folder with prices, and her flyers.

Esteban once accompanied her.

She didn’t want him to speak, just walk beside her.

And he did.

“Aren’t you ashamed?” she asked him, smiling.

Shame on you, carrying flyers instead of signing multi-million dollar contracts.

The only thing I felt sorry for was not having trusted you before.

Let didn’t say anything, just gave him one of the flyers.

Here, let’s see if you can finally do something useful.

They laughed.

That was the day something between them changed.

It wasn’t a kiss, it wasn’t a declaration of love, it was a long, silent look, one of those that says everything without saying anything.

The return wasn’t a return to the same old thing, it was the beginning of something else, something new, something stronger, something real.

At first, business was slow.

Leticia knew it and did not despair.

I was used to rowing against the current.

It was clear to me that no one comes and succeeds in the first week.

His thing was step by step, day by day, firm work, head held high.

Just as she had supported Camila with her cleaning salary, now she was going to rebuild that place, even if it meant using her nails.

The first clients arrived out of curiosity.

A woman needed help cleaning an old warehouse, another was looking for someone to wash the windows of a small restaurant.

Lety treated them as if she were signing multi-million dollar contracts.

He explained the service, the price, the schedule, all with his notebook in hand and in his clear, unadorned way of speaking.

The customers were so satisfied that they began to recommend her.

And so the noise began.

The good guy, in less than a month, with strong hands, already had three work teams.

They weren’t just women cleaning, they were women who felt valued, women who came to work with their children, with broken backpacks, with stories similar to Leti’s.

She welcomed them with a hot coffee and a simple phrase: “Here, no one is less.

Nobody keeps quiet here.

Esteban would stop by some days without a uniform, without a tie, just him, sometimes to drop things off, sometimes to have a coffee, sometimes just to see how Leticia’s eyes lit up when she talked to her workers.

He never interfered, he just observed, and his pride was evident in every glance.

One morning a well-dressed lady arrived, carrying an expensive bag and strong perfume.

Her name was Marisol.

I had a large event planning business and needed someone to clean up after each party.

I had tried other companies before, but they always ended up doing it wrong.

A friend of hers told her about strong hands and she decided to try it.

Leticia treated her like any other person.

He offered her a coffee, explained the service packages, and showed her photos of previous work.

No selling him smoke, just what he knew how to do.

Marisol was hesitant, but agreed to try an event.

A week later he came back with a huge smile.

Leticia, I don’t know what you did to my assembly crew, but they said they’d never seen such a tidy and respectful cleaning crew.

I want to work with you on a permanent basis.

Lety didn’t believe it.

He almost dropped his coffee glass.

Marisol offered him a monthly contract.

Nothing huge, but constant.

That was pure gold.

Leti’s team celebrated that day with tamale sandwiches and juice in a bag—not expensive, but with laughter, hugs, and even a soft cumbia playing in the background.

Camila, sitting on a plastic chair, clapped with her hands full of crumbs.

The business grew and with it Letti’s confidence.

Now he no longer trembled when speaking in front of other people.

He knew he was capable, and it showed in his straighter back, his firm gaze, and the way he answered the phone, saying, “Strong hands, good morning.

“One day, a reporter from a local newspaper approached.

They told him that there was a woman in Ecatepec who was giving jobs to women that no one else was hiring.

I wanted to make a note to you.

Lety got nervous.

She thought about saying no, but Esteban encouraged her.

People need to hear stories like yours, he told her.

There are already many of the others.

The article came out with a photo of Leti outside her store, with Camila at her side and two of her employees smiling.

The title said woman transforms her pain into dignified work.

She wasn’t comfortable with the title, but didn’t say anything.

The important thing was that people knew they existed, that they were there, that they didn’t need pity, just opportunity.

That same week, five new calls came in, all about the article, all wanting to hire his team.

One afternoon, Leticia sat alone after closing.

Camila slept on a mattress in the corner and the place smelled of chlorine, sweet bread and stale coffee.

He stared at his half-crooked sign and thought about everything that had happened in such a short time.

She didn’t feel like a heroine.

She felt tired, but also happy.

Esteban arrived unannounced.

He was carrying a bag with two empanadas and a bottle of water.

Did you have dinner? No.

So I came just in time.

They ate in silence, without music, just them.

In that small place that seemed like a second home.

Esteban looked at her, Lety too.

And without saying it, they both knew what was going on.

Life was no longer pushing them.

Now they walked together by their own choice.

It was Friday morning.

Leticia had arrived early at the place.

I had an appointment with a lady who wanted to hire cleaning services for a private clinic.

I had prepared everything carefully.

The prices written in their notebook, the samples of products they used, the uniform neatly folded on the table.

It wasn’t a fancy office, but she was proud of the order she had achieved.

Camila was already at school and the girls on the team had left early for a service at a house in Lindavista, so Leticia was alone.

With the door open and the music soft, I felt peace.

He felt like the world had finally calmed down a little until he saw her.

He entered without knocking, without warning, as if he still had the right to do so.

Her well-combed blonde hair, impeccable makeup, her usual heels, and that look of hers, the one that sweeps you up and down as if assessing your worth.

No wonder you didn’t answer my emails, Pamela said with a crooked smile.

Leticia stood motionless with the dishcloth in her hand.

I didn’t understand anything.

It took him a few seconds to recognize her, but as soon as he did, he felt that pang in his stomach.

What are you doing here? Aren’t you going to invite me in? You’re already inside, she replied seriously.

Pamela looked around with a face of false surprise.

He touched a chair as if measuring how cheap everything was.

So this is the empire you built, huh? What a nice story.

The cleaning lady who became an entrepreneur.

You should make a movie.

Leticia didn’t fall for the game.

Tell me what you want.

I don’t have time.

I’ll tell you straight.

Pamela replied, sitting down without permission.

I want you to stay away from Esteban.

Leticia looked at her without moving.

Sorry.

What you heard.

Don’t play innocent.

You and I know that you are playing a game that is not yours.

You have no idea what world you’re getting into.

Leticia crossed her arms.

She was no longer the same as before, she was not going to stay silent.

And who are you to come and tell me that? I’m the person who stood by Esteban for ten years, who helped him build his business, who supported him in his darkest moments.

And you came with your victim face and messed him up.

I didn’t mess it up.

He arrived alone.

And if you cared for him so much, why did he kick you out? Pamela gritted her teeth.

Because you confused him, made him weak, and alienated him from the people who truly cared about him.

Don’t confuse caring with controlling.

He doesn’t need to be manipulated.

And you do.

You are the great savior.

Now you have no education, you have nothing, just a daughter with needs and a pitiful face.

That’s the only thing you know how to use.

That phrase was like a slap in the face.

Leticia approached without fear.

She was no longer the fearful cleaning lady.

She was a firm woman, with a clear voice, with limits.

Get out of my business.

Sorry, I’ll tell you once.

Get out of here.

Look, Leticia, don’t call me that.

You don’t know me.

And if you come to threaten me, you’ve wasted your time.

Whether Esteban wants to be with me or not is up to him.

I don’t force him to do anything.

If he’s by my side, it’s because he was born with it.

“And you really think this is going to last?” Pamela said, slowly getting up.

He is a man of the world.

Sooner or later he’s going to get tired of playing happy family with you.

It may be, but if it happens, it won’t be because you say so.

It will be because he decides.

I’m not afraid of being alone.

You do.

Pamela stared at her angrily, as if she couldn’t believe someone like her would answer her like that.

She swallowed, grabbed her bag, and left without saying goodbye.

As he left, he pushed the door harder than necessary.

Leticia took a deep breath and leaned on the table.

He wasn’t shaking, but his chest was tight.

Not out of fear, out of anger, out of helplessness, because even though she knew Pamela had no power over her, she had still reminded her how hard it was to live with the doubt of not being enough.

That same night, when Esteban came to leave her a box of
cleaning supplies he had gotten for less, she told him.

Pamela Pine today.

Stephen stood still.

What did he say to you? That I should stay away from you? That you deserve something more? And what did you say? That if you’re with me, it’s because you want to, not because I trapped you.

Esteban didn’t say anything at first, he approached her, touched her hand.

I’m not with you out of charity, Leti.

I’m with you because I admire you, because every time I see you I remember who I want to be.

Pamela made me doubt once.

It’s not going to happen again.

Leticia looked at him, believed him, but also knew that the story wasn’t over.

Pamela wasn’t one to give up without a fight until the end, but if there was one thing she was sure of, it was this.

She was no longer the same.

And she wasn’t going to let anyone make her feel less than, ever again.

It all started with a strange call.

Esteban was in a meeting with potential partners when his assistant passed him an urgent note from a business magazine.

He left the room, answered with annoyance, thinking it was just another interview, but it was nothing else.

Mr. Ruiz, we would like to confirm some information before publishing.

We have a signed document in your name authorizing a multimillion-dollar transfer to a phantom foundation.

His signature also appears on contracts linked to a cleaning company that is being investigated for money laundering.

Esteban froze.

What’s he saying? Apparently an anonymous source leaked all the information.

Images of your signature, email screenshots, audio recordings.

They say you used your company to facilitate illegal business and give fake contracts to your current partner.

Esteban hung up without saying anything, ran straight to his office, checked his email, his sent folder, his file history, and there it was, all edited, manipulated, cropped, and made to look real, but fake.

It was all fake.

An hour later it was everywhere.

Social networks, news sites, WhatsApp groups.

The image of Stephen with the legend.

Millionaire businessman involved in fraud with his partner, a former cleaning lady.

There were people recording outside the building, employees murmuring in the hallways, clients sending emails canceling meetings.

Leticia found out from a neighbor.

He was serving food at the restaurant when the lady showed him her cell phone.

You’re with that man, aren’t you? Look what came out.

Let stared at the screen.

He felt his face heat up.

There were photos of him, Esteban, from the place, even Camila.

All mixed up, all malicious.

He didn’t have time to think about it.

She grabbed her bag, told one of the girls to take it, and headed straight for the building where Esteban worked.

He was surrounded by lawyers, shouting, giving orders, demanding that they trace where it all came from.

When he saw her come in, his heart sank.

Did you see everything? Yes.

I don’t know how it happened.

I swear this is a setup.

I didn’t sign anything.

I didn’t authorize anything.

Someone is trying to destroy me.

Leticia looked into his eyes.

Pamela Esteban didn’t answer, but her face said it all.

I have to fix it, he said.

But I can’t do it if you doubt me.

“I don’t doubt it,” she replied directly.

I’m just in shock.

Because this is no longer between you and me.

Now they’ve brought my daughter, my business, my life into the fold.

How do you fix something like that? Esteban came closer.

I’ll clean everything up, I promise.

There was a press conference that night.

The lawyers forced him.

He had to come out and publicly clarify that it was all a lie, that he hadn’t embezzled any money, that he didn’t have fake foundations or bogus contracts.

Leticia went.

She stood in a corner of the room wearing a cap and mask, unrecognizable.

He saw him standing there alone in front of the microphones with the spotlights on him.

She heard him speak clearly, without hesitation.

I have not committed fraud, I have not laundered money, I have not used my company to illegally benefit anyone.

What I did do was fall in love with an honest, hard-working, and brave woman.

And if that’s what they want to use against me, go ahead.

But I’m not going to hide from the fact that I trusted someone who is worth more than many of those who judge me today.

The next day everything exploded, but this time the other way around.

Several employees came out to defend him.

Women on Leticia’s team posted videos saying their contracts were real, that they had never seen such fair treatment.

Camila, without understanding much, drew a sign that said, “My mom is not a thief.

“and someone posted it on social media.

But what turned the story around was what Rosa, the old cleaning supervisor, did.

He appeared on a morning show and said plainly, “I saw how that woman, Pamela, manipulated Mr. Esteban.

I saw it with my own eyes.

I saw her editing videos, I saw her reviewing private documents.

She wanted to control him and when she couldn’t anymore, she wanted to destroy him.

Semei made a scene.

Pamela reappeared, but this time with a lawyer.

He wanted to play the victim.

He said it was all a conspiracy against him, but someone found old emails, audio recordings, images from internal cameras, and that was the end of the game.

A week later, Pamela was summoned to testify and Esteban was publicly cleared.

His name was cleared again, but the damage had been done.

Leticia didn’t celebrate, it wasn’t her style, she just hugged him without saying anything.

Because when someone tarnishes your name, it doesn’t hurt for you, it hurts for those you love and those who believe in you, without you having to prove it.

A week has passed since everything calmed down.

Esteban had emerged clean from the scandal.

Pamela was in legal proceedings and the media was already looking for another story to exploit.

But Leticia didn’t feel at peace; on the contrary, she was filled with turmoil inside that she didn’t know how to explain.

Esteban wrote to her every day, sometimes just to ask how she was, sometimes to tell her he’d had a difficult meeting, other times to send her an old photo of Camila drawing in her office.

And although she responded politely, something had changed.

It didn’t come naturally to him anymore.

It was no longer that emotion of the beginning, it was as if something had silently broken.

One afternoon, after closing the shop, Leti sat alone on the stool.

Her legs were stretched out, her apron was dirty, her hair tied back as always.

I looked at the sky which was half cloudy.

It wasn’t raining, but it looked like it was going to rain.

That’s how she felt too.

With something stuck up there.

about to fall.

That night Esteban came to see her.

He arrived with two leg cakes and a bag of soda.

They sat together on the same step as always.

At first they talked about Camila, about a new client she had gotten, about the chlorine prices that had gone up again.

But then came silence, and that silence lasted longer than usual until she plucked up the courage and spoke.

Esteban, I need to tell you something, but I don’t want you to take it the wrong way.

Tell me.

I’m not okay about the scandal.

No, for us.

He stood still.

He didn’t say anything, he just looked at her.

I’ve tried to carry on as if nothing happened, to be with you, to make things flow, but I feel confused.

I’m sorry about what happened.

It hurts me that my daughter was in the media.

It hurts me that my name is on the lips of people who don’t even know me.

And not because I did anything wrong, but because I got into a world that wasn’t mine.

It wasn’t your fault, I know, but that doesn’t change how I feel.

I wake up scared.

I go to bed wondering if there’s going to be another note, another photo, another lie.

And that’s not life.

Esteban ran his hands over his face.

took a deep breath.

What are you saying? I need space.

Do you want to finish? I don’t know if it’s finished.

I don’t want to put a label on you.

I just want to stop, think, breathe without feeling like I have a camera pointed at me all day.

Leti, we didn’t plan this.

It happened to us.

And I love you.

I love Camila.

I don’t want to go away.

I have feelings for you too.

I don’t deny it.

But right now that’s not enough to be okay.

And when will it really be enough? When I can trust that being with you won’t cost me peace.

That phrase knocked him down because he had no answer.

Esteban stood up without speaking.

He walked a few steps as if trying to contain himself.

Then he came back, bent down in front of her, and took her hand.

Just promise me that if that ever changes, you’ll come for me.

Don’t leave me waiting for you without knowing.

Leticia looked at him with bright but dry eyes.

I’m not going to keep you waiting.

If one day I look for you, it will be because I’m ready.

If not, I’ll be clear too.

This is goodbye.

This is until I feel free of everything that weighs me down now.

He nodded.

He didn’t make a drama out of it.

He didn’t cry, he just stood up, left the cake wrapped in a napkin and walked slowly away with his shoulders drooping.

Let stood there with the cake in her hand, not hungry, not guilty, but with a hole in her chest that she didn’t know if it would ever be filled.

The next morning there was no message, no call, no car passing by the place, and so it continued for days, because love doesn’t always end with shouts; sometimes it pauses with silence, with respect, and with the hope, even if it’s painful, of reuniting in another way.

Leticia continued with her business.

He didn’t talk about
Esteban, he didn’t name him, he didn’t look for him, but he didn’t deny him either.

I was just saying that they were taking different paths, that each one needed their time.

Camila stopped asking about him so much, although from time to time she would draw pictures where Esteban still appeared on some corner.

Lety kept them without saying anything.

Strong Hands was better than ever, more clients, more staff, more stability.

Leticia felt calm, focused, strong, but inside, silently, she sometimes wondered if she had done the right thing by walking away.

Not because I doubted my decision, but because missing someone also hurts when you know it was necessary.

One morning, while sweeping the entrance to the premises, a letter arrived, a yellow envelope with no return address.

It was not dirty or wrinkled.

had his name written by hand.

She carefully grabbed it, went to the back of the store, sat down next to the coffee maker, and opened it.

There was just one sheet, one address, one date, one time.

That was all.

She didn’t say who sent her, or what it was, or why, but something in her chest told her to go.

Not out of curiosity, not out of hope, but because I felt it.

So.

straight.

The address was for an event garden in the Roma neighborhood.

She went with what she was wearing: jeans, a white blouse, and her usual backpack.

She didn’t wear makeup, she didn’t wear her hair differently, she didn’t try to look any particular way.

When he arrived, he stopped in front of an entrance decorated with white balloons, tables with tablecloths, and a large banner that read: “Inauguration of the Renacer Leticia Foundation.” He felt a chill.

He walked slowly.

In one corner of the place there was a small platform.

Above, a microphone and a man speaking.

It was Stephen.

He dressed simply, without a jacket or tie.

He was nervous, but firm.

A year ago, my life changed completely.

I lost the trust of people who were worth it.

I walked away from those who taught me what it truly means to be strong, and I learned the hard way that sometimes you have to start from scratch to do things right.

Leticia stood among the people.

That’s why this foundation was created today to support female heads of household who want to start their own businesses.

Not as charity, not as pity, but as real support.

Because I saw with my own eyes how a woman can build an empire with a mop in one hand and her daughter in the other.

Several applauded.

Esteban paused and then looked straight ahead.

She doesn’t know it, but this foundation bears her name.

Leticia Foundation.

It is a tribute to all those women who, like her, do not ask permission to get ahead.

They just want someone to believe in them, like I believe in her today and always.

Leticia felt her throat close.

Esteban stepped off the stage and walked through the crowd until he stood in front of her.

I didn’t send you that letter to force you into anything, just so you could see what you had sown.

I didn’t know how to fix everything, but I did know where to start.

And why now? Because I’m no longer afraid of doing it right.

Because if you don’t come back, at least I want you to know that I learned and that thanks to you, many others will have opportunities that didn’t exist before.

Leticia didn’t say anything, she just hugged him.

long, quiet, strong.

And as she did so, between tears, between sighs, between that sea of unspoken things, she knew that love, when it’s real, doesn’t break, it only transforms.

A week after the foundation’s inauguration, Leticia still hadn’t fully digested what she had seen.

It wasn’t just the gesture, nor the name on the canvas, nor the speech.

It was change, the kind of change that can’t be faked.

What is born from the depths, what is not said, is noticeable.

Esteban didn’t pressure her, didn’t ask for answers, didn’t say, “Come back,” he just gave her space.

“He let her think and that, exactly that, was what gave Leticia clarity.

One morning, while sweeping the hallway of the store, as always, Camila came running from school with her backpack dancing sideways.

Alad.

Let hugged her like every day.

He asked him what he had eaten, what homework he had.

If he had played at recess.

“Mom,” Camila said suddenly in that soft voice she used when she had something important to say.

“We’re going to see Esteban again.

“Leticia looked at her.

He bent down to be at her level.

“Do you want to see it?” “Yes, but if you don’t want to, that’s fine.

I know you’re tired and that sometimes you cry when you think I’m not looking.

Lety remained silent, swallowed, stroked her daughter’s hair, and hugged her tighter, because she had indeed cried, sometimes out of fear, sometimes out of doubt, sometimes out of not knowing if she had done the right thing, walking away from someone who had truly changed.

That same night, Leticia wrote him a message, not long, not dramatic, just simple.

Can you come tomorrow at 6? We have coffee.

Esteban arrived at 6 o’clock sharp, without flowers, without gifts, without a speech, just with a calm expression, like someone who has learned to wait without making demands.

Camila ran to hug him.

He picked her up as usual, spun her around, and the little girl couldn’t stop laughing.

Leticia saw them and sighed.

When Camila went to the back to play with her colors, Lety and Esteban sat face to face with two cups of coffee on the plastic table.

Without beating around the bush, she began.

I don’t know how he’s going to do this.

I don’t want you to come back believing that everything is the same because it isn’t.

I changed.

You too.

And what we had no longer exists as before.

I know, he said.

But we can build something new without rushing, without those promises that are made just to look good.

Yes, with what there is, with what we are.

Leti looked at him and for the first time in a long time she felt light, as if she no longer had to defend herself from everything, as if she could finally lower her arms a little.

And if everything goes wrong again, well, we try again or we talk about it.

But this time, without silencing us, she nodded.

Camila ran out and climbed onto his legs.

We’re going to live together now.

They both laughed.

Not so fast on Ana, Leti replied.

But we can go for some snow if you want.

Esteban looked at her with a look of, “Are you sure?” And she nodded at him.

Come on.

The three of them walked out.

Camila, in me.

you sit in the middle holding hands with both of them.

The sky was partly cloudy, with an orange light coming down between the street wires.

No fairy tale, just a different family walking, not knowing what’s next, but knowing they want to try.

Upon arriving at the ice cream stand, Leticia stared at the hand-painted menu.

Strawberry, lemon, mango, coconut, nothing new, nothing fancy.

But there with them by her side, she realized that she no longer needed anything else to feel complete.

He ordered a coconut one.

Esteban asked for vanilla.

Camila ordered from both and everyone laughed.

Because life doesn’t always end with a perfect ending, sometimes it just calms down and for some, that’s enough.