As he was leaving the office, his phone rang. It was Leandro.
«David, I’m glad you picked up,» Leandro said, his voice sounding falsely concerned. «I couldn’t sleep after what happened yesterday with the cleaning lady. I know it shook you up.»
«I’m okay,» David replied, trying to keep his voice steady. «It was tough, but you were right. The evidence was clear.»
«I’m glad you understand.» David could hear the relief in Leandro’s voice. «Are you ready for today’s meeting? Our big moment has finally arrived.»
«Of course, nine o’clock, right?»
«That’s right. David, I want you to know that, no matter what happens in business, our friendship will always mean the most to me.»
David closed his eyes, feeling the sting of that hypocritical statement. «To me, too, Leandro. To me, too.»
When he hung up, David knew exactly what he had to do—not just to save his company, but to make things right for the brave woman who had risked everything to warn him about the betrayal. Anna Santos had tried to save him. Now it was his turn to save her.
But first, he had to find her. And after humiliating her in front of everyone the day before, David wasn’t sure she’d be willing to speak to him again.
Looking out the window of his office, watching Chicago wake up under the morning sun, David Miller prepared for the most important fight of his life. It was a fight not just for his company, but for his own soul. Because he had learned a painful lesson: sometimes the most important people in our lives are the ones brave enough to tell us the truth we don’t want to hear. And Anna Santos had done exactly that. Now it was time to honor her courage with his own.
David canceled the meeting with Sterling Corporation, claiming a family emergency. Leandro was furious, but David didn’t care. He had more important things to take care of. Using HR records, David found Anna’s address: 847 Lincoln Street, apartment 2B, in the Pilsen neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.
It was one of the city’s poorer areas, mostly Latino, where many immigrant families worked hard to get by with low-paying jobs. David had never set foot in Pilsen before. As he drove down the narrow streets, he couldn’t help but notice how different it was from the world he knew: old brick buildings with rusty fire escapes, small shops with signs in Spanish, and children playing on cracked sidewalks. It was a world far removed from the shiny skyscrapers of the financial district.
He parked his BMW in front of a three-story building that had clearly seen better days. The paint was peeling, and some windows had cracks covered with tape. David climbed the creaky stairs to the second floor. He stopped in front of door 2B and took a deep breath before knocking.
Shuffling footsteps approached. The door opened just a crack, held by a safety chain. Through the opening, David saw part of Anna’s face. Her eyes were swollen, like she’d been crying all night.
«What do you want?» she asked, her voice as cold as ice.
«Anna, I need to talk to you. I found out the truth about Leandro and Sophia.»
«Oh, you just found out?» Anna gave a bitter laugh. «How convenient. After you humiliated me in front of 200 people.»
«Please, just let me explain.»
«There’s nothing to explain.» Anna started to close the door, but David placed his hand against it.
«Anna, you were right about everything. I found the proof—the contract, the bank transfers, the shell company, everything.»
Anna paused but didn’t open the door further. «And what do you want me to do with that now? You already fired me. You ruined my name. I have nothing left to lose or to gain.»
«Yes, you do. I can clear your name, I can…»
«Anna, who is it?» a weak voice called from inside the apartment.
Anna sighed and looked at David through the crack. «It’s my sister. She’s not well.»
«Please,» David said. «Five minutes. I just want to apologize properly.»
Anna was silent for a long moment, clearly torn. Finally, she removed the chain and opened the door. The apartment was small and modest but spotlessly clean and neatly arranged. The furniture was old but well cared for, and family photos on the wall showed Anna and a younger woman smiling during happier times.
«Maria,» Anna called. «We have a visitor.»
A young woman around 22 came into the room. She was clearly Anna’s sister—same brown eyes, same delicate features—but she looked very ill. Her skin was pale, and she moved slowly as if every step took effort.
«Hi,» Maria said with a faint smile. «You must be Anna’s boss.»
David felt a tightness in his chest. Anna had lost her job but hadn’t told her sister yet.
«Former boss,» Anna corrected quickly. «David, this is my sister, Maria. Maria, this is David Miller.»
Maria extended a frail hand, and David shook it gently. «Anna talks a lot about you,» Maria said. «She says you’re not like other bosses, more human.»
David looked at Anna, who turned her eyes away, clearly embarrassed.
«Maria, why don’t you go back to your room and rest?» Anna suggested. «The doctor said you need to save your strength.»
«All right.» Maria headed slowly toward the hallway but stopped. «It was nice meeting you, Mr. Miller. Please take care of my sister. She’s the bravest person I know.»
After Maria left the room, David turned to Anna. «Why didn’t you tell me how serious her condition is?»
«I told you she needed surgery.» Anna sat on the worn-out couch. «I didn’t think I needed to go into detail.»
«What kind of surgery?»
Anna hesitated before answering. «A heart valve transplant. Maria was born with a congenital defect. Her current valve is failing. Without the surgery…» Her voice broke. «Doctors say she might have six months.»
David felt like he’d been punched. Anna had been dealing with all this on her own, working as a janitor to keep her sister’s health insurance, and he had fired her right when she needed it most.
«How much does the surgery cost?»
«$200,000.» Anna wiped her eyes. «The company’s health plan covered 60%. I was saving for the rest, doing extra work on the weekends.»
«Anna, I can pay.»
«No.» She stood up abruptly. «I don’t want your pity or your charity.»
«It’s not pity; it’s responsibility.» David stood up too. «I made a terrible mistake yesterday. I treated you unfairly.»
«You didn’t treat me unfairly,» Anna’s voice was filled with pain. «You betrayed me. You knew who I was, you knew I was trying to help you, and you still said nothing while Leandro humiliated me.»
«I was confused, torn between…»
«Between your best friend and a janitor,» Anna cut him off. «And you chose your best friend, even knowing he was lying.»
David ran his hands through his hair, frustrated. «You’re right, completely right. I was cowardly and selfish, but now I know the truth, and I want to make things right.»
«Some things can’t be made right, David.» Anna walked over to the window, looking out at the street. «I lost my job, my reputation, and more importantly, I lost Maria’s health coverage, all because I tried to do the right thing.»
«Let me help, please.»
«Why?» Anna turned to face him. «Because you feel guilty? Because you want to ease your conscience?»
«Because you’re the bravest person I’ve ever met.» His words came out with a sincerity that even surprised David. «You risked everything to save me from betrayal, and I abandoned you when you needed me most.»
Anna studied him for a long moment. «Maria needs the surgery in two weeks. Without the insurance, I’ll have to pay for it myself. I don’t have the money.»
«I’ll pay today.»
«And in return?»
«Nothing.» David shook his head. «Absolutely nothing. It’s the least I can do.»
Anna gave a humorless laugh. «The least you can do is leave my house and my life. I don’t trust you anymore, David. You had the chance to show who you really are, and you did.»
«Anna, please…»
«Leave.» She walked to the door and opened it. «Maria needs rest, and I need to look for another job.»
David hesitated at the door. «This isn’t over. I’m going to expose Leandro and Sophia. I’ll clear your name.»
«Do whatever you want,» Anna said without looking him in the eye, «but do it without me.»
David walked out of the apartment with a heavy heart. As he went down the stairs, he heard the door close behind him and the lock turn. Outside, sitting in his BMW, David looked at the modest building where Anna and Maria were struggling to survive. He had uncovered Leandro’s betrayal but had lost something much more valuable: the trust of the only person who had tried to save him. Now he had to find a way to earn that trust back, because he was starting to realize that Anna Santos wasn’t just the key to exposing the betrayal; she was becoming the most important person in his life.
Over the next three days, David couldn’t stop thinking about Anna and Maria. He had postponed the merger with Sterling Corporation indefinitely, citing the need for more legal reviews. Leandro was becoming more and more nervous and pushy, but David managed to buy time.
Meanwhile, he quietly looked for ways to help the Santos sisters without Anna finding out. He couldn’t just show up at their door with a check; Anna had made it clear she wouldn’t accept direct help from him.
On Wednesday morning, David had an idea. He called Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where Maria was being treated, and managed to speak with Dr. Rodriguez, the cardiologist in charge of the case. «Dr. Rodriguez, my name is David Miller. I’d like to discuss Maria Santos’ case.»
«I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t share patient information with unauthorized individuals.»
«I completely understand.» David chose his words carefully. «I’m not asking for medical details. I’m interested in making an anonymous donation to cover the cost of her surgery.»
There was a pause on the other end. «An anonymous donation?»
«Exactly. $200,000. I’d like the family to believe it came from a medical scholarship or social support program, something that wouldn’t raise suspicion.»
«Mr. Miller, that’s extremely generous. May I ask what your relationship is to the patient?»
«Let’s just say I owe the Santos family a great deal.» David paused. «Is it possible to arrange this without revealing my name?»
«Yes, we have an anonymous donor program for cases like this. I can schedule the surgery for next week if the funds are in place.»
«They will be. I’ll transfer the money today.»
On Thursday afternoon, Anna got a phone call that changed everything. «Ms. Santos?» Dr. Rodriguez’s voice sounded cheerful. «I have wonderful news about Maria.»
Anna felt her heart race. «Is she okay?»
«She’s stable, but this is something else. We’ve been approved for a federal medical aid program for severe heart cases. Maria’s surgery will be fully covered.»
Anna almost dropped the phone. «What do you mean? We never applied for any program.»
«Sometimes hospitals apply automatically for eligible patients. What matters is we can schedule the surgery for next Tuesday.»
When she hung up, Anna was crying with relief. She ran to Maria’s room, where her sister was resting. «Maria,» Anna gently shook her. «We did it. The surgery will be completely covered.»
Maria slowly opened her eyes, still drowsy from the medication. «What do you mean?»
«A government program. They’re paying for everything.» Anna hugged her sister carefully. «You’re going to be okay, Maria. You’re going to be completely okay.»
David found out his donation had gone through when Dr. Rodriguez called to confirm the surgery was scheduled. He felt a kind of satisfaction he hadn’t felt in years—the feeling of doing something truly good without expecting anything in return. But there was still the matter of regaining Anna’s trust, and for that, he needed a different kind of plan.
On Friday night, David was walking through Millennium Park when he had an idea. Anna had mentioned that she worked extra jobs on weekends to save money. Maybe she was still doing that, even after losing her job at Miller Technologies.
David spent all of Saturday looking for her. He visited cafes, restaurants, and offices that hired weekend cleaning staff. Finally, at five in the afternoon, he found her. Anna was cleaning the windows of a small accounting office on North Michigan Avenue. She wore simple clothes and had her hair tied back in a ponytail. Even while doing manual labor, she carried herself with a quiet dignity that David found inspiring.
He waited across the street until she finished and came out of the building. «Anna,» he approached carefully.
She turned, surprised and clearly annoyed. «Are you following me now?»
«No. I mean, yes, but not the way you think.» David stumbled over his words. «I heard about Maria’s surgery, that it was approved by a government program.»
Anna looked at him with suspicion. «So what?»
«I’m happy for you. Truly happy.»
«Thank you.» She started walking toward the subway station. David walked alongside her.
«Anna, can I talk to you? Just five minutes?»
«About what? About how awful I feel about what happened? About how you were right about everything? About how I want to make things right this time?»
Anna stopped and looked at him. «David, I understand you feel guilty, but like I said before, I don’t need your pity.»
«It’s not pity.» David took a deep breath. «It’s admiration, respect, and something more I’m still trying to figure out.»
Anna frowned. «Something more?»
«You made me question everything I thought I knew about myself.» David stepped a little closer. «About loyalty, about courage, about doing the right thing, even when it’s hard.»
«David, please…»
«Let me finish,» he went on. «You risked everything to save me from betrayal, and when it was my turn to stand up for you, I failed. But that taught me something important about who I really am and who I want to become.»
