A millionaire decides to conduct a cruel experiment. He deliberately leaves his safe open, containing hundreds of thousands in cash, to test whether his new, impoverished cleaning lady will steal it. When the cleaning lady’s 7-year-old daughter goes upstairs to investigate a strange noise, she finds the tempting fortune exposed. The businessman hides in the shadows, ready to confirm his worst prejudices about poor people. But when the little girl’s small hands touch the money, his heart races with what she has just seen.
The sound of leather shoes echoed through the marble hallway as Eduardo Méndez adjusted his tie for the third time on that cold Tuesday evening. At 52, the businessman carried an invisible scar in his heart that hurt more than any physical wound. The loss of his parents in an accident three years earlier had left a void that he had been trying to fill with the company of Cristina, his girlfriend of eight months. The three-story mansion exuded opulence in every corner.
Expensive paintings adorned the walls, crystal chandeliers hung from the ornate ceilings, and the scent of polished wood mingled with the French perfume Cristina always wore. She was descending the main staircase at that moment, gliding like a queen in her red dress, which had cost more than many people earn in a year. “Darling, you look tense,” she said, approaching him with the smile that had captivated him from their first meeting. Her delicate fingers touched his face with a tenderness that seemed genuine, but there was something in her green eyes that he couldn’t quite decipher.
“Are you still thinking about that conversation we had yesterday?” Eduardo sighed deeply. The conversation—how could he forget it? Cristina had sown a seed of distrust in his mind about María Santos, the new cleaning lady, who had started working in the house just a week ago. A 35-year-old woman, a single mother who brought her 7-year-old daughter with her because she had no one else to leave her with. He remembered the first day he saw the little girl playing quietly in the garden while her mother cleaned the rooms with impressive dedication.
“You have to understand, Eduardo,” Cristina had insisted the previous night, her perfectly manicured nails tapping on the dining table. “People in dire financial straits are unpredictable. You are so kind, so trusting, but what if she, well, what if she takes advantage of your generosity?” Her words echoed in his mind like a disturbing refrain. Eduardo had always prided himself on his ability to see the best in people, but the death of his parents had shattered his emotions.
Cristina had appeared in his life like a balm for his pain, offering him comfort when he needed it most. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps his generosity could be seen as weakness. “The test we suggested—are you really going to do it?” Her voice interrupted his thoughts. There was a veiled anxiety in her tone, as if the answer were crucial to something larger. Eduardo looked up to the second floor, where his private office was located. There was his personal safe, usually locked with a combination only he knew.
The plan was both simple and cruel: leave the safe open with a significant amount of money in plain sight; make some noise to attract the girl’s attention when she was alone; and observe from hiding to see how she reacted to the temptation. The idea made him feel disgusted with himself, but Cristina’s seductive voice had been persistent. “It’s better to find out now than have a nasty surprise later. You’ve already lost so much, darling. You can’t afford to be betrayed again for being too trusting.”
“I think so,” he murmured, hating every word that came out of his mouth. “Maria will arrive in half an hour for the evening cleaning. Her daughter always comes with her.” Cristina smiled. But there was something predatory in that expression that made him shiver. “You’re doing the right thing, my love. Protecting yourself isn’t paranoia, it’s wisdom.” As she headed towards the car for the social engagement they had planned for later, Eduardo slowly climbed the stairs to his office. Each step felt heavy, like lead.
Once upstairs, he opened the safe and gazed at the hundreds of thousands of pesos in neatly arranged banknotes. Was this really necessary? Part of him screamed that it wasn’t, but another part, wounded and insecure, whispered that perhaps Cristina was right. The doorbell rang through the house. Maria had arrived, with her daughter. The test was about to begin. Maria Santos held her daughter Sofia’s small, cold hand tightly as they walked through the side entrance of the mansion.
The cool night wind made the leaves dance in the impeccably manicured garden, creating…
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