The first time Valeria Ríos saw that young man kneeling beside her car, she didn’t think he could be helping her.
She thought he was a problem.
The glass building of Grupo Altamira gleamed in the morning sun. Executives in impeccable suits came and went, assistants hurried with folders, luxury cars lined up in front of the main entrance, and Valeria walked as if the whole place belonged to her.
In a way, she did.
She was the director of expansion, a woman feared within the company for her cold demeanor, her quick decisions, and her habit of looking down on others as if they were always a step below her. She was thirty-five years old, wore an elegant white suit, a gold watch, and was never late for a meeting.
That morning was important. The arrival of a new majority shareholder would be announced, someone who had bought a large part of the company after months of secret negotiations.
Valeria was sure of one thing: if that partner wanted the company to grow, he’d have to rely on her.
But before entering the building, she saw a young man next to her black car.
He was kneeling near the bumper, wearing a worn gray sweatshirt. Several coins were scattered on the asphalt around him. In one hand, he held the car’s license plate, which had come loose at one end.
Valeria stopped abruptly.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
The young man looked up. He was about twenty years old. Calm face, dark hair, serene eyes. He didn’t seem scared, but he did seem surprised by her tone.
“Your license plate was loose,” he said. “It was going to fall off.”
Valeria looked at the coins on the ground and then at the license plate in his hand.
“And you decided to touch my car without permission?”
“I was just trying to help.”
She gave a dry laugh.
“Help?” “You think you’ll pay for it with those coins if you scratch it?”
The young man looked down at the coins.
“They fell out of my pocket.”
“Sure. And right next to my car.”
Some employees began to stop. The scene, in front of the main entrance, started to attract attention.
Valeria took another step forward, chin held high.
“Do you know how much this car costs?”
The young man replied calmly:
“No. But I know that a loose license plate can cause an accident.”
That answer irritated her even more.
“I don’t need lessons from someone who picks up coins on the ground.”
The young man pressed his lips together. He didn’t answer.
Valeria pointed to the building’s entrance.
“People like you should stay away from big companies. This isn’t a place for the curious or the opportunists.”
One of the guards approached.
“Miss Ríos, is there a problem?”
Valeria didn’t take her eyes off the young man.
“Yes. This kid was messing with my car.”
The guard glared at the young man.
“Get up.”
The young man stood up slowly. He still held one of the license plate screws in his hand.
“I just needed to tighten it,” he said.
Valeria snatched the plate from him.
“You’ve done enough.”
The coins were still on the ground. The young man bent down to pick them up one by one. The humble, silent gesture made some employees look away uncomfortably.
Valeria smiled contemptuously.
“What a sad sight.”
The young man put the coins in his pocket.
“Sometimes a test reveals more than a resume.”
Valeria frowned.
“What did you say?”
He looked directly at her.
“Nothing that concerns you now.”
The guard gently pushed him toward the exit.
“Come on, kid.”
The young man walked away without arguing. Before leaving, he looked one last time at the glass building. Not with admiration. With an eerie calm.
Valeria entered the lobby, annoyed.
“Unbelievable,” she muttered. “They let just anyone in now.”
Her assistant, Marcela, was waiting for her by the elevators with a folder.
“Valeria, the meeting starts in ten minutes. They say the new partner is already on his way.”
“Perfect,” she replied, adjusting her watch. “I hope he at least understands how to run a serious company.”
Marcela hesitated.
“Nobody knows much about him. Only that he’s young and that he bought the shares through a private fund.”
Valeria smiled.
“Then he’ll need some guidance.”
They went up to the thirty-second floor, where the main boardroom was located. It was a glass room with a view of the entire city, a huge transparent table, black leather chairs, and screens lit with the company logo.
Several executives were already seated. Among them was Don Ernesto Molina, the outgoing president, a serious and observant man in his fifties.
Valeria entered confidently.
“Good morning.”
Some responded with a nod. Others were too tense to speak.
“Where is the new partner?” she asked.
Don Ernesto glanced at his watch.
“He’ll be here in a moment.”
Valeria took her seat near the head of the table, as usual.
“I hope he’s punctual. Punctuality says a lot about a person.”
The door opened.
Everyone stood up.
Valeria did too, though slowly.
Then she saw him.
The young man in the gray sweatshirt entered the room.
But he wasn’t wearing it anymore.
