Danilo Souza, the arrogant and wealthy CEO of a major import company in São Paulo, always looked down on the ordinary workers around him.
One day, frustrated after losing a big contract, he took out his anger on Renata—a quiet, hardworking 43-year-old janitor in a blue uniform, almost invisible to everyone in the company.
Unexpectedly, Danilo received a thick envelope from abroad, filled with strange characters that no one in the office could read. All translation services failed because it was Hungarian—a rare language in Brazil. Losing his patience, Danilo turned the situation into a joke:
“I’ll give my monthly salary to anyone who can translate this!”—45,000 reais, more than the annual income of many employees, making the whole office laugh and mock.
Renata—the one always underestimated—stepped forward and confidently asked to see the documents. After a few minutes, she began to read fluently in Hungarian, translating every sentence accurately, leaving the entire office in stunned silence.
It turned out the papers confirmed Danilo as the sole heir to a 15-million-euro inheritance from his late uncle in Budapest—but he had to respond before 6 p.m. that day.
When asked how she knew Hungarian, Renata revealed she used to be a university lecturer, an expert in Eastern European languages, had worked at the Hungarian consulate, and held a master’s degree in legal translation.
After exposing corruption at her university, she was fired, blacklisted, and with her husband unemployed and her child sick, she had to take the first job she could find—becoming a janitor to support her family.
Never judge or look down on anyone based on their appearance.
Everyone has their own story, value, and abilities you might never imagine.
Arrogance can cost you dearly.
Renata not only saved Danilo from losing a huge fortune but also forced the entire company to rethink their attitudes and how they treat others. And for the first time in his life, Danilo had to keep his promise: to pay a full month’s salary to the person he had once most looked down on.
