Adrian, at 45 years old, was a very successful businesswoman. She was the main investor for several famous clothing, accessories, cosmetics, and fancy handbags companies. She was at the peak of her career, rich and powerful.
The woman lived a luxurious life. But unlike many other entrepreneurs of her level, the wealthy woman was a kind and humble person. She came from a humble countryside family and, with a lot of effort and dedication, she managed to grow in life and build herself an empire. She knew how to value others and treated all her employees and subordinates very well, and in return, she was loved by everyone who knew her.
Adrian was looking forward to the morning’s meeting, as she was about to close yet another partnership: a luxury shoe store franchise, Sky Shoes. She had been aiming to acquire this brand for quite some time, so she wanted everything to work out great.
The meeting was a huge success. The powerful woman paid a total of 68 million dollars for 94 percent of the franchise. She left the negotiation feeling completely satisfied. She went home and celebrated with her family. She opened a very expensive 1961 Dom Perignon Charles and Diana champagne, sat in her plush armchair, and, looking at the view from her penthouse, she felt proud of the success of her newest acquisition.
Later, she decided to call one of the Sky Shoes stores she bought, the one located at the city’s mall. She waited a long time, and when they finally answered, she was surprised with a “we are busy here, call back later,” and then they hung up right in her face. Not quite understanding that attitude, she called again, and this time, she was greeted with, “What didn’t I already tell you that we’re busy here?” That was the manager, Lucy, a bitter, arrogant woman who thought she was better than everyone else.
Lucy was scolded by the rich woman who told her who she was and that she would expect a way better treatment the next day when she would visit the store to see the establishment. Lucy quickly apologized, embarrassed, and assured that everything would be in order, that she was looking forward to her new boss’s visit.
Ending the call, the manager immediately told the employees to give all customers the best treatment the next day to impress the new boss and not make the same mistake.
The next day, Adrian woke up at 6 am as usual. She did her morning skincare routine, meditated, did yoga, had her breakfast on the roof looking at the stunning view of the sea, and went to get ready to go to the mall to visit her newest luxury shoe store.
The businesswoman was just too beautiful. She wore a hot pink linen jumpsuit and a white blazer for contrast. She had impeccable hair, and her fruity floral scent radiated wherever she went. Even the people in her luxurious building were amazed by her good vibes.
The rich woman got into the car and left towards the mall. It was raining a lot, the traffic was crazy, and the streets were full of holes. She ended up with a flat tire when trying to dodge a car that entered the opposite direction. She drove very fast over a hole. Adrian pulled over and got out of the car into the rain. Adrian’s father was a first-class mechanic and taught his children all the basics about cars. Not afraid of getting her hands dirty, Adrian changed the tire herself. Also because no one stopped to offer to help.
When she finished changing the tire, she was all soaked and muddy. To make her appearance even worse, when returning to her car, she slipped and broke one of her high heels. The businesswoman realized that she couldn’t go to the mall looking like that, but she also didn’t want to go back home just to change. As she was almost there, to her surprise, when driving a little further, she saw a thrift store and decided to buy new dry clothes.
Mrs. Tanya’s Thrift Shop was a humble little shop in her garage. There were just a few pieces of clothing, and they were displaced on some hangers that were almost breaking. The clothes were also very simple, and some even had some tears. The old woman, as soon as she saw the businesswoman coming in all dirty and wet, ran, got a towel, and made coffee for her to warm up. Adrian was delighted with Mrs. Tanya’s good treatment.
When the rich woman asked if the old woman had any clothes that would fit her, she was surprised when Tanya offered her the best clothes from her thrift store, even if they were very humble. Adrian didn’t care about how fancy the clothes were; she just wanted to wear something dry. The rich woman also bought some other pieces, and the old woman even gave her an umbrella and one of her daughter’s old sandals, which, even though it was almost breaking, was enough for Adrian to comfortably walk back to her car.
Adrian was delighted with the old lady’s kindness. Once dry and dressed, she tipped Mrs. Tanya $200, but the lady kindly refused, saying that amount was way more than the clothes were worth. However, Adrian told the old woman that her help and kindness were priceless.
As Adrian walked out of the thrift store, she said, “Good deeds should always be rewarded.” Mrs. Tanya was dazzled. The businesswoman left and drove straight to the mall. When she got there, she began to notice that people would look at her with disdain. It was a high-class mall, and Adrian was plainly dressed. Her clothes didn’t match at all; they were made from simple fabrics and had some holes in them. She was wearing sandals that were almost breaking, and her hair was still wet and messy. Her makeup washed off, and now she smelled like rain and dirt instead of her floral perfume.
Meanwhile, at the luxury shoe store, Lucy was waiting anxiously for her boss. She was going all over, calling out her employees to treat their customers extra well. The day had to go no less than perfect. Among the store’s employees, Pamela and Jennifer were worse than the manager, Lucy. They were bitter and nasty, always mocking and making fun of the new employee, Sophia, who was a polite and very friendly young woman.
Adrian finally arrived at the store and was delighted with its beauty and details. Inside the store had a pendulum chandelier with amber lamps, giving the store a more yellowish tone, making the place look cozy. All the shoes were carefully organized on illuminated shelves, and on the side, nude velvet chairs. Everything was very beautiful and sophisticated. Adrian stood outside the store for a moment, admiring her new acquisition, and was very proud of where her career had taken her.
But soon, her moment of contemplation was interrupted by one of the employees. “Whoa, you high-class customers, get out of here, you filthy thing,” said Pamela with disdain. “That’s right, ugly. This place is not for the likes of you. What’s a shabby like you looking for here? Please leave, go, because we are waiting for someone very important, unlike you,” said Jennifer, looking at Adrian with total contempt.
The businesswoman was shocked and paralyzed. The two witches, even knowing that on that day, in particular, all customers should have special treatment, thought that Adrian would be an exception. So they humiliated her and got angry at her for not leaving, as they told her so many times. “Get security guards,” Pamela said, irritated.
You just won’t leave, huh? Well, let me get rid of you, then,” Jennifer shouted. The hag grabbed Adrian by the arm and dragged her by force away from the store. Adrian began to say, “Let go of me, who do you think you are? I’m not leaving.” Jennifer was infuriated by the petulance of that ragged woman, and Pamela, laughing sarcastically, went to help her friend to throw the businesswoman out of the store.
As soon as Sophia saw that mistreatment, she shouted for the two to stop and ran to help the millionaire. “You can’t treat her like this; she is a person and deserves respect,” Sophia said. “A person with no money, you mean,” Pamela interrupted. “That doesn’t matter; she must be treated kindly, just like everyone else,” Sophia said, looking at the woman. She continued, “You are most welcome here, Madam. Come with me; I’ll show you the store.” Pulling her arm gently, she guided Adrian into the store. The businesswoman could feel that that girl was humble and kind, and was pleased. The two witches were left behind, enraged. “What kind of shoes are you looking for?” asked Sophia.
Sorry for any earlier omissions. Here’s the continuation of the story:
Adrian, a bit stunned by everything that was happening, decided to keep on playing the role of a poor woman to see how far that situation would go. She wanted to evaluate how the service in her store really was. “I’m looking for a stiletto heel, my dear,” said the businesswoman.
“Perfect! I have a beautiful model here, Valentino style, that was just released. I think you’ll love it,” said Sophia kindly, smiling. But when the young woman picked up the shoe and asked Adrian if she wanted to try it on, the two witches ran to the manager’s office and made a scene.
“Mrs. Lucy, there’s this horrible woman in the store, and that idiot, Sophia, is giving her a Valentino to wear. She herself is helping the filthy woman put on the sandal on her dirty feet,” said the witches. Lucy immediately stormed out of her office and berated the young woman in front of the businesswoman.
She didn’t mince words to say how poor and dirty that woman was. Lucy added that that situation would make the store look shabby and that the woman shouldn’t wear such expensive shoes. “Are you crazy, Sophia? She will get the shoes all dirty. No one will want to buy them. Can you afford them in case she breaks it? A Valentino costs more than you and your entire family earn in a month,” replied the impatient manager.
Pamela added, “Yeah, you stupid! Not even you with your [low] salary can buy anything here. Do you really think that filthy woman would have the money?” So Lucy, irritated, approached the woman and pulled her arm hard, saying, “Come on, I’ll take you to the exit since you don’t realize that you don’t belong here.”
Adrian started to resist, saying that she wasn’t going to leave, but the other two employees rushed to help the manager expel her at all costs. But young Sophia didn’t give up helping the woman and tried to stop them. “I’m sure the shop owner thinks differently than you do when she arrives. Ask her, and you’ll see she will tell us to treat everyone the same when she arrives. You won’t be here anymore, you incompetent,” you’re fired, Lucy said cold and dry.
“Do you really think a successful businesswoman like her would want to see that garbage in her store? Now get the hell out of here, you and that filthy woman,” the young woman fell to her knees and starting to cry, begged the manager not to fire her. She really needed that job; her mother was sick and needed very expensive treatment. But Lucy, firm and tough as always, laughing at the young woman, declared, “I don’t care, and I’m going to make sure you never work in any luxury shoe store again.” Sophia got desperate.
At that moment, Adrian got up and stood in front of the young woman with a look of disdain towards Lucy. She said, “You’re not firing anyone here, Lucy.” “How do you know my name, you filth, and who do you think you are?” answered the manager, angry. Then, taking a step forward, the businesswoman introduced herself. “I am the owner of this store and your boss, Adrian, and now you’re the one who’s fired.” She showed her ID, and Lucy, widening her eyes, could not believe it.
The witches, Pamela and Jennifer, dropped their jaws on the floor. The hag, astonished, asked, “But how is this possible? I could never have guessed it was you since you’re wearing those clothes. Appearances can be deceiving,” Lucy replied. The millionaire said, “No, please leave my store.” The manager started stuttering and apologizing to her boss; she begged on her knees for her job. “But boss, please, I’ve been working here for years, you… you can’t fire me; I’m the best manager you’ll ever find.
Adrian was furious at the treatment she had received, and looking deep into the manager’s eyes, she said, “I’m going to make sure you never work in any luxury shoe store again.” Lucy fell back on the floor; she was helpless. Adrian turned to Sophia, who was still perplexed. Adrian asked her to get up from the floor and started talking to the young woman, “And you, young lady, are you all right? I am very proud of how well you took care of me, no matter what I looked like.”
The girl couldn’t believe that she was actually talking to the boss. She was shy and looking down; she noticed the sandals that the rich woman was wearing and ended up saying a little awkwardly, “Funny, I had sandals that looked exactly like these. I wore them until I nearly broke them. I got it at a thrift store nearby before coming here; the kind lady there gave them to me because I had just broken my heels and couldn’t walk properly with them,” said the businesswoman.
“Sophia,” asked the girl. “Mrs. Tanya’s Thrift Store? She is my mother.” Sophia, for a moment, forgot her shyness and got all excited. Adrian was happy with the coincidence and told her everything that had happened that day on her way to the store. She remembered that Sophia had said that her mother was sick and said she would pay for all of her treatment. The young woman cried emotionally and thanked her boss with great joy.
The powerful woman also stated that from that day on, Sophia would be her new sales manager, and her salary would be increased so that she could give her mother a decent life. Sophia was stunned and cried even harder; she couldn’t be happier. The young woman would have all the necessary training and would also be responsible for hiring other employees for the store.
“I want more people like you here at Sky Shoes, honest, kind people who see all customers as equals, treating everyone well,” said Adrian. “I would also like to help Mrs. Tanya’s Thrift Shop, who was so good to me.” Adrian donated a huge amount to the thrift shop, making it grow out of the old woman’s garage and into a much larger store. Everyone was happy, and Adrian went on with her career, being a kind person who spread joy to everyone.
