“I don’t have that money! Elena, forgive me! I’ll kneel down if you want! I’ll kiss your feet! But don’t charge my father for that, he’ll disinherit me!”
I looked at her with pity. Not with hatred, but with that sorrow one feels when seeing someone who is poor in spirit.
“Get up,” I told him. “I pity you. I don’t want you kissing my feet, I want you to learn that the world doesn’t revolve around you.”
“Please…” she moaned.
“The fine will be collected,” I declared. “But I’m not keeping it. That money, the 50,000 dollars, will be donated entirely to a foundation that provides wheelchairs to low-income people. So, congratulations, Vanessa. Your cruelty tonight will help 50 people walk. At least you were good for something.”
The Arrival of the Father and the Final Humiliation
At that moment, Vanessa’s father entered the room, alerted by the guards at the entrance. He was a businessman, but small-time compared to my family’s empire.
“What’s going on here?” the man shouted. “Why are you throwing my daughter out? I paid!”
Vanessa ran to him, crying. “Dad, let’s go! Please!”
I approached. “Good evening, Mr. Rivas. I’m Elena Villarreal. Your daughter just violated the contract by discriminating against me in my own home. The guards will deliver the penalty notice.”
Vanessa’s father turned red with embarrassment. He recognized me. He knew who my grandfather was. He knew that messing with the Villarreals was commercial suicide.
She looked at her daughter with a disappointment that hurt Vanessa more than any slap. “Did you insult the owner?” she asked her daughter. “Don Arturo’s daughter?”
“I didn’t know…” Vanessa cried.
“You’re an idiot!” her father shouted at her in front of me and the guards. “You’ve just ruined my reputation! Let’s get in the car right now!”
Vanessa was dragged out by her father, without looking back. The “queen of the party” left defeated, owing a fortune and having lost her social standing in a single night.
Conclusion et Réflexion finale
Le lendemain, l’histoire se répandit dans toute la ville. Personne n’invitait plus Vanessa à des événements importants ; Elle est devenue une paria sociale, connue sous le nom de « la fille qui a mis à la porte le propriétaire ».
J’ai continué ma vie. J’ai utilisé l’argent de la fortune pour acheter des fauteuils roulants de sport pour l’équipe paralympique locale.
Des mois plus tard, j’ai croisé Vanessa dans un café. Elle était seule. Elle m’a vu entrer. Elle hésita une seconde, baissa la tête et partit. Il n’y avait ni insultes, ni moqueries. Seul le silence du respect appris à ses dépens.
