The morning at the ranch began as usual. A young woman named Sophia set up her modest stall with homemade cookies, hoping for good sales. “Good morning, miss. I see you’re selling cookies here in front of the ranch. Could I get a small pack?” a polite man asked her. “Of course, sir. What kind would you like?” she smiled. “Any kind. Just to go with my coffee over at the ranch,” he replied, hurriedly paying. “Don’t worry about it, miss. Keep the change,” he said as he left. “What a kind man,” Sophia thought, looking at the money he left. Sales were indeed slow that day.
But her joy was short-lived. Soon, she noticed a leather wallet on the counter. “Oh, look, the gentleman left his wallet too. Let’s see,” she murmured, opening it. Her eyes widened in astonishment. “How much money is in here? I’ve never seen so much cash together. It’s full of cards, and they look like those unlimited ones.” On one of the cards, she read the name: Ricardo. And he had mentioned working at the ranch across the way. Honesty prevailed. “I can’t even think about keeping this for myself,” she told herself decisively.
Sophia headed towards the ranch gates but was stopped by a stern security guard. “Please, sir, I’m not here to cause trouble. A man named Ricardo, who works here, bought cookies from me and forgot his wallet,” she explained. The guard, who introduced himself as Luis, gave her a cold look. “He doesn’t work here, ma’am. He’s my boss, the owner of the ranch. And he doesn’t allow people like you to enter.” Despite the girl’s protests, Luis insisted: “Leave it here. I’ll give it to him because he won’t let you in.” Sophia, sensing something was wrong, asked: “Will you really give it to him?” “Yes, of course. You can go in peace. Leave before the boss sees you here,” was the reply. The girl, though doubtful, agreed: “You’re right, sir. We shouldn’t keep what doesn’t belong to us. Thank you for helping.”
As soon as Sophia was out of sight, a greedy grin lit up Luis’s face. He opened the wallet. “The boss’s money. The boss’s cards. Unlimited cards. I’ll take all this cash and the cards. The boss won’t even notice. I’ll say I found it like this,” he whispered. Thoughts of a fun party with the money were already swirling in his head. He hurried to the owner’s office.
“Boss, look. I found your wallet,” Luis announced as he entered the spacious office. Ricardo, the same good-natured cookie buyer, looked up from his papers. “My wallet? That can’t be. Where was it, Luis?” he asked. Luis put on a feigned look of dismay. “I’m afraid someone found it before me, because it was full of money, and now there’s nothing in it. No cards either.” Ricardo sighed, taking the empty wallet. “What a loss. I can’t believe it, my goodness.” Then he waved his hand: “Well, never mind. I’ve already blocked the cards. The money is trivial. About two thousand, maybe. What can you do? A loss is a loss.” He looked at Luis. “Thank you, Luis, for bringing me the wallet. The important thing is the documents. Imagine losing everything and having to redo all the paperwork.”
Luis was inwardly triumphant. The plan had worked! But then Ricardo added, looking him straight in the eye: “It’s nothing. I appreciate your honesty. If you continue to work this well, I’ll make you manager very soon.” These words sounded like music to Luis. He already saw himself in the high position. However, the boss finished his sentence with a slight, barely perceptible smile: “But it won’t stay that way if you want to see the outcome.” Luis froze, feeling an icy stab of anxiety. What did he mean? Suddenly, there was a knock on the office door. Standing on the threshold was Sophia, and beside her was another security guard holding a small cookie box. “Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Ricardo,” the girl said firmly. “When I was leaving, it seemed strange to me that your guard was in such a hurry to shoo me away. I decided to wait nearby. And I saw him hide something in an old tree hollow by the fence.” The guard handed the box to Ricardo. He opened it. Inside, neatly arranged, were all the money and cards. The story was only just beginning.
