Turning it over, he saw the company logo, the legal department’s seal, and the printed signature of someone important. He didn’t understand everything, but he understood enough. This wasn’t ordinary junk.
“Where exactly did you find this?” she asked, now more attentive. “Back there, near the big bins, it was kind of hidden. I was collecting cans and then I saw it.” Julia bit her lip.
Back there was the area where documents were removed for disposal. Normally everything went through a paper shredder. It was unusual for something intact to end up in the trash like that.
She looked around. The lobby was emptier. Outside of rush hour. She headed to an internal phone with an envelope in her hand. On the 14th floor, in a meeting room overlooking the city, a group of men and some women were sitting around a long table.
In the center, speaking loudly and gesturing vehemently, stood he, the millionaire of the moment. It wasn’t the white-haired gentleman who founded it all. He’d hardly been seen lately.
The one who shone was the so-called modern millionaire, the new face of the group, always in the media, always at events. Callo Ferraz, impeccable suit, easy smile, the voice of someone who learned to command too soon.
Officially, he was the CEO. In practice, many feared him as if he owned everything. As he was talking about profits, the office phone rang. An assistant answered and whispered something in his ear.
“What?” Kayo grumbled impatiently. “A street kid with an important envelope, please.” The others laughed somewhat uncomfortably. Julia, on the other end of the line, insisted, “Sir, the document has the legal department’s seal and your signature printed on it.”
“I think it would be best if I took a look at it.” She heard that part. Her smile hardened for a moment. Her signature, a document from the legal department. How had that ended up in the trash?
He took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair, and decided to tell a joke in front of the audience. “Okay, send it. This will be my charity moment for the day,” he said, and hung up. Minutes later, Raby entered the meeting room accompanied by the security guard, and Julia felt even smaller.
Caio chuckled at the sight of the boy. “Here’s our distinguished visitor,” he said, standing up with feigned politeness. “So you found something of ours in the trash, huh?” Rab shrugged.
Yes, sir. It was in the black bag back there. It has your names on it. I just came to return it. I don’t want any trouble. Someone chuckled from a corner of the table. Kaio took the envelope from Julia’s hand and stared at it for a long moment.
He felt a pang of discomfort that he didn’t show. Instead, he chose to mock her. “So tell me, kid,” he twirled the envelope between his fingers. “Didn’t you think about selling it, trading it for something to eat?”
I don’t know. People on the street don’t usually return anything, you know? Rab felt his face burn, he looked at the ground. My mother used to say that you shouldn’t take what doesn’t belong to you, even if you threw it away.
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