At thirty-two, he had been the brightest mind in the city’s business world. Elegant suits, flashing cameras, whispered admiration… his life had been a whirlwind constellation of successes.
Until the accident.
A simple accident on a rain-soaked road robbed him of his mobility, his self-confidence, and the world he once dominated. Upon returning to his penthouse, he was no longer an industry magnate, but a man in a wheelchair, waging a daily battle most people would never experience.
He inspired pity.
Some avoided him.
Many have forgotten him.
But it wasn’t the injury that broke him.
It was loneliness.
Gradually, the invitations that flooded his inbox disappeared. His friends sent him messages out of obligation… then nothing. He was treated like a fragile being, as if he were nothing more than a shadow of his former self.
He couldn’t walk, but it was they who were moving away.
On the eve of his company’s annual charity gala — an event he used to organize with pride — Adrian almost decided not to attend.
« It might do you some good, » his doctor encouraged him. «
It’s going to be exhausting, » Adrian replied.
But a small inner voice whispered to him that he had to try. To be seen again… no longer as a tragedy, but as a person.
I had absolutely no idea that the most important person I would meet that evening would be neither a CEO, nor a celebrity, nor an investor.
She was said to be the daughter of the woman who cleaned the floors in her office.
THE GALA I DREAD
The room glittered with chandeliers, silk gowns, tuxedos, and laughter. Elegant, distant music floated in the air. Adrian entered silently; the wheels glided across the polished marble, and his presence drew discreet glances: some sympathetic, some embarrassed, some simply curious.
I hated them all.
People approached him with cautious smiles, as if they needed to be mindful of the feelings of a man in a wheelchair. Others pretended not to see him. All those he had once considered his colleagues had already resumed the course of their lives, lives that had been perfect.
She stood near a corner, watching people dance. Their movements cruelly reminded her of what she had lost.
Then, suddenly, someone approached.
Not with doubt.
Not with pity.
But with genuine human warmth.
She was young, perhaps in her early twenties, and wore a simple but elegant dress. Her hair waved gently, and unlike everyone else, she didn’t look at him with embarrassment.
« Hello, » she said naturally, as if she were greeting an old friend. « I’m Sofia. »
He blinked.
-Do I know you?
« No, » she said, smiling. « But my mother cleans the building where your office is located. I’ve heard a lot about you. »
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
—I only hope for good things.
She let out such a bright laugh that it pierced the weight he carried inside.
—For the most part. He says you’re polite and pay decent wages. That’s strange.
He felt something warm relax in his chest.
« And what brings you here? » he asked.
« I volunteer at events like this, » she replied. « I like to see what the world is like here. »
Her honesty was refreshing.
For a moment, they simply observed the track.
Sofia lowered her head, gazing at the radiant crowd.
—It’s curious, isn’t it? People who build an external image while hiding their inner insecurities.
Adrian studied it.
See more on the next page
Advertisement
