Monday was a lucky day for Irina. She found a job as a caregiver for a lonely, elderly man, 80 years old. Irina knew her job well, had a lot of experience, and was eager to start.
The salary promised was very decent, and the money was much needed. Recently, Irina and her husband Igor took out a mortgage on an apartment and had to pay for it every month. Igor couldn’t find a job; either he wasn’t suitable, or he didn’t like the conditions.
Her first day at the new place was impressive. A large, beautiful two-story house with a garden and domestic helpers. Irina had only seen such places in movies. The homeowner, Leonid Alekseevich, was a pleasant, well-groomed man, cultured and polite. Irina liked him immediately; she was pleasantly surprised, as she expected to see a frail old man.
He joked and encouraged Irina to make her feel comfortable. They liked each other right away. The job was not difficult; she needed to administer his medication on schedule, serve food, accompany him on walks, and perform many other small duties, which were not hard at all. In the evening, she returned home to Igor, and early in the morning, she had to be at her workplace.
Irina enjoyed going to work, and Leonid Alekseevich always looked forward to her arrival. He treated Irina like a granddaughter, as he had no children or grandchildren of his own. His wife had passed away 20 years ago, and he had lived alone all these years. He had no relatives either; he and his wife had been orphans.
From childhood, Leonid had a knack for mathematics, easily solving complex problems and equations, calculating in his head. After finishing school, he trained as an economist, his talents were noticed, and he was invited to work as an executive assistant.
Over time, he took a managerial position and worked there for many years. He actively invested in shares of successful companies and eventually lost count of how much he had accumulated in his accounts.
Leonid grew very fond of Irina. She was easy to talk to, well-read, cheerful, and Leonid Alekseevich really liked her character.
A year flew by unnoticed. Igor now worked there too. The gardener got sick and resigned, and they urgently needed a new one. Irina suggested her husband, and Leonid Alekseevich agreed, just to please Irina. Igor handled his duties excellently, and everyone was satisfied.
Irina would never forget that day. It was a day off, there were no other domestic helpers, only Irina and Igor. Entering Leonid Alekseevich’s bedroom in the morning, she found him sitting in his favorite chair, a fallen book on the floor. He was not breathing.
Irina called Igor; they were about to call an ambulance to confirm his departure. Suddenly, Igor saw a door in the wall that was open; they had never noticed it before; it was hidden and led to a small room. They entered it with Irina, and it felt like stepping into the past.
There were old newspaper clippings mentioning Leonid Alekseevich, his wife’s belongings, old furniture. In the corner of the room was a chest, the lid open. Igor approached it and started looking inside. On top were worn children’s shoes, tin soldiers, an old, battered book «The Count of Monte Cristo.»
Igor and Irina realized these were Leonid Alekseevich’s childhood items, which he had kept all these years and shown to no one. Igor noticed a compartment in the chest with a lid and opened it. It contained bundles of dollars. Many bundles. Igor had never seen so much money.
He began counting them and lost track.
«Ir, this is our chance, we can pay off the mortgage..»
«Don’t even think about it, Igor! How can you say that! It’s not ours!»
Irina was beside herself with anger.
She had never taken anything that wasn’t hers and didn’t plan to start now, no matter how hard it was.
«Ir, let’s take a little, who knows how much was here, the old man clearly hid this money, and didn’t show it off. Now the police will take it, and what do you think will happen? They’ll split it among themselves, and no one will know it was there.»
«Igor, what are you saying! Don’t you dare, I won’t forgive you for this!»
Igor angrily threw the bundles of money back and left the room.
Irina called an ambulance and the police but told no one about the money. They left the door to the room open. Irina was very saddened that Leonid Alekseevich was gone. She felt a human pity for him.
Two weeks passed. Irina and Igor were looking for jobs. A girl called Irina and invited her for a talk. She said it was related to Leonid Alekseevich. Irina didn’t understand what she needed from her and went with Igor.
It turned out to be a law firm, and they were invited into an office. A young, attractive girl met them.
«I am the legal representative of Leonid Alekseevich. He recently left a will, in which he named you, Irina.»
Irina was shocked. Her, a stranger, for what merits?
«You became very close and dear to him. Leonid Alekseevich left you his house, and something else. Guess what?»
Irina shrugged in confusion.
«Remember the chest with money? Yes, that very chest, from which you did not take the money. There were cameras in the room, and we saw everything. The will had a clause that stated if the amount in the chest remained untouched, then the house and these money would be yours.
But if you had taken even one dollar, you would have gotten nothing. It was a kind of test. You, Irina, passed this test successfully, and now these money and the house are yours. The amount in the chest was 10 million rubles. The money from the accounts he bequeathed to help sick children and orphanages.
Irina was speechless. Igor sat, eyes downcast. How good it was that he listened to his wife, now they were rich, had their own house, could pay off the apartment, and could rent it out. Irina cried, not from the joy of becoming rich, but from warm feelings for Leonid Alekseevich, how much she would miss him, his kind look, heartfelt conversations…
After finalizing all the documents, Irina and Igor stepped into a new life…
There are many temptations in life, and people accept them differently. But there is one rule — always act according to conscience.
