“Just what I needed! Young man, excuse me! Please, could you do me a favor?”

José Daniel glanced at his watch, his stomach twisting. 9:15 AM. His interview was at 9:30, sharp. “Oh, ma’am, I’m sorry, I can’t. I’m running late for a job interview.”

“Please,” the woman pleaded. She was dressed impeccably in a business suit, but she was gesturing desperately toward her feet. One of her high heels had snapped completely, leaving her standing awkwardly on the sidewalk. “I have a critical meeting, and I can’t walk in like this. Please, just buy me a new pair. There’s a store right there!”

He looked at the store, then back at his watch. He sighed, loosening his tie. “Okay, okay. What exactly do you need?”

“Thank you! Anything, as long as they’re a size 8. Here!” She quickly handed him some cash.

José ran into the shoe store. “Good morning,” he said, breathless, to the clerk. “Please, I need a pair of women’s heels. Any basic model, size 8. It’s an emergency.”

“Let’s see,” the clerk said, “I have these for $45.”

“Fine,” José said, slapping the money on the counter. “Just put them in a bag, please. No box. I’m in a hurry.”

“All set. Receipt?”

“Final consumer is fine. Thanks!”

He ran back out and handed the bag to the woman, who was already slipping off her broken shoe. “Here you have, miss.”

“You’re a lifesaver, young man,” she said, her relief obvious. “How can I pay for your help?”

“Don’t worry about it,” José said, already backing away. “You could invite me for a coffee, but it will have to be another time. I’m already late.”

“Good luck with your interview!” she called after him.

“Thank you! At the very least, please tell me your name.”

“José Daniel!” he yelled back, before breaking into a full sprint toward the office building three blocks away.

He burst through the glass doors of the high-rise at 9:42 AM.

“Good morning,” he panted at the reception desk. “I’m José Daniel. I’m here for the job interview for the position of Manager in Strategic Projects.”

The woman at the desk looked up, her expression a mix of pity and annoyance. “Damaris,” her nameplate read. “You’re very late, sir. The interviews for that position concluded ten minutes ago.”

“I know, I’m so sorry. What happened is that I had an accident… well, not me, but I had to help someone. If you’ll just allow me to explain…”

“Sir, you can reapply when another vacancy is available. I’m sorry.”

“Please,” he said, holding out his folder. “Can I just leave my resume? In case something else opens up.”

As he spoke, another man, dressed in a flashy suit, walked past the desk, clapping Damaris on the shoulder. “Well, well. You came back from abroad, Paul. So nice to see you!”

“The pleasure is mine, Damaris,” the man, Paul, said with a smirk. “Are you here for the job interview?” he asked José Daniel, not waiting for an answer. “You’re wasting your time, pal. The position is already mine.”

Damaris shot Paul an annoyed look, then turned back to José Daniel and took his folder. “Just leave it there. I’ll… see what I can do.”

“Thank you,” José Daniel said, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

Later that afternoon, Paul leaned against Damaris’s desk. “Look, I genuinely don’t mean to take advantage of our friendship, but I truly need this job.”

Damaris sighed, opening his folder. “Your degree is in business administration, Paul. We require an economist for this team.”

“The position is perfectly made for me!” he insisted. “I’m an expert in numbers. Just get me in. I’ll prove it.”

“The boss already arrived,” Damaris said. “Come on, I have to introduce you. But don’t you let me down, Paul.”

“I never will. Not ever. By the way, how’s the pay here?”

“It’s very good.”

“Perfect. And what do I have to do?”

“A project,” Damaris said, her voice serious. “To significantly increase sales by partnering with another company. Ms. Alejandra is handling it personally.”

“Oh, that’s very, very easy to do,” Paul said, waving his hand dismissively.

Two days later, José Daniel’s phone rang.

“Good morning, is this José Daniel?”

“Yes, speaking.”

“This is Damaris from the company you interviewed with. Look, I’ve reviewed your folder. You have a very interesting résumé, but as I said, that position has already been filled.”

José Daniel’s heart sank. “I understand. Thank you for calling.”

“Wait,” she said. “I do have a janitor position available, if you’re interested. It’s an immediate opening.”

He paused. An economist, a graduate of Casa Grande University, working as a janitor. But he needed the work. “I accept.”

“Are you sure? I really didn’t call you for that…”

“That’s all there is, right? I accept.”

“Well… alright. There, deep down, you’ll find your uniform. You must make absolutely certain that all of these offices are kept clean.”

“Thank you,” he said.

The next morning, José Daniel was wiping down workstations in the executive suite. He saw Paul Bastidas at a large desk, staring intently at a computer screen and muttering to himself.

“NPV is Net Present Value… and IRR is Internal Rate ofReturn… I just don’t ask for any help…”

Trying to be helpful, José Daniel said quietly as he passed, “The NPV gives you the value in dollars, sir. The IRR is the percentage. You’re trying to see if the IRR is higher than your discount rate.”

Paul spun around in his chair. “Sir. I thought… You are the janitor. Focus on your work.”

“I am very sorry, sir,” José Daniel said, backing away.

“And about this,” Paul hissed, “not a single word.”

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and a woman walked out, speaking into her phone. “I’ll be right there. Excuse me.”

She hung up and looked around the office, her eyes landing on José Daniel, who was now polishing the glass wall of her office. She stopped.

“Hello,” she said, confused. “I… I just ran into the lady with the high heels again.”

José Daniel turned. It was her. The woman from the street.

“Yes,” he said, smiling faintly. “Do you work here?”

“That’s right,” she said, her eyes taking in his blue uniform. “I never truly thought I’d ever see you again.”

“Me neither. But well, here we are.”

“You finally got the job,” she said, gesturing around the building.

“It’s not the job I wanted,” he admitted. “But the important thing is that I have one. I applied for the…”

“Ms. Alejandra!” Paul called out, jumping up from his desk. “Here’s the latest progress report on the ongoing project.”

José Daniel’s blood ran cold. Alejandra. She was the boss.

“Thank you, Paul,” Alejandra said, taking the folder from him. “If you have any questions, please let me know.”

“Are you leaving already?” he asked, a little too familiarly.

“Uh, yes,” she said, her tone cooling. “I have something important to take care of. Besides, it’s already five o’clock.”

“Alright, but tomorrow I expect you here promptly so we can plan the project presentation with the other owner of the company, Mr. Fernández.”

“Yes, miss,” Paul said. As soon as she was in her office, he leaned over to Damaris. “Everything’s perfect, don’t worry. How about we go celebrate?”

“Tomorrow we really have a lot of work, Paul.”

“It’s just going to be a coffee, like old times,” he urged. “Let’s go.”

“Alright,” Damaris sighed. “Just to celebrate that we are now coworkers.”

As they left, Alejandra walked out of her office, holding Paul’s report. She looked exhausted and angry. José Daniel was emptying the last trash can.

“What exactly is this?” she muttered to herself. “Everything is wrong.”

“Sorry,” José Daniel said, “I really didn’t mean to be rude at all.”

“It’s okay,” she said, looking up at him, exasperated. “Just tell me, what exactly is the problem?”

“If I tell you, I really don’t think you could help me.”

“Don’t underestimate me, miss,” José Daniel said with a small smile. “I was able to assist you with your heels. I can do absolutely anything.”

She let out a small, tired laugh. “I wanted to do an analysis for the project with Cheo, our partner, but everything is wrong. I want to reach an agreement with a bigger company, but if I don’t manage it, we could lose part of our operation.”

“Can I see?” he asked gently.

She looked at him, skeptical. “Do you know anything about numbers?”

“I truly didn’t mean to be rude,” he said, “but my degree is in economics.”

She stared at him for a long moment, then slid the folder across the desk. “I just truly hope I’m lucky and that they don’t take away my agreement. But I don’t see how. Only a miracle could actually save us now.”

“You won’t lose it,” he said, opening the report.

The next morning, Paul sauntered into the executive suite. José Daniel was already there, cleaning the windows.

“What are you doing at my desk?” Paul snapped.

“Sorry! How dare you touch my documents?”

“I just wanted to help.”

“You are the janitor!” Paul shouted. “Don’t think you’re anything else!”

“And you’re a manager who doesn’t know how to do your job properly,” José Daniel shot back.

“José Daniel!” Damaris said, walking up. “That kind of behavior is completely unacceptable. If this situation happens again, I will have to fire you.”

“Go right ahead,” José Daniel said calmly. “I really don’t care.”

Just then, Alejandra stormed out of her office, holding the report. “Paul, your entire proposal is completely and utterly wrong.”

“Madam, that is just one part of the truly great project I am currently preparing…”

“Everything is completely wrong!” she said. “So please, fix it. And if I find a single mistake… One. You’re fired.”

As she walked away, Paul turned, desperate, to José Daniel. “You fully understand this concept about projects, right?”

“Yes.”

“Help me. No, thank you,” José Daniel said, turning away.

“I’ll pay you whatever you want, Paul!”

“You’ve put the entire company at risk by wanting everything to be fixed by paying. Look, I’m not asking for your advice. I’m asking for your technical help.”

“I can’t,” José Daniel said. “I’m busy cleaning right now.”

“I’ll do it for you!” Paul pleaded. “I’ll clean for you.”

“No, thanks. It’s time for you to take responsibility for your own actions. Now, don’t bother me. I’m going to clean the boss’s office.”

“Excuse me,” José Daniel said, knocking on Alejandra’s door. “I’m going to clean.”

“Go ahead,” she said, not looking up from her desk, which was covered in papers.

A few hours later, Damaris escorted an older gentleman into the conference room. “Good afternoon. How are you? The boss is waiting for you. Come with me, please.”

“Thank you. Please, just come in,” Alejandra said, standing.

“It’s good to have you here, Don Cheo,” she said.

“The pleasure is mine, Alejandra. You came early.”

“Yeah,” he said, sitting. “The thing is, I’m going on a trip and I decided to come personally to review the proposals. And knowing you, I know that everything is more than ready.”

“Of course, Sir Cheo. Damaris, please tell Paul to kindly bring the documents.”

Paul entered, holding a single folder. “Good afternoon, everyone.”

“Can I just see the plan?” Cheo asked, putting on his glasses.

“Don Cheo,” Alejandra began, “I am truly sorry, but the plan isn’t exactly the way I asked for it to be. It just really needs a few minor adjustments.”

“I truly do not think you made me come all the way over here just to tell me that,” Cheo said, his voice hardening. “If we’re going to start like this, we won’t be able to get anything done.”

“I can explain the plan if you’d like,” Paul jumped in. “We plan to increase the import of these specific products and stop exporting these others to ultimately increase our long-term financial profits.”

“I already know that without needing to see a detailed proposal,” Cheo said, annoyed. “I want to know precisely how you plan to achieve this goal. Sir, I did not see the documents at all.”

“Here they are,” a voice said.

José Daniel walked into the room, holding a thick, spiral-bound report. He placed it in front of Mr. Fernández. “Here’s the plan.”

“Let’s see,” Cheo said, opening it. His expression changed from annoyance to interest. “This project looks very interesting. But what is the IRR? And in what scenario are we operating? Tell me.”

“Well…” Paul stammered. “The IRR… the IRR… In a favorable scenario…”

“He didn’t make this project,” Cheo said flatly.

“He did!” Damaris insisted.

“No,” Alejandra said, looking at José Daniel. “He is the author of this project. Please, listen to him.”

“Alright then,” Cheo said, impressed. “Please, go ahead.”

“Well, sir,” José Daniel said, his voice clear and confident. “The NPV is currently projected at a very respectable $28,450,000. And the IRR is standing at a solid 23.4%. Well, that’s if our logistics operations are thoroughly optimized… it could potentially even exceed a remarkable 30%.”

Cheo leaned forward. “And how exactly did you calculate the sensitivity to a 10% variation in the applicable discount rates?”

“Well, for the comprehensive sensitivity calculations,” José Daniel continued smoothly, “I used three distinct rates: ten percent, then twelve percent, and finally fifteen percent. Look, the NPV is profitable up to fourteen percent.”

“No,” Cheo challenged, “even up to fifteen percent, it is still considered quite good.”

“Well, it would drop to $3,200,000,” José Daniel countered, “but it’s still quite profitable, sir. I modeled this in detailed Excel tables and even ran a comprehensive Monte Carlo simulation for critical scenarios.”

“That’s truly surprising,” Cheo said, closing the report. “What I genuinely do not understand is how it is possible for you to have a mathematical genius working as a mere janitor.”

“Sir, I…” José Daniel said, “I studied economics, sir, at Casa Grande University. However, until life truly smiles upon me, I work as a humble janitor.”

“Very well,” Cheo said, standing up. “Then we can certainly commence negotiations, as long as this gentleman is the one who will be leading this project.”

“Of course,” Alejandra said immediately. “That is how it will certainly be.”

“Alright, it’s settled then,” Cheo said, shaking José Daniel’s hand. “It’s been a pleasure.”

As soon as Mr. Fernández left the room, Alejandra turned.

“Paul, you’re fired. Get out of my company. Now.”

“But… Damaris!”

“And just exactly where do you think you’re going?” Alejandra said to her. “Don’t say anything. You’re fired.”

“Why?” Damaris cried.

“Because you hired Paul knowing he doesn’t have the qualifications for this position. You put this company at risk. Get out of here.”

They both scurried out, leaving Alejandra and José Daniel alone in the conference room.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me you were an economist?” she asked.

“Because you actually never asked me,” he said. “And Damaris knew. But since the specific position I had originally wanted was already taken, she gave me the janitor job instead.”

“Thank you for helping me with this project,” she said softly. “Don’t worry about it, it was really nothing. The question is, exactly how did you do it then? At what point?”

“I stayed here in the office all through the entire night.”

“How can I repay you for this?”

José Daniel smiled. “Well… Would you accept going out with me for that coffee?”

Alejandra laughed, a real, relieved laugh. “I want to propose something to you. Do you indeed want to work here as a project manager?”

“Yes, yes, of course, ma’am. I absolutely promise that I will not let you down in any way.”

“I hope that. You are officially hired.” She picked up her purse. “And well, let us go for that coffee… a little later.”

“Yes. Yes. Thank you.”

“And that,” she said, pointing to Paul’s now-empty corner office, “is going to be your desk, okay? Get ready.”

“Perfect,” José Daniel said, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Thank you very much.”