Alexandra sank heavily into a chair in the cramped storage room of the “Blesk” cleaning company. The day had been exhausting—three apartments, a country house, and an office. Every step felt like a battle: her back ached, her legs were sore. She was only forty, but it felt much longer. She gave a weary smile to herself and began changing out of her work uniform.

“How’s it going? Getting used to it?” came the energetic voice of Lyudmila, her colleague, snapping Alexandra back to reality.

“Yeah, it’s fine for now, nothing too special—I thought it would be harder,” Alexandra replied.

“Uh-huh, just wait! You haven’t faced the real challenges yet,” Lyudmila said with a knowing smile, as if she were an expert in everyone else's struggles.

“You know, sometimes this happens... A ‘new Russian’ arrives. At first, everything seems normal—you think, what’s so different about this one? But no! You get to the site, and it’s like a whole group of people partied non-stop for a week.”

She gestured wildly with her hands to emphasize the chaos. Alexandra snorted in disbelief.

“Come on, that can’t be true! And you handle that all by yourself?”

“What choice do I have?” Lyudmila shrugged. “There aren’t enough of us, and the clients want everything spotless. Reputation is everything to them. So we have to act like professionals. Trust me, you’ll see even crazier things!”

“I guess they wouldn’t trust me with big jobs right away. I’ll probably have to go through a trial period before they let me near the fancy homes.”

“Exactly,” Lyudmila agreed. “But don’t relax. What if some emergency comes up? Anyway, I need to run—mountains of work await!” She grabbed her bag and hurried out, the sound of her high heels echoing down the hallway.

Alexandra watched her go. How did this woman, in her fifties, have so much energy? She barely sat still for a second!

Alexandra’s life hadn’t turned out how she had imagined. Raised by her single mother after her father disappeared, Alexandra became pregnant at eighteen by mistake. The young man left without a word, and her mother simply sighed, saying, "This is what life has for us—women have children and just endure."

That’s when Alexandra made a promise to herself: she wouldn’t suffer. When her daughter turned two, she would start working and live on her own. But as the years passed, no good man came along. Every time she tried to start a relationship, the men would pull away as soon as they found out she had a child. They avoided single mothers as if they were a plague. Life seemed to be slipping through her fingers.

One day, feeling desperate, she asked her mother, “Mom, who is my father? Was he rich or famous? Why do we live so poorly?”

Her mother looked at her strangely and then answered, “He was rich, that’s for sure. Famous, I don’t know. But it was me who decided to have you. He never planned to be a father.”

Alexandra understood then. Her mother was right—no one should be forced to accept responsibility they don’t want. Life was about managing on your own.

Things hadn’t gone smoothly with her daughter either. As soon as the girl grew up, she started pulling away from her. She wanted a different life. She left as soon as she could, rarely calling or visiting. Sometimes she asked for money, but that was it.

And now her mother was seriously ill. Her legs were failing, and Alexandra knew she would need to work hard to afford the treatment. Although she was over forty herself, the desire to live for her own sake had almost faded. All her energy was consumed by simply moving forward, one step at a time.

The loud slam of a door pulled Alexandra out of her thoughts. How time flies when you're lost in memories!

Olga Sergeyevna, the wife of the cleaning company owner, burst into the storeroom.

“Alexandra, I’m glad you’re still here! We have an urgent job. We don’t have anyone else. Are you free today?”

Alexandra blinked in surprise. “Yes, Olga Sergeyevna, I was about to go home. What happened?”

“We need to clean an enormous house completely... It’s urgent, no time for details, let’s go!”

Alexandra sighed and grabbed her bag of things, hurrying after her boss.

After passing through several corridors, they entered Olga Sergeyevna’s office. Alexandra sat down across from her, listening as Olga began to speak.

“I understand you’re new here, and don’t have much experience. But there’s no choice—you’ll have to go. This is an important client, and this job is crucial for the company. I’m sure you can handle it!”

Alexandra nodded, understanding that refusing wasn’t an option.

“Great!” Olga Sergeyevna exclaimed. “Here’s the deal: you need to clean up this mansion. It was the home of our client’s father, who recently passed away. Now we need to remove all personal belongings to prepare the house for sale. I don’t expect much dirt—these people are wealthy. But there’s still plenty of work to do.”

“How much time do I have?” Alexandra asked.

“Four days. The client is already there. Valentin will drive you. Go quickly!”

Alexandra raised an eyebrow. Olga Sergeyevna’s personal driver usually didn’t drive the cleaning staff. But this was an exceptional case. She nodded obediently.

“Wait,” Olga Sergeyevna warned. “Be careful. In wealthy houses, there are many temptations. Don’t even think about taking anything. The consequences could be serious, and you might never work in this field again.”

Alexandra was stunned. Anger flared within her.

“What are you implying, Olga Sergeyevna? How can you even suggest such a thing?”

“Calm down,” Olga Sergeyevna said, waving her hand. “I’m just warning you. Besides, the payment is good. Your mother is ill, right? You need money for her treatment, don’t you?”

Alexandra nodded wearily. The cost of her mother’s treatment was high, and principles had to be set aside.

“Alright, run to the car! Valentin knows the address, and they’re waiting for you.”

Sure enough, the client was waiting at the massive gates of a luxurious mansion. A dignified middle-aged man, dressed in a strict black suit, stood there. His somber expression sent a slight chill down Alexandra’s spine.

“Listen,” the client said bluntly, “I’ve made a decision: the house must be completely cleared of personal items. You now have four days instead of two. Leave the dishes and vases as they are. But the clothing, photos, and other items—take them without hesitation.”

Alexandra almost objected, thinking some items might be valuable or sentimental. But she held her tongue. It wasn’t her place to question the client’s wishes.

The client continued, “Once everything is cleared out, the house will be put up for sale. It must look perfect. If you find anything truly valuable—jewelry, gold—let me know immediately.”

Alexandra nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable.

“Alright, get to work. I’ll inspect the results in four days,” he said, turning and walking toward his car.

As he left, she began her work. She decided to start on the second floor. At first glance, the rooms seemed to be in perfect condition. The office, which seemed to be the owner’s favorite, was especially immaculate. Only a thin layer of dust and cobwebs indicated the absence of residents.

The bedrooms, however, presented more of a challenge. The closets, overloaded with clothes and boxes, threatened to collapse. Sighing, she went downstairs to get trash bags and prepared herself for a long day’s work.

By nightfall, Valentin arrived to pick her up, but she asked him to wait a little longer.

“Maybe that’s enough for today,” she thought, approaching the last closet. “I’ll start unpacking it and finish tomorrow.”

She lifted a chair to stand on tiptoe and reached the top shelf. Then her eyes fell on a small, unassuming box.

Curiosity took over. She carefully retrieved the box and, holding her breath, opened it. Inside were old photographs and several documents.

The first photo made her freeze. It showed a young, beautiful woman—her mother, in a version Alexandra had never seen before: radiant and smiling. Trembling, she sifted through the rest of the photos. One showed her mother with a man—tall, elegant. She recognized him from a portrait she had seen downstairs. Another photo showed herself as a chubby child. This was the same photo she had kept at home.

Her mind raced. Why were these family photos here? Who was the man next to her mother? Could he be her father?

Her hands trembled as she unfolded the documents. The first was a will, covered in stamps and signatures. Scanning it quickly, Alexandra gasped and slumped into the chair, drained.

The owner of the mansion—the man in the photograph—was her father! The will revealed that many years ago, he had left the woman he loved and his child, not out of neglect, but because of circumstances beyond his control. As his end approached, he had decided to secure the future of his daughter and her mother by leaving them the mansion, a significant sum of money, and an apartment.

Her head spun. Could this really be true? The names, the dates—everything matched. Her father hadn’t abandoned them; he had loved them! But why hadn’t he ever appeared before? How much could have changed over the years?

A sudden knock at the door brought her back to reality.

“Alexandra, are you almost done?” Valentin’s voice called out from the hall.

“Yes, I’m coming down now!” she replied, quickly stuffing the documents into her bag.

As she drove home, she fell silent, lost in thought. She didn’t even notice when she got out of the car and climbed the steps. Only when her mother began to speak did she realize where she was.

“Sasha, darling, what’s wrong? You seem off. Did something happen?”

Alexandra sank onto the sofa next to her mother, took a deep breath, and blurted out, “Mom, we need to talk. Today, I found out something about my father.”

Her mother froze, her face filled with worry.

“Oh my, Sasha, what are you saying? So many years have passed… And surely he’s already gone…”

“Yes, he’s not alive!” Alexandra pulled out the photos and documents and handed them to her mother.

Her mother put on her glasses and studied the pictures carefully. Recognition, astonishment, and pain washed over her face. She then slowly read through the will, tears welling in her eyes. Finally, she put it down and said softly, “Victor and I were deeply in love. We dreamed of being together forever. But his family… they couldn’t accept it.”

She paused, gathering her thoughts:

“When they found out about us, they were furious. They forced him to marry someone else, and that’s when everything fell apart. But Victor never forgot us. He wanted to help, and in the end, he did.”

Alexandra held her mother’s hand tightly as they both quietly wept together, reflecting on the years of lost chances.

“Mom, you see… He didn’t abandon us. It was just the circumstances. He thought of us his whole life.”

Her mother sighed, wiping away her tears, “So many years have passed… but we’ll fight for what’s ours, Sasha.”

The legal battles lasted months, but eventually, they won. Alexandra and her mother were recognized as the rightful heirs. Not only did they inherit the mansion, but also a significant amount of money, jewelry, and even an apartment—things they had never known about.

“So this is our first apartment!” her mother exclaimed. “I remember renting it from an old lady when I secretly met Victor. Looks like he bought it for us after all.”

“Yes, Mom. Let’s give it to Milka, your granddaughter. She’s turning her life around—let her start fresh there.”

Her mother smiled, and soon after, she called Alexandra and Milka.

“Shall we visit the cemetery today? I want to visit Victor.”

At the grave, her mother sank to her knees, unable to hold back her tears.

“Hello, Vitenka. I’m sorry I came so late…”

“After all these years, we never got to say goodbye. But what can we do? I’ll join you soon. Just wait a little longer…”

Alexandra stood quietly by the tombstone, her heart heavy with unspoken sorrow. Milka held her grandmother’s hand tightly, both women struggling to hold back their tears.

As her mother stood to leave, Alexandra lingered. She needed just a moment more with the man she had never known.

With a final glance at the grave, she hurried to catch up with her family.

“Well, girls, time to go home? There’s still so much to do ahead!”