The Girl With a Mysterious Gift That Left Everyone Wondering

In the large office, the girl’s voice was firm and clear as she continued, “I speak nine languages.”

Julian Croft let out a booming, barking laugh. By the age of 51, he was worth $12 billion and had built a tech company from the ground up.

He received an office on the 85th floor of his cold-glass, black marble Manhattan skyscraper. He detested the fact that he believed the people on the streets below to be little more than little ants.

When he was about to perform his favorite thing, which was to be cruel without cause, he shifted the $250,000 Richard Mille watch that was on his wrist.

“Mr.

Through the gold-plated intercom came the terrified voice of the assistant: “Croft.” “Elena is here to clean with her daughter.”

A lazy, predatory smile spread across Julian’s features. “Send them in,” he replied quietly. “This ought to be enjoyable.”

For a week, he had been preparing this small game. He received a strange inheritance that included an ancient paper.

It was largely unreadable, according to a group of the most costly translators in the city, who were scholars with PhDs from Yale and Harvard. Sanskrit, Arabic, Mandarin, and characters no one could decipher were all mixed together in an odd way. Their failure felt like a brand-new toy to Julian.

The door glided open without a sound. The 45-year-old Elena Rossi entered the building carrying the cleaning cart that had served as her reliable companion during her eight years of employment there.

Behind her, clutching the straps of a shabby but clean bag, was her daughter Maya.

At the age of twelve, Maya Rossi was the complete opposite of Julian. Her black sneakers were scuffed, but she polished them gently.

She wore a neat public school uniform with a patch on the elbow. Her bag revealed the frayed spines of books from the city’s main library branch. In stark contrast to her mother’s eyes, which she had perfected after years of being treated like furniture, her eyes were large and full of curiosity.

Elena

As anticipated, she lowered her head and apologized to Mr. Croft. “I was unaware that you were holding a meeting. Since no one else was available to watch Maya today, she was with me. “We can return at a later time.”

Julian halted her, his tone brimming with phony joy. “No, no,” he replied. “Remain.” This will teach the little one.

Rising from behind his large desk, he walked around them like a shark. He liked the terrified expression in Elena’s eyes and the quiet confusion in Maya’s.

“Tell your daughter what you do here every day,” he instructed Elena.

“Sir, she is aware.” I tidy the offices, Elena mumbled. On the cart’s handle, the knuckles were white.

“Exactly. “You clean,” Julian replied with a sardonic clap. “Ellen, what is your educational background?” Tell her.

The heat caused Elena’s cheeks to flush. “Sir, I received my high school diploma.”

“High school!” Julian laughed loudly and added, “Just high school.” “And this is your little girl, who most likely shares your bad genes.”

Maya has long been aware of her family’s peculiarities. She had seen the large residences and beautiful clothes of the other children. She could live with less.

However, she had never witnessed someone use such obvious, cruel pleasure to make her mother feel so terrible. A chilly heat began to burn in her chest.

When Julian yelled, “Come here, child,” a horrible thought suddenly occurred to him.

Maya gazed at her mother, who gave her a tense nod. Taking small steps, she moved purposefully toward the desk. Despite her age, there was a hint of defiance in her eyes.

That flare in Elena’s eyes was something Julian had never noticed.

“Look at this,” Julian remarked, pushing the ancient document in front of her. “This is incomprehensible to the five most intelligent translators in New York.” physicians, educators, and other professionals. “You know what that means?” he asked, smirking mockingly.

The fact that Maya didn’t retreat startled him. Unusual for someone so young, her gaze was fixed on the bizarre, dancing characters.

She finally replied in a low voice, “No, sir.”

“You don’t, of course!” Julian shouted. His voice turned poisonous as he turned to Elena. Elena, are you aware of the irony of this situation?

Men who are a million times wiser than you are are the ones you clean their toilets. And since intelligence is inherited, your daughter will follow suit.

Elena bit her lip to contain her tears. She had built a barrier around her heart to keep out men like Julian Croft, but it was unbearable to watch him harm her daughter.

In contrast, Maya was no longer confused. She was upset. Not for herself, but for her mother, who put in sixteen hours a day at work, never grumbled, and always managed to pack books in her children’s bags and put food on the table.

“Pardon me, sir.” Strong and clear, Maya’s voice tore through the atmosphere.

Julian spun around, delighted and angry. “What is it, girl?” Will you keep Mommy safe?

The sound of Maya’s shoes on the marble floor reverberated as she walked back to the desk. She gave Julian Croft a direct look.

“You said that the best translators in the city can’t read that document,” she added in a composed tone that belied her advanced age.

“That’s correct.” What does that signify?

“Are you able to read it?”

Julian felt the question as if it were a bodily blow. He had never claimed to be intelligent, but he had used his wealth to intimidate others. “That isn’t the purpose. I’m not a translator.

“So you can’t read it either,” Maya stated, and her justification was painful and obvious. “That implies that you are not as intelligent as the physicians who are also incapable.”

Elena let out a gasp. A mixture of shame and rage that Julian hadn’t experienced in years caused his cheeks to turn a deep, mottled scarlet.

His entire argument had just been exposed as hypocritical by the brutal clarity of a child’s reasoning.

“That’s completely different!” he shouted. “I’m a profitable entrepreneur!” I am worth twelve billion dollars!

Does that, however, make you smarter? With unwavering composure, Maya asked. “What you know and how you treat people are more important than how much money you have,” my teacher adds.

The silence that followed was so intense that Julian could hear the buzzing of the air conditioner. He had no protection at all.

Additionally, you mentioned that I couldn’t understand the document because I’m a cleaner’s daughter, Maya retorted, her voice growing louder. However, you never inquired about my language skills.

A strange feeling went down Julian’s spine. “What languages do you speak?” he asked. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know, though.

Maya maintained eye contact, and her self-assurance was so powerful it was like a physical force.

“I speak fluent English, conversational Arabic, fluent French, intermediate Portuguese, basic Italian, conversational German, basic Russian, and native Spanish.”

Like a powerful spell, the list from her lips. Julian’s mouth dropped slowly.

“That’s nine languages,” Maya replied with a small smile of pride. “Mr. Croft, how many languages do you speak?”

The room’s power dynamic not only changed, but also broke.

Julian’s mouth moved like a caught fish, opening and closing. “How… where…?” he stammered, his haughtiness ebbing away.

Maya responded calmly, “Mr. Croft, at the public library.” “They provide free language instruction. Everyone can use the free movies, books, and apps available online. My professors are city dwellers who are immigrants.

Mrs. Wang teaches me Mandarin on Tuesdays. Ahmed helps me with Arabic on Thursdays. Like my mother, they perform basic tasks but are quite knowledgeable.

Every word struck Julian’s ego like a hammer. While hoarding money, this child had learned a great deal from the city’s free resources.

Holding onto the last vestige of his supremacy, Julian replied, “But that doesn’t mean you can read a complicated, old text.”

“You’re right,” Maya answered, surprising him. For this reason, I also spend my weekends studying classical languages at the university library. I’ve been reading about historical writing systems and their differences for the past two years.

“Languages are fascinating because they have historical connections.”

Julian collapsed on his seat. This was not a party trick. It was a great idea.

His voice was raspy as he continued, “Show me.” “If you are aware of all that, show me.”

The paper was taken up by Maya. As she read the screenplay, she noticed trends and made connections that the experts in the field had overlooked.

She muttered, more to herself than to him, “It’s not just one text.” It’s a verbal puzzle. The same topic is explained in each paragraph, but from a different cultural and linguistic standpoint.

It is intended to preserve the same knowledge across numerous cultures.

Then she looked up at Julian. “Mr. Croft, would you like me to try?”

He sighed and responded, “Yes.” “Try it out.”

So she began. The first paragraph is in good, traditional Mandarin, she said. The second one was in traditional Arabic and went on without pausing.

The fourth is in Hebrew, while the third is in Sanskrit. With every new language Julian mastered, her entire universe collapsed. He realized that this paper wasn’t a text but rather a mirror reflecting a man who was spiritually and totally broken.

She looked at him when she was finished. Her eyes possessed a deep, ancient wisdom that did not condemn him.

“Do you want me to explain what it means, Mr. Croft?”

His throat was constricted and he could only nod.

“It talks about what real wealth is,” Maya began in a firm and clear voice. ” It states that intelligent people reside in humble hearts rather than opulent homes.

The ability to recognize each person’s value is what truly defines wealth, not money. It states that the poorest man of all is the one who believes that his possessions make him superior to others because he is unable to see their virtue.

She continued to stare at him. And it makes the case that having the ability to uplift someone rather than degrade them is what truly possesses power.

And a powerful man either wakes up or is doomed for eternity when he recognizes that he has been blind to the wisdom that surrounds him.

The room remained silent. Julian Croft, the king, had been humiliated in his glass palace by a 12-year-old girl.

Using the ancient wisdom she accessed, she had evaluated him and determined that he was deficient in all the areas that were truly important. He didn’t like what he saw as he looked into his soul.

It wasn’t over yet. It was the beginning.

Although it wasn’t immediate, the transition was total. He started by apologizing to Elena in a whisper, the first time he had done so in decades.

Maya’s demands continued: Julian had to commit to learning a new language; her mother needed a legitimate profession with a good salary; and there needed to be a fully financed scholarship program for intelligent children from low-income families.

The next Tuesday, he received his first lesson from a 12-year-old girl who was both patient and strict at a shabby table in the public library.

The giant of industry, Julian Croft, found it difficult to pronounce the four Mandarin tones. Under the fluorescent lights, he was perspiring and felt completely different.

He confronted his wealthy, former friends, who called him crazy. In the library, he found a new community, but he also lost their toxic regard.

Mrs. Wang, a retired Beijing linguist, and Ahmed, a Syrian refugee and former professor who now worked as a taxi driver, were present.

He discovered that the people he had previously believed to be invisible were actually very large.

A year later, Julian stood in his newly furnished office. Now it was bright, filled with wood, and filled with images of happy pupils.

He had donated five hundred million dollars of his own funds to the newly established Maya Rossi Foundation for Human Dignity.

At the press conference, he moved aside to let 13-year-old Maya, who was composed and self-assured, to take the stage. She discussed the fundamental truth he had at last learned, not his money.

“How much you help others is a true measure of success,” she told the silent, attentive audience.

When we choose to see each person we encounter as a complete, whole, and dignified individual, the transformation begins.

Julian Croft’s eyes were watering as he watched her. He had discovered who he really was and lost his dignity. He was rich for the first time in his life, yet he had donated half of his fortune.