I didn’t understand everything he did. But I believed in him.
The years passed quietly. I cleaned offices. I ironed clothes for other families. I stretched every dollar to pay for therapy, food, and stability. At night, Leo would explain his ideas to me patiently, translating his complex thoughts into words I could follow.
When he was sixteen, Leo built an app that helped small businesses organize inventory and deliveries. It was efficient, simple, and affordable. It wasn’t a hobby—it worked. First one local investor noticed. Then another. Within months, the app was valued at $3.2 million.
And that’s when Natalia came back.
She showed up at our door in a tailored suit, flanked by a polished attorney. She said she was Leo’s mother. That he was still a minor. That she had the legal right to manage his assets.
I felt the ground disappear beneath my feet.
