The next day.

Dusk had fallen and the sky was beginning to turn red on the western horizon when Elena received a message from Tamara. She was sitting in the living room of her modest apartment, staring at her phone screen with a face full of emotion and an irrepressible smile.

[Tamara] Elena, you won't believe it! Our new partners have made their payments, and the amount is way beyond expectations, Tamara wrote with a big smile emoji.

Elena took a deep breath, feeling both proud and relieved. [Really, Tamara? I didn't expect the results to be this great. All the hard work has finally paid off.]

It didn't take...