«I’ll give you my salary if you translate this!» The millionaire boss laughed, looking at the janitor. He didn’t know he was betting against the wrong person.

«Move aside, important people are coming through!» Daniel Harrington shouted at Olivia Thompson, pushing her cleaning cart so hard that he almost knocked it over.

It was March, a Tuesday, and Daniel was particularly irritated because a week ago he had lost a multi-million dollar contract. Olivia just lowered her head and muttered, «Sorry, sir,» stepping back to the corridor wall.

Daniel was 42 years old and ran one of the largest import companies in New York. He wore suits that cost more than his employees’ annual salaries and had the arrogance of someone who never had to sweat for anything. For him, people like Olivia were just annoying obstacles in his path.

«Mary Ann!» he yelled at his secretary as he entered the office. «How many times do I have to say that these janitors shouldn’t get in my way when I arrive?» Mary Ann, 35 years old, had worked for him for eight years and knew well how explosive his temper could be. «Mr. Daniel, she was just doing her job.»

«Job? Now standing in the middle of the corridor is… that’s a job?» he snapped back, angrily throwing a folder on the desk. These people don’t understand hierarchy, they think they can occupy any space as if they own the place. Olivia heard all this from the corridor; she was 43 years old.

She had been working there for two years and had long gotten used to such treatment. She wore a simple blue uniform from the contracting firm, and for most employees, she was practically invisible, but Olivia heard everything, noticed everything, and remembered every humiliating situation. The day went on as usual until the mail arrived with a letter that was about to change everything. It was a thick envelope with an international stamp, addressed personally to Daniel.

When he opened it and saw the contents, his expression changed sharply. These were various documents in a language he had never seen, full of strange symbols and unpronounceable words. Damn it, what is this, he muttered, flipping through the papers with disgust.

It looked like something from another planet. Mary Ann approached, nervous, as he started yelling again. Mary Ann, come here, sort out this mess.

Someone sent some papers in an alien language. She took the documents and examined them carefully, trying to find anything understandable. Mr. Daniel, it looks like it’s in Hungarian or some Eastern European language.

There are official seals and your company’s name. Hungarian? Daniel laughed loudly with that condescending laugh he always used to show his superiority. Who even speaks Hungarian in the US? It’s probably some international scam.

But when Mary Ann pointed out the amounts in dollars and today’s date, he realized the situation might be serious. Then find a translator. There must be someone who can handle it quickly.

From that moment, panic began. Mary Ann called all the translation agencies she knew. But none had specialists for such rare languages.

As time passed, Daniel’s irritation only grew. How is this possible? No one can translate, he exploded, slamming his fist on the desk. I’ll pay whatever it takes; there are 8 million people in this city, and not one can figure out some papers.

The news spread through the office. Employees started gathering, curious and trying to help with online translators. But nothing worked.

Then Alice from accounting said something that made Daniel nervous. Sir, with such official documents, there are usually deadlines for response. If ignored, you could lose legal rights.

Daniel picked up the papers again and saw the date. Same day, 6 PM. It was almost 3 PM.

And he started to worry, imagining he might miss something important. This is just ridiculous, he shouted to everyone gathered. Such a big firm, and it can’t solve a trivial translation task.

And his ego grew even stronger. Daniel, choking with irritation, decided to turn it into a joke. He raised the papers high and announced to the whole office.

Listen up, everyone, I’ll give my monthly salary to whoever can translate this, he shouted and added with a loud laugh. Forty-five thousand dollars to whoever understands this Martian language. Everyone laughed, thinking it was a joke.

After all, forty-five thousand dollars was more than the annual salary of most of them. For that amount, I’d learn any language in five minutes, shouted Ryan from the sales department. The laughter grew even stronger…