Adela was an ordinary maid, working for several families in the city, earning an honest living. She didn’t have high hopes of wealth, but she had an extraordinary ability to keep everything clean and organized.

One day, she got a new job with a wealthy family living in a large villa on the outskirts of the city. The house was huge, with many rooms and long corridors, filled with expensive furniture and beautiful artifacts. Adela was impressed but also felt a bit intimidated, as it wasn’t her usual place to work.

One afternoon, while cleaning the library, she noticed a small wooden box wrapped in a thin cloth. The box was placed on a high shelf, which didn’t seem like a spot where anything of value would be. Adela was curious but didn’t want to cross any boundaries, so she tried to leave it undisturbed.

However, after a few minutes, she couldn’t resist, and decided to open the box. Inside, she found a collection of gold rings and several other expensive pieces of jewelry. The shine of the gold and diamonds left her speechless. She felt a lump in her throat, realizing she had discovered something extremely valuable.

Adela was shaken, but something in her heart told her she had to return it. She decided to close the box and put it back exactly where she had found it. Despite the temptation to keep something that could change her life, she couldn’t violate her principles.

A few days later, during a conversation with the lady of the house, she mentioned, almost by accident: “I found a small box in the library, wrapped up, and I think it might be something valuable.” The lady was shocked and asked how she knew about the box. Adela explained how she had found it by chance and had left it there.

The lady appreciated Adela’s honesty and told her that she had lost a family heirloom collection of jewelry but had never thought someone would find it. As a reward for her integrity, she offered Adela a large gift: a simple but beautiful gold ring and a considerable sum of money.

Adela, moved, accepted the reward, but more importantly, she felt that she had done the right thing. She had chosen honesty over anything else, and it made her feel richer than any treasure she could have found.