He leaned on the mop handle, taking a moment to rub his aching shoulder.

“37 and pushing a mop,” he muttered to himself, rolling his eyes. “Come a long way, haven’t you, Jacob?”

Working as a janitor at a big company was his life now. He kept to himself, mostly, and avoided everyone except the vending machine on floor two (which gave you free drinks if you hit it the right way). It was a quiet life, predictable, which was more than he’d ever had before.

One year ago, life looked very different. Back then, Jacob was just another face on the street, scrubbing car windows with a dirty rag for crumpled dollar bills.

He’d fought tooth and nail for every dollar, every meal, every drop of liquor that helped him sleep at night. He’d fought anyone who crossed him and argued with the cops every time they forced him to move on from whichever street corner he’d currently called home.

Jacob would’ve fought the whole world until the day it killed him, but then he met a man who changed his life.

It was like something out of a storybook. Jacob needed cash, so he’d set up a little shoeshine stand on a street corner in the business district. It was a good spot with lots of traffic. He’d made lots of money shining shoes here before and he hoped to make hundreds of dollars that day.

He’d been at it a while when a man in a black suit approached him.

“Shine these,” the man had said, nodding at his polished leather loafers.

Jacob had almost laughed. “They’re already clean, man.”

The man had smirked, held out a crisp fifty-dollar bill, and said, “Do it anyway.”

Jacob didn’t ask twice. Afterward, the man had studied him like he was sizing up a new investment.

“I’ve seen you shining shoes on this corner before,” he said. “Do you… recognize me?”

Jacob shook his head. “All you suits look the same to me, man.”

“I see.” The man tilted his head. “This may sound crazy, but I’d like to offer you a job. You seem like a man who wants more from life than this; I’d like to give you a chance to get off the street.”

Jacob had eyed him suspiciously. “Really? What kind of job?”

“Janitor. The job comes with benefits and you’ll get a steady paycheck.” The man handed him a business card. “Show up, and it’s yours.”

Jacob had only shown up because, well, what else did he have to lose?

But he quickly realized he’d never fit in with everyone else who worked in the shiny office building. He arrived late, left early, and worked slowly in between. He was the guy who’d mop around people’s feet instead of asking them to move.

It didn’t make him many friends.

“You’re gonna get fired, man,” warned Eddie from accounting one afternoon.

Eddie wore his tie too tight and his face too anxious. “HR’s on you again. Three complaints this month alone.”

Jacob just shrugged. “If they fire me, I get unemployment. I’ll manage.”

What baffled him — and everyone else — was that he never did get fired. Ethan, the man who’d hired him, the CEO and golden boy of the company, always smoothed things over. HR complaints? Dismissed. Supervisor warnings? Ignored.

The whispers spread like wildfire.

“He’s gotta have dirt on Ethan,” one intern speculated. “No way he keeps his job otherwise.”

Jacob didn’t care what they thought. Let them whisper. Ethan wasn’t his boss — not really. Ethan was just some guy in a glass-walled office who liked giving speeches about “potential” and “self-determination.”

It was one of the weirdest parts of his job: regularly getting called into Ethan’s office for pep talks.

“You know what you are, Jacob?” Ethan had said once, leaning back in his leather chair like he had all the time in the world. “You’re a seed. A cleaner today could be a leader tomorrow if he’s willing to work for it.”

Jacob had snorted. “That’s rich, coming from you. You inherited this place from your father.”

“Yes, but it’s still the truth.” Ethan’s eyes had been calm, steady. “But suit yourself. You can stay comfortable if that’s what you want.”

Jacob had scoffed, walking out of the office, thinking, comfortable? I’ve never been comfortable a day in my life.

He finally got it one night the previous week. He’d been lying on the sofa in his rented room, drinking a beer and watching videos on his phone, when he suddenly realized this must be the comfort Ethan meant.

Going to work every single day and juggling responsibilities was hard, but it came with undeniable perks.

So, Jacob was feeling almost satisfied with his life for the first time in years as he swiped the mop back and forth that afternoon.

Then he noticed the door to the conference room was cracked open just a bit. He glanced inside.

Ethan was in there, pacing. His voice was low but sharp, cutting through the glass like a blade. Jacob removed his earbuds to hear what he was saying.

“If Jacob finds out I’m his brother, you know what that could mean for both of us!” Ethan hissed.

Jacob froze. Brother?

Olivia, Ethan’s wife, folded her arms, her face tight with disapproval. “You can’t keep this a secret forever,” she warned.

Ethan’s jaw clenched. “I’ll tell him when I’m sure it won’t cause problems for me — or you.”

Jacob’s chest went tight, his breath shallow. Brother? He leaned against the wall and sank to the floor as his knees gave way. Brother… hadn’t Ethan inherited this company from his father? Their father?

His head spun. This company was just as much his as Ethans! What right did he have to lord it over him as CEO when all this time, he knew Jacob was his blood?

Rage filled him so fast it tasted like metal on his tongue. Jacob stormed into the breakroom, snatching his phone off the counter. His fingers shook as he dialed.

“Yeah, police?” he growled into the phone. “I’m reporting a theft. My brother stole a company that belongs to both of us.”

He hung up before they could ask for details.

Minutes later, sirens blared outside. Red and blue lights flashed through the windows. A few employees working late crowded by the windows, murmuring, wide-eyed with shock. Jacob went out to meet them and led the police inside.

Inside Ethan’s office, Jacob pointed at him like he was aiming a spear. “You LIED to me! You knew we were brothers this whole time, and you kept it from me so you could keep all this for yourself!”

Ethan didn’t flinch. “You think you know everything, but you don’t.”

“You left me in that orphanage!” Jacob’s voice cracked. “You knew I was out there, alone, and you lived it up while I had nothing!”

Ethan stepped forward, eyes hard but sad. “Our father didn’t leave me this company, Jacob. My adoptive father did.”

Jacob blinked. “What?”

Ethan’s voice softened. “And I didn’t know about you. Not until a few years ago. It took me a while to find you and when I did, I hired you. Because I believed in you.”

His eyes gleamed with something raw, something too close to pain. “I didn’t tell you we were brothers because I wanted you to learn to stand on your own two feet. I wanted us to have a relationship as equals, not because you needed me.”

Silence. Thick. Suffocating.

Jacob felt like he’d been hit with a sledgehammer. He opened his mouth to speak, shut it again, and left without saying another word.

Just when he’d thought his life was good, it had all crumbled down around him.

The office had changed. New decor. Fresh paint. Same cheap coffee.

Ethan glanced up from his desk as the door opened. A man entered, clean-shaven, wearing a tailored suit. Ethan’s eyes squinted in confusion until recognition dawned.

“Jacob?” Ethan stood, disbelief on his face. “Is that… you?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” Jacob’s voice was calm, deeper than before. He closed the door behind him. “It’s been a while.”

“You look…” Ethan’s grin was slow but wide. “You look good, man.”

“Feels good,” Jacob said, glancing around. “Five years. I hit rock bottom after I left here.” He scratched his chin, eyes distant. “But I climbed out. I took some courses and started managing motels. Built myself back up.”

Ethan watched him with quiet pride.

Jacob stepped forward, gaze steady. “I’m not here for money, Ethan. I’m not here for revenge.” He paused. “I’m here ’cause I understand what you meant that day about me not needing you. I’m ready to be your brother.”

For a moment, Ethan didn’t move. Then he crossed the room, arms outstretched.

Jacob met him halfway.

“You did it, man,” Ethan said, his voice thick with pride. “You really did it.”

Jacob patted his back, feeling something in him settle for the first time in a long time. “Yeah,” he said, swallowing hard. “I did.”