In College Her Friends Mocked His Torn Clothes… 5 Years Later He Became a Millionaire—and Their Boss
Chapter 3
The following semester, Daniel began working on a project.
It started with a simple problem.
Small businesses wasted hours managing inventory manually.
Daniel built a basic software tool that predicted when products would run low.
It wasn’t beautiful.
It wasn’t finished.
But it worked.
His professor noticed.
“You built this alone?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Four months.”
The professor leaned closer.
“This could become something.”
Daniel smiled.
“I know.”
He spent every spare hour improving it.
Sophia occasionally saw him in the computer lab.
One night, she approached.
“You’re still here?”
“Yes.”
“You ever sleep?”
“Sometimes.”
She smiled.
“Your project?”
Daniel nodded.
“It’s for small businesses.”
“That sounds useful.”
“It could be.”
She looked at his screen.
“What would you do if it actually became successful?”
Daniel thought.
“I’d hire my mother.”
Sophia blinked.
“Your mother?”
“She cleans offices.”
“I didn’t know.”
“You never asked.”
She looked embarrassed.
Daniel returned to his computer.
Sophia stood there for a moment.
Then she said:
“I hope it works.”
Daniel looked up.
“Thanks.”
It was the first kind thing she had said to him without an audience.
And for some reason, it stayed with him.
