The Beggar at Her Feet

I once used dirty tricks to force the girl my parents sponsored to stay with me. I spoiled her rotten.

I cooked for her, washed her clothes, and even paid to cure her grandmother’s paralysis.

Later, my parents were framed and died in a horrific accident, and my enemies left a sharp metal fragment wedged deep in my brain. The doctors said I wouldn't live past five years.

But she turned around and held the hand of my enemy's son. I knew he was the one that got away, her first love. She had always hated me for tearing them apart.

So, I turned around and left, brokenhearted. Five years later, we met again.

She was now the CEO of a multibilliondollar corporation, publicly announcing her engagement to her first love.

And I had become a homeless beggar, clinging to my last breaths, dragged down to the absolute dirt. Once again, I turned to leave, my heart bleeding.

But on the grand stage, tears streamed down her face as she ran toward me. My parents were framed and met a tragic death. Our family business went bankrupt.

And my enemies left a sharp metal fragment wedged deep in my brain during the assault. The doctor told me I wouldn’t survive past the fifth year. This year is my last.

I thought I would just die quietly in some forgotten corner. But on Valentine’s Day.

While I was digging through a trash can, I saw Seraphina Vance standing in front of a luxury hotel.

She was wearing a custommade gown, dripping in diamonds, looking breathtakingly rich and powerful. My hand froze in the trash. I stared at her blankly, my nose stinging with tears.

After all, she is now a highandmighty female billionaire, no longer the helpless little girl I used to tease. Just then, a man walked up to her.

It was Julian Sterling, the son of the man who ruined my family. My fists clenched so hard my knuckles turned white. Sera gently took his arm, a soft smile playing on her lips.

Looking at them, it finally clicked. She is getting engaged to Julian. "Get the hell away, you filthy hobo!" A harsh shout snapped me back to reality.

I looked at the security guard who was raising a hand to strike me, and I quickly scrambled away, trembling. The guard sneered and walked off.

I reached into my pocket and touched the few crumpled dollar bills I had. It wasn't even enough to buy my pain medication anymore.

I decided to try another dumpster down the street, hoping to find something I could recycle for a few cents.

But suddenly, Sera appeared right in front of me, staring at me with an intense, unreadable gaze. I quickly buried my head deeper into the dumpster. Did she recognize me?

The thought made my entire body shake uncontrollably. She must find me so pathetic, so hilarious right now.

At that moment, Julian walked over, holding a takeout box, and handed it to Sera. "Are you hungry? Here, take this," Sera said, handing the box to me with a gentle smile.

I had dirt rubbed all over my face.

I kept my head low and whispered a raspy, "Thank you." Julian frowned, pinching his nose. "Sera, you are always too kind to these street rats." Sera stared at me deeply. "Because I know what it’s like to starve." "Fine.

It reeks here anyway, let’s go." With that, Julian tossed two twentydollar bills onto the ground, pulled Sera, and walked away.

I stared at her retreating figure and carefully picked up the money. Then, I let out a selfdeprecating laugh. "What are you dreaming about, Ethan?

How could she ever recognize you?" After all, I am just a disgusting beggar now, someone people avoid like the plague. My chest ached with a bitter, hollow pain.

I remembered the first time I met her. She was as timid as a stray kitten. I learned about her life from my parents.

Her parents died when she was young, her grandmother was halfparalyzed, and little Sera had to become the adult of the house.

She only slept five hours a day, waking up before dawn to care for her bedridden nana. She had to cook and clean.

Because she couldn’t reach the stove, she had to stand on a small wooden stool. Her life was just too brutal. I wanted to save her.

I begged my parents to use their foundation to sponsor her. Because of us, her grandmother was finally admitted to a proper hospital.

She used to look at me with those timid, fearful eyes, and I would just laugh and gently ruffle her hair.

Later, I took her to amusement parks, went shopping with her, treated her to nice dinners, and watched movies.

Everything was brand new to her, but whenever I tried to buy her gifts, she would always shake her head and refuse. It only made my heart break for her more.

As the years passed, I spoiled her to the heavens, and she became more and more dependent on me.

She called my parents "Mom" and "Dad," but she never called me "brother." I didn’t care. There seemed to be a silent, unspoken bond between us.

Until high school, when Julian Sterling suddenly confessed his love to her. Julian was the son of my family's rival, a total spoiled playboy.

I didn't know if he was doing it just to spite me, but he constantly pursued her right in front of my face.

I thought Sera would ignore him, but under Julian’s relentless, romantic gestures, a smile finally appeared on her face when she looked at him.

Eventually, when he confessed again, she accepted his flowers.

That day, I got into a massive fistfight with Julian. For the first time in my life, I wanted to kill someone.

But Sera threw herself in front of him, crying, begging me to leave him alone. Rage consumed me.

I yelled at her, "Do you have any idea what kind of guy Julian is?" "The Sterlings and the Grays have been sworn enemies for decades!" She stared back at me stubbornly. "This is my personal life, Ethan.

Stay out of it." I glared at her. "Don’t forget, you're practically my sister!" Hearing that, Sera became even more emotional. "I am not your sister!

I don’t ever want to be your sister!" My anger flared to the absolute limit. I didn't understand what was so good about Julian that she was so blind.

Pushing her against the wall in a fit of pure, toxic jealousy, I growled: "Sera! You love Julian that much?

Well, I’m not going to let you have him!" "You don't want us to be family? Fine.

From today on, you are going to be my girlfriend!" "If you refuse, I’ll have my parents cut off your funding, and you can take your sick grandmother and drag yourselves back to the streets!" Her eyes welled with tears.

After a long, agonizing silence, she finally nodded. I didn’t know what those words truly did to her. I only knew that from that day on, she never smiled again.

Looking at her red, teary eyes, I felt a deep, gnawing guilt. So, I tried even harder to please her.

She had a weak stomach, so I personally learned how to cook delicate meals, cutting my fingers dozens of times in the process.

She hated the smell of smoke, so I forced my father to completely quit smoking. I thought that as time passed, we would eventually find real happiness together.

But shortly after, tragedy struck. My parents were framed and died. Our company was liquidated.

I was kidnapped, beaten within an inch of my life, and ended up with a metal fragment embedded in my skull.

The doctors told me I wouldn’t survive past five years unless I underwent an extremely expensive and risky surgery. Then came the news that Sera’s grandmother was on her deathbed.

I gritted my teeth and used the very last of my hidden savings to pay for her grandmother’s emergency surgery.

To avoid dragging Sera down with me, I decided to see her one last time before leaving forever. But when I found her, she was holding Julian’s hand.

I touched the scar on my head, let out a bitter laugh, and stumbled away into the rain, tears streaming down my face.

I had absolutely nothing left. To escape other creditors and enemies, I fled to another city. Because of the brain injury, I couldn't hold down a normal job.

My vision would blur, and the migraines were blinding. Slowly, I became a beggar, fighting stray dogs for scraps of food.

In this, the final year of my life, I returned to this city. I wanted to die where I was born. And deep down, I wanted to see her one last time before I closed my eyes forever.

After all, the only reasons I had dragged this broken body along for five years were: First, to find out the truth about my parents' deaths.

Second, to understand why Sera had betrayed us. After my parents died, the Sterling family sponsored her college education.

And the moment she graduated, they made her the CEO of the Sterling Group. She became the ultimate icon of success for every young woman in the country.

Just a few days ago, the Sterlings announced that Sera and Julian were getting engaged. That night, fireworks lit up the entire city skyline.

The streets were filled with celebratory candy. I picked one up and ate it, but it tasted incredibly bitter. I had thought about going straight to her to demand answers.

But looking at my filthy, mangled reflection in a shop window, I could only laugh at myself. As I thought about this, my head began to throb violently.

The cheap painkillers weren't working anymore. The only relief was to close my eyes and try to sleep.

In my semiconscious state, I was shaken awake by a group of loud, obnoxious drunks. "Hey, look at this little hobo sleeping so peacefully!" "I can't even get a good night's sleep, why does this piece of trash get to sleep so well?

Wake him up!" Before my brain could fully register what was happening, the drunks began to kick me, pouring cheap beer all over my head.

I tried to stand up and push them away, but a wave of intense dizziness hit me. I crashed to the ground, shattering a glass bottle. This angered the drunks even more.

They kicked me brutally several times before finally laughing and walking away. My torn skin burned fiercely from the alcohol.

I tried to crawl forward, but my palm pressed hard into the shattered glass, blood instantly pooling on the pavement. I guess this is it. I'm finally going to die.

I lay flat on the cold ground, accepting my fate. Suddenly, Sera appeared in front of me. Tears were pooling in her eyes as she stared at me, frozen. My heart shattered.

I buried my face into the dirty pavement, curling my body into a tight ball. I didn't want her to recognize me. I scrambled desperately to crawl toward a dark alley.

One hand covered in blood, the other in mud. But she stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "Go away!

Get lost!" I forced my voice to sound raspy and wild, playing the part of a terrified, crazed beggar. The air went dead silent.

I thought I heard the sound of quiet sobbing, but I didn’t dare look up to confirm it.

After a long time, she spoke, her voice trembling but cold: "Ethan Gray, how long are you going to pretend you don't know me?"

In the hospital, a young nurse wrapped my wounds with an expression of pure disgust.

I sat on the edge of the bed, incredibly uncomfortable. "How long has it been since you showered? You smell horrific.

Even with three masks on, I can still smell you." "And your hair... it's so matted and filthy, it’s disgusting!" "Once I'm done with you, I need to take a shower immediately and disinfect this entire room.

This is so annoying!" I lowered my head, not daring to say a word. Just then, Sera walked in, carrying a takeout box.

Hearing the nurse's complaints, her face instantly turned icecold.

She glared at the nurse with absolute fury. "Say one more word, and I will personally ensure you are fired from this hospital within the hour." The nurse turned pale with fear, quickly finished the bandage, and rushed out of the room.

Sera placed the food container in front of me. "Eat," she said quietly. I carefully opened the box. She frowned slightly. "I didn't realize there were fried fish fillets in there.

I'm sorry." I kept my head down and smiled bitterly. "It's fine. I actually like fish now." Sera used to love fish.

I had spent weeks learning how to cook fish perfectly just for her. But I had never eaten it myself because I hated the smell of seafood.

But after years on the streets, let alone fish, I would have eaten a bone snatched from a stray dog's mouth. I began to wolf down the food, including the fried fish.

Watching me, Sera whispered, "You've changed so much." I knew exactly what she meant. In the past, not only did I refuse to eat fish, but I also had extremely refined table manners.

I used to chew every bite exactly thirty times before swallowing. When I first became homeless, I tried to maintain those habits.

But once the hunger and the sickness truly set in... You quickly throw away all those stupid, elegant rules.

Being messy and alive is always better than starving to death with manners.

After I finished the food and the IV drip was done, Sera took me to a hotel so I could shower. She even bought a brandnew set of clothes for me. I didn't refuse.

After all, my parents had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars sponsoring her when we were young. Eating a meal and wearing some clothes paid for by her now was nothing.

Besides, I wanted to use this opportunity to have a final talk with her. I carefully washed my body, trying not to touch my fresh wounds.

I didn’t wash my hair, fearing the hotel shampoo would irritate the deep scar on my skull.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, she was sitting on the sofa, her face cold. "Why didn't you wash your hair?

Doesn't having that filthy nest on your head disgust you?" Her icy tone made me instinctively bow my head. I didn't plan on telling her about the metal fragment in my skull.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak, her phone rang. It was Julian. "Babe, someone said they saw you checking into a hotel with a beggar.

What's going on?" Sera glanced at me, her eyes softening slightly as she stepped out onto the balcony to take the call. Seeing this, my selfesteem shattered again.

A familiar pain gripped my heart. The questions I wanted to ask died in my throat. What was the point of asking anyway? My parents are dead. I am dying.

And she has a brandnew, glamorous life. From the very beginning, the person she loved was never me. I took a long, hard look at her back.

I quietly grabbed the free hotel toiletries and bottles of water, planning to slip away. These free items, worthless to her, were precious commodities for a beggar like me.

But just as I stepped into the elevator, Sera rushed over and blocked the doors. "Ethan Gray!

Are you going to run away without a word again, just like you did five years ago?" She grabbed my arm and yanked me out of the elevator.

I tripped over my own clumsy feet and fell hard onto the carpet. All the stolen toiletries and water bottles tumbled out of my pockets, rolling across the floor.

Silence fell over the hallway. I quietly sat there, gathering the items one by one. I kept my head down. "You must think I’m incredibly pathetic, don't you?" She didn't answer.

The silence was suffocating. I clutched the cheap items to my chest, reaching out to press the elevator button again.

But she grabbed my hand, her eyes red and filled with tears. "I just think you are as incredibly selfish and stubborn as always." I remained silent.

Suddenly, she threw her arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace. Her fingers ran through my messy hair, accidentally brushing against the painful scar on my skull.

With a sob in her voice, she whispered, "Ethan, this time, let me save you, okay?" My body went completely stiff.

But after a second, I gently but firmly pushed her away. "Sera, my parents were ruined and died because of the Sterlings.

While they are flying high, and you are climbing up their corporate ladder... doesn't your conscience ever hurt?"