She Was Forced To Marry A Poor Homeless Beggar Unaware He Is The Richest Man Once upon a time, there was a young woman named Evelyn who never left a job half done. If a stray dog had a cut on its ear, she stayed out in the rain until she wrapped it in a clean cloth. If her neighbor’s roof leaked, she was up on the rusty ladder holding the nails. She did not [music] do these things to be nice or to hear people say thank you. Around her was broken. That was just who she was. But on this particular evening, Evelyn felt completely broken herself. She stood in the middle of her stepmother’s massive kitchen staring down at a shiny white piece of paper on the marble counter. The kitchen smelled like expensive vanilla candles and roasting meat, but the air felt so thick and hot that Evelyn could barely breathe. Her throat was dry and she kept squeezing the hem of her faded blue skirt until her knuckles turned white. Across the counter stood Victoria, her stepmother. Victoria was not screaming. Instead, she was slowly cutting a piece of chocolate cake with a silver fork making a Scratch. She looked up at Evelyn with cold, calm eyes. Victoria said that if Evelyn did not sign the marriage paper by midnight, the checks for the hospital would stop. She [music] said the private room where Evelyn’s grandmother lived would be locked. [music] The machines that helped the old woman breathe would be turned off and she would be sent to a crowded, noisy state clinic where nobody would watch her. Evelyn felt a hot drop of sweat slide down her neck. She looked at the paper, then at the silver fork in Victoria’s hand. She asked why it had to be him. She asked why it had to be the silent man who lived in the alley behind their big house. Victoria took a slow bite of her cake, chewed it, and wiped her mouth with a cloth napkin. She told Evelyn that the family business was going through a very difficult time. She said that according to her father’s old will, the family could only touch the grandmother’s medical trust fund money if Evelyn was legally married and settled. Victoria smiled a tiny sharp smile. She said she was just finding Evelyn a husband so they could get the money to save the business.

His brown coat was still torn at the shoulder, his shirt was faded, and his old boots were worn so thin that they looked gray. [music] Evelyn held Julian’s arm tightly, trying to show her family that she was not ashamed of him. Priscilla arrived a few minutes later, and she did not walk into the room quietly. She practically bounced across the polished wooden floor, her high heels making loud clicking sounds against [music] the wood.

She held her left hand high in the air, waving it around so that the giant diamond on her finger would catch the light from the ceiling. Behind her walked Marcus Vane. Marcus wore a shiny black suit that looked like it cost more than Evelyn’s apartment, and a gold watch that was much too large for his wrist. [music] He had a big, smug smile on his face, the kind of smile that belonged to someone who thought he [music] was better than every other human being on Earth.

Priscilla ran over and slammed her hand down on the table right [music] next to Evelyn’s plate, making the silver spoons rattle against the cloth. She demanded that Evelyn look at the ring right that [music] second. She said that Marcus had bought it for her because Marcus [music] was the most important man at Vane Logistics, and he only bought the absolute best [music] for his future bride.

Priscilla laughed a sharp, mean laugh and said that the diamond was so heavy it was making her wrist hurt, [music] but she supposed she would just have to get used to the billionaire lifestyle. >> [music] >> Pulling his coat sleeves up so his heavy gold watch slid out for everyone to see. He looked over at Julian, >> [music] >> who was sitting perfectly still with his hands folded in his lap.

Marcus let out a short, loud chuckle and shook his [music] head. He asked Victoria if this was the joke husband she had found for Evelyn, or if they had accidentally let a stray worker [music] inside the house. He wondered out loud if Julian even knew how to use a silver fork, or if he usually just grabbed his [music] food straight out of the garbage bins behind the shops.

Priscilla joined in, leaning against Marcus’ shoulder and smiling widely. She told Evelyn that she felt [music] so incredibly sorry for her. She said that while Evelyn was going to spend the rest of her life washing dirty rags and counting pennies to buy bread, [music] she was going to be flying to beautiful islands on private airplanes and buying a new mansion every single year.

Priscilla told her that Marcus was a real man with a real future, unlike the silent shadow sitting next to Evelyn. [music] Evelyn gripped her cloth napkin under the table so hard that her fingers turned white. The anger inside her was growing hot, like a small [music] fire in her chest. She did not want to cause a huge fight because she needed Victoria to keep her promise about the hospital bills, but she could not sit there [music] and let them insult Julian.

She looked Priscilla straight in the eyes and spoke in a clear, firm voice. Evelyn said that a real marriage was not about how much money a man had in his bank account, [music] or how many shiny things he could buy. She said it was about kindness and keeping promises, and she told them that Julian was a good man who did not deserve their mean words.