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.

She poured the hot soup into her only clean ceramic bowl and set it on the table. She handed him a metal spoon and told him to eat every single drop because he looked like he had not eaten a hot meal in a long time. Julian [music] sat down and began to eat. The soup was simple, but it was hot and tasted wonderful after weeks on the [music] street.

Evelyn sat on the edge of the couch watching him with a small, satisfied smile happy that she could finally [music] help him. When Julian finished the soup, the clock on the wall showed it was past [music] 11:00. Evelyn stood up and pulled a thick wool blanket out of her small closet. She spread the blanket neatly over the small bed against the wall and patted the pillow.

She told Julian that the bed was for him tonight. [music] Julian shook his head quickly and pointed toward the lumpy brown couch [music] trying to tell her that she should take the comfortable bed instead. Evelyn shook her head back [music] at him and smiled softly. She told him that he was the guest under her roof, so he got the bed.

She said that she was used to sleeping on the couch anyway and [music] it was actually very cozy once you got used to the lumps. She lay down on the narrow couch and pulled a thin gray sheet up to her chin [music] wishing him a good night. Julian stood in the center of the tiny room for a long time listening to the soft [music] plop of the rain falling into the plastic bucket.

He looked at the brave, kind girl sleeping on the hard couch. [music] Then he looked down at his newly repaired coat. He realized that in his search to find the bad [music] people who were stealing his money, he had accidentally stumbled into the greatest treasure he had ever seen. [music] He walked over to the bed, lay down under the thick wool blanket, and promised himself that he would do whatever it took to protect Evelyn from the cold world [music] outside.

Early the next morning, the loud buzzing of Evelyn’s alarm clock cut through the quiet room. The sun was not even up yet, and the air inside the apartment was freezing. Evelyn immediately threw off her thin blanket [music] and sat up on the lumpy couch. Her back was sore from sleeping on the hard cushions, but she did not complain.

She looked over at the small bed and saw Julian lying under the heavy wool blanket, his eyes closed as if he were deep asleep. [music] Evelyn tiptoed across the cold floor so she would not wake him. She put on her work uniform, which was a plain black polo shirt and dark [music] pants that had grown thin at the knees from too much washing.

Evelyn worked at a massive grocery store down [music] the street, where she spent eight hours a day lifting heavy wooden crates of apples and scanning items for grumpy customers. It was hard, painful work that made her arms ache, >> [music] >> but she needed every single penny. Before she left the apartment, she fried two eggs in a small [music] metal pan, placed them on a clean plate, and left a small note next to the stove that told Julian to eat before the food got cold.

Then she quietly closed the wooden door and walked [music] down the creaking stairs into the dark morning fog. The moment the front door of the apartment building clicked shut, Julian opened his eyes. He sat up quickly, his movements sharp and fast. He looked at the plate of hot food she had left for him, and then he looked at the little handwritten note. A strange feeling hit his chest.

He was a man who owned entire skyscrapers, but nobody had ever made sure he had breakfast just because they cared about him. He ate the food quickly, pulled on [music] his torn brown coat, and walked out into the chilly morning. Julian did not walk toward the grocery store. Instead, [music] he turned down a narrow, dirty side street where the big apartment buildings turned into old brick warehouses.

Parked in a dark corner behind a pile of broken wooden pallets was a large, dusty white delivery van. It looked completely normal from the outside, like a van that delivered heavy boxes of paper towels or car parts. Julian walked up to the back doors of the van and knocked three times, then paused [music] and knocked two more times.

The heavy metal doors immediately slid open with a soft hiss. Inside, [music] the van did not look like a delivery truck at all. It looked like a top secret command room from a spy movie. The walls were lined with bright blue computer screens that cast a glow over everything, and the air smelled like expensive electronics and [music] fresh black coffee.

Sitting in a spinning leather chair was Thomas, Julian’s most trusted assistant. Thomas wore a perfect gray suit and a neat [music] blue tie. When Thomas saw Julian standing there in his dirty rags and messy beard, >> [music] >> he quickly stood up and bowed his head with deep respect. Thomas told Julian that it was good to see him safe.