From Rags To Silk

Chapter 6

Irritated, George pushed on the trolley again, this time with great force, sending her tumbling to the ground. He was not going to put up with such arrogance from a nobody of low status.

Carol landed hard, but she was not one to lie on the ground and be spat at. She attempted to stand, but the little strength she had betrayed her as her body slumped back to the ground. She coughed loudly and held her chest.

George moved, not wanting her to cough on his expensive shoes. The woman was sick but defiant.

She kept coughing, the push somehow triggered a cough which irritated George and made him feel uneasy, so he looked around to make sure no one was passing by. He took a piece of paper and threw it in her lap.

"Sell me the house, you need the money to pay for your nephew's tuition," he said.

Carol coughed, her gaze fixed on the paper, then up at him.

"That paper contains the names of the students chosen for the scholarship for next semester," he explained. "And, if you look through it, Daniel isn't on it."

She rolled her eyes as she threw the paper at him with the last of her strength. She was not stupid enough to believe a useless piece of paper that was clearly fabricated. Besides, Daniel dropped by the house and never mentioned anything about a scholarship list.

George closed his eyes, attempting to calm his rage. He wanted to kick her to death, but patience was essential for the plan's successor.

He took out his phone and showed her the list from the university portal.

Still, on the ground, Carol scanned the list. Her heart started racing as she went through it again and again, but she couldn't find Daniel's name.

George knelt to her level, a smile on his face.

"This is a forgery!" Carol exclaimed.

George grabbed a chunk of her hair and pulled hard, sending her wailing in pain.

"Not only did I ensure he was removed from the list, but I also ensured he was fired from his job," he said softly.

Carol's eyes widened as her skin turned chalk-white. She swallowed dryly, unable to moisten her throat as her gaze met his. He was dead serious.

"Sign the house over to me or I'll keep making his life miserable!"

"No, no, not my Daniel," she pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I intend to ruin both of your lives! I think I've been far too nice for far too long."

Carol felt a heaviness and tightness in her chest as reality set in. When her nephew dropped by, she had a feeling something was wrong. She remembered him avoiding eye contact and wearing a phony smile.

Her breathing became rapid but short. Daniel was the only person that mattered to her; he was her life and the thought of him being hurt shattered her.

George noticed her breathing and quickly let go of her hair. She didn't look good. All he wanted to do was scare her a little. His gaze darted around in search of an escape. He didn't want to jeopardize himself.

On second thought, her deteriorating health was exactly what he needed. She was going to need medical bills, so tricking her nephew into selling the house wasn't so bad. He smiled as she watched her struggling to breathe.

On the corner of the street, a photographer who was taking photos of the skyline decided to take photos of the street across from him when two figures popped up in his lens. He took a brief pause noticing one of the figures on the ground whilst the other stood over. Curious, he quickly started taking more pictures.

The standing figure turned and walked away, casually. He quickly focused on him and photographed him as he vanished into the opposite corner of the street, got into the back seat of a Ferrari, and zoomed off.

He dashed towards the figure on the ground, hoping the person was okay. He recognized the woman as he knelt. Carol Lane, his next-door neighbor.

"Oh my God, Carol, are you all right?" he inquired, but she was unresponsive.

He quickly dialed 911, and an ambulance arrived minutes later. He attempted to call Daniel while in the ambulance but was unable to reach him.

Daniel sat in his dorm room, studying even harder than usual. He had half-recovered from the failure since he still had plans to look forward to.

A loud knock came on his door, irritating him. He ignored it, but the banging continued, forcing him to get up. When he opened the door, his neighbor was standing on the other side, much to his surprise.

"I've been trying to reach you," the panicking neighbor said between breaths.

"What exactly is going on?"

 "Your aunt has been hospitalized? I found her lying on the streets"

For a split second, Daniel's heart stopped.

"Hurry, they've been looking for her relative," he urged, leading the way, not allowing Daniel to ask questions.

When they arrived at the hospital, Daniel met with the doctors and was informed of the bad news. His aunt had a mild heart attack, and they needed to perform a minor surgery that cost a lot of money. To make matters worse, they needed to do the operation immediately.

 The doctors urged him to hurry and allowed him to see his aunt. The neighbor said his goodbye as Daniel thanked him for everything.

Left alone, he entered his aunt's room trembling. His day couldn't get any worse, and he didn't seem to be getting a break any sooner. He held on to her hand, unsure of where he was going to get the money. He didn't have any money, not even a coin to his name. He felt helpless and useless. Other rich men his age would solve the problem easily, but he couldn't save her.

He was about to burst into tears as he rested his head on the bed when he remembered her bank book. His aunt was always saving money, and she owned a bank book with all of her savings in it. He was confident that she had some money in her account.

He quickly got up, kissing her on the cheek before running out of the room to his house. He was sure to find the bank book somewhere in the house. When he arrived at the house, he found his neighbor waiting for him at the doorstep.

"Hello, Daniel, how is she?" 

"Same," he replied.

"Be strong, she will be alright. By the way, I forgot to tell you something important," the neighbor explained.

"What?"

"Before Carol collapsed, I noticed a man standing over her."

Daniel's eyes shot up as he inquired who it was. 

"I took photos of him, but I am yet to develop the images. I'll give them to you first thing in the morning."

"Do you mean she was robbed?"

"No, the man appeared wealthy and was dressed formally."

Daniel stared at him confused 

"Please remember to develop the photos, but did you get to see his face?"

"Yes, though I'm not sure who he is. Maybe you know him, the man left your aunt for dead," he continued, feeling quite sorry for Daniel and his aunt.

Daniel clenched his hands into a fist, rage roaming, yet confused. His aunt had no enemies. Maybe the neighbor saw it wrong? He tried thinking of anyone who would want to hurt her but couldn't come up with anyone or the reason why. He needed to find out who the rich man was and why he left his aunt for dead like an animal.