From Pauper to Prince

Emily was shocked and dumbfounded. She stared at the two men who were engrossed in a deep conversation.

She walked to both men who happened to be her husband, Ethan and Mr Lawrence. “Y-you both know each other?”

“Uh, yes, actually. I uhm… I was helping Mr Lawrence with a heart attack. He encountered a heart attack, so….”

Emily wasn't convinced with her husband's reply. She looked at him, and he noticed a hint of skepticism in her eyes. “Really, I don't remember you being a doctor or a healthcare practitioner.”

“Well, uhm…”

“He actually helped me to suppress the heart attack I had. I was the one that called him over. He's a good man, your husband. And I'm glad he'd visited.”

 Ethan was surprised at how well Mr Lawrence played along with him but he was glad he did that to help him.

Emily's gaze shifted from her husband to Mr Lawrence and then back to her husband, her eyes almost popping out of their sockets. It wasn't adding up— every single thing. There was something going on with Ethan, and she needed to find out as much as possible.

“How did you guys know each other?” She asked, still confused and in desperate need of clarity.

“Well, about two years ago, I had an accident, and then Mr Lawrence here rushed me to the hospital and paid my bills,” Ethan lied. He hoped the story was believable at least.

“Yes, that's how we met.” 

Emily was still skeptical, but the story was quite believable. Mr Lawrence was a nice man and he seemed like someone that would help people in need if he had the chance to.

“Okay, then. I actually came to see you, Mt Lawrence.”

At home, Emily wasn't having the news that the company was at the verge of shutting down. How was she going to go about this?

“Well, I'll try my best to make sure the family is out of debts,” Ethan said to her. He hated seeing her like this— worried and stressed out. Now that he had enough money to get her family out of the mess they were in, he swore to help her.

Emily scoffed. How was it possible? She knew her husband to be a hopeless lowlife who couldn't afford anything but food to eat. How then was he going to settle her family's debts?

“You know that's impossible, Ethan? You can't settle a debt of a thousand dollars, how then are you going to settle a debt with such an outrageous amount of a billion dollars?”

Ethan smiled softly and looked at his wife. He really wanted to help her out of this mess. He was determined to assist his wife and make sure she doesn't suffer for her family's sake.

Ethan dug his hands into his back pocket and brought out a card. Emily's jaw dropped as her eyes fell upon the card her husband was holding in between his fingers. It wasn't an ordinary card. Infact, people as touch as the Harrisons even rarely had this card. It was a black card.

Emily was thrown off balance. “What the… how the hell did this come into your possession, Ethan?”

“Well, this…. Mr Lawrence gave it to me after I told him about the family's unpaid bills.. It contains 800 million dollars.”

As the words escaped his lips, Emily's eyes widened. Her jaw dropped. The weight of the amount her husband just uttered was too heavy. It got her so dizzy that she was about to faint. “800 million dollars? How?”

“Here,” Ethan handed his wife the black card. I just want you to use this and settle your family's bills. It's not up to a billion, but I'll make sure your family's debts are settled.”

Another scoff escaped Emily's lips. How could she take that much money from Ethan? What would it feel like? Besides, if she took the money, she didn't know where it'd come from. She knew her husband to be an honest man, and by being honest he wouldn't be able to afford an amount as huge as this.

“No, Ethan.” She shook her head. “ I can't take the card from you.”

Ethan was confused. Why wouldn't she take the card from him? Wasn't it what she wanted— to clear her family's outstanding bills?

He furrowed his brows as he stared at his wife with disbelief. “Why? Why won't you take the card from me? It's

“Because I don't know where it's coming from. Ethan, I can't believe you have such a card with you. Where did you get it from? Did you...” she gulped, and paused, unsure if she should say the words in her mind. Honestly, she thought Ethan had stolen the card just to please her.

“Did I do what, Emily?”

“Did you steal the card?”

Ethan gasped. Why would his wife of all people ask him that kind of question? She knew well that he couldn't do such a thing.

“Of course not, Emily. Like I said, Mr Lawrence gave me the card.”

“No, no, Ethan. I can't believe Mr Lawrence would give you something as precious as the card to give to me. Something's just not adding up, really. I can't take the card from you. I'm sorry, but I won't.”

Emily headed out of the living room leaving her husband standing rooted to the spot, staring hopelessly at her as she walked out on him.

Ethan didn't blame his wife for her actions because if he were in her shoes, he'd act the same way. No one ever thought he would have in his possession something as priced as black card because everyone thought he was nothing but a gold digger.

Determined to assist his wife, Ethan headed to the bank to withdraw some funds.

 Just as he got to the bank, Ethan parked his bike and then came across Sarah, a friend of Emily, who always looked down on him and mocked him for being a man who lives off his wife's wealth.

“Look who we have here,” Sarah said as her eyes fell on Ethan. “You good for nothing gold digger, what are you doing here?

She began ridiculing him, calling him demeaning names. Ethan ignored her, waving off her condescending words towards him.

“What are you doing here, Ethan, perhaps you came to withdraw a dollar?”

She noticed the card in his hand and was shocked. It was a black dragon card. ‘But what if it was fake?’ she thought. A person like then could never afford a black card.

“How come this card is in your position? I bet you stole it, didn't you?”

Ethan ignored her yet again and opted to withdraw eight million dollars for a start. Sarah bursted into into a bout of laughter. “Eight million dollars? You want to withdraw eight million dollars? Someone like you that can't even afford a dollar of your own. Oh! This is ridiculous.”

To Sarah's shock, the regional bank manager, Mr. Dawson, recognized the prestigious Black Dragon Card in Ethan’s possession. Realizing the significance of the card, which was definitely a symbol of immense wealth and power, Mr. Dawson quickly ushered Ethan into the VIP room. “Come with me sir,” he said to Ethan.

Sarah, confused and embarrassed. Why was her boss treating that wretched Ethan like he was a prince? Why was he treating him with the utmost respect?

“This man is a pauper, Mr Dawson, a wretched one at that, you don't have to treat him like this because if they card he's with. He might have stolen the card,” Sarah said, but before she knew what was going on, Mr Dawson's palm met her face with a resounding s

lap.

“You will not speak to this man in that manner again, so you understand?”