After he paid for the groceries, Warren walked back home. On his way there, he encountered a little girl sitting on the sidewalk. She couldn't be more than five years old, and her neat and clean dress, oozed wealth.
What caught Warren's eye was the trace of a teardrop down her cheek.
'Why is she crying? Where is her parents? Is she lost, or something?' Warren had a lot of questions running through his mind. He couldn't handle his curiosity any longer, so he approached the little girl and asked her "Hello, may I ask where your parents are?"
The girl stared at him and just shook her head.
'She doesn't trust me enough to tell me anything. Guess it can't be helped. Especially since I'm a stranger and I often come across as shady because of my sense of dressing.'
Warren didn't want to bother her any further, since he felt that this was a scenario he didn't want to get too involved with. So he decided to leave.
However, the moment he turned around to leave, the girl stood up and followed him. Not thinking anything of it, he continued walking further. Still the girl stayed steadfast on his trail. As he increased his pace, the girl did the same.
Warren walked around a corner and hid himself. When the girl came around the corner, he jumped out and gave her a fright.
"Following me, I see." Warren said.
Again, the girl didn't say a word, however, this time she only nodded.
Seeing that she isn't so hesitant anymore, Warren probed her again and asked "Are you lost? Did your mother forget you at the supermarket or something?"
"Kayla is lost. Mommy left Kayla at her friend's house. She is not a good person and she said bad words to me, so Kayla waited for mommy to return. She never returned, so Kayla decided to go home on her own. However, Kayla doesn't know the way home," the little girl cried.
Who would have thought this little girl would be so talkative all of a sudden. 'So her name must be Kayla,' Warren thought. Warren thought that it wouldn't be safe for her to linger around so aimlessly. Something bad might happen to her since she's so young and vulnerable. However, he also felt that it might not be in Kayla's best interest if he brought her back to her mother's friend's house, since she clearly didn't want to go back there.
"So why are you not in school today?" Warren asked.
"We don't have school today, since my teacher told me that they have a cluster meeting. That's why they gave us the day off."
Thinking about this, Warren felt that the safest option right now would be to take the little girl to her school since her teacher might still be there and Kayla might contact her mother through her teacher.
"Could you please tell me the name of your school?" Warren asked politely.
"I attend kindergarten at High Hopes, but I don't know the way back to school," the little girl said as she sobbed.
Warren thought for a while and made up his mind. He will first return Kayla to her school and then deliver his aunt's groceries. He already wasted too much time, so he cannot dwell on anything else for too long. However, for now Kayla takes priority, since something bad might happen to her, if he doesn't help her.
"I'll take you to your school and then we can call your mommy from there. Is it alright with you?"
Kayla hesitated at first, but after a short while she nodded. Seeing that she eased a little bit around him, Warren took Kayla's hand and brought her to High Hopes Kindergarten.
The school yard was deserted since almost no one attended school on this particular day, safe for a few educators. Seeing the familiar environment, a sense of relief flushed over Kayla as she increased her pace towards the gate of her school. When she arrived at the gate she saw a familiar face and shouted immediately "Miss Sun, please wait for me!"
She momentarily forgot about the presence of Warren next to her and instantly bolted towards her teacher who was standing near the entrance of the school building.
Seeing the little girl, Miss Sun was rather surprised, since she didn't expect to see a learner attending school on this day. Her thoughts were, however, quickly interrupted when she saw a suspicious-looking young man standing at the gate. She immediately embraced Kayla and smiled. She took her hand and tried to bring her away to her office. At that moment Kayla remembered Warren and stopped her teacher.
"Miss Sun, he is the uncle who saved me and brought me here. Could you please call my mother to pick me up? Also, could you invite him to join us, since he is has such a good heart."
Miss Sun smiled and gave in to the little girl's demands. She waved at Warren to come over and he obliged.
"Miss Sun, this is the nice uncle. Nice uncle, this is my teacher, Miss Sun," Kayla introduced the two to each other.
Warren could only smile wryly and said "Nice to meet you, Miss Sun."
"Care to come in and join us for a cup of tea?" Miss Sun invited Warren. It was her way of thanking him, since he was a stranger, but didn't mind helping the little girl. Other people would have had ulterior motives, but she could instantly see that he has a good heart.
However, she could only invite him for a cup of tea. She didn't want to do more than that, because it was evident that Warren didn't have the aura om someone who is wealthy or accomplished. It might affect her image if she was seen hanging around with the likes of him. That's why she already extended the offer to invite him for tea to show her gratitude.
"I'm sorry, but I have to decline. Please take care of her," Warren said as he immediately turned around. At the gate he turned around and waved at Kayla one last time.
Miss Sun looked at him and frowned. 'He's strange, isn't he?' she thought to herself.
Still looking in awe at Warren's back as he was leaving, Miss Sun's thoughts were interrupted when Kayla pulled on her hand."Miss Sun, could you please call my mommy. I want to go home. It is not right of me to bother you on your day off." Kayla didn't want her teacher to feel bad, since she already felt as if she was a burden to her."Don't worry, Kayla. I will call her immediately so that you may be reunited with her."After that Miss Sun called a number and conversed with a certain individual for a minute or two.30 minutes later a Porsche Taycan arrived at the school gate. Out stepped a very beautiful and elegant woman. She looked as if she was in her mid twenties and her exquisite and classy demeanor could turn any men's knees into jelly. She greeted Miss Sun and after a few pleasantries, she left with Kayla.Warren, on the other hand, just arrived at home. His aunt was waiting for him with her arms crossed in front of her c
One hour later Cassidy was driving towards the location that Warren sent to her on WhatsApp. She was surprised when she saw the area in which Warren was staying. It seems so underdeveloped. However, it makes sense given Warren's family's financial situation. She drove for a few more blocks until she arrived in front of a rather small house. Before she could send a message, she saw a familiar figure open the door and wave at her. She recognized Warren instantly and got out of the car to meet him.Cassidy didn't have any romantic feelings for Warren, she just felt pity for him. It breaks her heart seeing her classmate living in such conditions. She felt that it would be best if Warren attended Gary's function so that he may at least interact with people of a higher social class. This could help him in building his own relationships and connections, which will be beneficial to him in the long run."I'm sorry I arrived a little bit earlier. I didn't have any br
'A mansion for 2 million dollars? She must have a substantial amount of money if she could afford that,' Warren thought."So is she coming to join us then? It would be an honor to meet such a great person," Warren said embarrassedly as he laughed."Don't be so flustered, she is a rather down to earth person. She's already at the venue of the function, so she will only be able to join us in 1o minutes. In the meantime we could order so long."Warren didn't know what to think. He only wanted to spend some time alone with Cassidy. Although there were no romantic sparks flying in the air, it was the only opportunity he had to talk to someone as beautiful as her. If her sister were to arrive then the half hour they had left before the function began would be wasted. He would most probably be relegated to being the third wheel when Cassidy and her sister started talking.At that moment a Porsche Taycan arrived at the entrance of The Ligh
The three of them continued their meal in relative peace. When they were done, they went downstairs to pay the bill. When Warren saw how much the food cost that they just ate, he instantly became nauseous. 10 thousand dollars for breakfast is just insane! He became nervous because he could even afford a tenth of the meal. Why would Cassidy bring him here, if not to embarrass him? Warren didn't know what to do."I will pay this time, I remember distinctively it was you who paid the last time," Cassidy said nonchalantly."I don't think so. You paid the last time, so now it's my turn. In addition to that, I will also pay for his meal," Claire added as she pointed towards Warren.Warren was confused. Why would they argue about who should pay for the meal? Do they not see how outrageous the amount is? It is impossible for the breakfast to cost that much.After a few more exchanges between the two. They finally reached a consensus and Claire p
Warren and Cassidy found Gary's current behavior pleasant, since he wasn't so domineering and irritating as he was at first. Gary on the other hand knew exactly why he had to be in his best behavior now, since he had something special planned at the end of the event.The function proceeded without any mishaps and Warren enjoyed himself. It was at this moment when Gary signaled for everyone to quiet down. He had something important to say."Ladies and gentlemen. I would like to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend my humble event. The reason for the particular festivities today, is to pay homage to Mrs Evans for her purchase on her new villa. We as Robertsons Equity Estate would like to thank her for her wonderful contribution towards the company. "There was a round of applause as everyone congratulated Claire. She was used to this kind of attention. It comes with the privileges of being wealthy. So she smiled nonchalantly a
Gary signaled to one of his security guards to come over. He whispered something in his ear and when the guard turned around to leave, he was smiling.'Just you wait, Warren Cole! We will see how long you can keep up with this charade. I will make you pay for embarrassing me like this,' Gary mumbled to himself. He had a devious smile on his face.Not too long after that, Warren left for the men's room. On his way there he bumped into one of the security guards who were on duty today. The guard glared at him, and after Warren apologized he left. He didn't want to start a fight at Gary's function, since it would embarrass Cassidy who went out of her way to invite him to attend the day.After he finished his business in the men's room, he returned to the main hall where the function was held. However, there was a commotion going on. One of the guests lost their necklace. Since it was only wealthy people attending the event, everyone knew just how
'Everything makes sense now,' Warren thought. 'The confidence in Gary's words and his relentless onslaught while saying that I stole the necklace. He was the one who planned it all.'Although he realized the truth now, it was too late for him. The security guards brought him out to the parking lot on Gary's command. They kicked him violently until blood were flowing out through his nose and mouth. The pain he felt was something he will never forget. Not only was he wrongfully accused, even Cassidy believed that he was a thief. Warren didn't feel the need to defend himself anymore. He accepted the beating, although it hurt him excruciatingly.At that moment Gary stood in front of him. He followed the guards when they brought Warren out. He made sure that no one else followed them since he wanted to make Warren suffer in peace."Not so smug now anymore, are we?" he joked as he also kicked Warren. "Did you really think that you could be with Cassi
As Warren was walked away from the beggar, he couldn't help thinking about what just happened. 'Why do I feel so energetic all of a sudden? Did the beggar do something to me? Was it a good thing or a bad thing? Oh well, there is no use dwelling on it now. All that matters is that my wounds are healed and I feel amazing,' Warren thought to himself. Although he was still covered in blood, Warren felt as if he could do anything. He felt rejuvenated from head to toe. He sprinted and to his surprise, he didn't feel any pain at all. His speed also increased substantially. 'This is an unexpected and welcome surprise,'Warren said as he rushed to find a cab since his house was a long way away. No cab stopped for him since he was still covered in blood. He didn't give up and stood in the middle of the road so that the next cab couldn't pass him by. He forcefully entered and instructed the driver to go to the designated address. Reluctantly, the driver follo