The Beggar Who Lost His Billionaire Mother

I had just picked up medicine for my feverish son from the hospital. The moment I pushed open the front door, I heard sharp, mocking laughter coming from the living room.

Eat this! This is imported dog food, hundreds of dollars per pound---more expensive than the meat you country bumpkins eat for Christmas! Don't be ungrateful!

My heart sank. Without even changing my shoes, I rushed into the living room.

The scene before me made my blood boil. My mind exploded with a deafening buzz.

Eleanor---Ethan Sterling's mother---was curled up on the cold marble floor. She had just undergone heart bypass surgery, and her face was as pale as paper, her entire body trembling.

And Melissa Snow, the so-called "premium nanny" Ethan Sterling had hired at great expense, was wearing my silk nightgown, one foot planted on Eleanor's shoulder, forcing a dog bowl toward her mouth. The bowl was filled with soggy, foul-smelling leftover dog food.

"Melissa! What the hell are you doing!"

I lunged forward like a madwoman and knocked the dog bowl from her hands.

The rancid dog food splattered all over Melissa.

She shrieked and jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, jabbing her finger at my nose and cursing.

"Are you insane, Grace? How dare you splash me!"

Melissa disgustedly brushed at her clothes, then shot a contemptuous glance at Eleanor on the floor.

"What am I doing? I'm teaching your broke-ass mom some manners! Ethan said I'm in charge of this house. You country people are covered in germs. I was doing her a favor by making her lick the bowl clean!"

I trembled with rage, my nails digging into my palms.

She thought Eleanor was my mother.

But this was actually Ethan Sterling's mother---the billionaire matriarch of the Sterling family! Normally, Ethan wouldn't dare breathe too loudly around her, and now she was being stepped on and force-fed dog food by a nanny.

I was about to explain who she really was when Melissa sneered and kicked Eleanor hard in the chest.

"Stop playing dead! You haven't finished mopping the floor yet!"

The kick was vicious.

Eleanor let out a muffled groan, clutching her chest. Her face instantly turned from white to purple. Her throat produced wheezing sounds like a broken bellows as she curled into a ball, unable to form a complete sentence.

"Eleanor!"

I threw myself over and grabbed her tightly. Her heart couldn't handle this kind of shock---her whole body was convulsing violently.

I frantically searched her pockets for her emergency heart medication.

Melissa grabbed my hair and yanked me backward.

"Stop putting on a sob story for me! You country people are so dramatic. Trying to scam me, aren't you?"

She pulled out her phone and started recording me and Eleanor.

"Who can relate? I just encountered the worst today. These are the broke relatives leeching off Mr. Sterling. Not only are they covered in bacteria, but now they're faking illness to extort money."

Ignoring the searing pain in my scalp, I swung my hand back and slapped Melissa hard across the face.

*Slap!*

The crisp sound echoed through the living room.

"Shut up! If anything happens to her, even Ethan can't save you!"

Melissa clutched her rapidly swelling cheek, her eyes filled with venom.

"Oh, so the barren hen dares to hit me! Guards! Throw these two beggars out!"

Two burly bodyguards immediately rushed in from outside. Ethan had specifically assigned them to Melissa, claiming it was to protect his "lifesaver."

"Let go of me! Are you blind? Look closely at who she really is!"

I struggled desperately, but the bodyguards pinned me to the floor, one on each side.

The head guard sneered without even glancing at Eleanor.

"Ma'am, Mr. Sterling instructed us that Miss Snow is in charge of all household rules."

They roughly grabbed Eleanor, who was in the midst of a cardiac episode. Her head lolled helplessly, her lips already turning blue-black.

"You'll regret this! When Ethan comes home and sees what you've done to her, he'll make you wish you were dead!" I screamed in despair, tears streaming down my face.

Melissa walked over and stepped on the back of my hand with her sharp high heel, grinding down hard.

The excruciating pain made me gasp.

"Grace, do you really think you're some kind of high-society wife? Ethan told me you're just a useless decoration taking up space. Once I'm pregnant with his child, you and your poor excuse for a mother will both get sent back to the countryside to shovel manure."

She kicked my hand away dismissively and waved at the bodyguards.

"Drag this old hag to the outdoor pool! Today I'll teach you people a lesson on Mr. Sterling's behalf!"

"You lay one finger on her and I'll fight you to the death!"

Like a crazed lioness, I broke free from the bodyguards' grip and bit down hard on the head guard's wrist.

The metallic taste of blood instantly filled my mouth.

The guard cried out in pain and backhanded me across the face, sending me crashing into the coffee table. My lip split against the edge, blood trickling out.

"What are you waiting for? Lock them both in the backyard, and don't let anyone open that door without my permission!" Melissa shrieked, clutching her face in fury.

The two bodyguards stopped being gentle. They dragged Eleanor and me out and threw us by the outdoor pool in the backyard.

*BANG.*

The heavy double glass doors slammed shut and locked.

It was December in the New York. Heavy snow was falling outside, and the temperature was approaching negative ten degrees Celsius.

The backyard had no shelter from the wind. Eleanor was already dressed in thin clothes, and now she was curled up in a ball, shaking like a leaf in autumn wind.

"Grace... Grace... my chest... it hurts so much..."

Eleanor's withered hand reached out weakly, clutching at my clothes. Her voice was barely audible, her breathing growing more rapid.

I quickly stripped off my coat and wrapped it tightly around her.

"Eleanor, hang on. I'll call an ambulance right now!"

With trembling hands, I reached for my phone in my pocket.

Empty.

I jerked my head up. Through the transparent glass door, Melissa was smugly waving my phone at me.

The house was heated to a comfortable 26 degrees Celsius. Wearing just a thin silk nightgown, she lounged comfortably on the sofa.

"Want your phone? Beg me."

She pressed the intercom button, her mocking voice broadcasting into the backyard.

"Grace, where's that backbone you had when you slapped me? Didn't you say Ethan would kill me when he got home? I'd like to see who freezes to death tonight."

I rushed to the glass door and pounded on it frantically.

"Melissa! I'm begging you, give me my phone! Eleanor really does have a heart condition---she'll die!"

I pounded until my hands were bright red, tears mixing with snow and streaming down my face.

Melissa leisurely peeled an imported cherry and popped it into her mouth.

"Heart condition? You're quite the actress. You old country hags are tougher than cockroaches. One night in the cold won't kill you."

Eleanor's face had turned from blue-black to deathly pale. Her eyes were rolling back. The hand clutching her chest slowly loosened, and her body slid limply downward.

"Eleanor! Eleanor, wake up!"

I completely broke down and turned to scream into the intercom.

"Melissa! The medicine is in the black bag on the living room sofa! Give me the medicine! I'll agree to anything you want if you just give me the medicine!"

Melissa paused.

She walked to the sofa, found the black bag, and pulled out a white medicine bottle.

"Oh my, there really is medicine."

She shook the bottle at me through the glass, a malicious smile playing on her lips.

"I can give you the medicine. But first, you need to kneel down, slap yourself three times, and shout 'I'm a country dog' three times. Then I'll slide the medicine under the door."

Looking at Eleanor barely clinging to life, I didn't hesitate. I dropped to my knees on the frozen tiles with a thud.

My knees struck the hard ice with piercing pain. But I couldn't care about that now.

I slapped myself three times hard. My face turned red from the blows.

"I'm a country dog! I'm a country dog! I'm a country dog!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs, my voice especially shrill against the wind and snow.

"Now can you give me the medicine?" I stared at the medicine bottle in Melissa's hand with desperate hope.

But Melissa suddenly burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. She laughed so hard she was practically doubled over, tears welling in her eyes.

"Grace, you really are an obedient little dog. Too bad---I just changed my mind."

Right in front of me, she unscrewed the cap of the medicine bottle.

As I watched in confusion and horror, she dumped the entire bottle of life-saving emergency heart medication into the nearby trash can.

"Oops, my hand slipped." Melissa covered her mouth in mock surprise. "You country people are tough, right? You can survive one night in the cold, can't you?"

"Ethan, you're finally home! Grace's mom brought in some infectious disease, and then she hit me!"

The front door suddenly swung open, and Ethan Sterling walked in, bringing a wave of cold air with him.

Melissa immediately put on a pitiful expression and threw herself into Ethan's arms like a frightened rabbit.

The despair I'd been drowning in suddenly flickered with a spark of hope when I saw Ethan.

I pounded frantically on the glass door, producing dull thuds.

"Ethan! Open the door! Save your mother! She's having a heart attack!"

I dragged Eleanor's unconscious body to the door, trying to make Ethan see her face clearly.

But the glass was covered in thick frost. Ethan couldn't make out who was outside.

He didn't even turn his head. His eyes were full of concern as he cradled Melissa's hands.

"What happened? Who hit you?"

Melissa squeezed out a few crocodile tears and pointed with her delicate finger.

"It was Grace's country mom. Her body is so dirty. I kindly told her to take a shower, and she went crazy and scratched me. Look, she broke the skin. It hurts so much."

I stared in disbelief at the barely visible red mark on Melissa's finger. She'd clearly scratched herself earlier while peeling cherries.

Ethan's expression darkened instantly, his eyes as cold as poisoned blades.

He turned toward the backyard, his gaze cutting like ice.

"Grace, I usually let you get away with things, but you actually brought your broke-ass mother here to cause trouble? And you dared to hurt Melissa?"

I shook my head desperately, my voice already hoarse from screaming.

"Ethan, are you blind! That's not my mother---that's your mother, Eleanor Sterling! She just had heart surgery, she's dying, please open the door!"

Ethan scoffed as if he'd heard the most ridiculous joke.

He pressed the intercom button, his voice dripping with disdain.

"Grace, if you're going to lie, at least make it believable. My mother is recuperating in Switzerland. How could she possibly show up here looking like a beggar? You're willing to tell such lies to cover for your poor mother. You disgust me."

He turned to the bodyguards behind him, his tone ice-cold.

"Open the door."

I thought he was finally going to let us in. I was about to sigh with relief.

But Ethan's next words plunged me straight into hell.

"Throw these two crazy women out into the snow. Don't let their poverty contaminate my carpet."

The bodyguards immediately opened the door. A blast of bone-chilling wind mixed with snowflakes poured into the living room.

They roughly grabbed my arms and dragged Eleanor and me toward the front gate.

"No! Ethan, you can't do this!"

I clung desperately to the doorframe, my nails leaving bloody scratches on the wood.

"If you throw her out today, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"

Ethan stood there holding Melissa, looking down at me with eyes devoid of warmth.

"The biggest regret of my life was marrying a vulgar woman like you who can't even show her face in society. Melissa is my lifesaver. Anyone who dares touch a hair on her head will answer to me."

The bodyguard gave a hard shove and sent me tumbling into the snow.

Eleanor was thrown down beside me like a broken rag doll.

The iron gate slammed shut in front of us.

I crawled over and held Eleanor. Her body was already rigid, her breathing barely perceptible.

The snow fell harder and harder, quickly piling thick layers on our bodies.

Through the villa's enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see Ethan carefully putting a bandage on Melissa's finger. Melissa nestled in his arms and gave me the middle finger.

I held Eleanor tightly, my heart feeling like it was being crushed by an invisible hand.

"Ethan Sterling, you're throwing her in the snow today. Tomorrow you'll be on your knees begging for her to live."

"Still wailing out there? Throw cold water on them to wake them up!"

Ethan's cold voice came through the yard's speaker system.

Moments later, two bodyguards appeared on the second-floor balcony.

A bucket of filthy ice water came crashing down from above, landing precisely on Eleanor and me.

*SPLASH.*

The ice water instantly washed away what little body heat we had left.

Eleanor's body convulsed violently once, then her head lolled to the side. She went completely still.

"Eleanor! Eleanor!"

I shook Eleanor frantically, but she kept her eyes closed. Even her faint breathing had disappeared.

Her heartbeat had stopped.

In that moment, something inside my brain snapped completely.

I suddenly stood up, grabbed a decorative brick from the snow, and smashed it against the smart lock beside the gate like a madwoman.

Sparks flew. The alarm blared through the night.

The bodyguards inside were startled and instinctively opened the door to stop me.

I seized the opportunity and rammed headfirst into the guard's chest, snatching his walkie-talkie and backup phone from his belt.

With trembling fingers, I dialed emergency services and screamed out the address.

"Someone come quick! The patient has no heartbeat! Hurry!"

Ten minutes later, an ambulance screeched to a stop in front of the villa.

The paramedic jumped out carrying a defibrillator.

"Where's the patient?"

I scrambled toward them and pointed at Eleanor in the snow.

"There! Please save her!"

The doctor was about to kneel down and check when the villa's front door opened again.

Ethan emerged with Melissa in his arms, his face dark with anger.

"Who gave you permission to come in here?"

Ethan strode forward and blocked the paramedic.

"Doctor, check Melissa's hand first. She just had a terrible shock, and her finger is bleeding. It needs immediate attention."

The doctor glanced at Melissa's finger with its cartoon bandage and looked utterly speechless.

"Sir, that elderly woman has gone into cardiac arrest. This is a life-or-death situation!"

Ethan snorted coldly and glanced dismissively at Eleanor.

"She's just a country old woman. If she dies, she dies. How precious can she be? I'm the CEO of Sterling Corporation. I'm ordering you to examine Melissa immediately!"

Just as the doctor stood torn and I prepared to fight Ethan with everything I had---

A deafening roar suddenly filled the night sky.

Three black helicopters bearing the Sterling family crest tore through the wind and snow, circling above the villa.

The powerful downdraft made the surrounding trees sway wildly.

Ethan froze, then his face lit up with delight.

He assumed this was the premium private medical service he'd booked earlier to impress Melissa.

"Melissa, look---the helicopter I called for you is here."

Ethan took Melissa's hand and walked smugly toward where the helicopters were landing.

Melissa was even more excited, her face flushed red. She shot me a haughty glance.

"Grace, see that? This is how the elite live. A nobody like you will never experience this in your lifetime."

The helicopter landed smoothly. The door opened.

A team of fully armed black-suited bodyguards and top medical experts in white coats filed out.

Ethan walked up obsequiously, pointing at Melissa.

"Thank you all for coming. The patient is---"

He didn't finish his sentence.

From Eleanor's inner clothing pocket, I pulled out the family signet ring that represented the absolute authority of the Sterling family matriarch.

I stood up and faced the helicopter's blinding searchlight, holding the ring up in front of Ethan's eyes.

"Ethan Sterling, open your damn eyes and look clearly at who you just kicked!"