Trash to trillions

SHAMELESS WENCH

Caelum was frustrated at this point, and didn't know what to do. He looked at the old woman, his heart aching. Caelum’s eyes caught sight of the jade bracelet on Mrs. Marlowe's wrist, alongside her gold jewelry. And he finally saw a ray of hope. She always wore original items, and he might be able to get some money after selling it. Once she recovered, they could just buy it back.

“Grandma, I will use these for a while. When you wake up, we can buy it back.” He quickly pulled off the two bracelets and rushed out, leaving his bag behind.

“Let's focus on another patient. This one is a fruitless venture, a waste of time.” One of the nurses muttered, looking resentful.

In no distant time, Caelum rushed back, panting heavily.

“I just deposited fifty-five thousand dollars, it should be enough to begin treatment, right?”

The doctor was surprised. He had thought the items he took were cheap replicas, but surprisingly, he could raise a substantial amount from it, which made him see the woman in a new light.

“Alright, we will start the treatment, but bear in mind that the heart surgery will only proceed after full payment, for now, we will only administer drugs to keep her alive, stabilize her vitals, ease her pain, and do the first surgery to correct her bones to avoid permanent damage. You have to raise the rest within an hour for the heart surgery.”

Caelum nodded, feeling a hint of relief.

“An hour would be enough. Once I go home, I will be able to inform the family about her condition, they will pay then.”

The doctor nodded, even though he didn't trust much in his words.

“Follow the nurse to the lab for the preliminary tests, and cross matching. Two pints of blood should be drawn to begin treatment.”

****

Caelum staggered into the Marlowe villa, feeling incredibly dizzy. He hadn't eaten all day, yet he had to donate blood for the old woman. The guards at the entrance shot him looks of disdain, but he couldn't be bothered about such petty things.

He made his way to the old woman’s room. She had woken up briefly after the first treatment and told him where to get money from. Mrs. Marlowe was certain that her kids wouldn't want to save her, since they wanted her dead to take over the company.

He entered the room to search for the safe, but it was gone. Caelum rushed to the drawer, then the woman's dressing room, but all her jewelry, credit cards, and car keys had disappeared. It was almost as if someone anticipated his visit and cleared grandma Marlowe's room of all valuables to ensure that there would be no means of saving her.

“What's happening? She clearly told me the debit cards were in the second drawer, who raided her room?”

Caelum’s world crumbled at that moment and he felt as if he was carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. The last hope of saving the old woman disappeared, and he blamed himself for it. He was a step too late.

He quickly dialed Arianna’s number. Even if the rest of the family was unwilling to save her, his fiancee, Arianna, was the old woman's favorite, and was recently appointed CEO of the pharmaceutical subsidiary. Surely, she wouldn't want her grandma to die.

But she still wasn't picking up. As he was about to rush out of the room in search of the next option, he heard sounds coming from his fianceé’s room, and was immediately confused. If she was home, why didn't she pick up his calls?

Caelum immediately pushed open the door, his heart pounding erratically against his ribcage. He had a bad feeling about what was going on in the room, his hands were shaking, and blood was roaring in his ears.

Sure enough, the moment he entered the room, he met his fiancee, enjoying hot doggy with a strange man on her bed, sweat rolling down her body as she panted, touching herself while looking at the man in a lust-induced haze. She was even smiling, moaning with her mouth slightly open, totally enjoying herself while the old woman was in the ICU, battling for her life.

“Arianna!”

The scream was out of his mouth before he realized it. She looked back at him and ignored him, pretending not to see him as she increased her moans to an incredibly annoying pitch.

“Harder, oh, I'm so close.”

That was the last straw. Caelum rushed at the man and pulled him off her body, delivering a flurry of kicks and punches to the man.

“You shameless bastard. How dare you sleep with a woman that's already engaged?” He roared, pushing him to the floor. He saw red, and was determined to teach the man a lesson he would never forget. After all the temptations he encountered that day, he was already at his breaking point, unwilling to take more s**t from anyone.

A heavy substance collided with his head and he immediately lost consciousness, with blood dripping down his skull.

The next time he opened his eyes, his fiancee was already dressed alongside the man, watching him with a murderous expression.

“You i***t, how dare you hit me? Do you know who I am?” The young man, Xavier Collins, whom he recognized as the son of J.S corporation immediately rushed at him, brutally kicking him.

He looked at Arianna, his gaze filled with disappointment.

“Your grandma is in the hospital fighting for her life, yet all you could think about was s*x, you shameless woman!”

Arianna immediately slapped him, and bashed his head against the wall. He closed his eyes and endured it. Quarreling with her wasn't the right thing to do, he still needed her to pay for the treatment. So he must remain calm, and carefully control the situation.

Caelum exhaled heavily. “Arianna, grandma had a heart attack, she's dying. You need to follow me to the hospital. I couldn't sign the consent form because I'm not a biological relative, and we also need more money to add to the deposit, let's hurry.”

He stood up on shaky legs, grabbed her hand and began to drag her out of the room. Arianna pushed him away and slapped him, surprising him.

“Let go of me immediately!”

“Arianna, there's no time for your petty tantrum, grandma is dying!”

“Let her die!” The vicious scream landed like a sledgehammer on Caelum's chest and he staggered back, his eyes wide with disbelief and horror. But she didn't seem to be done with him, for she took a step towards him, her eyes blazing.

“What if she's dead? How is it any of my business?”

Caelum’s mouth dropped open, and his heart sank. The dizziness he was feeling multiplied, but he was unable to determine if it was from blood loss or extreme shock.

“She's your own biological grandma, who doted on you. How could you say such a thing?”

“You mean doted on ‘you’ the stray dog she brought home. Ever since she betrothed me to you, making me a laughingstock, I have waited for this day. Once she's dead, I will put you in the position you're supposed to live in. There would be no one to protect you, you better watch your back.”

Caelum gasped, not believing his ears.

“You were the one that seized her bank cards, right? You knew she would tell me to use it for her surgery, that was the reason you rushed to empty everything that could be used as a collateral. How can someone so young be so wicked?”

She slapped him again.

“So what if I did? You and your dog grandma should go to hell, I ain't paying a dime, nor will I sign the consent form. Since she treated you well at the expense of her blood relatives, she should have known that this day would come.”

Caelum shook his head in sorrow, realizing that she was beyond redemption.

“I thought you were different from the rest of the family that were trying to kill her because they wanted her shares and inheritance. I thought you only exhibited petty tricks, and youthful stubbornness, but you're just like them, heartless and evil. If anything happens to grandma, I won't let you off. Her spirit will haunt you forever.”

Arianna’s face darkened at what she thought was a curse from the jinx, and a malicious glint appeared in her eyes.

“Guards!”

At once, two of the security men ran in.

“Beat this waste black and blue and throw him out!”

The two guards immediately moved to obey, and Caelum tried his best to resist, but was ultimately overpowered.

Just when he was at the verge of losing consciousness, they stopped. He was breathing heavily, his body ached with indescribable pain, and was sure he probably broke a rib or two.

Arianna took a step towards him, a menacing smirk on her face. She stomped hard on his hand, and Caelum cried out in agony while her wicked cackles filled the air.

“Throw him out!”

“Wait!” Xavier, who had been watching silently, interrupted, and slowly walked down the stairs. Arianna looked at him in surprise. Surely, he wasn't pitying this pathetic pauper, right?

“Why will you throw him out when I haven't gotten my own pound of flesh?” He walked up to the groaning Caelum who was trying to sit up amidst the blinding pain.

“You little scum, how dare you attack me? Do you know who I am?” He stepped on the same spot on his hand where Arianna’s heels previously dug into, viciously twisting his shoes to peel off his skin, with a wicked expression on his face.

Caelum glared at him with hatred, but his current condition didn't give him the luxury of fighting back. “You're a pathetic little dog that was brought home from the streets, how dare you bark at your masters? I will knock out those teeth of yours. You're not qualified to shine my shoes, you smelly, disgusting piece of s**t. Yet, you dared to attack me, you must have a death wish!”

The moment he finished speaking, he signalled to his own guards who had arrived at some point, and motioned towards Caelum. They immediately descended on him with manic intensity, beating him till he lost consciousness… again.