Chapter One: Love, Betrayed
Sienna was celebrating her birthday party in her sitting room. She invited only a few of her colleagues from work and some of her closest friends.
A cake was set on the table, with the words "Sienna at 20" written on it. This showed that she was 20 years old.
She had five boyfriends but invited only one of them—the one she knew was capable of spending money on her during the party. His name was Marcus.
Marcus came from a wealthy family. His father was a billionaire, and he was a student at Brown University. Although he wasn't working, he had more than enough money in his account. He wanted to work, but his dad had advised him to focus on his studies. His father wanted him to become even richer than he was.
Marcus was not yet at the party but was on his way. Because the music in the room was loud, Sienna had to step outside to call him.
After confirming on the phone that he was on his way, she returned to dance with her friends.
A few minutes later, Jaden—one of her other boyfriends—was passing by. He noticed loud music coming from Sienna's house and wondered what was going on. Curious, he decided to go inside and check.
When he entered, he was surprised to see a cake on the table and people dancing. He hadn't been told anything about the party.
Why didn't she tell me she was celebrating her birthday today? he wondered. There's no fight between us. Why would she keep it from me?
Jaden tried calling her several times, but she didn't hear him because of the loud music. He eventually walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Sienna, I've been calling you, but you didn't answer," he said.
"Sorry, I didn't hear," she replied.
"Okay, but why didn't you tell me you're celebrating your birthday today?" he asked calmly.
Sienna knew Marcus was on his way, and she had already told him about Jaden. Marcus had made it clear that he didn't want to see Jaden at the party.
Instead of answering Jaden's question, she asked him something that made him angry.
"Why did you come to my party when I didn't invite you?" she said.
Jaden was stunned. He didn't know what to say. His mind flashed back to all he had done for her.
He was the one who paid her rent. He helped with her university fees and bought her food and other necessities.
He never expected her to treat him this way.
Jaden worked as a security guard at a big company in town. He earned a modest salary, but despite his limited income, he never hesitated to spend what he had on his girlfriend.
He believed that showing love and care would make her stay loyal to him—he hated cheating in relationships.
Sienna was his first girlfriend, and they had been dating for the past six months.
Jaden was an orphan. He lost his parents in a plane crash when he was five years old, and since then, he had been living in an orphanage.
His parents were wealthy when they were alive. His father had arranged a contract marriage before Jaden was born.
They had been trying to have a child for ten years after getting married, but eventually, his father decided to enter a contract marriage, which led to Jaden's birth. Unfortunately, both parents died five years later.
Jaden struggled to put himself through college but eventually dropped out because he could no longer afford to pay his fees.
When Sienna noticed that Jaden couldn't respond, she said to him, "Now get out of here, or I'll disgrace you."
"So, you want to disgrace me? What have I done to deserve this kind of humiliation?"
"I said get out!" she shouted at him. He felt ashamed of himself.
Jaden was about to leave when a young woman, around 23 or 24 years old, overheard the commotion. She stepped off the dance floor and asked, "What the hell is going on here?"
Jaden opened his mouth to speak, but Sienna interrupted him. "I asked this good-for-nothing boy to get out of my party, but he's being stubborn."
The young woman knew Jaden. She saw him as nothing more than a security guard—someone who couldn't afford to provide anything meaningful for his girlfriend.
"Jaden, why are you being stubborn? Let me tell you something you don't know—my friend can never be with someone like you. Go and get a good job before you start thinking about having a beautiful woman like her."
Jaden felt ashamed after hearing that. He had no words left. He thought the best thing to do was to walk away. He blamed himself for coming to the party in the first place.
Just as he was about to open the door to leave, Marcus entered. The first person he saw was Jaden.
Marcus was dressed in a tuxedo. Jaden was shocked to see his girlfriend, Sienna, walk up to Marcus and hug him.
Jaden hadn't known that Sienna had another boyfriend. He began to doubt—Was she really dating Marcus?
No, it can't be. She never told me she had another boyfriend apart from me, he thought.
No one acknowledged Jaden. Even Sienna—the girl he had spent so much on—ignored him. But why didn't she come to welcome him, yet she ran to hug Marcus? Was it because Marcus was rich?
Marcus was displeased to see Jaden at the party. He asked, "Sienna, why is Jaden here? I told you not to let him come. So why is he here?"
Jaden was still by the door and was stunned by what he heard.
"I already told him to leave, but he refused. He's being stubborn," she replied calmly.
"Jaden, what are you still doing here? You heard what she said. Why are you still acting stubborn?"
"Nothing," Jaden said quietly. "I was just about to leave when you came in." He turned to go.
Marcus noticed that Jaden looked like he was about to cry, so he called out to him. "Jaden, come back here."
He smiled and continued, "I'm a man who cares for the poor. I'm going to give you $5,000."
Jaden smiled when he heard the amount, and everyone around was also surprised.
What had Jaden done to deserve such a generous gift? $5,000 could change his life.
"You'll receive the $5,000," Marcus said, "if you use your shirt to clean my shoes."