"Are you crazy?"
A strong force rushed toward me. It turned out that while I was looking at Joey, I had subconsciously taken a few steps toward her.
I ended up bumping into a security guard and stepping onto his polished leather shoes.
I staggered a little, then finally fell onto the ground from the heavy shove.
With a loud crash, the soda cans in my woven sack all rolled out.
The security guard I had bumped into saw the footprint on his polished shoes and kicked me in a fit of rage.
I curled up helplessly, guarding the most fragile part of my body.
The commotion on our side drew everyone's attention. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Joey and Marcus looking in my direction as well.
I quickly wrapped my arms around my head, covering my face. I was afraid that Joey would recognize me. I didn't want her to see how I had become a beggar, someone anyone could bully.
The security guard's kick landed on my soft abdomen, and the pain made me break out in cold sweat. A cry of agony escaped my lips, but I quickly bit my lips together to silence myself.
As Joey saw this scene, her brows furrowed and she strode toward me with the little girl in her arms.
My heart was in my throat. Did Joey recognize me? The thought alone made me feel uncomfortable, and a sudden feeling of inferiority washed over me.
The sound of Joey's footsteps came closer, and the unease in my heart grew along with it. An overwhelming sense of humiliation engulfed me, filling me with the urge to escape.
However, the moment I tried to get up, a crushing pain spread throughout my body, as if I had just been run over by a car.
While I was still figuring out what to do, Joey had appeared in front of me.
Joey looked at the security guard sternly. "How could you hit someone?"
Under Joey's sharp gaze, the security guard's face turned bright red, and he apologized repeatedly.
After warning the security guard not to let it happen again, she reached out her hand, wanting to help me up.
I stayed on the ground, burying my face deep in my arms. Those were the hands I had once longed for so desperately, yet I didn't dare touch them.
At that moment, Marcus had finished giving his instructions and walked over to Joey, breaking the tension. "What happened?"
The security guard quickly explained everything.
Marcus furrowed his brows as he looked at me. His eyes were filled with disgust and disdain, as if looking at plain trash.
He said to Joey, "You shouldn't blame the security guard. This is a luxury five-star hotel, so having a beggar here would only hurt the hotel's reputation."
Hearing Marcus' words, Joey frowned. The little girl in her arms suddenly said in a childish tone, "Mom, this person is so weird! His whole body is trembling. He's so pitiful."
It was at that moment that I realized my body couldn't help but tremble.
Joey seemed like she still wanted to say something, but Marcus interrupted her. "The weather is cold, so bring Nina in. She only recovered from her cold. I'll handle things over here, okay?
"Although this person is affecting the hotel's image, hitting someone is never acceptable… I'll give him proper compensation."
Hearing Marcus' words, Joey finally felt at ease and left with the little girl in her arms.
Once Joey left, Marcus put away the warm expression on his face. He took out two 100-dollar bills and lightly tossed them to me, then turned around and left.
These two light bills weighed like two mountains, suffocating me.
My hands trembled as I picked up the 200 dollars, then stuffed them into my pocket.
… I had nothing left, so pride was no longer important.
