3: Tears

In the dining room of the Wayne mansion, two individuals sat side by side with different expressions. In front of them were numerous dishes. The dishes were all covered, but with the beauty and sheer number of the plates and bowls, one could be sure that whatever food was in the dishes was surely going to be delectable.

Esther, who was sitting to her brother's right, had an expression filled with anticipation and curiosity as she looked at the door to the dining room.

Meanwhile, Andrew had an impatient expression as he rested his face on his hand while tapping the dining table with a frown.

Ten seconds went by, and Andrew could not take it anymore. 

"Where in the world is he? Dinner should have started two minutes ago."

Andrew's tone was filled with undisguised irritation as he tapped his finger on the dining table. His brows were furrowed, and the impatience on his expression became more pronounced.

"Why are you so grumpy big brother? It's just two minutes."

Esther said, and Andrew scowled. Just as he was about to speak, the sound of footsteps could be heard, and he turned.

"Took you long enough."

"Sorry, Young Master, but I had to take extra precautions and make sure he was of no harm to you or Young Miss' life."

Edgar bowed as he stood behind a lean middle-aged man. Although Edgar maintained a neutral expression, if one looked closely, one would realize that there were faint traces of annoyance on his face as he looked at the lean middle-aged man in front of him.

"Who is he big butler?" Esther asked with curious eyes as she looked at the stranger who was in their house.

When did the big butler start allowing strangers into their home?

Also, where was the beggar?

It was the beggar she wanted to see, not a complete stranger.

Esther looked around and even looked behind the big butler to see if the beggar was maybe behind him.

"Why are you useless Edgar? What is a helpless beggar going to do to us? Stop with all your paranoid acts and give us some food."

Esther blinked, and it took her a few seconds to process her brother's words. And when she did, her eyes widened in sheer surprise.

"That-That-That's the beggar big brother?" Esther pointed her shell shocked finger at the lean-middle aged man with her eyes wide open like she had seen a ghost.

"Huh?" Andrew looked at his sister in surprise, "Isn't it obvious he's the beggar?"

"How is it obvious big brother?!" Esther practically screamed as she looked at the lean middle-aged man in the room.

The man's appearance was dramatically different from how she had last seen him - his hair was neatly combed and trimmed, his unkept beard was shaved off, and he wore clean clothes that fit him properly. His skin was smooth and unblemished, and his eyes sparkled with newfound life.

Although she had only been able to catch a fleeting glimpse of his face when he fainted in front of their house, she had taken the opportunity to sneak off and catch a better look at the mysterious beggar when their big butler brought him into the house. So she knew what he looked like.

He no longer stank, and he no longer had an expression of despair and hopelessness. He looked like a new man altogether. In fact, he had a certain charm to him that was undeniable. His features were strong and rugged, and his eyes held a depth of character that none in the room could fathom.

'He's also not ugly.' Esther thought as she observed the beggar with her big eyes.

"Anyway, calm down with your stare Esther. You might scare him away with how much you're staring at him."

She blushed in embarrassment when she heard her brother's words, "Sorry." She mumbled.

"Hahaha. It's alright. You don't have to apologize young miss. I'm the one that's meant to be apologizing for just showing up at your doorstep at such a time."

The beggar spoke in a deep and rough voice while scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed expression.

He exhaled deeply and then bowed deeply, his head almost touching his knees. "Thank you so much for helping me."

Drip

Drip

Drip

Esther's eyes widened, and so did Andrew's.

"Th-Thank you ...Sniff... Thank you so much ...Sniff... I can't believe how kind you are ...Sniff... I'll never forget what you did for me ...Sniff..."

Andrew and Esther felt something tug at their hearts as they watched the beggar cry. They had never seen a grown man cry, especially a grown man shedding tears of joy and relief.

As Andrew watched the grown man cry, he remembered something his father had told him in the past.

"There are two things that can make a man cry so easily. The first is a woman. The second is relief from a life full of pain and suffering."

Andrew did not fully understand his father's words on that day nor does he still understand his father's words even till now. But what Andrew knew was that the beggar, the man before him must have lived a life filled with nothing but pain and suffering.

He looked at his sister and realized that she was also looking at him. They both nodded their heads, and without saying anything, they walked to the beggar and grabbed his hands.

"Stop crying Mr. Beggar. Come and eat with us. Mommy always said that eating a lot was one of the cures to sadness."

Esther pulled the beggar to the dining table as she spoke.

The beggar sniffed as he cleaned his eyes of his tears. "Thank you."

Andrew looked at the beggar, then his gaze shifted to Edgar whose expression remained unchanged even as he watched the beggar cry.

'Tsk. A heartless sex addict. I wonder how many lives he has ruined.'

Andrew decided to stop looking at Edgar since the more he looked at him, the more pissed he became.

"So, can you tell us your name and what happened to you?"