From Pit to Palace: Charlie Emerged

Chapter 1

It was 11:00 AM that morning at Maple City University, and the school was on break after finishing two lectures. A young, handsome man in his mid-twenties, dressed in a shabby, worn-out uniform, emerged from the class, walking through the hallway.

The cuffs of his clothes were black, practically noticeable like they hadn't been washed for ages.

Despite Charlie Jordan's handsome appearance, the passing students avoided him like a plague, staring at him with disdain. Some spitting out, faces twisted with outer frowns.

"That's him. The popular campus trash picker I mentioned earlier. He's probably going to look for bottles to pick so he can sell them and have some money for himself," one female student said with a cold tone, telling her friend.

"Oh, yuck! He looks like it. But how could one feed himself with that?" the latter asked, slightly concerned.

"Heard he's working part-time in a bar too."

The passing students were muttering among themselves, their voices filled with disgust, and their faces twitched with disdain.

Charlie heard them and he bowed his head in shame, his eyes on the ground as if searching for something as he was heading towards the gate.

Ring....ring.

An old Android phone started to ring.

Charlie paused and pulled out his old, cracked phone from his pocket. He glanced at the strange number and frowned, but he hesitantly picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Sorry, am I speaking with Young Master Charlie Jordan?" A voice asked calmly with respect from the other line.

Charlie furrowed his brows, puzzled. He nodded, "I'm Charlie Jordan, not Young Master," he replied softly.

The man took a deep breath, relieved. "Oh, thank God, it's the right number. Young Master Charlie, if you are less busy, please, make your way to Pinnacle Group. You've got an inheritance to inherit. It just needs your signature put down, that's all."

Charlie looked down at the number and let out a cold chuckle. "Firstly you addressed me as Young Master and now? You're telling me I've got an inheritance to claim," he said, his face turning into a frown. "Buddy, I'm an orphan. I've been one for decades so which inheritance are you talking about?"

"Young Master Charlie, just come to....."

Before the man could complete his sentence, Charlie abruptly ended the call and let out an exasperated sigh while shoving his phone back into his pocket.

"These scammers are literally becoming idle nowadays. Instead of learning a skill or getting their hands to work, they sit down looking for whom to scam." He muttered to himself, sighing again. "He thinks I've got some bucks in my account."

Ring, ring!

His phone started to ring for the second time, but Charlie ended it without glancing at it.

Letting out the third sigh, Charlie headed toward the gate, and as he saw an empty bottle, a small smile crossed his lips, and he hastened his steps.

He knew better than to walk fast, because if he didn't, the man who usually came around to pick up recyclable items might get to it before him. And secondly, it was something he used to sustain himself by earning daily while waiting to get paid at the hotel where he works as a part-time worker.

Crunch!

Charlie had crouched to pick up the bottle of water when a red high heel stepped on it.

Charlie was momentarily taken aback. His eyes followed the figure's slender leg, and his eyes swung wide open. "M-Megan.....you! What are you doing here?"

Chapter 2

The figure standing in front of Charlie was a tall beautiful lady, wearing a beautiful yet short red dress that was above her knees, revealing her fair thighs. She had a smooth, fair complexion, her eyes sparkling like diamonds. Her hair cascaded down her back, every strand perfectly in place.

Her light make-up added to her beauty.

This lady was no other than Megan Harold, Charlie's girlfriend, here on campus. They had been dating for the past three years now.

Megan looked down at Charlie, disgust in her eyes. "Charlie, you are picking trash again? Aren't you tired of doing this?" She scolded Charlie coldly.

Charlie blinked, slightly embarrassed. "I-" He opened his mouth to explain.

But Megan cut him off, her expression icy. "Not interested in your silly explanation. You can continue to pick trash for all I care. But from today, I want to break up," Megan uttered with disgust in her voice. "I don't want someone like you to be a stain in my life."

"Break up?" Charlie asked, momentarily shocked. Disbelief crossed his eyes. "Megan, you can't be serious, are you?" He said, trying to force a smile.

Megan frowned. "Do I look like I'm here to waste my time with you?" She asked. "I'm dead serious, Charlie. I can't continue to be with someone like you for the rest of my life. It's a huge shame to me."

Charlie's heart sank as he listened to Megan's cold voice. Her words pierced through him like a sharp blade, realizing Megan wasn't joking. She looked dead serious just like she had said.

Charlie narrowed his eyes at her. "You want to break up with me? Just out of the blue?" His voice cracked with hurt emotion. "Why? Have I not been trying my best to support you? Is there anything you have asked for that I couldn't provide?"

Megan glared at him contemptuously. "You want to know why, don't you? It's because you are poor!" She scoffed. "I can't have a bright future with someone like you! I don't just want you in my life so I'm officially telling you that we have no relationship. And I hope you don't bother me."

Charlie stood there, speechless. He remembered his several sacrifices for Megan. There was a time when he had sacrificed his apartment's rent just to get Megan what she wanted.

Several selfless sacrifices he had offered her just to make her happy, only to hear this from her.

Tears formed in his eyes, threatening to drop, but he managed to hold them back.

He looked at Megan in shock and disbelief. "You're leaving me after everything I did for you? Also, calling me names?"

"What did you do for me?" Megan sneered. "Those cheap things you bought for me? You should be happy I accepted them. Besides, you did them because you couldn't resist my beauty."

She sighed, glancing around. "I have got to leave before my new boyfriend sees me with you."

With that, Megan turned, taking off on her heels to leave.

"Megan....." Charlie stuttered, quickly rushed forward to stop Megan, but then a young man emerged from behind Megan. He lifted his leg and kicked Charlie in the stomach.

Smack!

Charlie staggered backward, almost about to fall, but he held himself. He steadied himself, his eyes turned red as he took in the figure.

Recognition flashed in his eyes. He gave the young man a fierce and deadly stare. "F-Franklin.....you?!"

Chapter 3

Megan threw herself shamelessly in front of Charlie, into the young man's arms, and declared, sweetness in her voice. "Charlie, meet Franklin, my new boyfriend. You're nowhere close to his wealth. I love him, not you."

She relaxed in his arms, pressing her head comfortably on his chest.

Franklin Jones is the popular, wealthy student on campus. He is from a wealthy family. Naturally, he's proud and also a playboy, however, girls on campus had been dying to be with him.

Megan was the beauty goddess on campus so she won him over.

"Charlie," Franklin called out, one hand casually relaxed in his pocket and the other wrapped around Megan, keeping her warm. "From now on, Megan is mine. She belongs to me and not you so I'm warning you, stay away from her or I'll have you visit an early grave," he said wickedly.

Charlie's face was red, his blood boiling, but he couldn't utter a word. He loved his life so he knew better than to be silent. Franklin had connections with dangerous thugs on campus and if he dared to talk back or attack him, Franklin might end up hiring the thugs to beat him up.

"Got it, boy?" Franklin laughed at Charlie's silence.

Soon, students began to gather, watching the scene. One had seen when Franklin kicked Charlie in the stomach and she had called to her best to come have a look.

Her best friend also called hers, and it went on that way until the place got filled with students.

Some looked with outer disgust at Charlie's figure, while some looked with pitiful expressions.

"I saw it. He kicked him right in the stomach, but he's a coward, he couldn't fight back," one said.

"Franklin is a big shot and you want a pathetic pauper like him to fight back? You want him dead, don't you?" Another student replied.

Then heads turned toward Megan who nestled in Franklin's arms, wide-eyed. "Isn't she supposed to be Charlie's girlfriend? Why is she so comfortable in Franklin's arms?" One student murmured.

"She just broke up with him," another responded. "She said he isn't up to her level, that he's pathetic."

Everyone burst into laughter, watching Charlie get humiliated.

Meanwhile, Franklin, enjoying the moment, reached into his pocket and pulled out some bucks. Holding it up to Charlie, he mocked, "Boy, I remember you could do anything for money, correct, right? Now, here's six hundred, I want to have Megan in bed so go to the pharmacy and get something.....you know what I mean, right?" He laughed mockingly. "Get it, then keep the change."

Everyone burst into another segment of laughter.

"Oh, what a generous gesture. That's so kind of you, Franklin," one student said, clearly mocking Charlie.

"Will he really do that after his girlfriend has been taken from him?" Another inquired, covering his mouth.

"What choice does he have? That's a generous amount that Franklin had offered so he'll definitely go to have the change to himself."

Charlie clenched his fists at his sides, hearing those annoying and taunting words from the students. His face exploded with anger. How dare he tell him to get that for him!

He felt like propelling a dangerous punch to Franklin's face, but he managed to hold back, knowing the aftermath.

"Hey boy, don't keep me waiting. Are you grabbing this generous gesture or not?" Franklin asked again with a smug smirk. "I can have someone else do it if you don't want to."

Charlie totally ignored him, turning his angry expression toward Megan who still remained nestled in Franklin's arms, his muscles tensed, almost pulling out.

Since he had been dating her, Megan had never once allowed him to touch her, but she felt so relaxed in another man's arms just because of the money.

He stared at her, hesitated before saying. "Megan, I hope you never regret your decision someday."

Megan couldn't help, but chuckle. "What a joker you are. What makes you think I'd regret leaving a loser like you? I'll never regret it."

"Okay." Charlie didn't say anything else. He turned around and started walking away from the crowd with a shattered heart.

As Charlie left there, he went to the small apartment that he had rented. It wasn't far from school. He preferred staying in a dormitory, but because of his part-time job, he chose to rent an apartment to enable him to move out at night to work in the bar without restriction.

Charlie collapsed onto the bed, face up, staring blankly at the ceiling. Memories of his good time he had with Megan began flooding his mind. Tears formed in his eyes.

"How could she?" He muttered to himself, broken. "I loved her, but what did she do? She traded my love for money?"

How Megan spoke to him flashed through his eyes. "She even called me names. That I'm pathetic. Loser. All sorts of names like I meant nothing to her." Tears started to drop down his cheeks.

But then....snap!

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of his door echoed, snapping him out of his shattered emotions.

Charlie quickly wiped his eyes, his eyes darting toward the entrance. "Who's that?" He asked, trying to steady his voice. "Wait, I'm coming."

Charlie didn't get to reach the door when it burst open. A woman walked in, her face grim.

Charlie was taken aback as he quickly recognised the figure. His heart throbbed.