03/08/2025
âIâll pay when Iâm older, I swear,â the young girl murmured, barely audible, standing in the middle of the store aisle with a baby on one hip and a milk carton clutched in her other hand.
The store froze in silence.
Her face was smudged with dirt, and her oversized, worn shirt hung from her thin shoulders. She looked no more than nine. But what stopped everyone wasnât just her age or the infant. It was the fierce honesty in her gaze. The raw urgency.
She wasnât pleading. She was negotiating.
The cashier, a broad man with a receding hairline, gawked at her and pointed. âHey! You canât just walk off with that! Put it down or Iâm calling the cops!â
The girl winced but stayed put. She shifted the baby gently and glanced upâat the tall man in a tailored navy suit who had just walked into the store moments before.
Grayson Steele. Billionaire. Founder of the very chain they stood in.
âPlease, sir,â she said, her eyes round and steady. âMy baby brother hasnât had anything to eat since yesterday. Iâm not stealing. Iâm asking you to believe me. Iâll pay when Iâm grown.â
He didnât reply at first. Just staredâfirst at her, then at the weak baby in her arms, his cheeks hollow, lips chapped. The sight stirred something buried deep inside Grayson.
âYouâre here alone?â he asked.
She nodded once.
âAnd your parents?â
âThey left,â she said plainly. âSaid theyâd come back. Never did.â
Grayson slowly crouched to her level. âWhatâs your name?â
âKeisha.â
âAnd him?â
âMalachi. Heâs my little brother.â
The cashier rolled his eyes. âYou really gonna let her walk out like that? Probably already stuffed her pockets.â
Grayson neglected him.
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