Eric, unhappy with his predictable life, runs his father’s company into the ground with his arrogance and horrible attitude toward people. But what happens when a beggar changes his ways about life?Eric was sitting in the darkness of his upscale apartment, his face briefly illuminated by his phone as he scrolled through emails with disdain. He longed for adventure and the mysteries of ancient civilizations rather than the cold, corporate world he was shackled to following his father’s death. “I hate this,” he muttered under his breath. Since he took over his father’s company, his passion for exploring caves and ancient tombs was reduced to dust, and he had turned bitter, his anger often misdirected at those around him…

 

As he approached his towering office building that morning, he tried to muster pride in its imposing stature, yet felt disconnected and resentful.Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the beggar sitting on the sidewalk near his building and accidentally knocked over the poor man’s box of coins. “Don’t worry about it, sir,” the beggar offered meekly. “I’ll pick it up.”Eric felt terrible for the beggar for a tiny sliver of a moment. He considered reaching into his pocket and giving the person some money. But when the breeze turned and he got a sniff of the man’s odor, his entire demeanor changed. “You’re gross!” he exclaimed. “Look at my shoes! Your stuff has made them dirty, too!”Eric watched as the man refused to respond and picked up his coins with his fingers in dirty cut-out gloves.”Do you even know how much they cost?” he yelled. “Well, that’s more than you’ll ever make in a lifetime! I don’t want to see you here next time.” Eric grimaced as he walked away, the wind returning the man’s smell to his nose. When he opened the door to the office building, he didn’t bother to acknowledge the onlookers exchanging uneasy glances at him. “Mr. Stanton, is everything alright?” Tennessee, his secretary, asked as he marched through to his office. Still consumed by his new source of anger, Eric didn’t spare her a glance.When he got into his office, he sighed as he closed the door. “I hate people,” he muttered under his breath.Right then, the chair at his table turned, revealing one of his best employees. “Good morning! I came in early to catch you, Mr. Stanton!” Lucretia said from the chair. “I’ve been trying to meet with you for two weeks!” “Just get out of my office,” he replied. “Mr. Stanton,” she continued, “I’ve been working on this project for a long time. Just give me a chance to present it. I’m going to give you the short version.”Eric sighed and sat down as Lucretia hurried to stand across from him. He tried to focus as Lucretia presented her project, but his encounter with the beggar lingered in his mind.”So, this could increase our capital by 70%,” she said as she finished. “Great, why don’t you run the company then?” Eric snapped, his patience worn thin. “Since you know so much!” “Sir, I-I just thought this project could help,” she replied, taken aback.