Bo stood at the hotel's front gate after the party, waiting for his chauffeur to come and pick him up. However, after waiting for ten minutes straight, there was still no sign of his ride. Shoved his hand inside his pants' side pocket, Bo wanted to fetch his phone and made a call when he stopped his action due to the sight of something unexpected. Or rather. Someone.

At the corner of a well-trimmed bush lay an older woman dressed in a thin, loose button-down white shirt that already turned beige due to dirt and who-knows-how-long sweat stain. Her tangled and messy hair was all white, whereas her face was full of wrinkles. She was hugging her scraggy, shivering body as she was sleeping, exposing herself to the freezing air with Nothing but a thin piece of something that resembled a black cloak underneath to separate her body from the cold concrete.

How could the security allow her inside a luxurious hotel like this? Bo asked himself.

Though it made him confused, Bo could not just stand and wait for an answer. Given his tender-hearted nature, there was no way he would allow a penurious elderly to suffer independently. Taking steps to the dark corner that was darker than where he last stood due to the broken lamp-post, Bo approached the sleeping woman and squatted down before asking in a gentle voice.

"Excuse me, ma'am, are you lost? Do you need help with anything?"

Silent.

Maybe my voice is too weak? Or perhaps she is deeply asleep? Bo talked to himself. But I can't allow her to sleep like this. She'll catch a cold.

Clearing his throat, Bo tried asking again. This time, he raised his voice a little, but there was still gentleness within it.

"Excuse me, ma'am. You can't sleep out here. It's cold. You'll get sick."

Besides the quivering body, there was still no sign of movement from the older woman even though Bo tried repeating the same questions several times.

Is she coming down with a fever or something?

Taking off his expensive suit jacket, Bo tenderly draped it over the older woman's body, hoping it would ease the coldness somehow. Then, he extended his hand to touch the woman's forehead to take her temperature. However, even before his palm could reach the skin, the older woman's eyes shot open, revealing a pair of green eyes, looking up into Bo's honeyed \-color ones.

Taken aback, Bo extracted his hand and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do anything. I was just—"

"You're going to lose precious things around you. The person you love will leave you, the things you cherish the most will be taken from you, and the dream that you plan to achieve will be shattered into pieces."

If Bo was surprised by the woman's sudden awakening, he was now dumbstruck by her words. Nevertheless, he was not angry. The first thought that came to his head was that this elderly must have an unstable mind due to her old age. With a smile, he said in a dulcet tone.

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe in fortune-telling. Besides, I promised my dad that I wouldn't let anything I deem precious get away from me. My girlfriend and I are engaged. We're planning our marriage accordingly. I have everything under control."

The older woman didn't say anything further but continued to peer into Bo's eyes.

"By the way, ma'am, are you lost? Do you need help going home?" Bo decided to take the lead in prolonging their conversation since the woman showed no sign of speaking.

"Lost? I'm always lost. But no one knows." The woman answered with a sing-song voice as she shook her head from side to side and chuckled.

The sight gave Bo quite a scare. He could feel goosebump creeping up his back and arms; still, he refused to back down. He needed to get this older woman a shelter. At least for tonight.

"Shall we go to the police station? They'll contact the social welfare team for you."

"No! Not the police!" The woman waved her wrinkled hands deniably and backed away with a scared expression on her face.

Bo immediately regretted his choice of words. A penitent countenance was written all over his face as he watched the older woman's body shook harder than before with more than coldness as the cause of it.

"I'm sorry. Sorry. Okay, no police. I promise," said Bo as he tried to calm down the panic woman.

"No police?"

"Yes, no police."

He put up a smile to assure that it always worked, whether it was to be used on men, women, children, or elders. His smile had still contained a halcyon power, soothing chaotic situations into serenity.

"What would you like me to do, ma'am? You know you can't stay here. Either you'll catch a cold, or the security will chase you out," said Bo when the old woman seemed to calm down. "Maybe you can come home with me for tonight? We'll sort things out tomorrow."

The woman stared at Bo with a smile on her face before shaking her head and saying, "Actually, I lied. I do have a home. I don't want to go."

Bo arched his eyebrows in confusion. Being born with a silver spoon, he had never experienced any hardship. Everything in his world was full of joy and light with not a trace of darkness could penetrate. His parents had always made sure of that. His house had always been a place where he called home. Then why did this older woman didn't want to go home?

"What do you want me to do then?" asked Bo innocently.

He didn't have the heart to leave the woman out here alone. Still, she refused all of his suggestions, leaving him in a dilemma.

"Nothing, child. You don't need to do anything," said the old woman as she shook her head, "it's late. You should go home."

"What about you?"

"I will go home, too. Don't worry."

Bo wasn't wholly convinced, but there was Nothing he could do. Then, he sensed a vibration from the pocket of his pants, followed by the ringing sound. Adjusting his position, he shoved his hand inside and fished out the phone. The caller ID showed the name of his chauffeur.

"Sir, I'm sorry for making you wait. The engine wouldn't start until a few minutes ago," the chauffeur's voice echoed from the other side of the line when Bo clicked on the answer button. "I tried to call you, but your phone couldn't be reached. Where are you, Sir? I'm already in front of the hotel's gate."

Bo turned around and saw his car parking, where he last stood.

"Oh, I'm nearby. Please wait. I'm going there soon."

He ended the call and put the phone away from where he had taken it. Then, he shoved his hand inside his breast pocket and took out a name card.

"My name is Bo. Here is my phone number," he handed the card to the woman and pointed to the row with numbers printed on it. "If anything, you can call me."

The older woman nodded and maintained her warm smile at Bo.

"Are you sure you don't need a lift home?"

"No, I have lived all my years without meeting you, and I am still alive. Just go home."

Bo awkwardly laughed while scratching the back of his head at the chiacking. Then, he got up to his feet and bid the old woman goodbye before heading towards his car.

Staring at Bo's broad back, the old woman murmured, "Naive child. Your once full of the light path is about to be extinguished by a strong veil of darkness. You're going to lose everything you hold dear. Yet with that kind heart of yours, I believed you'd be saved from the misery by someone whose heart is as tender as yours." She paused and sighed, "I hope you'll meet him soon."

When the car made a turn, Bo looked out the window to where the older woman was one last time. Strangely, there was no trace of her. Everything vanished as if there was neither anyone nor anything had been there in the first place.

<<<TO BE CONTINUED>>>