A rude millionaire who believed money could buy anything demolished a poor old man\u2019s house to build a mall. While checking the ruins later, he accidentally found his childhood photo among the rubble.Can a person\u2019s greed for riches blind them so miserably that they destroy someone else\u2019s dreams to build theirs? In July 2021, Florida-based real estate tycoon Elliot Morris happened to shatter a poor old man\u2019s dreams to fulfill his pursuit of wealth.Elliot was looking for a perfect landscape to build a deluxe mall in the city when his eyes fell upon old Joe Brooke\u2019s land. The young builder loved the location and fixed his mind to raising his new mall there.\n\n\n\n
He decided to tear down the old man\u2019s house on the plot. When old Joe objected to it, Elliot saw him as nothing more than a thorn in his way that was easy to get rid of\u2026\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease, I beg of you. I don\u2019t have anybody, and this house is the only treasured memory I have of my late wife,\u201d Joe begged Elliot, who had visited with his men. \u201cI have nowhere to go. Please don\u2019t make me homeless.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow did you get my mom\u2019s photo?\u201d the man asked old Joe. \u201cThat\u2019s me with her. Do you know my mom? What is your relationship with her?\u201d
But Elliot turned a deaf ear to the poor old man\u2019s pleas. \u201cLook here, old man. I already talked to the mayor, and he is on my side. I\u2019m bringing this thing down in two weeks. All you\u2019ve got is 14 days to pack your stuff and leave with whatever money I give you. Is it clear?\u201d\n\n\n\n
Poor Joe was worried. He refused to accept a dime in exchange for his beloved house and kept crying. But Elliot was far from kind and walked away, grinning. \u201cTwo weeks and I\u2019ll be back,\u201d Joe heard the rude rich man\u2019s faint voice from outside.\n\n\n\n
Joe\u2019s house was a bit farther away from his clustered neighborhood, so nobody stepped forward in his favor. The two weeks were nothing short of nightmarish for the poor old man. He hoped something would happen and change the rich man\u2019s mind. He anticipated a miracle and never packed his things. But before he knew it, the day for the demolition had arrived.\n\n\n\n
\u201cPlease, I beg you! Please don\u2019t destroy my house!\u201d old Joe pleaded with Elliot and his men, who arrived two weeks later with heavy machinery outside his house to tear it down.\n\n\n\n
\u201cDidn\u2019t I tell you to pack your things?\u201d Elliot retorted. \u201cIt\u2019s not my problem anymore. Here, take this check and leave. I don\u2019t have time to listen to your silly, old stories.\u201d\n\n\n\n
Elliot ordered one of his men to take old Joe to the nursing facility. He handed out the check for the house, but the old man refused to take it.\n\n\n\n
Before leaving, a teary-eyed Joe looked at Elliot and said, \u201cYou\u2019ve changed a lot, young man. Money has blinded you and ruined your soul\u2026You cannot buy everything with money.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat rubbish! Take this old man from here,\u201d Elliot ordered. He brushed Joe\u2019s words as nothing and walked further to watch the house being torn down. Joy filled his heart as he saw the bricks and roof chipping away from the building, crashing onto the ground.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be back in a while. Keep working, and do not touch anything until I arrive,\u201d he said, driving past the dusty house in ruins.\n\n\n\n
That evening, Elliot returned to the demolished spot to celebrate his feat. \u201cGetting rid of that old thorn was so easy!\u201d he exclaimed as he walked over the broken bricks.\n\n\n\n
Just then, he stumbled upon the broken glass of a photo frame. He looked at the photo and gasped in shock.\n\n\n\n
\u201cMom? What is her photo doing here?\u201d he said, picking up the picture. Elliot dusted it and realized it was an old photo of his mom with a baby.\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s me,\u201d he exclaimed again. \u201cBut what is our photo doing in this old man\u2019s house? I have to find out,\u201d he said and immediately drove to the nursing home to see Joe.\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou? Why have you come here? Aren\u2019t you happy yet?\u201d the old man cried after seeing the young builder. \u201cWhat more have you come to destroy?\u201d\n\n\n\n
Joe refused to look at Elliot, who held his hand and showed him the photo he\u2019d recovered from the demolished ruins.\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow did you get my mom\u2019s photo?\u201d he asked. \u201cThat\u2019s me with her. Do you know my mom? What is your relationship with her?\u201d Elliot was furious. He had known that his mother was a single parent, and finding her picture in Joe\u2019s house raised many questions in his mind. \u201cTell me\u2026how do you know my mother?\u201d\n\n\n\n
Joe, who remained silent, finally spoke out, revealing something Elliot never knew.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI found your mother Samantha on the road with a baby in her arms 30 years ago,\u201d Joe said. \u201cI was on my way home from my wife\u2019s funeral and found your mom hopeless and drenched in the rain while trying to protect you.\u201d\n\n\n\n
As Elliot heard this, tears slowly started to fill his eyes. \u201cThen what happened?\u201d he curiously asked.\n\n\n\n
\u201cI took her in and gave her shelter. Her boyfriend, your dad, had kicked her out for another woman,\u201d Joe narrated. \u201cSamantha lived in my house for five years, and I treated her like my daughter.\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut if she lived with you, why did she move out? We had a bigger house,\u201d Elliot asked, still doubtful of old Joe\u2019s revelation. \u201cIs there something I\u2019m missing?\u201d\n\n\n\n
\u201cI bought her a new house and helped her start a small business from my savings. She grew into a successful businesswoman but never forgot this old man. Samantha often visited me until she died ten years ago,\u201d Joe explained. \u201cI had also been to her funeral, but who would notice this poor, old man. You had grown into a successful, rich man, and I was happy to see how she raised you.\u201d\n\n\n\n
At this point, Elliot\u2019s heart broke. He recalled his mother once telling him about a loving father who was behind her success. But all this while, he had no idea that she had been talking about old Joe.\n\n\n\n
Guilty and heartbroken, Elliot decided to mend his mistake. The next day, he put up an \u201cUnder Construction\u201d board on Joe\u2019s property and ordered his men to build a new house there. In less than four months, a beautiful home replaced the one he demolished.\n\n\n\n
Elliot gifted this house to Joe and apologized to him for being so ignorant and forgetful of his past. He also promised to do his best to return the old man\u2019s kindness. But the humble man he was, Joe forgave the young builder and refused any form of help.\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou are my grandson, and I will accept only this house from you, and nothing more. I do not expect any material help from you other than your love,\u201d Joe said, creating a massive impact on Elliot. \u201cYou are always welcome to visit this old man as my grandson, not as a wealthy man filled with guilt. Even your mom wanted to help me, and I had told her the same!\u201d\n\n\n\n
Joe happily moved back to his new house and lived a modest life. He inspired Elliot and taught him that money perishes but not compassion and love.\n\n\n\n
In the end, Elliot built a couple of retirement homes for older adults in the city. He helped people in need and never tore down another house that belonged to someone else unless they were willing.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"