It was a hot afternoon in Riverside, New York. Ethan Carter, only 12, was walking barefoot along the river looking for empty cans to sell. His clothes were torn, his face dirty, but his eyes were sharp and strong. Three months earlier his grandma Grace – the only person he loved – had died. No money for a funeral. Since then Ethan lived on the streets, collecting bottles, cleaning car windows at red lights, and carrying boxes at the market. His grandma always said: “Being poor is no reason to act bad. There’s always an honest way.”
That Wednesday everything flipped upside down.
Ethan was checking trash cans near the big Riverside Bridge – the fancy one where rich people drive their shiny cars – when he heard angry shouting from above.
“Pay me now or your wife sees the photos!” a mean voice yelled.
“Please, one more week…” a scared, fancy voice answered.
Ethan hid and looked up. Three shadows on the water. He knew this scene. Street kids see loan sharks beat people all the time.
The fancy man was Alexander Harrington – Alex – 45 years old, super-rich CEO. Secretly he had lost millions gambling in hidden casinos. Now the sharks wanted their five million dollars back.