In the weeks that followed these incidents, John wound up embracing aspects of Emma's life that
he never could have imagined. What had begun as mere curiosity had meta morphed into
something else – a strange urge to meet her and to find out what made her so unmoved or
unconcerned by the trivial things he had devoted most of his life to. Every time he wanted to
come up with a new reason to meet her, he felt both his usual self and a new kind of anxiety. He
didn't go looking for people generally and definitely not a woman who had no interest in his
riches or royal status. And yet, you know he couldn't stay away.
These meetings began quite harmlessly. John took Emma to a couple of SnowCorp events
informing her that her organization could stand to gain either through partnering with some of
his influential guests. Emma had tried to refuse, her slightly delayed response indicating just how
much she wanted to avoid him at first she looked at him suspiciously. But in a kind of steady
determination, he persuaded her and there was something about him that was both clear and yet
unsaid. These were not like the first time they'd met at the gala; these were small, more formal
affairs and yet he cared about her opinions about the people and the places that formed his life.
And this is exactly what Emma also did, despite she was initially a little shy to make herself
completely open with him. It greatly impressed her that beneath the bluff exterior and
cocksureness, John was interested in what she was doing. She began talking about her nonprofit,
the kids who found homes, the single mothers barely making a wage, and the volunteers giving
their time to help the cause. Her words described a world altogether different from his, a
hilarious and tough world where people expected little, but always strived for more.
One day, John came to her office without an invitation. It was a small shabby structure outside
the urban area with paint faded and chairs and tables of different designs moving with people. He
wanted to meet her and get some work done for SnowCorp as an excuse to see that part of the
world that she had described for so long. When he walked in Emma looked at him in a way that
indicated surprise and amusement at the same time.
'Hi John,' she said and placed her hands on her chest 'I am your...' What do I have the honor of
addressing? Now, to have a billionaire in our humble office is something worth talking about.
He gave her the sweetest boy next door smile possible it could barely even be considered sly.
Well, I thought I'd go and check where all this magic actually takes place. In addition, I was
surprised I decided to follow her favorite deli and bought lunch there, he added. She nodded and
rolled her eyes but he could still see the lust in her eyes that made her say to him, Excuse me,
and walk him into a tiny and messy-looking meeting room.
During these moments they spent sitting Emma went on with her work details with much
enthusiasm, as she was narrating they sparkled. She told stories of the families she had come
across, stories of what these families had been through, yet they find humor in the simplest
things and they find love in places most of us would not even consider. Looking at a child with
his mother in a shelter, she described her voice so touching that I could believe she was
describing herself. No matter how bad their situation might be, he would welcome her with a
smile and boast about the 'jewelry' he claimed he had picked along the streets of the city: a shiny
button left by someone, a colorful feather, a piece of ribbon. He spoke to her like a child, she
said, he taught her what was beautiful in overcoming hardship and finding value in what most
did not see.
He came into the room and started listening to her and with every word he was trying to find out
inside himself something was missing or maybe distorted. The success which he had associated
with, was nothing but power, dominance and money. But from Emma's stories, the reader saw a
different kind of fortune—a kind based on empathy, relationship, and appreciation of life's good
despite the trials it offers. He had worked all of his life to create a fortress, shielding himself
from anything that could potentially leave him exposed, but he'd found in Emma a way to tear
those walls down one by one.
They started meeting one another each day like clockwork, with every meeting or encounter,
Emma could see the real John behind the arrogant man. But there was a human being behind that
sleek attitude, fancy suit, and cocky grin: there was a man who got up early and worked his way
to the top from a grim destiny, who uses money as a shield but is terribly afraid of being
vulnerable. She finally realized that he was not being proud, it was his defense mechanism, from
his big dreams and fear of going back to what he used to be, he was scared.
They reached this conclusion after a fundraising event one evening when as usual, Emma
decided to confront John saying, "Why do you care so much about the perception that other
people have about you, Johnny?" About proving yourself?"
He looked at me for a second before a muscle worked in his jaw and he spoke. "Because once...
once I was just some kid with nothing claiming to barely get by." He hesitates for a moment
while looking at the floor. If you have that in you, if you know what it means to be unseen, then
you either let that kill you or you grow yourself to the point that they have to see you. I chose the
second option."
Emma looked at him her eyes brimming with pain at the admission. "But do I think that is really
me?" Or is it just a version of yourself that you thought you needed to turn into for whatever
reason?
John looked her way, horrified to find that Emily had said something that made quite a lot of
sense. "I really don't know anymore," he said softly, his voice stripped of most of its former
assertiveness. "I've spent so long being 'John Snow, billionaire CEO' that one part of me
wonders if there is any of the old man left in me."
Emma looked for it and touched his hand and the feeling of her fingers on his palm was
comforting, calming, just as the presence of a lifebuoy. "Perhaps it is still there, but just hidden,
you have buried it under all the many layers", she said softly. "But it's still there, John. In other
words, extremely small models can be found even if they are hard to spot like 'Who will win the
next Europa League? If you want it bad enough you will find it, you just have to be willing to dig
deep enough to find it."
He could hear her words penetrating his hardened heart, something he hadn't undergone in the
past few years. No man, woman, or child had ever dismissed him or treated him like the
individual he knew he was, beyond his money and success. Emma came into the picture and she
held out her hand for him to be changed and the light of hope in a man like that started to shine.
As the two bonded, John was gradually releasing chunks of the hard exterior that formed his
character. He went with Emma on volunteer days; he even wore his own shirt and served food,
handed out items, and interacted with people who came looking for help. It was one that he had
never encountered before; certainly, it was mortifying and sobering, but it was also satisfying in
ways for which he had previously been unable to find words. He was laughing, not to put up a
friendly face; not laughing for the sake of laughter; but laughing, as he listened to the stories of
unknown people who appeared to be happier than he had ever been.
The day they spent fishing, volunteering as they enjoyed each other's company, and then as they
took their coffee after another hectic day, Emma flashed him a look. "John, I could never
imagine you would be the sort of man that would go down dirty for something you are not
obliged to do."
He gave her a crooked smile. "Well, aren't I full of surprises?"
She chuckled, nodding. "You certainly are." Her face relaxed and she gently touched his arm and
looked straight into his eyes. But I think the greatest shock is you are authentic—no skin, no
condescension. Just you. And that is the version of yourself that I like most.
In that brief time, he was as it seemed that the rest of the world fell away, the soft touch of her
hand on his arm, the glint in her eyes that said, you're okay the way you are. He had gone
through his entire life, trying to seek the acknowledgment of people and success, creating a
business magnate, and yet there was little that he knew, like value could not be quantified and
bought through dollars and property by Emma. She was correcting his mind about the concept of
wealth, the concept, which can't be traded in the market.
And as John looked at her, he bent his heart in a way he had never envisaged before; with this
new understanding that the woman he could fall for was the woman who knew him not as the
billionaire John Walker, but as the man looking for the John he was meant to be.