The day Damian Blackwell became a billionaire, the first person he forgot was the woman who had once gone hungry so he could eat. five years earlier, he had been nothing more than a poor young man with worn out shoes, and empty wallet and big dreams. Naomi Williams had been the only person who believed he could achieve it. ''Damian,take this.'' Naomi stretched a small nylon bag toward him. Inside it were some pieces of bread and a bottle of water. Damian stared at the food before looking at her face. ''What about you?'' Dont worry about me I'm fine. ''I ate already.'' He narrowed his eyes.'' are you sure you are fine. ''yes I am.'' She said. He know Naomi too well. She had a habit of pretending she was fine whenever she wanted to help him, last week she had sold one of her work craft machine to pay for his transportation to a job interview. the week before that, she had used the money she had been saving for a new malterial to help him pay his due rent. he hated being a burden to her. ''once I make it,'' he said, accepting the food,I will repay you for everything.'' ''Everything?'' ''even the money spent buying you that shirt?'' Damian glanced down at his faded shirt and chuckled. ''Yes especially that one.'' she laughed,and for a moment, the worries surrounding them disappeared. They were standing outside a small restaurant on the outside of the city. The afternoon sun was mercilessly, and the street was crowded with people rushing toward their Destination. Naomi had just finished helping at her aunts shop. Damian had spent the morning visiting companies in search of employment, only to receive rejections. He had begun to wonder whether success wasn't meant for people like him, people with no influential relatives, no wealthy parents, and no connections. ''I got another rejections today,'' he admitted. Naomi smile faded. ''was it from the companies you interviewed with earlier in the morning?'' He nodded. ''what did they say?'' ''They needed someone with more experience. how is it possible to gain experience if nobody gives me a chance ?'' Naomi stepped closer. ''Look at me, Damian.'' He reluctantly lifted his eyes. ''you are not going to remain poor forever.'' ''You sound so certain.'' ''Yes because I know you.'' ''you know the man who cannot afford to feed without your help.'' No Danian, ''I know the man who stays awake at night studying business plans. I know the man who walks into interviews even when he expect rejections. I know the man who refuses to steal, even when he has nothing.'' she touched his arm. ''And I know that one day,people will wait outside of your office just to get five minuets of your time.'' Damian stared at her. Nobody had ever spoken about his future as if it were something real. Nobody except Naomi believed in him. ''What would I do without you.'' he whispered. she smiled. neither of them knew that one day, those words would become a painful reminder of everything he had lost. That evening, Damian accompanied Naomi to a cool old mango tree behind her aunt's house. it was their favourite spot. the tree had stood there for decades, its thick branches spread across the sky like protective arms. They came there to talk about their dream, gist and laugh whenever life became unbearable or they feel heat, Naomi wanted to become a successful, business woman. Damian wanted to build an empire. They had made severe promises, beneath the tree,but that evening Naomi was unusually quiet. ''Whats wrong?'' Damian asked. ''I got my admission letter.'' Damian blinked. Then his face lit up. ''you got into the university in London?'' ''yes.'' ''congratulations I'm happy for you.'' He lifted her and spun her around. "I knew it! I told you that you would get it!" Naomi laughed, holding tightly to his shoulders. For a few beautiful seconds, she forgot why the news had made her heart ache. Then Damian put her down. "When are you leaving?" "Three weeks from now." His smile slowly disappeared. "Three weeks?" "Yes it's a five-year program." The silence between them suddenly became unbearable. Five years. Five years without her laughter beside him. Five years without her encouragement when another door closed in his face. Five years without the only person who had ever made him feel that he was worth something. "What about us?" he asked. Naomi looked at him. "Do you think I would leave you?'' "I don't know." He turned away, pressing his hands against his waist. I am trying to build something here. I have nothing, Naomi. Nothing. And now you're leaving." "I'm leaving to study, not to abandon you." "What if you meet someone else?" She stared at him as if he had slapped her. "Is that what you think of me?" "No." He rubbed his face. "I'm afraid, Naomi. I'm afraid that when you return, you'll be a different person. You'll have money, a career, and people who can give you everything I cannot afford to give to you. She stepped in front of him. "Then become the man you want to be." He looked at her. "Don't ask me to remain small because you're afraid I might grow beyond you. If you truly love me, build your future. I'll build mine. And when I return, we'll meet each other as the people we've worked so hard to become." Damian swallowed. "You make it sound easy." she reached for his hand. ''But I believe in us.'' He held her hands tightly. "Promise me something." "Anything." "Don't let success change you. Don't forget the people who stood beside you when you had nothing. And don't ever make me regret choosing you." Damian pulled her into his arms. "I swear, Naomi. When I become successful, I'll come for you. I'll marry you, give you the life you deserve, and never let you suffer again." She rested her head against his chest. "Then let's make a promise." He led her beneath the mango tree, where the roots rose from the earth like twisted fingers. She had no idea that the greatest test of their love would begin after he got everything he had ever wanted.

"No matter what happens, we will find our way back to each other." Naomi looked into his eyes She smiled. "And I will never stop believing in you, Damian Blackwell." They joined hands beneath the old tree. Neither of them noticed the elderly woman standing on the other side of the fence, watching them with a strange expression. Madam Evelyn had lived in the neighborhood for long. People often gossiped fhat she knew the histories of some families, the secrets of ancestors, and the meaning of promises made beneath certain trees. Her eyes rested on the couple's joined hands. Then she looked away. "Promises,"she whispered to herself, are easy to make when the future is till kind. Three days before Naomi's departure, Damian received another rejection.This time, it was from a company he had dreamed of working for since graduation. He sat alone in his room, staring at the email on his phone. The little money he had saved was nearly finished. And soon, Naomi would leave. He felt as if life were taking everything from him at once. A knock sounded at the door. He opened it and found Naomi standing there with a small envelope. "What is that?" he asked. "Something for you." He opened it. Inside was money. Far more money than he had ever expected her to give him. His expression changed immediately. "Where did you get this?" "I saved it." "For what?" Naomi hesitated."For my departure expenses." Damian stared at her in disbelief. "No." "Damian-" "I won't take your school money." "You need it more than I do. "Absolutely not please I can't take your departure money. She pushed the envelope toward him. "Listen to me. This isn't charity. I'm investing in the man I believe you will become." His jaw tightened. "And what if I never become that man?" Naomi's expression softened. "Then at least you'll know that someone believed you could." He looked at the money. His pride told him to refuse it. His circumstances told him he had no choice. Finally, he accepted the envelope with trembling fingers. "I will never forget this," he whispered. Naomi reached up and touched his cheek. "Then remember me when the whole world knows your name." He pulled her into his arms. "I'll remember you when I have nothing. I'll remember you when I have everything." She closed her eyes, holding him as though she could somehow preserve that moment forever. Neither of them knew that, in a few years, Damian would stand in a mansion filled with expensive furniture, surrounded by people who praised him, and struggle to remember the exact sound of her laughter. That night, Naomi went to Madam Evelyn's house. She had heard the old woman speak of a traditional rite that could protect a loved one's journey through hardship. Naomi did not fully understand it, but desperation had made her willing to listen. "Are you certain this is what you want?" Madam Evelyn asked. Naomi sat across from her, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. "I want Damian to succeed." "That is not what I asked." Naomi swallowed. "I want him to have a future. I want him to escape poverty. I want him to become the man he dreams of becoming." "And what are you willing to give?" "Whatever I must." Madam Evelyn's face darkened. "Be careful, child. Love is not a market where you can exchange your happiness for another person's success." "I am not asking for his love in return." "Then why are you here?" Naomi lowered her head. "Because I'm afraid that if I leave him behind, life will destroy him before he gets his chance." The old woman studied her for a long moment. Finally, she stood. "There is a ceremony you may perform. But understand this: no ritual can make another human being faithful. No sacrifice can remove his freedom to choose. What you offer may bind your own life to the consequences of a promise, but it cannot force his heart to remain yours." Naomi's fingers trembled. "Will it help him?" "It may open a door. What he does after that will be his responsibility." Naomi thought of Damian's rejected applications, his empty room, and the way his face had fallen when she told him she was leaving. She thought of the promise beneath the mango tree. "I want to do it." Madam Evelyn sighed. "Then you must understand that some doors are easier to open than to close." Outside, the wind rustled through the trees. And beneath the old mango tree, a single green leaf fell to the ground. Naomi had made her choice. She believed she was giving Damian a chance at a better life. The candle went out at exactly midnight. Naomi Williams stared at the thin trail of smoke rising from its wick, her heart beating so loudly that she could barely hear the wind outside Madam Evelyn's house. The room smelled of dried herbs and burning wood. Shadows danced across the walls, stretching and shrinking whenever the flames of the remaining candles flickered. Madam Evelyn stood before an old wooden table, her expression unreadable. "It's finished," the elderly woman said. Naomi swallowed. "Does that mean Damian will succeed?" Madam Evelyn turned toward her. "Child, you have asked that question three times tonight." "Because I need to know." "And I have answered you three times. The path before him may become clearer, but the steps he takes will still be his own."

Naomi looked down at her hands. She had followed every instruction Madam Evelyn had given her. She had spoken the words of the old vow, placed a small photograph of Damian beneath the mango tree's dried leaf, and offered a personal token that represented the love she had carried for him since they were young. Nothing had happened the way she had imagined. There had been no thunder, no strange voice, and no mysterious figure appearing from the darkness. Only silence. Perhaps she had expected too much. Perhaps love had made her foolish. "Can I ask you something?" Naomi whispered. "Go ahead." "What happens if Damian forgets me?" Madam Evelyn's expression changed. For the first time that night, the old woman looked genuinely troubled. "Why would you ask such a question?" "Because people change. Money changes people. Distance changes people. What if I return after five years and discover that the man I love no longer exists?" Madam Evelyn slowly pulled out a chair and sat down. "Then you must decide whether you love the man standing before you or the memory of the man who once stood beside you." you." Naomi's eyes filled with tears. "I don't want to lose him." "No one who loves deeply wants to lose the person they love." "Then why does love hurt so much?" "Because sometimes we confuse loving someone with protecting them from every possible pain. Naomi wiped her cheeks. "I understand." Madam Evelyn held her gaze. "I hope you do." The elderly woman reached beneath the table and brought out a small cloth pouch. "Keep this." Naomi accepted it carefully. "What is inside?" "Something to remind you of tonight. Do not mistake it for a chain around Damian's heart. If he betrays his promise, the blame will belong to him, not to some mysterious force." Naomi nodded, though she did not fully understand why Madam Evelyn sounded so worried. She put the pouch into her handbag. "Thank you." Madam Evelyn watched her rise. "One more thing, child." Naomi stopped at the doorway. "Do not sacrifice your entire future trying to rescue someone who refuses to take responsibility for his own." Naomi offered a faint smile. "Damian would never do that to me." Madam Evelyn said nothing. Sometimes, the most painful warnings were the ones people ignore. Three days later, Naomi stood at the airport with her suitcase beside her. Her departure was scheduled for ten in the morning. The departure hall was crowded with travelers, families, and people embracing loved ones before their flights. Damian stood in front of her, looking as though he had not slept all night. He had wore his best shirt, which Naomi had bought for him several months earlier. Its collar was slightly worn, but he had refused to replace it. "You look terrible," she teased. He forced a smile. "You're leaving, and that's your first comment?" "What do you want me to say? That you look handsome?" "Yes." She laughed. "You look handsome." "Thank you. Now I can survive the next five years." Her smile faded at the mention of the number. Five years.They had spoken about it countless times, but the reality of their separation had not truly reached her until that morning. Damian took her hand. "Call me when you land." "And if anyone troubles you, tell me." Naomi raised an eyebrow. "What exactly will you do from here?" "I'll find a way." She smiled, but tears gathered in her eyes. "That is what I love about you. Even when you have nothing, you always believe there is a way." His expression softened. "Promise me you'll come back." "I promise." He looked into her eyes. "Not just to visit. Come back to me." Naomi squeezed his hand. "I will come back to the man who promised to marry me,and make sure I won't suffer for anything anymore. Damian pulled her into his arms, with tears in his eyes. For several moments, neither of them spoke. He held her so tightly that she could hear his heartbeat against her cheek. "Naomi," he whispered, "I don't know how I'll manage without you." "You will manage." "What if I fail?" "Try again." "What if you become successful and you meet someone better?" She pulled away just enough to look at him. "Then I hope you will have become secure enough in yourself to know that my success won't make you less of a man." He stared at her. "Why do you always have to say things that make me feel foolish?" "Because someone has to keep you humble." He laughed, then pressed a kiss to her forehead. A boarding announcement sounded. Naomi's face crumpled. It was time. She picked up her suitcase, but Damian took it from her. "I'll walk you to the gate." They moved together through the crowd, their hands joined. At the entrance to the departure area, Naomi stopped. She looked at him as though she wanted to memorize every detail of his face. "Five years," she whispered. "Five years," he repeated. "Don't forget me." "Never." She turned before her courage could fail her. But after taking a few steps, she looked back. Damian was still standing there. He raised one hand. She raised hers in return. It was the last time she would see him as the poor young man who had nothing but hope and a promise. Neither of them knew it yet. The first year without Naomi was the hardest. Damian called her almost every night. He told her about job interviews, failed business proposals, and the small apartment he had moved into after his landlord finally threw him out of his previous room. Naomi listened to everything. When he felt discouraged, she reminded him of his dreams. When he wanted to quit, she encouraged him to try again. Sometimes, she sent him money. Once, she used part of her scholarship allowance to buy him a secondhand laptop through an online seller. She knew he needed it to study business, prepare proposals, and search for opportunities. Damian cried when it arrived. "Naomi, I don't know how to repay you." "You can start by learning how to use it properly." He laughed. "I mean it."Dont miss the opportunity. Naomi had made her choice. She believed she was giving Damian a better life unaware of the mystery at front.