CHAPTER 2: DISASTROUS ENCOUNTER

Room 50...

The person who ordered this boxed parcel lived in Room 50 at the Yukihira Condominium. He requested that I drop it off right at their door. He said if I showed the guard their name, I would be allowed to go inside.

Must be nice to get special treatment. But I'm just a delivery driver. I don't care about satisfying customers, so I wasn't going to follow that. I'll just leave it with the guard, like I always do. This customer is just trying to be important.

I looked at the order sticker again and hit my forehead. It was Cash on Delivery.

Damn it! I had no choice but to do what the customer wanted. It was annoying, especially since I still had so many other orders to deliver.

I walked to the guardhouse, shaking my head.

"Yo, guard. I have a parcel," I said. The guard looked at the name, nodded, and pointed me toward the elevator. "Just press the 7th floor, Room 50 is there," he said.

I nodded, entered the elevator, and pressed the button for the 7th floor. When I reached the 7th floor, I looked for Room 50. Once I found it, I called the customer to let him know I was at his door.

"Boss, I'm outside your room," I said.

"Okay," he replied shortly before hanging up.

A moment later, the door opened to a man in a black robe. He was taller than me, so I had to look up. I noticed his blonde hair, which looked messy, like he had just taken a shower. He pushed his hair back with his hand, revealing familiar eyes.

Blue ocean eyes.

My eyes widened when I realized who it was.

"You..." I pointed at him. He frowned. "...classmate."

It was my high school classmate. I knew him because, back then, he was my errand boy. Even though I hadn't seen him in a long time, I never forgot his face. I saw him on big billboards, in magazines, and all over social media. He was a famous professional basketball player in the Philippines and abroad.

"Do I know you?" he asked, confused.

I pushed past him to enter his unit. He looked shocked; he probably didn't expect me to be able to push his large frame so easily.

"Wow, nice condo. How much is this?" I asked, looking around confidently with my hand in my pocket and the parcel in the other.

I was a bit surprised when a heavy hand landed on my shoulder. His grip was tight. I looked up and met his eyes, which seemed to be burning with anger.

His jaw tightened. "Who gave you permission to enter my unit?" he asked, his head tilted as if he were trying to control his temper. "Leave now," he said, gripping my shoulder tighter. "Or else I'll call the guards to drag you out."

I frowned. "Are you serious? You don't recognize me?" I stepped closer to him.

I held out my hand. "It's me, Neo, your classmate in high school..." I stared at him, but his expression didn't change. He seemed even more annoyed.

I sighed. "Okay, it's me, Neo, your master. Remember?"

He looked down at my hand. I thought he was going to shake it, but instead, he grabbed me and threw me to the floor.

I dropped the parcel as my face hit the cold floor. Shit! What is this guy's problem? I tried to struggle, but he pressed his hand against my neck so I couldn't move.

"Are you one of my stalkers?" he asked, pressing me into the floor in anger.

"Damn it! I'm just a delivery driver!" I said.

He loosened his grip a little, so I took the chance. I kicked his knee and grabbed his hand. I spun around and slammed him onto the floor. I pinned his arm behind his back and sat on his spine.

"Fuck!" he cursed. "Let go of me, stalker!"

"Fuck you too!" I shouted back.

Ha! Did he really think I would lose? I was a fighter. He grew up a bit, and now he thinks he can treat me like this? He chose the wrong person to mess with.

"Bro! I didn't do anything to you. You started it, I'm just fighting back," I said. I grabbed the parcel that was beside him.

To be honest, even though I knew who he was, I couldn't remember his name. So, I read the name on the sticker.

"Ronald Jericho..." Wait, was that really his name? I just shook my head. "Where is the payment for this parcel?" I asked, still pinning him down.

"You claimed to know me, yet you didn't even know my name?" he mocked.

"Wait, this is what's written on your parcel. Isn't this yours?" I looked between him and the parcel.

I looked up, trying to remember his name. I knew it; I heard it on TV and from our neighbors all the time. Shit, I was always bad with names.

Lian... Joan... Juan—

"I remember now. I almost forgot your name, it's been a long time since we saw each other," I said.

He tilted his head and looked like he was planning something, so I pressed down on him harder.

"Fuck!" he cursed again.

"I'm easy to talk to, Juan. Calm down, and I'll let you go," I said.

He hissed but stopped squirming.

Good boy.

I slowly got off him. When I stood up, I held out my hand to help him up. He stared at it for a moment before taking it. When he stood, I handed him the parcel.

"That's 7,557—"

I was shocked when he suddenly punched my face. Damn it!

I bit my lip and felt blood dripping down. I glared at him. He turned toward the door.

"Now I'm sure you're not my stalker nor my classmate because you didn't even know my name." He opened the door. "You're just here to ruin my day. Leave now, asshole!"

I smirked and stepped toward him. We stared at each other, ready to explode. I didn't hesitate to punch his perfect face. He staggered back, and I saw blood dripping from his chin as he held it.

I grinned while he gritted his teeth.

"I told you I'm just a delivery driver. Now I need your payment—"

I couldn't finish because he grabbed my collar. I didn't care that he was shaking with anger. I challenged him with my eyes.

Try and punch me, or else—

He punched me anyway, so I hit him back. One thing led to another, and soon we were wrestling on the floor, throwing punches as we struggled for the upper hand. I ended up on top of him just as my phone suddenly rang.

We both stopped.

Damn, what a distraction!

I waved my hand. "Wait, timeout," I said.

He seemed to understand, because he didn't move.

I answered the call. "Yes?" I said, breathing hard.

"Sir, I'm finally home. You can bring the parcel now." I checked the number. It was the person I called earlier, but I hadn't delivered the parcel because they weren't home.

"Okay, I'm coming." I hung up.

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Did you hear that? I need to deliver more parcels!" I shouted.

I saw the corner of his lips go up. "Oh, you're really just a delivery driver—ARGH!"

He didn't finish because I punched him in the face again. He deserved it for wasting my time. I stood up and held out my hand.

"Payment."

He walked away to get his wallet, rubbing his cheek. A moment later, he came back, wallet in hand, his fingers still pressed against the spot where I'd hit him.

"How much?" he asked, frowning.

"7,557," I said.

He grabbed some cash from his wallet and threw the payment at me. While I was counting the money, I saw him rubbing his face like it was sore.

Too bad. That's what you get for being arrogant. You thought you could beat me? Fuck you.

After I made sure the payment was right, I walked to the door. I looked back at him one last time. He was clenching his jaw and glaring at me.

I smirked. "If you want a round two of our fight..." I winked at him. "...you can pay me for it," I said before walking out.

I couldn't help but laugh when I heard him slam the door and curse at me.

Hayst.. What a waste of time.