TRILLION MONEY
1021 Words
He still had two deliveries left, and both customers left him one-star ratings for being late.
After his shift ended, Maverick parked the scooter outside the cramped apartment he rented off-campus — the one Dante had just claimed his family now owned.
He worked the same route most nights, sometimes picking up a second shift at a bar downtown when deliveries were slow, which was the only reason he could afford this shoebox of a room at all.
Lying on the thin mattress, memories of Selina surfaced — the girl who'd once stood by him when the whole school turned their backs, back before she cared what his job looked like from a distance. That girl was long gone, replaced by someone who measured him in dollar signs and delivery bags.
The Koda family had once been prominent, his parents senior figures in the family business — not ultra-rich like Dante's people, but comfortable, respected. Then, when Maverick was fifteen, his parents died in an accident, and the rest of the family discarded him like an inconvenience, letting the company swallow whatever should have been his.
Since then he'd taken every job that would have him — deliveries by day, bar work some nights — while classmates laughed and Selina, at least, had stayed. Until now.
Maverick stared at the ceiling, wondering if there was any point left in trying.
"Ding!"
A text notification broke the silence.
He picked up his phone without much interest — then froze.
"Your account 473......9103 has received a deposit of $80,000,000.00. Your new balance is $80,000,162.00."
Maverick shot upright, staring at the screen, reading the number three times to be sure he hadn't misplaced a zero. "Eighty million... this has to be a mistake. Or that call earlier—"
Before he could finish the thought, three heavy knocks slammed against the door.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Not the landlord's knock. Not a neighbor's. This one had weight behind it — the kind that came with muscle standing on the other side.
Maverick quickly opened the door after hearing the knock, and standing before him was a middle-aged woman in black stockings, weighing at least 200 pounds. "Landlady, you're here!"
Maverick was momentarily taken aback but then greeted her with a forced smile.
"Maverick Koda, cut the nonsense. I called you earlier, and you didn't pick up. Now tell me, when are you going to pay the three months' rent you owe me?" The middle-aged woman demanded fiercely.
"Um, landlady, I'll have money in a couple of days. Can you please give me just two more days?" Maverick pleaded in a low voice.
"Two more days?" The landlady scoffed and then shouted, "Maverick, I've already given you enough time considering you're still a student. You were supposed to pay monthly, and now you're three months behind. And you still have the nerve to ask for two more days? Don't you have any shame?"
Maverick looked at the landlady with a helpless expression. A week ago, he had spent nearly everything he had on a birthday gift for Selina, leaving him with barely enough for gas money for his scooter, let alone rent.
"Landlady, I really don't have any money right now. I promise I'll pay you in two days!" Maverick said, feeling deeply embarrassed.
"I'm not in the mood for your excuses. Either you pay me the rent today, or you pack up and leave!" The woman's loud voice made the fat on her face shake slightly.
Maverick stood there, stunned, unsure of what to do. He really had no money at the moment.
"Bang!"
At that moment, the door to the neighboring room swung open.
A pretty girl in a black lace nightgown, still groggy from sleep, stepped out and pouted, "What's all the yelling about? How am I supposed to sleep with all this noise?"
"Miss Vivica, I'm so sorry to bother you, but this boy hasn't paid his rent. I'm just here to collect it," the middle-aged woman explained with a fawning smile as soon as she saw the young woman.
The woman turned and looked Maverick up and down before softly asking, "How much does he owe you?"
"It's not much, really, just three months' rent, six hundred dollars," the middle-aged woman replied with a cheerful grin.
"You're making such a fuss for just six hundred dollars?" The girl gave a slight, disdainful smile.
"It's just that he's been owing it for so long and hasn't paid..." The middle-aged woman seemed a bit embarrassed as she explained.
"Fine, I'll pay his rent to you in a bit. Stop shouting here," the girl said coldly, crossing her arms.
"Thank you, Miss Vivica, thank you!" The middle-aged woman responded happily, then turned to Maverick and said, "Boy, you're lucky today. Miss Vivica is paying your rent. Next time, if you dare to owe me again, see how I'll deal with you!"
"I'll pay on time next time," Maverick said softly.
The middle-aged woman gave Maverick a fierce glare before turning and leaving.
Maverick looked up at the woman standing at the door in her nightgown. Although he had lived here for a long time, this was the first time he had observed his beautiful neighbor so closely.
Her face was stunningly beautiful, almost breathtaking, with delicate features. Her eyebrows were sculpted to perfection, her eyes like dark pools, and her lips like cherry blossoms. Perhaps because she had just been sleeping, her hair was slightly messy. She wore a black lace nightgown that revealed her soft, smooth skin. Her long legs were exposed to the air, and her figure was exceptionally eye-catching.
"Thank you for what you did just now. Actually, I..." Maverick took a deep breath and spoke softly to the beautiful girl.
"No need to thank me. I just spent $600 for peace and quiet..." The beautiful woman interrupted Maverick impatiently.
"Uh, well, I'll pay you back as soon as I get my next payout. By the way, your name is—"
"Bang!"
Before Maverick could finish his sentence, the woman had already walked into her room and shut the door.
- Writer
