The humongous Ocean City Stadium was brimming with trash after a triumphant soccer match.
While spectators were busy making their way out of the stadium, a man stayed behind examining what resembled a landfill around him.
"8 cents for each Sprite can, and a nickel for each bottle," Yohannes Lewis said to himself. "Together with the paper bags, all of them should be enough for a week's worth of expenses."
Indeed, Yohannes wasn't a janitor. Clad in a gaudy yellow pizza uniform, he looked for water bottles beneath the bleachers.
After all, one man's trash is another man's treasure.
Just as Yohannes fished out a bottle, the phone in his pocket vibrated.
"A new pizza order is ready for you! Deliver it ASAP," the notification in his phone read.
He hastily grabbed the bottles beside him and left the stadium reluctantly. The pizza wasn't going to deliver itself.
……
The delivery was meant for someone staying in the Bulgari Hotel.
"Sir, your Deli Pizza is here!" Yohannes called out while knocking the door to the room in front of him.
The person who opened the door was someone Yohannes didn't know. But the woman beside him, Miranda Giles, was more than just a familiar face.
The stranger's arms were wrapped around Miranda's bottom. Both of them looked extremely delighted to be with each other.
Miranda coyly struck the stranger's chest, only to widen her eyes when she looked up and saw Yohannes at the door.
The pizza box on Yohannes' hand landed on the ground with a loud thud, spilling its contents across the carpet and filling the hallway with the sweet smell of pineapple.
Yohannes simply couldn't believe he had transformed into a cuckold in the middle of his job.
Yohannes could care less about the pizza on the ground. Right now, all he wanted was to go back to the stadium immediately in search of more trash.
Eyeing the pizza strewn across the ground, the stranger was about to tell Yohannes off for his poor service.
He was cut off by Miranda saying in surprise, "Yohannes? What… are you doing here?!"
The stranger was momentarily shocked before he glared at Yohannes. How did Miranda know this random pizza delivery man?
Well, it didn't matter. Yohannes had good looks, but they weren't enough to save himself from looking like a clown with that hideous yellow get-up.
The stranger laughed. "Miranda, so this is Yohannes. Heh, who'd have known your good-for-nothing husband delivers pizza for a living? If I knew, we'd be having room service instead."
It turned out that he recognised Yohannes' face and knew that Yohannes and Miranda were married. But even so, he showed no remorse for helping Miranda cheat on her husband. He looked at Yohannes mockingly and tightened his grip on Miranda.
Yohannes was unfazed by the stranger's provocations. He shifted his attention to Miranda as he was filled with rage.
He said angrily, "Miranda Giles! For all three years I've been married to you, I've always looked after your parents and your pets and put them before myself, and yet you always put me aside. When I found out you didn't want to share a bed with me, I thought you needed time to accept me as your husband and I wasn't bothered by it. Did you know how many times your mum made me sleep with the dogs as punishment? Perhaps the dogs love me more than you do. So, tell me, what are you doing here?!"
Miranda was devastated at first, but she swiftly calmed herself down and raised her head to look at Yohannes spitefully. She spat out, "Do you want to know what I'm doing here? Just look at yourself in the mirror first! What are you wearing? A pizza delivery uniform. Only losers spend their entire day delivering pizzas, and from Deli Pizza at that!"
She returned to the stranger's embrace and added, "Do you even know who he is? Howard Lindsay, the boss of an investment company. And you should've known who the Lindsay family is after living in Ocean City for so long. Their net worth is in the billions!"
Yohannes looked down at the pizza on the ground and chuckled. "So it's just I didn't have enough money…"
Money, money, money. It was all always about money in Ocean City.
He had just lost his wife and dignity to the lack of money.
Howard couldn't resist trying to add insult to injury. "Of course, money talks. If you don't have any money, you're a loser!"
Staring at the pineapple pizza on the ground, he added, "You know, I was about to leave you a one-star review, but I'll give you another chance. You just have to buy us two condoms from the convenience store downstairs and lick the pizza on the floor clean. What do you think?"
Howard was bellowing with laughter as he shamelessly kept Miranda within his embrace in front of her husband.
Just as Yohannes thought Miranda would protest, he didn't expect her to say, "You should lick the pizza clean first. You wouldn't want to piss off someone like Mr. Lindsay."
Yohannes was extremely disgusted at the couple in front of him. He clenched his right fist, intent on teaching both of them a lesson!
His gaze was overflowing with fury as he stared at Howard and took a step forward. Terrified, Howard took three steps back into the room.
Suddenly, Miranda got in Howard's way and gave Yohannes a hard slap, shrieking, "Yohannes Lewis! You're a penniless fool in a five-star hotel. Even if you deliver pizzas for the rest of your life, you won't have the money to spend a night in the cheapest room here. Stop humiliating yourself and get out!"
Yohannes was left reeling in pain. How could his wife stand up for that b*stard, let alone slap him in the face?!
He turned to face Miranda and loosened the fist on his right hand. Before leaving this godforsaken hotel, he said to her, "I hope you don't regret this someday, Miranda Giles!"
Miranda was disturbed by her husband's words. She looked back at Howard, then retorted, "My only regret is marrying a scumbag like you!"
Yohannes could hear Howard and Lindsay's laughter reverberating throughout the hallway as he made his way to the lift. No words could describe how hurt he was on that day.
When he exited the hotel and got on his delivery scooter, he heard his phone ring.
"Deli Pizza, Yohannes speaking. How can I help you?" he answered warmly, as if nothing had happened.
He was delighted to hear a familiar voice of an elderly man in return. "Mr. Yohannes, your three year in-law test has officially come to an end."
"Your next test involves some business. The Master has bought over Washinto Group for you to manage. You may report for work anytime."
"Alright, I'll get started with that," Yohannes said casually.
The elderly man on the other end of the call was impressed. Any normal person would be hugely amazed to suddenly switch from a pizza delivery job to being the head of a conglomerate. But Yohannes remained composed, like the next day was just going to be another day of work.
The elderly man asked, "Would you like your wife to be a part of the family records and an heiress to our fortunes?"
Yohannes snorted. "Do you trust Miranda Giles with billions of our money? Not a chance. She doesn't deserve it!"
He hung up and started the scooter, speeding through the dazzling street lights of Ocean City. Putting on a headset, his favourite playlist started as he began to reminisce about his marriage to Miranda Giles.
