Behind me, her shrill voice rang out again, persistent as ever. I swallowed down the urge to snap back and quietly left with the security guard.
In the rearview mirror of my electric scooter, I caught one last glimpse of that old woman spitting as she complained to the neighbors, a smug look painted plainly across her face.
That night, when I returned to the cramped rental room, Milo was already home.
Seeing my pale expression, he rushed over and began massaging my shoulders, eager to please.
“What happened? Who dared to upset our Vespera?”
I turned my head, meeting his cheerful eyes and recounted everything that had happened at noon with a bitter heart.
But in the end, Milo only laughed it off with casual disdain.
“Vespera, didn’t I already say? Delivering takeout isn’t a great idea. Everyone’s doing it these days and let’s be honest, the quality of delivery workers is pretty low and they are always flying down the streets like maniacs...”
“Why argue with an old woman? Just quit in a few days. That job’s exhausting and embarrassing anyway...”
“Enough. Don’t say another word.”
I cut him off coldly and he froze in place.
“I earn my living through honest labor, delivering food. There’s nothing shameful about that.”
“Nowadays, the meals are sealed and the platform has proper rules. Is this job really as disgraceful as you make it sound?”
Because I was angry, my tone came out a little too sharp. Milo stood there, dumbfounded.
He clearly hadn’t expected such a fierce reaction from me. For a moment, he just froze, then hurriedly waved his hands.
“No, no, that’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean? I was being humiliated right to my face and instead of standing up for me, you’re telling me to switch jobs?”
“Vespera, why let someone like that get to you?” His voice started to carry a hint of irritation.
“She’s old, probably just hard to get along with. You should be more understanding toward the elderly.”
“And don’t take your work stress out on me; I didn’t do anything to you!”
Listening to him speak with such self-righteousness, I suddenly found it laughable.
I had met Milo two months ago on the street.
He’d approached me while I was eating and since I happened to be beginning my research on the food delivery market, I told him I was working as a delivery driver.
Back then, he wasn’t like this at all.
“I think being a delivery worker is great. It has flexible hours and decent pay, but it's just a bit tough.”
Now, all of it felt ridiculous. I gave up arguing and walked straight into the bathroom.
After dinner, Milo came into the study to find me.
His voice was gentler this time, admitting he had been wrong and shouldn’t have said those things.
He said he wanted to take me home to meet his mother, an official introduction.
Though I was still upset, I figured since he had already told her about me, I might as well go along with it.
But the moment I stepped into his neighborhood, I froze on the spot.
I stared at the familiar streets and the familiar building, unable to take another step.
Turning to him in confusion, I asked, “Which floor is your place?”
“401. I told you before, didn’t I?”
Milo looked back at me and when he saw my expression shift, it seemed to hit him all at once.
“The delivery you mentioned that day, was it my house?”
His face darkened instantly, but only for a second. He quickly smoothed it over, pretending like nothing happened and reached out to take my hand.
“It’s fine. My mom’s easy to talk to. You’ll see once you meet her.”
With unease weighing on me, I followed behind Milo, my mind scrambling for a plan.
But just then, the door swung open.
“Milo! You’re finally back!”
