The Price of Obedience

"She also said that as long as your numbers look good today, all those minor mistakes from before will be wiped clean."

Her voice sounded light, almost cheerful, like she could already see our perfect future ahead.

For a moment, I felt relieved, too.

The damage Diane had done to me wasn’t something one dinner could erase. At least, it was finally coming to an end.

"Alright. I’m busy right now. We’ll talk tonight." I hung up, took a sharp turn, and sped onto the overpass leading to Sunshine Gardens.

Ten minutes… five minutes…

As the navigation showed I was almost there, the tension I’d been carrying finally started to ease.

Sunshine Gardens was one of the more upscale residential compounds in the city. Security was tight. I pulled up at the entrance, reported the unit number and purpose like I’d done countless times before.

The guard was about to wave me through.

Then a familiar figure stepped out from the security booth and blocked my bike.

It was Diane. She held a granola bar, arms crossed, watching me with casual ease. That same expression I knew all too well, which was condescending and critical, sat on her face.

"Mrs. Grant?" I froze. "What are you doing here?"

"Why shouldn’t I be here?" She let out a cold snort. "I came to see how my future son-in-law performs on his final day. Kian, don’t rush in just yet. Let’s talk."

I glanced at the timer ticking on my phone, panic rising in my chest. "Mrs. Grant, this order is extremely urgent. It’s a lifesaving medication. Let me deliver it first, and we can talk after, okay?"

I was practically pleading.

"Lifesaving medication?" Diane burst out laughing as if she’d just heard the most ridiculous joke.

After a moment, her expression turned cold. "Which one of your deliveries isn’t 'urgent'? Kian, don’t use that excuse to brush me off. Today, we’re going to settle the rules properly."

She refused to budge, launching into a list of my "failures".

"The day before yesterday, a customer complained that you spilled their soup. The platform didn’t fine you, but our family’s reputation matters. That counts as a major mistake. $5,000 penalty.

"The wedding will be pushed back another three months on top of what you already agreed.

"Yesterday, you delivered to Block B instead of Block A. If the customer hadn’t come down to get it themselves, that would’ve been another bad review.

"That shows carelessness. $8,000 penalty, and you’re not allowed to see Olivia for a week. Take that time to reflect."

Second by second, time slipped away. The box of medication in my hand felt unbearably heavy.

I stared at the unreasonable woman in front of me, and in that moment, every ounce of patience and restraint I had left finally snapped.

"Ms. Grant." My voice turned cold. "I’ll say this one last time. This is lifesaving medication. If it’s delayed, someone could die. Are you going to move or not?"

My tone seemed to enrage her. Her voice shot up sharply. "What kind of attitude is that? Kian, you’re not even married yet, and you’re already rebelling?

"I’m telling you right now, there’s no way you’re getting through this gate today! What could possibly be more important than me shaping a proper son-in-law? No matter how significant it is, it can wait!"

She even pulled out her phone, as if she was about to call the customer and file a complaint.

"I’d like to see what kind of person this is. They are so unreasonable that they’d make you run red lights and speed just to deliver their precious medication!"

Watching her start to dial, I suddenly laughed because I had just seen the recipient’s name.

Christopher Grant.

And the phone number… belonged to Olivia.