Caden opened the door to his one room apartment tiredly. He removed his shoes and placed them at the corner of the door. He put on his slippers and moved into the kitchen.
He dropped the groceries and went to the sink to get a glass of water. After gulping down its content, he let out a satisfied yet tired sigh.
" What a day" he said. It was indeed an eventfuk day. He had played a game against the very prince of gaming, who was known to have a bad temper, and won.
He thought about how Ian had almost removed his head from his body with a chair and sighed. " He really is unstable". After what he had seen today, Ian indeed needed help, mentally. He had a lot of anger issues and with the rumors surrounding him, he didn't seem like one with a good upbringing.
Of course that was expected from the son of the King of the gaming industry. Ian Lone was a wolf, a wolf who when not careful, would lose its fangs. Before,he doubted that Ian's skills were as good as they said. But after today, he had indeed confirmed it.
In his judgement, Ian's skills were a bit above average but not anywhere near best.
Caden sighed as he went back to the sink to wash the glass. When done, he made his way to the grocery bags which he had place on the table.
Caden didn't buy much. He was a light eater who ate mostly snacks and instant noodles. He found it as a waste to cook such heavy meals when he wouldn't be able to finish them. He suspected he had a really small stomach.
There was also the reason of his busy schedule. He didn't have time to cook heavy foods. All that mattered was eating healthy. So, he had bought some instant noodles and alot of veggies. That was healthy, wasn't it?
Caden stopped thinking as he took out a cup of instant noodles. He picked up the seasonings, read the instructions and began the preparations. In about ten minutes, his noodles was done.
The delicious aroma of Hakajaki instant noodles filled the air as he opened the cup. He took a whiff of the aroma and his stomach grumbled. He opened up his laptop and grabbed his chopsticks. He was about to take a bite when the loud ring of a phone echoed throughout the room.
Caden groaned in frustration. Was it a crime to enjoy some time alone by yourself while eating noodles? He couldn't stay an hour without any disturbances.
Grudgingly, he reached into his right pocket for his phone. Picking the phone up, he glanced at the caller ID and groaned louder. With a frown, he swiped right to accept the call and yelled, " What the hell do you want this time, Zayne?!"
Zayne, on the other side, was ecstatic when he greeted Caden. His joyful voice filled Caden's ear which only had him annoyed further. " Caden, that was amazing. You totally kicked Ian's butt. I couldn't believe my eyes! And Ian's express, it was hilarious! Haha, watching your fingers and your skill, i was so amazed that I almost peed in my pants unknowingly. To be honest, I really thought-—"
" Look, if you called just to praise my skills, then, I'm hanging up" With that, Caden hung up. But before he could, Zayne's anxious voice rang out once more, " Wat, wait, wait, I have something important to tell you".
Caden sighed inwardly as he once again put the phone to his ear. He listened while eating his noodles. He heard Zayne say, " So, due to your little showcase this afternoon, some scouts have been dying to meet you and get you to sign with them."
" And get this, Eons Gaming Entertainment also wants to sign with you", Zayne squealed excitedly at the end. Caden frowned. Putting down his chopsticks, he asked with a mouth full of noodles, " Isn't Eons Gaming Entertainment Mr Lone's rival?"
" The one and only. If you ask me, it's a good opportunity. Plus, it's awesome being a gamer if Eons Gaming -—"
"No". Zayne was speechless. He had barely finished when Caden had flat out rejected him. What did he think Eons Gaming is? How could someone be so naive in this world?
" But why?!" Zayne asked. Caden sighed as he got up to walk around. His legs had started to feel numb. " Because, Eons Gaming Entertainment is like the rival of the mother boss. And I can bet that I'm already on the target list of the Lone's. If I join Eons Gaming Entertainment, I'm getting an express ticket to hell".
" But that's the thing. Eons Gaming Entertainment can offer you protection. It's all guaranteed if you just agree to work with them. They even said they'll be sending a representative over to discuss the terms of the contract if you agree-—"
" Zayne, buddy, I said no. So, drop it". Caden responded, clearly get annoyed.
But Zayne couldn't stop here, " But Caden, this is a great opportunity -—"
" Everything has a downside, Zayne. I understand that you care about me and are trying to help me and all but please, stop. Just drop it. I'll hang up now".
Zayne clearly wanted to say more but held back as he hummed in response. Caden hung up and sat back down to keep eating his noodles. He sat near his laptop and as he opened up a website.
His eyes narrowed at the information displayed on the noodles. He picked up his chopsticks and began slurping his noodles.
" Interesting" he said midway.
.....
The very next day....
Caden had just woken up. His hair was a tangled mess as he shuffled into the kitchen, his eyes half-closed. He was still wearing his worn-out pajama pants and a faded t-shirt, and his feet were bare. A yawn stretched across his face as he made his way to the coffee maker, his movements slow and sluggish. His voice was husky with sleep as he mumbled a morning greeting, his brain still struggling to shake off the remnants of slumber.
He went into the kitchen to get some coffee and after a few minutes, he came out holding a cup. After his coffee, he went outside to check the mail.
There was a newspaper along with a big box which had a white envelope on it. He took the envelope to look at it. There was no address. It just stated simply, "To Caden Wallis".
Caden frowned. He picked up the box and the newspaper and took them inside. He put the box on the table and threw the newspaper to the side.
Caden was confused. Who did this come from? Was it from the Lone's? He turned the package around, finding no address. He became even more confused.
He scratched his head but the shrugged his shoulders. He decided to take a shower first and of course have breakfast.
When he was done with his morning rituals and work on his laptop, he came back to the box and sat down on the carpet, simply staring at it. He sighed.
As he couldn't discern who it was from from the missing address, the only way was to open it. Having come to a conclusion, he opened the box. Inside was a sort of button. It was the size of his palm.
Caden toyed with it little before dropping it and taking the envelope. The envelope read;
'To Mr Caden Wallis'
Caden opened the letter and read aloud.....