Suddenly, I Am Rich

”I’m home!” Gray’s voice loudly echoed as a soft click from the door sounded behind him. As soon as he stepped inside, he set down his bag near the entrance.

Almost immediately, he heard small footsteps rushing toward him. In there, Lily’s small frame greeted his eyes. She was already wearing home clothes, a sign that she has been home since earlier.

”Brother! You’re back!” Lily beamed as she came running from the living room, a bright smile lighting up her face.

Gray crouched down a little, catching her into a quick hug.

”Hey, Lil’ one,” Gray chuckled softly, ruffling her hair. ”Sorry, I couldn’t pick you up today. I had something important to do.”

”It’s fine, Brother!” Lily quickly said, shaking her head. ”I had fun today anyway.”

”Oh? What kind of fun?” Gray raised an eyebrow, amused at it. He was happy to know that Lily was now having fun after the incident a few days ago. That really broke his heart, and he didn’t wish for Lily to experience it again.

”I made a friend!” Lily grinned as she bounced up and down, excited to tell it to Gray.

Gray’s eyes widened slightly in pleasant surprise.

”Really, now? Is that true?” Gray’s eyes were laced with amusement as he guided her over to the couch in their living room, so they could sit together.

”Tell me about it, Lily.” Gray smiled at her, encouraging her to speak up and be comfortable with him.

”Her name is Mia, brother,” Lily uttered, swinging her legs happily as she talked. ”She’s really nice. She shared her snacks with me during break time, and she said she liked my hair clips! The one we bought on the mall!”

Gray smiled warmly at the sight of her excitement. It was a huge difference compared to the Lily from a few days ago, who looked sad and small.

”I’m happy for you,” Gray said genuinely, patting her head once more. ”You deserve friends like that.”

Lily’s cheeks flushed slightly in happiness.

Then, after a small pause, Gray decided to ask a question he had been meaning to ask.

”So... how about those two girls?” Gray questioned, his tone was gentle and soft, but there was a seriousness beneath it.

”May and Jenna. Did they bother you today? Do they still bother you?”

At the mention of the names, Lily paused, looking a little thoughtful. She puffed her cheeks and tilted her head to the side, as if recalling something strange.

”That’s the weird thing, brother...” Lily said slowly as she shook her head slowly.

”They didn’t do anything.”

”Didn’t do anything?” Gray’s brows furrowed slightly.

”Yesh. They didn’t say anything mean. They didn’t even look at me much. It’s like... they’re just ignoring me now. It started after you brought me to school!” Lily nodded, but then, she frowned, a little confused. ”It’s weird. It’s like they suddenly decided to pretend I don’t exist.”

Gray leaned back against the couch, crossing his arms casually.

”I see,” he said, suppressing the smirk that threatened to form on his lips. ’It seemed like those kids were not that dumb.’

”Brother... do you think they’re planning something bad?” Lily looked up at him curiously, feeling anxious about it since it was the first time in many months that the two had stopped talking and bothering her.

Gray let out a soft laugh, reaching out to pinch her cheek gently.

If only Lily knows...

”I don’t think so, Lily,” he said reassuringly. ”Sometimes, people realize they shouldn’t mess with others. Maybe they just finally figured that out.”

Lily blinked at him for a moment before slowly nodding, though a part of her still seemed puzzled.

”Okay... if you say so, brother. Maybe they realized they were wrong now.” Lily nodded slowly before a smile crossed her lips again.

”Yes, Lily.” Gray smiled as he stood up and headed toward the kitchen.

”Now, how about we celebrate you making a new friend? What do you want for dinner? I’m too tired to cook so let’s just order, okay?”

”Okayyy!” Lily cheered, instantly forgetting all her confusion.

Gray chuckled under his breath as he pulled out his phone from his pocket. He went to a food delivery app and let Lily pick the restaurant that she wanted.

In the past, they rarely ate out because it was more expensive than cooking.

But now, they could do it as frequently as they liked.

Lily sat on the couch, her little legs still swinging back and forth as she happily scrolled through Gray’s phone.

Her brows furrowed in concentration as she scanned through the food delivery app, her finger swiping up and down, clearly taking her time to decide what she wanted to eat.

Gray leaned against the sofa, his arms crossed over his chest, just quietly watching her with a soft smile on his face.

Their apartment wasn’t big, but moments like this made it feel full. Full of life. Full of warmth.

It was these tiny, simple moments that Gray cherished the most.

Seeing Lily happy, excited over something as simple as choosing what to eat, made everything he worked hard for feel worth it.

He stayed like that for a moment, until Lily suddenly looked up from the phone.

”Brother! Brother!” Lily called out his name with a slightly confused face.

”Hm? Why?” Gray lifted his head slightly.

”You got a message!” she said, waving the phone in the air slightly. Her cheeks puffed up as she tried to read it properly. ”It’s from a person named... Chloe?”

’Ohh...’ Gray blinked. It took him a second before he realized what she meant.

”She said... ’See you tomorrow!’” Lily uttered out loud, tilting her head at him.

”Brother, who’s Chloe?”