Suddenly, I Am Rich

The rest of the morning passed by quickly with continuous greetings, handshakes, and quick introductions.

By 8:00 a.m., the store opened its doors to the public. Customers began to shop inside, and the staff went smoothly into their routines. Gray, meanwhile, was led to a small office tucked near the back of the store.

”This was originally intended for the branch head,” Marcus explained as they approached the door. ”You can use this as your working space when you’re here.”

But when Gray stepped inside, he was met with a surprise.

The office wasn’t empty, especially the desk. It was cluttered with personal items—an open bag of chips, a mug with ”The Best Guy” printed in red, and several pens scattered across papers. A new-looking office chair sat behind the desk, and behind that, a coat hung loosely on the back.

Gray blinked.

”What is this?” He frowned.

”Ah—this,” at the right time, a voice sounded behind them. It was the annoying voice that he kept hearing since earlier.

Mr. Will followed them closely from behind. As he faced Gray and Marcus, he let out a nervous chuckle.

”Right, right. I should’ve told you earlier, Sir. I’ve been using this office for a while.”

”You have?” Gray asked, turning halfway to face him.

”Yeah,” Mr. Will nodded, walking in without invitation. He was trying to mask his nervousness by appearing confident.

’He must have liked me since I kept buttering him up earlier, right?

”Since no one was occupying it before, Sir, and I’ve got a lot on my plate. Like paperwork, scheduling, vendor calls... You know how it is. I just figured it made sense to use the space.”

Gray took a breath, then gave a short nod.

”That’s alright. I’m only here for half the day anyway.”

”Exactly! No problem at all,” Mr. Will said with a smile far too wide. ’See? I’m right. Good thing I know how to read this guy. I should just act sorry and timid. I’m sure he’ll let me go. I can’t afford to lose this office.

”Go sit, Sir. Make yourself at home. My office is your office, heh heh.”

’Your office?’ Gray raised a brow internally.

Though, out loud, he just said, ”Thanks. I appreciate it.”

”I’ll go do a round outside first, Sir. Hehe. I’ll make sure the staff’s staying sharp,” Mr. Will added, already heading out. ”Let me know if you need anything!”

As the guy left, Gray exhaled slowly and sat down.

”Are you just letting him keep your office, Sir?” Marcus’s forehead creased. He was standing still on the side, surprised at what he had witnessed.

Marcus almost felt guilty. From the start, they don’t really know what’s happening in the grocery store. They relied on reports and results. Sometimes, a few executives would visit to check the place, but they never found anything wrong.

Since they hadn’t heard of any complaints, they thought everything was going well.

However, now that he’d seen it firsthand, Marcus didn’t know what to think.

Mr. Will’s presence in the office, the way he casually claimed ownership over something not his, the excuses—Marcus was beginning to question they much he actually knew about what went on inside the store.

’Maybe we’ve been too hands-off,’ he thought grimly. ’Maybe we were too focused on numbers that we thought everything was going well.’

As if sensing Marcus’s worries, Gray leaned back in the chair and smiled.

”Yup. Let’s keep it like this.”

”Sir?” Marcus blinked in disbelief.

”I mean the office,” Gray clarified. ”Let him think it’s still his, for now.”

”You’re not going to take it back?” Marcus asked, confused at it. ”This office is yours, Mr. Adams.”

”I know,” Gray chuckled. ”But if I make a move now, I’ll just alert him. He’ll start hiding things. Being more careful. And I don’t want that—not until I know exactly what’s going on in the management here.”

Marcus’s eyes narrowed slightly.

”What do you mean, Sir?”

Gray gestured lightly toward the door.

”Did you not notice how the employees looked around Will?”

Marcus became silent for a moment, thinking back. He had been too focused earlier, so he wasn’t really able to look at their surroundings.

When Gray noticed the uncertainty in Marcus eyes, he smiled and explained what he had noticed.

”The employees looked terrified,” Gray uttered. ”They almost feel awkward being around him. I know for sure that that’s not how it should be. You can respect a superior and be a little intimidated. But that... that was something else. There was fear in their eyes.”

Marcus opened his mouth but said nothing.

”Some wouldn’t even meet his eyes,” Gray continued to explain his observations. ”And when they did, it looked forced. It was like they were acting polite but just wanted to be left alone.”

Now that Marcus thought about it, he realized Gray was right. Completely right. The employees earlier were silent, almost tensed. It wasn’t like that when it was only them. It only started when the manager arrived.

”I didn’t catch that,” Marcus admitted honestly, almost feeling bad.

”It’s fine,” Gray chuckled. ”You wouldn’t notice that if you haven’t been in the same situation.”

”...”

There was a moment of silence between them.

And then, finally, Marcus sighed and bowed his head.

”I apologize, Sir.”

Gray gave a half-smile, his eyes still on the door.

”It’s fine. That was everything in the past.’ Gray shrugged his shoulders before letting out a deep breath.

With sorry still in his eyes, Marcus glanced at Gray.

”So what’s the plan, Sir?”

”Can you schedule a secret meeting with the staffs? I don’t want it to be known by Will. Make it in groups or batches. Come up with a believable reason. Just be careful if he had any underlings within the staff.”

Marcus immediately nodded.

”Will do, Sir.”

Gray turned his gaze back to the table in front of him. They were messy, it almost disgusted him.

”For now,” he said, ”let’s observe. Quietly. I want to know what’s really happening when no one’s watching the place.’