Suddenly, I Am Rich

Time passed slower than Gray expected.

He leaned back into the chair, his one hand resting on the armrest while the other was lazily

playing with a pen he’d found on the desk.

He glanced at his watch.

2:04 PM.

Only five minutes had passed since Chloe left him.

Gray sighed under his breath and pushed himself up from the chair. His eyes led him toward the small pile of books Chloe had on the table. The covers of the books were colorful, some with flowery fonts and others with dramatic illustrations.

He picked one up and flipped through a few pages. It was romance. He picked up another one. Then another.

They were all romance novels. Some contemporary, some historical, there was even one with a vampire on the cover that made him raise his brows.

He let out a quiet laugh and shook his head.

”What is it with girls and romance novels?” he muttered to himself, quite amused. His lips curled into a smile. He was entertained as he placed the book back down.

Still, he found himself reading the back covers anyway. Some of the summaries were a little cheesy, others oddly intense. One even made him blink and think, ’Wait, they published this?’

He couldn’t help but find it funny. He didn’t know that Chloe liked to read these kinds of things.

Just as Gray leaned back in the chair, the sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway.

Before he could even sit properly, the door swung open.

Chloe appeared in the doorway, her hand still holding the knob of the door. As soon as she entered, her eyes landed straight on him, and more importantly, on the romance novel still in his hand.

Chloe’s eyes widened.

”Oh no!” she gasped out loud as she rushed into the room.

”Gray!” she yelled, her face turned red as she hurried toward her desk. She immediately snatched the book out of his hand and began gathering the others, quickly stacking them together like she was caught.

Gray blinked, a little surprised at her actions.

”Don’t worry. I wasn’t judging,” he said, chuckling as he watched her scramble. ”I was just bored.”

”I told you to wait!” she uttered, half-flustered and half-panicking. Her voice cracked slightly, and her ears were as red as her cheeks.

Gray just laughed at her.

Chloe shot him a glare over her shoulder as she tried to tuck the vampire one at the bottom of the pile.

Gray grinned when she noticed it.

”That one’s got fangs on the cover.”

”Stop!” she whined, nearly laughing as she turned around and lightly pushed his arm. ”You’re not supposed to see those!”

”Why not?”

”Because!” she said, crossing her arms and avoiding his eyes. ”They’re embarrassing.”

Gray leaned forward a little.

”So... all romance, huh?”

Chloe didn’t answer. She just puffed her cheeks slightly and turned away, still hugging the stack of books close to her chest as if she were protecting them.

But despite her embarrassment, Gray couldn’t help but smile. He just noticed it now, but Chloe looked really pretty in her current clothes.

Even in a short period, she had clearly made an effort with how she looked.

Chloe was wearing a soft beige blouse tucked into a pleated skirt. It was paired with a light cardigan and ankle boots. Her hair was tied loosely to one side, and she put on a touch of makeup on her face just to enhance her features a little bit.

Chloe noticed his gaze, and her shoulders tensed.

”W-What?” she asked, narrowing her eyes. Her heart thumped out loud. She suddenly became nervous, and she didn’t know why.

Gray’s smile softened. ”You look nice.”

The words were simple, but they landed heavily. Chloe blinked, her lips parting slightly. A second later, and she quickly looked away again.

”T-Thanks...” She cleared her throat and tried to compose herself.

”So... where are we going?”

Gray stepped away from the desk and adjusted the sleeves of his coat.

”We’ll eat first,” he casually said. ”After that... what do you want to do?”

Chloe thought about it for a moment.

”Do you want to try ice skating?” Her eyes lit up as she questioned it.

Gray frowned.

”Ice skating?” he questioned again.

That was unexpected. He hadn’t tried it before. Not even once.

Still, when he looked at Chloe and her eyes that were gleaming, he thought that it wouldn’t be bad to say yes.

After all, it was still an experience.

He exhaled through his nose and nodded.

”Alright.”

Chloe’s eyes brightened even more.

”Really?”

”Yes.” Gray nodded again.

”Don’t worry,” she said proudly, stepping toward him with a confident grin. ”I’ll take care of everything about it!”

Gray chuckled lightly as she began typing on her phone quickly.

He didn’t know how this day would end. But so far, he didn’t mind being dragged into it.

They left the estate not long after.

Chloe walked beside him, still wearing that same excited smile as if she was excited for what they would do. When they got outside, the black sedan was already parked, and Daniel was waiting for them.

The two boarded in the passenger seat. Their ride was quiet at first.

Chloe kept glancing at her phone, probably doing something regarding the skating, while Gray looked out the window. But after a few minutes, she broke the silence between them.

”So, where are we eating?”

Gray turned his head to her.

”There’s this place I’ve been meaning to try. It’s nothing that fancy, but I heard the food’s really good.”

Chloe tilted her head curiously. ”What kind of food?”

”Good food,” Gray chuckled.

Chloe looked at him suspiciously.

”What? Don’t you trust me?”

Chloe chuckled.

”I do.”

”Well, good.” Gray chuckled with her.

The two of them talked as the car continued to move. And after 20 minutes, they finally arrived.

The car slowed down in front of a medium-sized brick restaurant located in the heart of the city. It was surrounded by other establishments and restaurants that looked much more expensive and luxurious than it was.

However, despite looking simple, the restaurant still had a lot of people inside. Above the door was a simple sign that read: ”The Pantry.”

Inside, Gray could already see soft lighting and clean interiors through the window. He had passed by it a few times before while he was on his way home, but never had the chance to go in.

When the car came to a stop, Gray turned to Chloe.

”Wait here,” he said, placing a hand on the door.

Chloe blinked at him. ”Huh? What do you—”

But Gray had already stepped out before Chloe could finish her words.

A second later, Chloe watched him as he walked smoothly around the front of the car. She thought that he would do something, but instead, he went to her door and pulled it open for her.

Chloe stared at him for a moment, a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected that.

But the moment their eyes met, she laughed—

And Gray chuckled too.