Suddenly, I Am Rich

As soon as morning arrived, the HR department sent a message to Joel, asking if he could come to the grocery store by 11 a.m.

The man was gladdened by the news. He wasn’t expecting anything, but he promised he would be there on time.

When Gray heard of it, he couldn’t help but be glad. He was satisfied with his decision. And he knew it was the right one.

Gray sat at his desk, the morning sun filtering through the tall glass panels behind him. The office was quiet now, without any other activities.

While he waited in his office for the scheduled time, Gray wasn’t really doing anything. He was just sitting there, browsing random things on his computer.

Yesterday had drained him more than he expected.

He was so exhausted that he barely made it back alive to their condo.

As soon as he arrived, he went straight to sleep. Fortunately, they had stopped by a drive-through, so he was able to grab a quick dinner for Lily.

He knew it wasn’t the best dinner, but for Lily, every food was food, so she’d eat it either way.

Now, as the hour crept closer to noon, Gray stood from his desk and grabbed his coat.

He had already informed Marcus that he’d be heading out for a bit.

By 10:35 a.m., Gray arrived at the grocery store. The guard by the front immediately greeted him.

”Good morning, Sir Gray!”

”Haha, good morning Mike!” Gray waved his hand back to the man.

By now, he was almost familiar with his employees.

When he stepped inside the door, heads turned immediately in his direction.

”Sir Gray!” someone greeted.

”Oh, good morning, Sir!” another chimed in.

He waved lightly in reply to them.

The atmosphere felt lighter today. A little more relaxed.

After a brief walk around the floor, Gray gathered the resting staff in the staff room. He also called in a few who weren’t doing anything. There were only a few customers, so it was just fine.

The employees began to gather around. The staff room had become livelier now.

He remembered how dull the place looked before. Not only with its interior, but also the people.

However, not anymore.

The place was already filled with furniture that the employees used. Most notably, the room was finally cold.

The AC that Gray bought for them was now mounted and working. It was running now at a steady breeze. The hum of it filled the air. A few jackets hung over the back of the chair. It was proof that the people were actually using this place to rest now.

And the people, more than anything, were different, too. They were laughing and joking around as they waited for the others to arrive.

It wasn’t perfect.

But it was better.

Gray stood near the entrance of the staff room, just watching for a second. His heart warmed at the sight of everything.

After a few more minutes, Gray clapped his hands lightly together and cleared his throat.

The people around quickly silenced.

One by one, the staff turned to him. Some with curious eyes, others already standing straighter as if waiting for what he was about to say.

”Thanks for coming in for a quick announcement,” Gray started. ”I’ll make this short, so you can all get back to your shifts.”

He took one step forward, glancing around the room.

”I just wanted to let you all know that starting today, we’ll have someone new helping manage all of you. You’ll see a few changes in task rotations and restocking schedules—but mostly, I hope you’ll welcome your new manager.”

”...”

The room stayed quiet.

Some of the older employees shifted slightly in place. They were listening, but cautious. A few exchanged looks. They were wary and uncertain.

It was always like this. The mention of ”management” still left a quiet tension for them.

Gray noticed it, but he didn’t let it linger too long. He smiled at them. A big one that he knew would reassure them.

”I know some of you might be nervous,” he continued. ”Especially after everything that’s happened before. And that’s okay.”

His voice dropped a bit, not to be quiet, but to be sincere.

”But let me be clear,” he said. ”What happened before won’t happen again. I’ll make sure of it this time.”

That earned a few slow nods from the employees.

He glanced at his watch, then toward the hallway when footsteps approached.

It was just right on time.

And then, through the open door, a man stepped in.

Joel’s posture was slightly stiff, but he was dressed properly. He was wearing a clean button-up shirt and slacks.

Joel was visibly shaken when he realized that it wasn’t only Gray he was meeting.

”W-what the—”

Joel almost cursed out loud.

Gray chuckled at it. He gave a nod to Joel.

”This is Mr. Joel Hernandez,” he said, glancing back at the staff. ”He’ll be working with all of you as your new manager.”

When he heard his name, Joel almost jumped into his place. He offered a polite bow, then straightened his back.

He didn’t expect that the store would have this many employees!

”G-Good morning,” Joel said, his voice shaking a little.

He gave another short bow before standing upright again, his hands awkwardly hovering at his sides like he wasn’t sure what to do with them. One hand half-rose to scratch the back of his neck, but he stopped midway and awkwardly folded it in front of him instead.

His lips twitched, almost into a smile.

”I... I wasn’t expecting this many of you to be here,” he admitted, chuckling under his breath. ”To be honest, I thought I was just meeting Sir Gray again today.”

Some of the employees chuckled softly at that. It was enough to break the tension in the room.

Joel seemed to take it as a good sign. His shoulders relaxed just a little, and his smile grew a bit more natural.

”I’m Joel Hernandez,” he said. ”You can just call me Joel. No need for anything formal. I’m... still adjusting myself, so I hope you’ll all bear with me.”

He gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of his head this time, for real.

”I’ve worked in my own store before with a helper sometime, so this will be my first time handling a big team like this. I don’t want to come in and pretend I know everything. I just want to learn how things work here and help make things easier for all of you.”

His words were honest. There was no arrogance in his voice. No overconfidence.

The room was quiet for a second before someone near the back, a younger staff member, raised a hand slightly in greeting.

”Welcome, Sir Joel.”

Another followed. ”Good morning, Sir.”

”Welcome, Sir!”

”You’re hired by Sir Gray, so we trust you!”

Soon, a wave of similar greetings came in. There were nods and a few smiles.

The employees were still wary, but it was normal.

However, with Gray on their side, standing, and encouraging them to greet Joel even more, one thing struck their mind.

They didn’t need to be scared because they were in the right hands.

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A/N:

Took me a while to finish writing these Chapters, but I’m just one Chapter away!

Anyway, thank you all for a successful June.

I couldn’t be happier with all your support. Your comments, reviews, powerstones, golden tickets, and gifts truly mean a lot.

But...

Just make sure you keep the support coming!