Suddenly, I Am Rich

The moment Joel announced the promotion, the crowd outside reacted almost instantly.

Excited whispers of the people filled the air, followed by a sudden rush of footsteps. The customers gathered almost instantly on the side, waiting for the door to be opened.

”Twenty percent off? Let’s go!” someone exclaimed from the back.

”This is a big save!”

”I’ll definitely take advantage of this!”

With this, the staff members hurriedly opened the doors wide open. They were happy and excited to serve their first-ever customers.

What greeted the customers were the polished floors and clean interior of the store. The shelves were already full of rows of newly stocked goods.

”Wow, it’s really nice in here,” one woman murmured as she ran her hand along the edge of a shelf.

”It also feels spacious than the grocery stores I go to,” another one added, before pulling a cart as she glanced around.

Gray stood by the entrance for a while, quietly watching as customers entered in the new store. The sound of their conversations, the squeak of carts rolling on the tiles, blended together to make their store lively.

Joel immediately went to help the staff inside. He guided the people and turned them to the staff whenever they had questions or needed some help.

Mara also started helping. She was at the counter, making sure that the cashiers were ready once the first customer checked out their goods.

Gray, who was watching everything unfold in his sight, let out a small sigh in relief. For the first time in weeks, they were already looking at the fruits of their hard labor. It was also obvious that they did a good job in this opening.

The shelves were full, the staff were smiling, and the customers looked genuinely happy to be there.

Beside him, Conrad watched the scene with a proud smile.

”Looks like your business is off to a good start,” he said softly.

”Yeah... it really is. I’m really relieved.” Gray nodded too with a small smile playin gon his lips.

”You’ve done well, Gray.” Conrad gave a small chuckle.

”Thank you. That means a lot.”

As they stood there, the bell above the door chimed repeatedly. With the spread of the word that there was a discount in the store, more people started coming in.

Inside, the store was quickly filled with people. Carts rolled down the aisles, and baskets clinked softly as people placed items inside.

The atmosphere was bright and cheerful.

One of the staff, Leah, stood near the entrance with a welcoming smile. ”Good morning, ma’am! Feel free to ask if you need any help,” she greeted a customer walking in.

Farther inside, one of the employees was helping an older man reach for a pack of flour on the top shelf. ”Here you go, sir,” he said kindly. ”We’ve also got a discount on sugar today if you’d like to check.”

At the produce section, baskets of fresh vegetables were neatly arranged. There were green lettuce, tomatoes, onions, garlic, potatoes, and anything you could think off. They were from local farmlands that Gray partnered with.

While looking at it, a few customers commented on how fresh everything looked.

Near the dairy aisle, a little boy tugged at his mother’s hand. ”Mom, can we get chocolate milk?”

”Alright, but just one bottle.” His mother laughed softly.

Gray excused himself from Conrad and walked inside slowly, taking in the sight. There were a few people on the checkout counters now. They were people who just went to the store for the discount, hoping that they could buy more with the limited money they had.

”Next, please!” The cashier muttered out loud after another customer finished.

At one of the checkout counters, Mara smiled as she handed a customer her change.

”Thank you for shopping with us,” she said politely. The customer nodded, clearly pleased by the service that she got.

After a while, a manager from the store passed by with a clipboard in hand. He was checking on the inventory team, who were refilling a nearly empty snack shelf on the side.

”Make sure the labels are all facing the front,” he reminded calmly.

Gray stopped for a moment near the center aisle. He looked around. It all felt different now. The place that once felt empty and uncertain was now alive.

”This is how it should be,” he thought to himself quietly.

When he turned to the front, he saw Conrad still standing by the entrance, chatting lightly with a few reporters. Even from there, Conrad gave him a small nod of approval.

Gray returned the gesture with a faint smile, then went on to help a customer who was looking for the condiments section.

”This way, ma’am,” he said kindly, leading her down the aisle.

Everywhere he looked, things were running smoothly. The store they worked hard to set up was working perfectly.

Gray guided the woman to the condiments aisle, stopping beside the shelves stacked neatly with different kinds of soy sauce, vinegar, and spices.

”Here you go, ma’am,” he said, pointing toward the section. ”We just restocked these this morning, so everything’s brand new.”

The woman smiled in appreciation. ”Thank you, young man. Your staff are very polite too. It’s nice here.”

”I’m glad to hear that. Enjoy your shopping, ma’am.” Gray gave a small nod.

As the woman walked away with her basket, Gray turned to check the next aisle. A few employees were busy helping customers and arranging some items. Then, amidst the small chaos in it, a soft voice sounded behind him.

”Gray...”

Gray turned around quickly. In there, he saw the person whom the voice came. It was Selina. She was standing a few steps away, holding a small paper bag in her hand. She was dressed in a simple pastel dress, her hair neatly tied back. She had a bright smile on her face.

”Selina,” he said, a little surprised. ”You’re here.”

”Of course,” she replied, walking closer. ”You told me the opening was today. I didn’t want to miss it.”

Gray blinked, trying to hide the smile tugging at his lips. ”You didn’t have to come all the way here.”