2025-12-01 03:59:47Gray slipped the card back into his pocket, satisfaction settling warm in his chest. This was really happening.
"Can we go to the toy store next, brother? The big one?" Lily grabbed his hand, her face practically glowing with happiness. She'd never been able to just pick things out before and seeing her brother pay without counting every bill three times first had her buzzing to continue the shopping spree.
Gray chuckled and squeezed her hand. "I told you we're going crazy today. Lead the way."
"Yay!" Lily jumped and pulled him toward the escalator.
And just like that, their spending spree truly began.
[Ding!]
[$312.40 has been deducted from your balance.]
[Available Balance: $8,948.65]
At the shoe store, Lily picked out sparkly sneakers and pink boots that lit up when she stomped her feet. Gray grabbed himself a decent pair of running shoes, the first new shoes he'd owned in two years.
[$418.60 has been deducted from your balance.]
[Available Balance: $8,530.05]
They hit a clothing store next. Lily needed almost everything since most of her clothes either hung off her shoulders or were too small. Gray watched her pile items into the cart with a grin he couldn't wipe off his face.
[$429.99 has been deducted from your balance.]
[Available Balance: $8,100.06]
After a few hours of shopping, Gray's feet started to hurt and Lily's energy was finally wearing down. They decided to take a break at a restaurant they'd walked past a hundred times but never thought they'd actually enter. It looked super fancy with embroided cloth napkins and waiters in black vests.
The lights inside were soft and golden. The floor gleamed like someone polished it to perfection. Gentle music played from speakers Gray couldn't even see. Lily held his hand tight as a waitress in a crisp uniform led them to a table near the big windows.
"Right this way, sir." The waitress smiled, though Gray caught the way her eyes flicked over their clothes with just a hint of judgment.
They sat down on a cozy cushioned bench. Lily pressed her face against the window glass, watching people walk by on the street below. Her eyes were wide with wonder at being in such a fancy place.
Gray picked up the menu and nearly choked when he saw the prices.
"Wow, this stuff is expensive," he muttered under his breath.
Fifty dollars for a plate of pasta? No kidding! He could cook meals for a week with that money. This had to be some kind of scam. But they were already here, so they might as well experience it once.
"What do you want to eat, Lily?"
Lily turned away from the window, still smiling. "You can decide, brother. Anything you buy is good."
Gray sighed and looked back at the menu. Half the items were written in words he couldn't even pronounce. Being rich was harder than he thought.
The waitress stood nearby, pretending to arrange napkins but clearly listening to them. Gray didn't want to look stupid in front of her or Lily, so he cleared his throat and pointed at a few random items on the menu.
"We'll get this one and this one with the creamy thing. And this one. Oh, and this cake."
The waitress raised an eyebrow. "And for drinks?"
"Strawberry milkshake for her." Gray handed back the menu quickly. "I'll just take water."
"Of course." She nodded politely and walked away.
Gray let out a breath. Lily was already swinging her legs under the table and humming softly, completely content.
"Did you order cake too?" she asked.
"Of course I did." Gray grinned.
When the food arrived a few minutes later, both their jaws dropped. The plates were huge and beautifully arranged. Creamy pasta with herbs sprinkled on top. Grilled steak with sauce that caught the light. A chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream slowly melting on the side.
"Whoa," Lily whispered, her eyes huge.
They dug in immediately. The pasta was rich and cheesy. The steak was so tender it practically fell apart. The cake was warm and gooey in the middle. Gray had to admit that despite the ridiculous prices, the food actually tasted incredible.
"This is so yummy!" Lily said through a mouthful of pasta.
Gray smiled and took another bite of steak. For a moment, everything felt perfect. Just him and his sister enjoying a nice meal without worrying about the cost.
Then a voice cut through their peace.
"Well, well. Gray Adams? Is that really you?"
Gray froze with his fork halfway to his mouth. He knew that voice. His stomach dropped.
He slowly looked up.
Standing beside their table was a tall guy in an expensive coat. His hair was styled perfectly, not a strand out of place. A silver watch gleamed on his wrist, the kind that probably cost more than Gray made in six months. The guy was smiling, but it wasn't a friendly smile. It was the kind of smile that meant trouble.
"Jayden," Gray said quietly.
Jayden was his old classmate from high school. The same Jayden who'd made his life miserable back in school. Tripping him in hallways. Knocking his lunch tray onto the floor. Calling him names in front of everyone just because his clothes were worn and his shoes had holes.
"My eyes weren't deceiving me after all," Jayden's smile widened. "I thought that was you. What are you doing in a place like this?"
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Chapter 217: Isn't That Sister Chloe?
Things at the store had settled into a better rhythm over the following days. With that, Gray finally got some time back. Not exactly for himself, considering where he ended up. He was seated at a table in one of the higher-end restaurants in West Arcadia. The kind of place where the waiters wore tailored black suits and held their composure like it was a professional requirement. The menu had no pictures and no prices you would call reasonable. He had wanted to stay home. Lily sat across from him, happily working through the menu with the focused intensity of someone who already knew what they wanted but was enjoying the process anyway. Selina sat on her left, amused and relaxed, entirely at ease in a place where most things cost what they cost. Mara sat on her right, reading the menu with Lily, occasionally pointing at something. Gray rubbed his temple. "Remind me how we got he
Chapter 216: Best Boss
[Ding!] [Mission Complete!] [$20,000 has been added to your wealth.] [+2 Influence gained.] Gray felt the notification settle over him like something he had been holding his breath for. A slow smile spread across his face. It was just 4 in the afternoon but the mission was done. He sat back in his chair and let it land properly. Seven hundred orders in a week. The system, the riders, the staff pushing past the problems, the four going around their neighborhood and asking people to trust the store. All of it had added up to this. Across the room, Mara glanced up from her laptop. "What's with the grin? Don't tell me you're plotting something." "Nothing like that," Gray said. "I'm just in a good mood." "Sure," Mara said, returning to her screen. Gray turned his chair slightly and looked at her. "Order food for everyone."
Chapter 215: Countdown
Dante, Marco, Luis, and Ricky settled into the chairs with the same wariness they always carried into Gray's office. Their eyes moved to him, waiting. Gray leaned forward and clasped his hands together on the desk. "I've got a favor to ask you four," he said, his tone careful. He looked at each of them. "It's not about deliveries this time." The four exchanged glances. "What do you mean, Boss?" Marco asked. Gray's lips curved slightly. "I want you to spread the word. Tell people about the online store. What it offers, how easy it is to order, why it's worth trying. Friends, family, neighbors. Anyone." Dante blinked. "That's it?" "That's it," Gray said. Luis clapped his hands once. "Leave it to us, Boss." "Tomorrow you won't know where to find enough drivers," Ricky said, nodding firmly. "We'll bring in orders." "Consider it done," Marco added. Gray exhaled and let the small smile come through. Their confidence was not just reassuring. It was contagious. "Alright," he said.
Chapter 214: Pushing Through
"How many orders did we have for the whole week, Ben?"Morning light came through the blinds in thin lines, falling across Gray's desk. He had documents open in front of him and his laptop running on the side. Mara was at the smaller table near the window, earbuds in, working through another exchange with Jet2. Ben sat across from Gray with a notepad on his knee.He flipped through a few pages before looking up."We're close to 600, Sir. 593, to be exact."Gray leaned back. "Just under 600?""Yes, Sir." Ben gave a small nod. "But that's still a significant number considering the problems we had early in the week. Feedback has been positive. People noticed the delivery improvements, and some customers mentioned our riders by name."He smiled slightly. "Your new recruits are leaving an impression."From the side, Mara let out a quiet smirk without looking up from her screen. "I heard Dante asking one of the other staff if
Chapter 213: Thank You, Boss
Gray made sure the rough start did not hold them back.In the days that followed, he became more hands-on at the store than usual. He had Mara coordinate directly with Jet2 to close off the rider shortage issue for good and make sure it did not resurface. On top of that, they worked quickly to help the four men complete their formal requirements. Within two days, every document was submitted and processed.As that happened, Gray quietly learned more about each of them.He called the four into his office on a Thursday morning without giving them much of an explanation beforehand. They arrived together, as they always seemed to, and settled into the chairs in front of his desk with the wary energy of people being summoned to a room they were not sure about.Their leader was the tallest of them. His name was Dante. He had a clean shaved head, arms covered in tattoos, the kind of build that made people on the street reroute without thinking about it.
Chapter 212: Just The Beginning
The moment the four men split at the intersection, the real work began.Engines running, phones mounted on their handlebars, they scattered in different directions and followed their assigned routes. For once, they were not running from anything. No debt, no trouble, no bad decision catching up behind them. They were running toward something. Something that actually helped someone.Back at the store, the effect was immediate.The queue of pending online orders began to move. Cancellations dropped. The packing team, no longer watching bags sit uncollected, found their rhythm again. The staff settled back into focused work rather than the frustrated half-pace that had been dragging the day down.And it did not stop there. Following Gray's complaint to Jet2, more riders began appearing in the system throughout the afternoon. It looked like the company had quietly escalated the issue and pushed additional resources to their area. Ben and Gray chose no
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