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 292: Half A Million Views
By the next morning, it was already everywhere.It started with small shaky, low-quality clips uploaded by customers who had been in the store. Blurry footage, shot from phones held at odd angles, most of them catching only fragments of what had happened. But fragments were enough. By the time Gray woke up, the videos had been shared thousands of times.The headlines came shortly after."Grocery Store Owner Steps In to Protect Woman During Domestic Dispute — Is This a New Standard for Leadership?""Public Applauds Young Entrepreneur Who Defended Abused Shopper at Grand Opening""Conrad Everett's Protegé Shows What Real Management Looks Like"The clips had circulated widely despite the poor quality. Some were thirty seconds long. Some were less than ten. People had pieced together the full sequence from the separate clips. The man arriving at the entrance, the escalating confrontation, the slap, Gray's punch, and then the quiet aftermath: Gray kneeling on the floor beside the woman, t
Chapter 292: Gray Throws A Punch
The man scrambled to his feet, face red, mouth already forming another shout.He didn't get far.Two security guards came through from the side and grabbed him before he had taken a full step. He thrashed and roared, but they had him by both arms and they held."Let go of me!""Sir, you need to leave."They walked him out. His voice carried through the entrance as they went , hurling curses, threats, promises of consequences — until the doors closed and the sound cut off entirely.The store held its silence for one more breath.Then someone started clapping.Then another. It spread from the staff first, then the customers, building quickly into a full round of applause that filled the aisles with a different kind of noise than the one that had just left. A few reporters in the corner raised their cameras. Flashes went off in quick succession.Ben exhaled and ran a hand through his hair. "You're about to make a headline, Boss."Gray heard him but wasn't listening. His gaze had already
Chapter 290: The Bastard
"Who's in charge here?!" The man's voice thundered again, louder this time, the bag waving in his hand as he looked around the entrance. His face was flushed, his posture wide and aggressive, filling the doorway with the particular energy of someone who had decided on a confrontation before walking in. Ben stepped forward. "Sir, please—" "Don't tell me to calm down!" The man cut him off with a sharp laugh that held no humor. "You think I'm going to calm down when this store is taking advantage of people?" The store went still. Customers stopped moving. A mother near the produce aisle pulled her child in close. Staff members behind the counters looked at each other, unsure what to do. Gray stepped forward. "Sir." His voice was steady, his expression neutral. "I'm the one in charge. Tell me what happened." The man turned his glare onto Gray. His grip on the bag tightened until the paper began to tear. "What happened?" He held the bag up and shook it. "My wife came home with this
Chapter 289: Better Than I Expected
The moment Ben announced the discount, the crowd outside moved.Excited murmuring turned into exclamations and then into actual footsteps. People who had been watching the ceremony with mild interest were suddenly very interested in the entrance."Twenty percent off? Let's go!""That's a real save.""I'm definitely hurdling a bunch of things with this."The staff pulled the doors open wide. Customers streamed in, and the store received its first crowd with polished floors, full shelves, and staff smiling at the entrance to greet them."Wow," one woman said as she ran her hand along the edge of a shelf. "Everywhere's so clean and shiny.""Yeah. More spacious too," said another, already reaching for a cart.Gray stood near the entrance and watched. The sound of it settled over him — conversations, the squeak of cart wheels on tile, the soft clink of items going into baskets. For the first time in months, the numbers and the planning and the site visits had turned into this: a room full
Chapter 288: Finally Opened
The opening day arrived after all the waiting.The morning sun was bright over West Arcadia. Fresh banners hung along the front of the building, the store's name printed in bold across each one. The doors were still closed, but a crowd had already gathered. They were reporters, camera men, curious locals and small business owners from the surrounding streets. Someone had set up a small stage off to the side, and a red ribbon stretched cleanly across the entrance. Gray stood near the front doors in a dark blazer over a white polo, looking out at everything they had built. The employees were lined up behind him in their uniforms, the same fifty people who had spent the past week stocking shelves and assembling furniture and learning the floor. Ben came up beside him, clipboard in hand, and gave a confident nod. "Everything's set, sir." "Good." Gray smiled. "You did great, Ben." "Couldn't have done it without the direction," Ben said, stepping back as one of the staff signaled that t
Chapter 287: Outnumbered
Gray stepped out of the elevator and walked the quiet hallway toward his unit. It was already past seven and the weight of the day was fully present in his shoulders.He unlocked the door and stepped inside.The smell hit him first. An aroma of something warm and savory, drifting from the kitchen which only meant something tasty was cooking. "Welcome home."Selina was standing at the counter, wearing one of his aprons though slightly too large on her, the strings tied twice around the back. Her hair was up in a loose knot, a ladle in one hand, stirring something on the stove. She turned when she heard the door and smiled."You're back."Gray stood in the entryway for a moment. The tightness in his chest, which had been there since sometime around the admin meeting, eased without him putting in any sign of an attempt.Selina set the ladle down and crossed to him. Before he could say anything, she put her arms around him. Her gaze locked on his.He returned the gesture and rested his c
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