2025-12-22 05:11:38
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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
Chapter 286: Not So Sure
"Multiple people?" Chloe repeated. The shock in her voice barely hidden. She did not expect this to be widespread. Sure, maybe a quiet discrepancy in one account, something a single careless employee had let slip through. Not this.Gray turned the laptop slightly so she could see the highlighted rows on the screen."The data overlaps too cleanly," he said. "If it were one person, there'd be gaps. Small mistakes, inconsistencies in timing. But this looks coordinated."Chloe leaned forward and scanned the figures. Her eyes moved quickly despite the lingering grogginess. "These are from the recent quarter?""Mostly. But a few connect back to the previous one, that's what caught my attention. It looks like someone used the transition period between quarters to obscure the trail."She flipped through the folder quietly for a moment."Do you think it's someone from the older staff?""Possibly," Gray said. "Whoever it is knows how to make the reports look clean from the outside. That's not s
Chapter 285: One Step At A Time
The meeting wrapped up smoothly.Most of it had been spent with Gray familiarizing himself with the team. Getting to know their names, remembering faces and placing how each person fit their role. The conversation stayed relaxed but productive, and by the time he closed his laptop, the tension that had been in the room at the start had gone entirely. He could tell most of them were eager to do well, especially those promoted from the first store. They had something to prove, and they knew it."Good work, everyone," Gray said. "Keep the momentum going. Opening day is just around the corner so make sure your teams are ready."A collective "Yes, sir" filled the room. People began packing up. Gray stayed a few minutes longer, exchanging brief words with a few of them on their way out. The usual small talk and a bit of encouragement before heading to the elevator.The doors closed. He exhaled quietly and checked his watch. Still early afternoon. One more thing before the day was done."Tim
Chapter 284: Two Days Out
A few days passed quickly after their first day inside the store.The building that had stood empty just a week ago was now a fully operational branch. The shelves were stocked. Every corner had been cleaned and recleaned until nothing remained but polish and organization. The checkout machines had been tested and signed off. In two days, the doors would open to customers.With the second branch now demanding most of his attention, Gray's daily routine had shifted accordingly. He was spending more time here than at the original store — arriving early, walking the floor, checking in with the staff before the day's work properly began.He stood near the front entrance that morning, watching a few employees make final adjustments to the shelf displays. The image he had in his head — raw concrete, exposed wiring, the skeletal frame of a building felt like it belonged to a different timeline.Everything had come in. Every delivery unpacked, sorted, stored. The stockroom was clean and organ
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