Suddenly, I Am Rich

For Friday, Gray got 74 orders.

On their second day, they got 78 orders.

On their third day, they got 67 orders.

However, when Monday hit, they only got 61 orders.

That was 280 orders for the past 4 days.

"This is impossible." Alone in his office, Gray could only slump in the chair. Defeat was written all over his face.

"How am I going to reach 700 orders? I only have 3 days left. Maybe 4 since the first day wasn't the time limit." Gray loudly sighed,

"But damn… that money…"

It was the first time that the system became generous with money. Even though he had more than a hundred thousand in his name, $20,000 was still $20,000.

"What an expensive problem I have," Gray muttered.

Honestly, though, he was problematic. This was a problem for Gray. A big big problem.

"I don't know what to do anymore." Gray slumped on his desk. He had been seated in his office at the store since morning.

For this week, he decided to go here on the grocery store rather than his office at Lancaster building. He wanted to be more hands-on with the store's operations, especially with the mission stressing him out.

Still, after hours of thinking about how to solve his problem, he couldn't think of any solution.

"Fuck…" He leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed.

"What the hell am I supposed to do…?" he muttered.

He'd run through half a dozen ideas in his head already. Maybe they should offer discounts, free delivery, and bundle promos. However, none of them seemed like they'd guarantee the jump in orders he needed.

The numbers were just too big.

He needed 420 more orders.

After a moment, he exhaled sharply and pushed his chair back.

"Why am I problematizing this alone?" he said aloud. "When I can have Joel join me in this hell?"

With that decision made, he left the office.

The store was busy with the late afternoon crowd. The sound of customers chatting, shopping carts clinking, and the occasional beeping from the counters filled the air.

He walked down the aisles, scanning the area until he spotted Joel near the produce section, instructing a few staff members on restocking.

The moment Joel caught sight of him, he excused himself from the employees and walked briskly over.

"Sir," he greeted, professional as always.

Gray gave him a small nod. "How's it going?"

"It's doing good for today. We're having a lot of walk-in customers." The man happily responded.

"How about the online store?"

"Uh…" Joel's expression flickered with hesitation. "That's what we're having a problem with, sir."

Gray's brow furrowed slightly. "Problem?" His tone was calm, but his eyes sharpened with interest.

Joel kept his voice low so customers nearby wouldn't overhear what he was about to say.

"We're getting too many orders, but not enough riders to deliver the goods. Because of it, customers have no choice but to cancel once the order goes over thirty minutes without being picked up for delivery."

Gray's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "Huh? Why?"

"Some customers need the groceries immediately," Joel explained. "When they don't get assigned a rider within that thirty-minute window, they just cancel. Sometimes they've already placed another order with a different store by then."

Gray's jaw tightened as he processed the information.

The challenge was already hard enough, but now they were losing existing orders on top of that.

"Is that also the reason why we had low orders yesterday?"

"Yes, Sir." Joel bowed his head for a moment.

"Shit…" Gray pressed his lips together. He thought that a low number of orders was just normal since it was Monday.

"Why didn't you say this earlier?" his eyes darted at Joel, who now looked ashamed.

"We thought that it was just normal too, Sir. Maybe the roads are just busy. But, it's been the same today."

"…"

Gray became silent for a second. He was about to pull out his phone to talk to Jet2 when the automatic doors of the store slid open with a loud whoosh.

The sudden entrance drew almost everyone's attention. Even the cashiers paused mid-scan, while customers turned their heads at the entrance.

Well, who wouldn't catch the attention of people when suddenly, a group of men stepped inside.

Not just any men.

Big men.

They were tall, broad-shouldered, and muscular. Each of them looked like they were ready to fight. They moved together and walked in confidence that made people instinctively clear the way.

The faint squeak of their old and rusty sneakers against the tiled floor only added to the tension.

And at the very front… was someone who didn't match them at all.

A man with a thin frame, small complexion, and an almost frail presence was leading their work. His steps were light, but there was no hesitation in them.

Gray froze for a split second.

His mind instantly recognized that face.

"Rome?" he muttered under his breath.

It had been a long time since he last saw him. The last time was probably when the case was successfully closed. He hadn't seen him once after that.

Not until now.

The moment Rome spotted him across the produce section, his lips curved into a wide smile. Without waiting, he made his way toward Gray, and the group of muscular men followed closely behind like a moving wall of human armor.

As they walked, Gray's eyes moved to the people behind Rome. That was when he became more speechless.

They were the thugs who helped him that time.

"What are they doing here?" his forehead creased.

Joel instinctively stepped half a pace closer to Gray, his eyes darting between the newcomers and his boss.

"Sir… do you know them?" Joel asked cautiously.

Gray's lips tugged into a rare, genuine smile.

"Yeah," he answered, followed by a small, amusing laugh afterward. "I know them."

As they got closer, the heavy footsteps of the thugs seemed to echo through the store. The other customers pretended to go back to shopping but kept stealing glances in their direction.

"Sir Gray!" Rome called out, his voice filled with excitement. "It's been way too long!"