Suddenly, I Am Rich

They may have faced difficulties at the start, but Gray made sure that it wouldn't hold them back.

After that day, Gray became more hands-on with the grocery store.

He tasked Mara with communicating directly with Jet2, making sure the same problems wouldn't arise again. They also took care of the application from the four thugs. Within just 2 days, they were able to submit every requirement needed, with their help too.

And slowly, Gray learned who the 4 really were.

"Boss, why did you call us?" Their leader, the tallest of them, spoke of.

He was named Dante. He had a shaved head and arms full of tattoos. He looked like the kind of guy people on the street would avoid.

However, behind that facade, Dante was surprisingly careful. During work time, he would check every order twice before leaving.

Gray learned that he used to have a job, but got unfairly fired from work. Starting then, his life drifted away.

The 4 arrived at Gray's office after Gray called for them.

"Yes, Boss. Did we do anything wrong?" Next to Dante was Marco, his cousin.

Marco was the smallest among the 4. However, he had big and sharp eyes that always seemed to judge people. He was the loudest of the group and was the person who constantly teased and talked trash to the others.

"Sit down," Gray gestured to the chairs lined up in front of his desk. He chuckled and smiled at them, "You're not in trouble. Relax."

The four exchanged suspicious glances.

"You're making us nervous, Boss," Marco muttered, but still dragged the chair to sit down with a slight hesitation. Dante also sat, the weight of his frame sinking into the chair like he was still not used to being in an office.

Gray waited until the other two followed before he leaned forward to share with them what he had been meaning to say.

"I called you here because I wanted to say this directly." Gray paused there before his hands folded together on the desk.

He didn't rush his words. He intentionally let it that way because he wanted to see their reaction. However, the silence only made the 4 become more nervous.

Marco immediately leaned forward, squinting suspiciously.

"Boss, come on. Don't scare us like this. If we did something wrong, just say it. Don't make us sweat like we're in a courtroom."

"Yeah…" Dante rumbled, his voice low but unsure. "You're not about to… You know, fire us or anything, right?"

"Oh no, Boss. Don't tell me, that's really it?" Luis, a guy with a buzzcut hair and a clean body without tattoos, spoke.

Among them, he was the youngest. Contrary to his humongous body, he liked small and cute things.

It was funny when Gray realized that.

Gray blinked, then laughed softly, the corner of his lips curving up.

"You four really think I'd call you in here just to fire you?"

"You paused way too long, Boss!" The last man, Ricky, muttered as he pointed at Gray.

Ricky was the most normal-looking among them. His body might be big, but it was not that humongous compared to the others. However, Gray heard that among all of them, he was also the most courageous.

Gray couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. The tension in the room eased a little at the sound, though the four still eyed him warily.

"Relax, relax," Gray said, raising his hands in surrender. "No one's getting fired. I just wanted to tell you something important, and I thought it was better to say it face-to-face."

The four exchanged glances again, still half-worried, but half-curious. Even Dante shifted forward in his seat, his serious eyes narrowing on Gray like he was finally ready to hear the words.

"Alright, Boss," Dante said, voice steady. "Then what is it? Just tell us straight."

Gray leaned back, exhaling softly before meeting their eyes one by one.

"What I wanted to say is… You four have been doing well. Better than I expected, even. So I've decided, it's time to make your positions here official. If you want to, of course."

The room went silent for a second.

Marco blinked. Luis froze. Ricky's jaw dropped. And Dante's eyes widened.

"Did I hear that right?"

"Am I dreaming?"

"Are we in a prank?"

Gray laughed and shook his head.

"I'm not kidding. With your compliance, we were able to submit all your pending requirements. I know that I've asked for your help until this week only, but if you want, you can continue working as long as you want. We'll have the work contract, of course, and you'll have your benefits and salary."

The four sat frozen for a moment, unable to process what they had just heard. It was Marco who broke the silence first.

"No way…" he muttered, his sharp eyes wide for once. "You're… you're actually serious?"

Gray only nodded.

Luis suddenly rubbed his face with both hands. He tried to hide it, but the redness around his eyes betrayed him.

"Damn… I… I didn't think…" His voice cracked a little before he let out a shaky laugh, "I didn't think anyone would give people like us a shot."

Ricky leaned back in his chair, his usual courage now disappeared. For a moment, he looked vulnerable.

"Boss… you don't get it. We've been trying, you know?"

The truth was, despite their looks, the 4 of them have been trying to change their life for so long. However, no one wanted to hire them. They couldn't blame them, though. They knew their reputation.

Marco also clenched his fist lightly on his lap.

"Yeah… we've been trying, but… we stuck together. People called us thugs, so we lived like it.

But the truth was, we don't hurt anyone, and we also don't steal. We just fight because we don't have a choice, and that's how we make money. It was our only way to survive."

"I thought… it was too late for us. So I just told myself this is it. This is the life I'll die with."

Dante finally spoke, his deep voice carrying the weight of years that flashed back in his mind.

"But then you came along and gave us hope…" His lips pressed into a firm line, his eyes lowered to the ground as they got teary.

Gray listened quietly to their words. His chest tightened at it. He didn't know that they had such stories.

For him he hired them because they were capable. They were good at their work.

"And not only are you letting us work here, Boss… you're giving us contracts? Benefits? A salary?" Marco let out his amusement and doubt. "That's too much. We don't even know if we deserve it."

Luis, who still tried to wipe his eyes discreetly, shook his head.

"I thought people like us… We're done for. That no matter what we did, nobody would let us change. But you're different, Boss. You… you're giving us a chance."

"Thank you, Boss."