Suddenly, I Am Rich

Gray gestured for Owen to take a seat at the table while Mara quietly stood and brought over the finalized reports. After a while, she placed them neatly on the table.

"Thank you," Owen said warmly, giving Mara a polite nod before adjusting his glasses and looking back at Gray.

"Well then, let's dive in. How has the month been treating you?"

"Honestly? It's better than I expected. You know that our one-week sale has been great. Though, we had a rough start when we integrated the online delivery system. We encountered delayed orders, confusion with logistics, you name it. Fortunately, it only lasted a few days." Gray let out a small smile.

"Since then, operations have been smooth. Aside from that, suppliers have been consistent, inventory's steady, and we didn't run into any major shortages. It's been a great month for us."

"That's good to hear." Owen gave a small approving nod.

Gray flipped the first page of the report toward Owen.

"But the numbers, this is where it surprised me."

Owen leaned forward slightly, his attention sharpening.

"Last month," Gray began, "our gross sales were about $3.71 million. This month, as of closing yesterday, we recorded $4.86 million."

Owen's eyebrows lifted. He immediately reached for the calculator on the table, not even caring if Gray was still talking in front of him.

"That's a 31% increase month over month."

"And we've cross-checked everything, too. The payroll, supplier costs, and operating expenses. There were no unusual spikes." Mara, who was standing on the side, added softly,

For a moment, Owen just sat there, scanning the figures, then gave a slow and impressed smile.

"Twenty-one percent. In one month." He looked back at Gray. "Gray, do you realize how unusual that is for a mid-sized grocery? Most stores your size—" he tapped the page and let out a chuckle, "would be grateful for a five percent raise. Twenty-one is… just remarkable."

Gray blinked. His heart swelled as he heard those words. It satisfied him to the core.

"Honestly, Owen, I didn't. I mean, I noticed things were busier, but I never expected that we would have that much." He let out a breathy chuckle and shook his head.

"The average daily revenue rose from about $89,000 to nearly $100,000 last month. However, it's only this month that we managed to break through the $100,000 a month. And online orders, after stabilizing, now make up roughly fifteen percent of that."

"That's excellent," Owen muttered. His eyes lit up, and a genuine admiration sounded in his voice. He tapped the chart Gray had highlighted.

"The upward curve here? That's the kind of trend Conrad will want to see. This is a good kind of growth, and in a competitive space at that."

Gray exhaled deeply, his shoulders finally easing. For the first time that morning, his lips curved into a real smile.

"You don't know how much I needed to hear that."

Gray straightened his posture, the weight on his chest easing a little. Mara quietly handed Owen the rest of the file, each section neatly labeled. Owen adjusted his glasses and flipped through the pages with a steady pace, his eyes scanning the figures line by line.

A moment of silence surrounded them as Owen tried to focus on reading.

"Alright," Owen said after a moment. "Let's look through this together. There are sales, payroll, supplier contracts, and operating expenses. With what you said earlier, everything should align."

Gray nodded, already leaning forward. "Yes. We double-checked every line item. Payroll this month was a little higher at $310,000 because we got a few new employees. Supplier costs about $3.8 million, utilities and operating expenses right around $330,000. That leaves us about $400,000 in full profit."

"Good," Owen murmured, flipping another page. "And you kept your gross margin healthy, even with the online delivery integration." Owen tapped his pen lightly against the margin of the report.

There was another short silence before Owen looked up directly at Gray. His expression softened, but his tone carried full curiousity.

"So tell me, Gray. With things stabilizing now… what's your long-term vision?"

Gray froze for a moment, caught slightly off guard by the directness of the question. He glanced at Mara, who gave him a small nod of encouragement. Taking a breath, Gray leaned forward.

"To be honest, I think it's time to start preparing for expansion," he answered firmly.

"We've proven we can handle the workload here. Operations are smoother than ever, our numbers are climbing, and the team is stronger. A second branch feels like the natural next step. Not right away, but I want to start laying the foundation already."

Owen's brows rose slightly before he gave a small approving smile.

"Expansion, hm? That's ambitious, but not reckless, given your current trajectory." He closed the file neatly and rested his hands on top of it.

"You know, Conrad sent me here with a simple directive: help you, monitor your progress and send him the report at the end of the month. And with what I've seen here, with the numbers, the systems, and your leadership, it's impressive. I'll be sending this report over to him shortly."

Gray nodded, listening carefully. Owen, however, paused before continuing.

"But let me be honest with you, Gray." His tone turned more serious. "I don't know exactly how Conrad's mind works. He's not predictable. He might look at these results and immediately green-light further investment. Or… he might decide to wait, watch, and test you further. My job is to deliver him the facts. What he does with them… it's up to him."

Gray absorbed those words with calm understanding. He leaned back in his chair slightly and nodded.

"No problem. I understand that. At the end of the day, all we can do is put our best foot forward. If Conrad wants us to keep proving ourselves, then that's what we'll do."

Owen gave a faint smile. "That's the right attitude. And I'll say this, I've worked with a lot of small to mid-sized businesses, and very few have adapted the way yours has in just a month. Whatever Conrad decides, I'm certain you've already set yourselves apart."

The atmosphere in the room lightened after that. The heavy seriousness shifted into a more comfortable tone as they went over a few more details such as minor operational notes, future improvements, and Owen's professional suggestions.

Finally, after nearly two hours, Owen finally stood up. Gray followed immediately, extending his hand.

"Thank you for your time, Owen. For everything, really. I know you were here to monitor us, but honestly, you've been more than that. Your insights and advice these past weeks helped me make decisions I might've missed otherwise."

Owen shook his hand firmly. The corner of his lips rose to a genuine smile.

"You're welcome, Gray. And thank you for working as hard as you did. I'll be sending my report soon. Until then, just keep doing what you're doing."

Mara, who had been quietly organizing the reports, stepped forward and gave Owen a polite nod. "We can't wait to hear from you again soon, Sir Owen."

"Likewise," Owen said warmly, before picking up his briefcase. "I'll be in touch with you guys."

With that, he walked toward the door, guided by Mara.

The door closed with a soft click after Owen left. For a moment, silence settled in the office.

Gray leaned back in his chair, letting out another long exhale as if all the pressure that had been building up in his shoulder for the past month had finally broken free.

After closing the door, Mara returned quickly to her desk too. She was Mara was still holding a folder in her hands.

After a second, their eyes met, and in that silence pause, something unspoken passed between them. There was relief, pride, and the shared suffering of everything they had gone through.

Then, Gray chuckled. Mara tilted her head slightly before a smile tugged at her lips too. Soon enough, both of them laughed together, the tension that had wrapped itself around them finally disappearing.

"It's finally done," Gray said, his voice lighter than it had been in weeks.

"Yes, finally!" Mara replied softly, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she let out a breathy laugh. "We actually pulled it off."

But before Gray could even say another word, a sharp surge rang in his head.

[Ding!]

A string of system notifications flashed before his eyes.

[Congratulations, Host!]

[Mission Complete!]

[+3 Power Gained.]

[+5 Influence Gained.]

[$10,000 has been added to your Wealth.]

[Bonus Reward!]

[You have been awarded a land title for your business expansion.]

Gray's eyes widened ever so slightly as the glowing text scrolled across his vision. The familiar ding still echoed faintly in his head.

[Please talk to the System once you are ready to receive your reward, Host.]

'That's right…' His pulse quickened. 'I succeeded. I actually cleared the mission.'

A playful smile crept onto his face, one he tried to suppress in front of Mara.