Suddenly, I Am Rich

It was finally Monday morning.

The weekend had gone by too fast for him, that he didn’t even remember how it went, except for the incident at the grocery store.

Because of the incident, Gray went into the office a little earlier than usual.

As soon as Gray entered the building, Marcus was already waiting for him in front of his office. Like always, he was dressed sharp and his eyes looked as if they were on alert.

”Good morning.”

”Good morning, Marcus,” Gray nodded at the man. ”I’m sorry for calling you last Saturday.”

”It’s no problem. Jonathan also asked me to do some work, so I was also in the office anyway.”

Gray sighed. ”Is that so?” he had been feeling bad over it since yesterday. It was the only time he realized that it was the weekend.

It seemed like he needed to know more about the laws regarding the company’s employees. He was far too clueless about them.

”Yes,” Marcus replied, his tone still calm but brisk. ”But I assume you didn’t call me here today to talk about Jonathan.”

”Nope.” Gray pushed the office door open and gestured inside. ”Come in. Let’s talk about Will.”

Marcus nodded and stepped in, already pulling a leather folder out from under his arm. Gray closed the door behind them and walked over to his desk, letting out a quiet breath as he sat into the chair.

”I want us to focus on the investigation,” Gray said as he leaned forward. ”I’ve been thinking about it all weekend. That wasn’t just some bad moment. It was humiliating. For the customer. For the store. For all of us.”

Marcus placed the folder on the desk and opened it cleanly. Inside was a set of printed documents already neatly arranged. ”I understand. That’s why I started prepping yesterday.”

Gray gave him a glance. He was quite surprised.

”On a Sunday?”

”I was bored yesterday,” Marcus said plainly.

”I should’ve known.” Gray chuckled once under his breath. ”Anyway, what are we looking at?”

Marcus gave a small nod, then started flipping through the folder.

”Let me explain the process. First, we start with formal documentation. We already have your firsthand account, which I’ve written into an official statement. The next step is to verify through physical evidence—CCTV footage and witnesses.”

”That would be quite easy. The CCTV clearly got that. Also, there’s a lot of customers watching and there are some staff too,” Gray said, sitting up straighter.

”Yes. I’ve already pulled the camera footage from the aisle and the corner display,” Marcus confirmed. ”They clearly show the moment the customer dropped the item, and Will’s behavior after. I’ve also listed seven individuals—three staff, four customers—who were close enough to witness it. All of them will be invited to submit written statements today.”

”Good,” Gray said and nodded in understanding. ”Then what?”

”Once all statements are gathered and the evidence is reviewed, we issue a formal notice of administrative hearing to Will,” Marcus explained. ”That gives him the opportunity to respond, as per labor laws.”

”So we can’t just fire him?” Gray frowned slightly.

”Not immediately,” Marcus said. ”Even if we think it’s justified, we have to go through due process. That includes a formal hearing. It’s a legal requirement under the Labor Code. Unless it qualifies as gross misconduct, immediate termination without hearing could be challenged.”

Gray let out a slow breath. ”And does this count as gross misconduct?”

Marcus paused for a second before answering.

”It depends on how the report frames it. But the way he treated the customer—verbal abuse, public humiliation, discriminatory remarks—it’s serious. We just need to frame it clearly, backed by statements and footage. That way, the case is strong.”

Gray sighed. He didn’t know that firing Will would have to go through a lot of process.

”And how long until we get the result?”

”I can wrap everything by wednesday,” Marcus said. ”By then, HR will prepare a final report. Once you sign off on it, the decision becomes official.”

”Oh... alright,” Gray gave a low whistle. Finally, a small smile was appearing on his lips..

”Alright. I like that. Its fast enough

”I’ll begin collecting statements now, then.”

After saying those words, Marcus stood up while still facing Gray. ”Will should also receive his notice before noon.”

”Let me know when he does,” Gray added.

”Of course.”

”Alright, you may leave now.”

Marcus bowed his head for a moment and turned around to leave. However, before he could successfully exit, he paused near the door.

”Oh right, there’s one more thing, Sir.”

Gray looked up at Marcus. His brows formed a straight line while curiosity flickered on his eyes.

”Will’s uncle—he’s the previous owner’s friend. He’s not officially part of operations anymore, but he may try to meddle with this case.”

Gray didn’t flinch. He just sighed and nodded.

Marcus continued, his tone still calm but with a note of warning. ”I’ll handle it if it happens. I just thought you should be aware, in case he tries to contact you directly.”

”Let him,” Gray said simply, his voice was surprisingly calm and cool. ”I don’t care who he is or who he used to know. This isn’t about personal favors. It’s about how we treat people in this company.”

”Yes, Sir.” Marcus gave a small nod. ”I understood.”

Gray leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling for a second before muttering.

”I’ve worked in places where people like Will were protected just because they knew someone. I’m not running that kind of place.”

”Good,” Marcus said with a proud smile on his face. ”The employees would appreciate that, Sir.”.

Gray looked back at him and gave a small, tired smile.

”Thanks, Marcus. Let’s make it clean.”

Marcus gave a final nod and stepped out, closing the door quietly behind him.

Gray was left in silence after Marcus left. He exhaled and turned his chair slowly toward the window, the morning light catching on the corner of his desk.

The weekend has just ended, yet there was already a lot of things that he needed to do.