Suddenly, I Am Rich

The two entered the restaurant together, and the warm scent of roasted herbs and slow-cooked broth welcomed them instantly.

The lighting of the restaurant was soft and golden, casting a calm and almost cozy glow across the wooden furniture and muted walls of the interior.

The atmosphere inside was quiet with the low murmur of diners, the occasional clink of utensils, and the sound of jazz music playing in the background.

”Good afternoon, Ma’am and Sir.” A server noticed them and quickly approached with a smile. ”Table for two?”

”Yes, please.” Gray nodded.

They were led to a small table by the window, slightly away from the center of the room. Chloe glanced around as they walked, her eyes sweeping over the hanging lights and the handwritten menu board behind the counter.

”I like this place,” she said as they slid into their seat. ”It’s not too loud.”

Gray sat across from her. ”Yeah, I know you like quiet places.”

Chloe chuckled as she reached for the menu on the table.

They browsed the options for a bit. Most of the dishes were straightforward without any flowery words.

”Just order what you want, Chloe.”

”Oh, I will.” Chloe teasingly answered as if she were about to order the whole menu.

Their server returned a moment later, standing patiently beside the table with a notepad in hand.

”I’ll have the creamy truffle seafood pasta,” Chloe said, closing her menu. ”And... can I also get a side of the garlic bread?”

”Of course,” the server nodded.

Gray glanced at his menu one last time. ”Roast beef platter. I’ll have mashed potatoes as a side instead of rice.”

The server jotted it down. ”Any drinks?”

”Just plain pineapple juice for me,” Gray said.

”Same,” Chloe echoed.

With a polite nod, the server stepped away, leaving them alone again.

There was a short silence between them after.

Chloe absentmindedly traced her finger along the rim of her water glass. Then, her voice softened a little.

”So...” she began, looking up at him. ”What really happened this past week?”

”What do you mean?” Gray blinked at her.

”I mean... you disappeared,” Chloe said plainly. ”You didn’t reply to any of my messages. You missed our review sessions. You only showed up after I told you I was waiting.”

Gray leaned back in his seat. He didn’t say anything right away. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, thinking whether he should say what happened or not.

”I didn’t mean to disappear.” However, after a few seconds of thinking, he said it finally. ”Things just... got complicated.”

Chloe tilted her head slightly.

”Complicated? How?”

Gray exhaled through his nose.

”There was a problem with the store. A serious one. One of my employees was mistreating a customer. Then... things escalated.”

Gray left out the part that it was really corruption that started it.

”Escalated?” Chloe’s voice grew a little concerned.

”There was a hearing. An investigation. I had to get involved with HR, confront the guy, and dig through paperwork. A lot of stuff I didn’t expect to do at the start of working.”

”Oh.” Chloe sat back, absorbing the information. ”That sounds stressful.” There was a slight sympathy in her voice as she looked at him.

”It was.” Gray gave her a small and tired smile. ”Still is, actually.”

Chloe didn’t say anything for a while. She just watched him quietly, like she was regretting being annoyed for the past few days.

”You should’ve told me,” she spoke again, this time the sound of her voice was softer.

Gray stared at her.

”I could have asked my dad to help or something.” Chloe paused. She felt slight guilt, knowing that maybe she could have helped him.

Gray leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table. His gaze lowered for a moment before he looked back up at her.

”I appreciate that,” he said with a calm voice. ”Really. It means a lot knowing you’d even think to help.”

Chloe blinked but stayed quiet, sensing there was more to what Gray would say.

”But I want to try solving it on my own,” Gray continued. ”I don’t want to rely on someone else’s name or power to fix something I’m supposed to be responsible for. This... this is my work, Chloe. My place.”

He paused, then gave a faint smile at her.

”If I let someone else step in every time it gets hard, then what am I doing this for?”

Chloe didn’t say anything right away. She looked at him quietly, softly, like she was trying to read deeper into the meaning behind his words.

And then she smiled.

A small genuine one appeared on her lips.

”I get it,” she said finally. She really do.

She rested her chin on her palm and tilted her head to the side, her eyes gently locked on his.

”In a way, I think it’s pretty commendable,” she added with a playful hum.

Gray raised a brow. ”Commendable?”

”Mhm.” Chloe nodded. ”You’re not just taking the easy route. You’re actually doing the work—trying to fix things your way. You know what you want, and you’re willing to work for it.”

She leaned back and tapped a finger against her glass, her smile lingering on her face. She knew either way that Gray wouldn’t say yes if she offered for help.

”That’s nice, you know?” she added, almost like a passing thought in her mind. ”There’s not a lot of people who do that nowadays.”

Gray looked at her.

And for a second, he wasn’t sure how to respond.

Then, right on cue, their food arrived. It was hot and freshly cooked.

The server carefully placed their orders on the table, the smell of butter, herbs, and seared meat instantly filled the space between them. Chloe’s pasta steamed in front of her, topped with generous shavings of truffle and a light drizzle of cream.

Gray’s roast beef platter looked just as good. There were thick slices of meat with rich gravy that was already beginning to pool beside the mashed potatoes.

”This smells amazing.” Chloe leaned forward and gave a delighted little gasp.

”I told you.” Gray smiled and picked up his fork.

She grinned at him across the table, and for a brief second, their eyes met in quiet amusement. It wasn’t forced or awkward. Instead, it felt normal. It felt nice.

”Alright,” Gray said, tapping his fork against the edge of his plate, ”go stuff yourself with food.”

”What?”

”Because we’re doing something tiring later,” he added with a smirk, nodding meaningfully toward her.