Suddenly, I Am Rich

”Sir Gray?”

”I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Gray smiled as he raised his right hand and gave a light wave to everyone before casually walking in.

The girl with the phone sat up straight almost immediately, and the others followed suit, blinking rapidly in a mix of surprise and confusion.

”No, sir! Of course not!” one of them answered quickly, already pushing back her chair to stand and greet Gray.

”You don’t need to get up,” Gray muttered, lifting a hand gently. ”Really. I just thought I’d drop in while you’re on break to check on you guys.”

The group glanced at one another, with questioning and fear in their eyes for a second before it eased.

”I, uh... we didn’t expect you to visit here, Sir,” one of the boys said, scratching the back of his head as if unsure what to say. ”It’s our rotation break right now, that’s why we’re here.”

”I know that. No need to be scared,” Gray chuckled. His eyes slowly roamed around, remembering the faces of the people inside the room.

”As far as I can remember, it’s about four to five hours per shift, right? With a forty-five-minute break in between?”

”Yes, sir. It rotates so the floor stays staffed.”

”A smart system, I can say,” Gray muttered. ”It should be tiring, though.”

They all chuckled at that. Due to their voices, the girl who had been sleeping on the desk raised her head suddenly. Her eyes widened when she saw Gray, and she almost stumbled

in the chair before managing to collect herself.

”Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you,” Gray added after a few moments of silence. ”I know it’s been a rough few weeks, or maybe months and years. But I’ve been seeing what you’re doing, and I appreciate the work.”

That earned Gray more than a few surprised glances.

”Thanks, sir. That means a lot to us.”

”Oh, and even if you’re eating already, I just want to say that lunch is coming,” Gray added casually, like it wasn’t a big deal. ”I ordered pizza and chicken. It should be here in about thirty minutes. It’s just something light.”

Someone gasped.

”Really? For everyone?”

Gray nodded.

”Woah... that’s... wow,” one of the girls said, grinning. ”Thank you, sir!”

”Seriously, thank you!” the others echoed, the mood becoming even lighter.

A young man seated at the far side gestured toward the empty chair beside him.

”Sir Gray... you can sit with us if you want.”

Gray blinked, then smiled faintly.

”If it’s okay with you guys.”

”Of course!” the girl who had just woken up said, scooting over to make room. ”It’s not every day we get to sit with the boss.”

Gray chuckled as he took the offered chair.

”Let’s not call me that today. Just Gray is fine.” He glanced around. ”Pretend I’m just another co-worker on break, alright?”

A few of them laughed. They were still a little stiff, but the edges of their smiles were loosening now.

The group settled again. A few of them returned to eating their packed lunch even after the announcement. It was evident how hungry and tired they were at work. The others weren’t eating, but they had their own energy drinks.

Someone passed Gray a paper cup of warm water from the dispenser. He took it with a small nod of thanks.

For a while, it was quiet. But slowly, the atmosphere around the room began to become livelier. They eventually continued to talk among themselves as they got used to his presence.

”I can’t believe Will’s actually gone...” the girl with her phone said first, almost like she needed to say it out loud just to believe it.

There were nods around the table.

”It feels like I can finally breathe again,” one of the stock boys muttered. ”I didn’t even realize how tense I was coming in every day until he was out.”

”Right?” another agreed. ”Before, you couldn’t even talk to the person next to you without worrying if he’d report you for slacking.”

As they talked, Gray sat still, listening carefully to every word. He didn’t speak for a moment. Instead, he just watched their faces.

And then, he set down his cup on the table and looked at them.

”I know this might feel a little sudden...” Gray began, his eyes moving as he scanned the group. ”But I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

That made the people in the room become still again. A few heads turned toward him, confused.

”I know I wasn’t around back then,” he continued. ”And I didn’t see everything that happened. But I know it must’ve been hard... being under someone like him. It shouldn’t have taken this long. So I’m sorry for what he did. And for how long it took to stop it.”

There was a moment of silence until voices began to respond to him.

”No, sir... you don’t need to apologize.”

”Yeah, really! You weren’t the one who caused it.”

”If anything, we should be the ones thanking you. You’re the boss we wish we had since the start.”

Gray looked at them, brows slightly raised.

The girl with the phone spoke again, her voice softer now. ”I mean... I don’t know if you heard, but no one really ever listened to us before. Like, really listened. We thought that kind of thing just... stayed that way.”

”Yeah,” the guy beside her nodded. ”And then you stepped in that day. You didn’t hesitate. You actually stood up for someone.”

”And fired Will,” another added, almost with awe.

”Because someone had to,” Gray said simply. ”Rome didn’t deserve that. And neither did any of you.”

”But still...” one of the younger staff muttered, fidgeting with the edge of his tray. ”It’s the first time we’ve seen someone in your position actually walk in here and ask if we’re okay. It’s not something we’re used to.”

Gray exhaled through his nose, eyes softening just a bit.

”That’s going to change,” he said quietly.

The words settled into the room with weight.

The employees looked at each other again, like they were all silently checking if they heard the same thing.

Then, slowly, someone smiled.

”...Thank you, sir.”

”Really, thank you.”

Gray smiled lightly in return.

”Well. Since I’m already here...” He glanced around the staff room again, his eyes trailing over the bare shelves, the small water dispenser in the corner, and the monoblock chairs.

”Do you guys want to tell me what you need here?”

That caught them off guard.

”Huh?”

”Did I just hear that correctly?”

”Am I dreaming?”

”I know this place is supposed to be stocked with more things. But I also know someone misused the budget for that,” Gray uttered to help with their confusion.

A few eyes widened. No one had dared say that part out loud.

”So,” Gray leaned forward slightly, elbows resting loosely on his knees, ”make a list. Whether it’s stuff for the breakroom, new equipment, or maybe even small things like fans, cushions, or extra lockers. I’ll see what I can do to get everything on it.”