Suddenly, I Am Rich

That evening, after everyone had gone home and even after the hallway lights were already turned off, Gray remained in his office.

The room was quiet. His desk was covered with the folders of the applicants from earlier. He sat there, flipping through each one again, taking his precious time.

Gray didn’t rush. He reread their experience slowly and the notes he wrote beside it. He let their voices echo again in his head—the way they answered, paused, or looked unsure.

By the time he closed the last folder, he had made up his mind.

Not on who would be hired, but who deserved one more chance to show who they really were.

Diana, Joel, Onel, Clarisse, and Lionel.

It was the same names that the three others had in mind.

The next morning, HR sent out the interview invites almost immediately.

[You’ve been listed for the second round of interviews on Monday next week. Please confirm your availability.]

By lunch, the messages were sent.

By 3 p.m., every single one had replied that they were available to it.

Gray smiled when he heard about the update.

- - -

It was Saturday.

Gray was supposed to rest for the day after becoming busy for the whole week. However, he found himself in a mall with Lily.

Not only that.

They were with Selina.

”Brother! It’s nice to go out, isn’t it?” Lily’s voice rang out in the middle of Gray’s spacing out.

They were currently in the women’s section of a mall. Lily was looking for more clothes. Selina too.

For some reason, the two became closer than he remembered.

’Didn’t they only meet one time?’

It was really a question for him.

”Brother? Hellooo~ why are you not answering me?”

Hearing Lily’s voice again, Gray realized that he had been spacing out for a few seconds. He quickly shook his head and smiled.

”Yes, it’s nice to go out, Lily.” He answered and looked around.

The women’s section of the department store was livelier than Gray expected.

Mannequins lined the walkways, each dressed in pastel cardigans or bold statement pieces, and the air carried the faint scent of fabric softener.

Lily darted from one rack to another, holding up skirts and cute pink tops with wide, gleaming eyes. Selina followed right beside her, arms already half-full of clothes Lily had picked out just to try.

Gray, on the other hand, stayed in a new place. A bench by the corner.

Honestly, he wasn’t used to this kind of break. He would usually go around with Lily and carry things for her. But now, he wasn’t doing anything.

”Sister, look at this one!” Lily smiled widely as she raised the clothes she was holding. It was a soft lavender blouse with ruffled sleeves.

Selina leaned closer and inspected it with a nod.

”Oh, this is good, Lily. Pair it with the white skirt you found earlier.”

”You think so, Sister? Wait, let me try it first!”

Without waiting for a response, Lily vanished into the fitting room, clothes bundled in her arms.

Selina turned to Gray with a slight shake of her head.

”She’s got more energy than I had.”

”She’s been waiting for this. Usually, I just sit through the complaints and the indecisiveness.”

”And now?” Selina raised a brow as she shifted the bags in her hand.

”Now I just sit. It was all thanks to you.” Gray chuckled under his breath.

He didn’t say it, but it was the first time in years he’d seen Lily enjoy shopping this much.

Usually, Lily would look at him for approval, holding up clothes one after another, unsure of herself. She was always waiting for him to say if something looked okay.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her taste.

It was just that she never had anyone else to ask other than him. And he would be lying if he said he knew anything about those things.

Today, though, she had Selina.

The two of them were unstoppable.

They joked, they debated on colors, they pulled each other into different racks of clothes like it was fun. Gray hadn’t heard a single whine or tired sigh. Only laughter and ”Is this cute?” every few minutes.

Still, he had to admit it, though.

It was... nice.

Selina and Lily shopped until the cart was full.

Not just full but overflowing. There were blouses, skirts, jeans, hairbands, shoes. Lily had even tossed in a little stuffed toy she claimed was ”too cute to leave behind.”

Selina was no better. She also had a cart on her own, though hers leaned more on cardigans, basic tops, and a few casual dresses.

By the time they reached the cashier, both girls were tired from walking around. However, they were still laughing about the silliest things, trading jokes over which of them had picked better outfits when they just picked the same thing.

Gray, of course, was in front, with his card in hand. He watched as the numbers ticked up on the monitor with quiet acceptance.

’I guess I would be spending a lot tonight...’ he could only sigh in acceptance.

”Did you like what you bought, Lily?” Selina whispered to Lily from the side.

”Yes, Sister! You were really helpful, unlike my brother!” Lily grinned.

Selina laughed. ”Shhh. Don’t let your brother hear you.”

With how close they were, Gray obviously heard everything. However, he didn’t mind them.

Instead, a small smile tugged at his lips.

This might’ve cost him an afternoon and a little more than a few bills, but it was worth it.

”It’s $616, Sir. $404 for the first basket and $212 for the second.”

”No problem.”

He reached forward and tapped his card at the terminal.

[$616 has been deducted from your balance.]

[$30.80 has been refunded.]

Beep.

[Payment Approved.]

”Wait—Gray! No, don’t—did you also pay for my cart?!” Selina blinked as soon as she realized her items were already bagged.

”It’s fine,” Gray said casually, picking up the paper bags handed to him.

”No! No no no.” Selina quickly reached into her purse. ”I said I was going to pay for my share. You can’t just cover mine, too.”

Gray turned to her slowly, amused.

”Selina, it’s fine. I wanted to.”

”No,” she insisted, brows furrowing. ”I’m not used to people paying for me.”

”I know,” Gray said. ”But you were helping Lily—”

”That doesn’t mean you have to treat me.”

”I wasn’t treating you,” he argued gently. ”I was just thanking you.”

”For shopping?” she said, incredulous.

”For keeping my sister entertained. That’s not nothing.”

”No! I can’t accept that! I did that because of my own!”

”Sel—”

”No, Gray!”

They stared at each other for a moment, the bags caught awkwardly between them.

People were starting to glance their way. The cashier, too, stared at them like she wanted to giggle, but held it in.

Gray sighed.

”Alright,” he said, defeatedly. ”I’ll text you my bank details. Just wire it there.”

Selina narrowed her eyes but nodded. ”Good.”

”It was only two hundred twelve,” he added as he handed Lily some of the bags she wanted to hold. ”Don’t send more than that.”

”I won’t,” she said quickly, already typing on her phone.

A few seconds later, Gray’s phone vibrated.

[You have received 21,200.00 USD.]

”What the fuck?”

Gray stared at his phone.

Then stared at it again.

And again.

And again.

The screen didn’t change.

[You have received 21,200.00 USD.]

He froze.

”...”

Not a sound left his mouth. His hand twitched. He blinked once, then twice, like the notification might correct itself if he stared hard enough.

But it didn’t.

”Selina,” he said, his voice cracking a little.

Selina didn’t hear it.

”Selina.” Gray swallowed as he called her name again.

Finally, she looked up at him, a little confused by the tone.

”What?”

”Your payment...” Gray turned his phone around like he was holding a bomb.

”Huh? What’s wrong with it?” Selina’s forehead creased as she leaned forward, looking at the notification on Gray’s screen.

”I sent the right amount, right? Two hundred twelve hundreds?”

A second later, her eyes widened.

”Oh no! Did I send you the wrong amount? Was it supposed to be thousand?”

”...”