Suddenly, I Am Rich

Gray remained silent. He tried processing the sight in front of him. He had expected to arrive before the mayor. However, that wasn’t the case.

Mayor Alistair was already there, standing with a big smile on his face as if they were old friends meeting for lunch.

Gray felt Mara secretly nudging him from behind.

”Well,” she whispered, ”go on. Don’t just stand here.”

With that, Gray realized that he had been silent for so long. He cleared his throat and put on a smile on his face.

”May—”

Before he could greet the man, Mayor Alistair stepped forward first.

”Mr. Gray Adams.” Alistair greeted Gray. His voice was warm and energetic. ”It’s good to finally meet you.”

Gray straightened his back. He tried to wipe off the surprised look on his face, but he wasn’t sure if he succeeded. Instead of dwelling on it further, he took a step forward and walked toward the mayor.

The two extended their hands and did a handshake.

”Mayor,” Gray said, offering a polite nod. ”I didn’t expect you to arrive this early.”

”I like being early,” Alistair replied with an easy grin on his face. ”It gives me time to read the room. Or in this case,” he looked around the empty private room, ”wait in it.”

”I hope we didn’t keep you long,” Gray said.

”Not at all,” Alistair chuckled. ”And please, just call me Alistair. We’re not in a press conference or in a formal setting.”

”Alistair then,” Gray muttered before nodding.

Alistair motioned toward the seats. Gray and Mara followed him. They sat down across from the mayor.

The atmosphere inside the restaurant wasn’t heavy, but it’s still a little nerve-wrecking, especially since the person in front of them was no ordinary man.

Gray did a little research about the man. Of course, he didn’t want to go to this meeting without knowing anything.

And while searching for the man, he learned a few things about him.

Before entering politics, he worked as a businessman. It was nothing, but he had a series of modest ventures that slowly grew over the years.

Gray read that Alistair had always been the type who preferred being hands-on, as evidenced by his early years in business. Then, in his early thirties, he began running for public office.

He didn’t run immediately as a mayor or even a vice mayor. Instead, he ran for the lower position, saying that since he was still new, he should learn the ways of politics first.

It wasn’t until three years ago that he made a bigger leap and ran for mayor of West Arcadia. To everyone’s shock, he won. Not just by a small margin, either. His win was described as a landslide vote.

And now?

Now that he was nearing forty, he still had that kind and youthful energy.

”To be honest, I’ve been looking forward to this meeting,” Alistair leaned back a little, his elbows resting lightly on the chair’s armrests

Gray raised a brow slightly. ”Is it because of the broadcast?”

”Partly,” the mayor admitted honestly. ”It’s not every week that someone becomes the city’s hot topic for doing the right thing.” His smile softened. ”You handled a difficult situation with more courage than most people would.”

Gray felt a bit embarrassed at that.

”I admire people who step up, especially young ones like you.” Alistair continued

”I see...” Gray glanced at the man. He looked calm, composed, and... genuine which was strange.

”Don’t look too tense. I’m not here to interrogate you.” Alistair chuckled softly, as if reading the hesitation on Gray’s face.

”I’m not tense,” Gray lied.

Mara snorted quietly beside him. Gray shot her a look, but she only widened her eyes like she wasn’t the one who made the sound.

”You know... when I was your age, I was also obsessed with business.” Alistair leaned forward, resting his arms lightly on the table.

”Really?”

”Oh, absolutely,” Alistair nodded. ”I tried almost everything. Selling gadgets, running pop-up stalls, little investments here and there. Half of them failed.” He laughed at himself. ”But that’s how it started.”

Gray listened quietly at his story. The man didn’t sound like he was bragging.

”But I grew up in a family that didn’t care much about politics,” Alistair continued. ”When I joined, they weren’t against it, but they didn’t understand why anyone would willingly go into it,” Alistair muttered.

”So I learned business first. It taught me something important.”

”What’s that?” Gray asked.

”That every community, every city... is just a big version of a business.” Alistair shrugged lightly. ”People need things. Here and there, things need to get fixed. Money also needs to be handled wisely. And if you want growth, you need to surround yourself with people who know how to make decisions.”

”I ran for small positions first because I didn’t want to be one of those politicians who jump straight to the top without knowing the groundwork,” Alistair added. ”And honestly, I liked being close to the people.”

”I see...”

”Though people sometimes think I’m doing it for the camera. But cameras come and go. People remember who actually shows up.” The mayor laughed.

”That’s why I noticed you.”

Gray stiffened slightly. ”Me?”

”In a good way,” Alistair assured him. ”West Arcadia needs young people who aren’t scared to take responsibility.”

”I see...” Gray leaned back slowly, unsure if he liked where this was going. However, as their conversation progressed, the mayor’s action didn’t seem fake at all. Every word he spoke felt genuine and filled with curiosity.

”So, Gray...” Alistair mentioned to him afterward. ”Tell me. What exactly are you planning to do next? With your business? With everything happening?”

Gray blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question. He didn’t expect the mayor to be this straightforward.

He took a breath, and smiled.

”Well, I’ve been thinking about it,” Gray answered quietly. ”I might focus on them first before expanding again.”

”Ohhh,” Alistair’s eyes brightened in approval.

”Gray, would you mind if I propose something?”