Suddenly, I Am Rich

The three newcomers walked in calmly.

The first man was tall. His hair was already starting to Gray. His sharp eyes swept across the room before landing on Alistair, who was smiling in all ears.

Right behind the first man was a man who was wearing round glasses and had a mild-looking face. While the last one was noticeably younger.

’Damn...’ Gray’s heart skipped slightly when he realized that he knew all of them.

Alistair stepped forward and offered his hand, ”Gentlemen, welcome. I’m glad you could make it today.”

The first man smiled and gave a small nod.

”We would not miss something you personally arranged, Alistair.”

Alistair turned to Gray with a pleased smile. ”Gray, allow me to introduce you to a few more important friends.”

He gestured to the tall man first.

”This is Leonard Boss. He owns one of the largest real estate developers in the city.”

Gray glanced at the man and shook hands with him.

”It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Boss.”

”You too. I’ve heard your name, Gray,” Leonard muttered in a deep voice as he looked at Gray. ”You’ve appeared on television, haven’t you?”

”Ah... yes,” Gray replied before letting out a small and awkward chuckle. ”I was on a few interviews. It was nothing big, really.”

Leonard chuckled at that. ”You don’t have to be humble about it. Getting on television is one good thing.”

”Oh well, I guess it is,” Gray rubbed the back of his neck, acting a little embarrassed even if he was really not.

”I see that you’re very modest too,” Leonard said with his lips curving slightly. ”I’m already starting to like you.”

”It’s my pleasure, Sir.”

Leonard smiled and gave Gray’s hand a firm squeeze before letting go.

”Don’t worry about it. In the future, it’s people like you who will be taking our places anyway. That’s just how things go.”

”I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.” Gray smiled politely.

Leonard waved a hand and patted his back.

”None of us ever are, but it still happens.”

Alistair chuckled at that. ”Now, do you see what I mean? Gray has potential, doesn’t he? That’s why I wanted him here tonight.”

After saying those words, Alistair then turned to the man with round glasses.

”And Gray, this is Ramon,” he said. ”He’s one of my old friends since then.”

Ramon smiled warmly and stepped forward. ”You’re Gray, right? I’ve heard quite a bit about you lately.”

Gray shook his hand. ”Nice to meet you, Mr. Ramon.”

”I’m glad to meet you. You know, young people always catch my attention....” Ramon added with a small smile on his face. He looked formal and dignified, even if he wasn’t that handsome. ”Especially in business. It’s not easy to get where you are at your age.”

”I’m honored, Sir, but I still have a lot to learn.” Gray politely responded.

”That’s good,” Ramon said.

Alistair smiled before gesturing to the third and final man.

”And this one, Gray,” he said, ”is James Crowe. He’s a rising figure in politics. He just won his seat last election. His brother is in the news business.”

James stepped forward and extended his hand with a confident smile.

”It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Gray.”

Gray shook it firmly. ”Likewise, Mr. Crowe.”

Up close, James looked even younger than he had expected.

’Crowe...’ Gray repeated the surname in his head. When he realized who his brother was, his eyes widened a little.

”Is your brother, Benjamin Crowe?” His brother was a well-known journalist across the country.

”Yeah,” he answered with a stern expression on his face.

”Ohh...” Gray hesitantly nodded.

”Don’t worry, it’s fine. I’m used to it.”

Gray smiled faintly. ”I guess it couldn’t be helped when your brother is all over the internet.”

”Yeah,” the corner of James’s lips rose a little. ”It really can’t be helped.”

After a few more exchanges of greetings, Alistair clapped his hands lightly to catch everyone’s attention.

”Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s sit down and order some food to start this dinner.”

The group slowly moved toward the long dining table in the center of the private room. Soft light from the chandelier made the arranged plates and glasses glow.

Gray took his seat beside Alistair, while the others found their places around the table. Leonard and Ramon sat across from them, with James settling not far away.

When they sat, a few staff members entered quietly as if they had been waiting for the opportunity since earlier. They silently handed out menus and poured wine over their glasses.

As they began to look over the menu, Alistair was the first to speak again.

”I trust everyone has been keeping up with how the city has been changing lately,” he said casually.

”Yeah,” Leonard gave a low chuckle. ”It’s hard not to. It feels like every street corner has pictures of you and other candidates.”

Ramon nodded and sighed.

”We couldn’t help. The election season always does that. After all, everyone is racing to get their name into people’s heads before someone else does.”

”And this year, it feels even more intense. There are a lot of people who have been eyeing your seat, Alistair,” Victor leaned back slightly in his chair.

Alistair let out a small laugh. He cockily leaned in front and pointed at everyone.

”That’s exactly why I need all of you right now,” he muttered with a confident smile on his face. ”You all know that this election is not something I can take lightly. Especially when I plan to run for a higher position on the next one.”

Leonard lifted his glass slightly and looked at Alistair with interest.

”So?” he said. ”What exactly do you want from us this time?”

Benedict followed with a small chuckle. ”You did not gather all of us here just to talk about your plans of changes, right?”

James leaned back in his chair, watching Alistair closely.

Alistair did not answer right away. He slowly picked up his glass and took a short sip on his wine. Afterward, he looked around the table with a mischievous look on his face.

”Come on, you already know what I want...”