Suddenly, I Am Rich

After the toy store, the three of them wandered around the mall. They bought a lot of things, but just manageable enough that Gray would still be able to carry it. He strictly told the two that they would only buy things that they could carry, and fortunately, the two seemed to listen to him.

While walking around, Eli was still left in a state of disbelief. The place was humongous and filled with exciting things for a young boy like him.

Eli looked like he was floating.

Every few steps he took, he would pause, and his eyes would look at something new. Escalators also fascinated him. He was even scared at first that he had to hold onto Gray’s shirt, fearing that he would fall.

”Brother gray, won’t I fall?” he anxiously whispered.

”You won’t, Eli,” Gray replied calmly. ”Just stand still, alright?”

”Alright...” Eli nodded but still gripped his shirt tightly. He stayed still as Gray said, but his eyes remained up.

’Woah! I didn’t know riding escalators was this fun!’ Eli thought about the back of his head.

Once they arrived at the upper floor, rows of restaurants greeted them.

”Brother Gray,” Eli’s jaw fell to the ground as he looked at it. As he said those words, he tugged his sleeve gently. ”There are so many choices. How do people even decide?”

Gray let out a small laugh. ”They just pick what they want to eat, Eli.”

”Ohhhh...” Eli nodded.

With it, Lily also giggled at the side. After a moment, she held his hand and lightly tugged him.

”Eli, eli, what do you want to eat?”

”Huh? Me?” Eli looked at her in confusion.

”Yes! You!” Lily exclaimed with excitement written in her eyes. When she saw the hesitation in Eli’s eyes, she pretended to sigh.

”I always choose where to eat because my brother is so bad at it. And now, I really need some help, Eli. I have gotten tired of it. Can you help me? Pretty please?” Lily pouted her lips and looked at Eli’s eyes.

Eli’s eyes slightly widened. He slowly nodded before looking around again.

”I-I guess I can help you...”

”Yayyy!”

Lily took his hand again and pulled him slightly. ”Now, go go! Lead us to where should we eat!”

The corner of Eli’s lips rose lightly at Lily’s enthusiasm. A smile crossed his face before nodding.

”Alright!” he muttered, then started walking.

Gray followed them closely behind. There was a big smile on his face as he stared at the two. He didn’t realize that having two kids around him was this much fun. He didn’t regret Eli even for one moment.

Eli slowly walked towards the row of restaurants. There were just so many choices. He stopped in multiple times. Lily and Gray became patient with him. They will smile and answer that it was fine, but Eli was not satisfied with it.

After a while, Eli stood in front of a small burger place located slightly to the end side. Compared to the more expensive restaurants in front, this one looked quieter.

There were only a few customers inside, but they looked like they were enjoying their food. A faint smell of patty being grilled also drifted in at the entrance.

Eli looked at the pictures on the menu board. His eyes stayed on the burgers that was stacked high with lettuce and cheese and sauce.

”Brother Gray...” he said slowly before pointing at it. ”That one looks... really good.”

Gray leaned forward slightly to take a look. ”Burgers, huh?”

”Is... is that okay?” Eli nodded, a little nervous now.

Lily immediately peeked at the pictures, too. ”Oh! Burgers!” Her eyes lit up. ”I want it with fries!”

”Alright, alright,” Gray chuckled. ”Looks like we have a winner.”

Eli’s shoulders relaxed almost instantly. His stomach also silently made a sound. He was getting hungry from the picture!

They quickly headed inside and settled into a table near the window. Since the place was not packed, there were lots of seats available. The three of them sat comfortably and happily.

Gray ordered for the three of them. He ordered some burgers, fries, and drinks for everyone. When the food arrived, their mouths immediately drooled.

There plate was placed in front of them. The food was freshly cooked with steam still rising slightly from it. The fries on the side looked perfectly golden. Gray squirted some ketchup on the side for them to dip in.

”Alright, go eat you two food monsters.”

With his words, the two quickly dived into their food. They ate diligently for a moment, not caring about one another.

”This is really good,” Eli said, almost in disbelief.

Lily quickly nodded. Her mouth was full of food, so she couldn’t speak at all.

Gray chuckled at it and let them do the talk. However, after a while, Gray couldn’t help but look outside the glass wall.

Outside, there were still a lot of people going around. He kept his eyes on them, but there was nothing really interesting going on around.

Gray was just about to look away when a flash of red color passed by his line of sight.

At first, he thought nothing of it. The mall was busy, but his gaze instinctively looked back toward the glass wall.

And then he saw it properly.

A young woman in a fitted red dress walked past the restaurant. Her long hair swayed lightly with each step. She stood out too much because of her beauty and her get-up.

’Oh shit...’ Gray’s eyes widened.

He knew that face... he clearly knew that face!

’Isn’t that...’ His jaw clenched when he thought of it.

’That’s Jonathan’s girlfriend.’

Marielle Vaughn... a rising actress that only a few know of. She was walking around, but she wasn’t alone. She was with a young man who looked just older than her by a few years.

Her arm was casually hooked around his. They were walking side-by-side closely. Not only that, but she was also laughing at the words the man around her was saying, as if they knew each other very well.