Gray stared down at the invitation. His eyes widened, and his lips parted before he looked at Lily again.
She was practically glowing. Standing there in her pajamas, with her cheeks flushed from excitement and her eyes wide and full of hope.
Gray’s chest swelled, something rising in him that he couldn’t fully name. His mouth twitched upward, then stretched into a full smile.
He was so proud.
So proud of his sister.
"You got picked," he murmured, almost to himself.
"Yes, Brother!" Lily repeated out loud.
Gray let out a loud laugh. One that came from deep in his chest.
He laughed in disbelief.
He was so proud.
So proud of his sister.
He crouched down slightly and reached out, resting a hand gently on top of Lily’s head.
"I’m really proud of you," he said. "You did this all on your own, huh?"
Lily’s face lit up. "Mhm! I practiced a lot. I wanted to sing well so they’d choose me, Brother."
"That’s good, Lily."
Gray felt the corner of his throat tighten. His eyes stung slightly, not from sadness, but from how fast everything was changing.
He just suddenly realized how fast Lily was growing.
In that moment, the pressure and stress he got from work began to melt away. It was replaced by joy. By Happiness. By satisfaction.
This.
This was the kind of thing that made it all worth it for him.
The condo, the deals, the money, or the connections he was building. They were important. However, they felt so little compared to this little girl who was smiling up at him with her eyes full of excitement.
"Don’t worry. I’ll be there," Gray said. "I’ll even be in the front row."
"Really, Brother?" Lily asked.
"Really," he nodded. "And we’ll make sure your Sister Selina’s there too."
Lily squealed and threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him off balance. Gray laughed again, hugging her back tightly. He could feel how small she was, and yet somehow, she held more gravity in his life than anything else.
She pulled back a second later, smiling widely.
"I’m gonna sing the best, Brother!"
Gray chuckled, brushing a loose strand of hair from her forehead.
"Just don’t yell into the mic, alright? Don’t embarrass me in front of others!"
"Brother, you’re so mean!" Lily exclaimed but giggled eventually.
"But, don’t worry, I won’t!"
Gray stood back up slowly. His body might be physically tired, but his heart wasn’t.
For the first time that day, he felt good.
Really good.
- - -
The next morning, the warmth from last night lingered in Gray’s chest as he stepped into his grocery store.
The glass doors opened automatically with a soft sound. It was still early, just past 9 AM, but the place was already alive.
Gray took a step inside with his hands in his pockets as his eyes slowly swept across the front of the store.
The produce section to his left was fully stocked and vibrant. A new display of strawberries and blueberries had just been set up, arranged neatly in crates with small chalkboard signs above them.
On the right, near the bakery, the scent of freshly baked bread filled the air. Customers lined up, picking out morning pastries and warm loaves straight from the oven.
Gray’s lips curved into a faint smile.
"Sir!"
He turned just in time to see Mina, one of the cashiers, waving at him from behind her register.
Gray gave her a small nod. "Good morning."
"Good morning, Sir Gray!"
A few other employees said their greetings as he passed. One of the boys stocking the refrigerated section paused just to offer a quick bow.
He didn’t stop them from working. Instead, he walked slowly through the aisles, observing quietly. The shelves were full. Items were labeled properly. And above all, the atmosphere in the store was light.
The staff looked focused, but they didn’t seem stressed or overworked.
"Sir Gray."
Gray looked up and spotted Joel coming from the far end of the store, a clipboard in one hand and a pen clipped to it. He looked like he’d already been working since the opening an hour ago.
"You’re here early, Sir," Joel said as he approached, adjusting his glasses.
"Yeah. I had some time, so I thought I’d check in."
"I’m glad, Sir," Joel smiled.
"Things are going smoothly. I just finished reviewing the revised delivery schedule. Also had a talk with Ryan from the meat department about the weekend orders."
"Good," Gray said. He glanced toward the butcher’s counter. "How is he?"
Joel followed his gaze. "A little stressed about the demand forecast, but manageable. He appreciates the new equipment that has just arrived at the store. He said it cuts prep time by half."
Gray nodded again, satisfied.
Joel shifted the clipboard in his hand, flipping to one of the lower pages. His brow furrowed as he spoke again.
"I also looked at the list you sent me last night, sir. The one about the upcoming storewide sale?"
Gray gave a nod, already anticipating the next part.
"I revised some things," Joel continued, "added more bundle suggestions, and adjusted a few pricing tiers. I also suggested adding a loyalty promo. It’s all in the document I sent back to you this morning. If you have time to check it."
"No problem," Gray said easily. "I’ll go through it later today."
Joel gave a small nod, but then his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"May I ask, sir... what’s your proposed date for launching the sale?"
Gray smiled.
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he leaned slightly on a shelf, surveying the store once more.
"Starting next week."
Joel blinked.
"Next week? As in... the 10th?"
Gray nodded.
"Huh?" Joel’s eyes widened. "Are we ready, sir?"
"Oh, we have no choice but to be ready, Joel." Gray smirked.
Joel let out a short laugh, more nervous than amused, and adjusted his glasses.
"That’s."
"I want to keep up the momentum," Gray added. "We’ve got good foot traffic lately. And if we wait too long, we might lose the attention we’ve been building."
Joel blinked at that, as if surprised. Then he gave a firmer nod as if he understood Gray’s words.
"I won’t disappoint, sir."
"Good. Let’s get to it." Gray patted his shoulder briefly before stepping past him and continuing down the aisle.