"We’re here."
The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding, and the two of them stepped out.
"Gray," Mara called out for his name, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Hm?"
"This place is... nice." Mara turned in a full circle, taking it all in.
"I know," Gray lightly chuckled. They reached a glass door near the end of the hallway. Gray pushed it open and led her inside. It was a corner office. His office.
The view overlooked the city. However, what you would notice first when you enter was a shelf stacked with documents and binders and a laptop open on a sleek black desk.
Mara stood there for a second, stunned.
Then she turned to him.
"So... what exactly is my job here?"
"You’re going to be my assistant." Gray leaned against his desk, arms crossed.
She blinked. "Assistant?"
"Yup. Right-hand person. I know you already know what that means."
"Huh." She let out a breath. "Honestly, I was expecting hard labor or what."
"I can give you one of those, if you want."
Mara grinned. "No, no. Assistant’s fine. I can do that."
"Really?"
"Yeah." She looked around the office again. "Guess it’s time I start waking up before noon."
"That might be helpful," Gray said, chuckling.
"I mean, as long as you don’t expect me to make coffee or, like, order printer ink."
"Oh no, I expect both."
"Ugh." Mara rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. She stepped forward and extended her hand.
"Alright then, boss. When do I start?"
Gray shook her hand. "How about tomorrow?"
"Cool. Just don’t make me wear heels." Mara nodded.
"No promises."
"Dick."
"Welcome aboard." Gray grinned.
Mara lingered by the door a moment longer, scanning the office once more before shooting him a look.
"I can go back first and ask myself if this is a dream, right?" she asked.
Gray raised an eyebrow. "As long as you don’t trip on the way out."
"Rude," she said, already turning. "But see you tomorrow, boss man."
She walked out backwards, still facing him. She was grinning as she waved with both hands. Gray gave her a casual two-finger salute in return.
The door clicked shut behind her.
A quiet hum settled over the room after that.
Gray made his way around the desk. He slumped into the chair and ran a hand through his hair.
The leather creaked as he leaned back. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, then slowly turned toward the screen still glowing in front of him.
His inbox blinked. There were a couple of unread messages, red-marked, and follow-ups. Tabs lined the top of the screen. Business proposals, spreadsheets, outlines. There were too many.
"God, I should’ve told her to start now," Gray muttered to himself. "So, she could read half of this for me."
He cracked his knuckles, sat up straight, and clicked back into the tab where he’d left off before meeting Mara.
The document stared back at him: Proposal 26/53.
He had gotten through half in the last three days. It was not bad, but it was not fast enough either. Some were total trash, with ambitious ideas and zero foundation. Others had promise but it wasn’t what he was looking for.
Gray scrolled at one folder, then proceeded to the next one right after.
Proposal 27.
Gray’s eyes lingered this time as he read the title in front.
Enhancing Community Access — Integrating Delivery Systems with Local Store Operations.
He frowned a little and leaned in, reading further.
Gray seriously read the content for a short while.
The idea wasn’t flashy. There were no buzzwords but it was solid.
The premise was simple.
Gray’s store, as it stood now, was great for walk-ins, regulars, and locals. But what about families too busy to drop by? Elderly customers? Single parents? People living farther out who still wanted quality goods without relying on overpriced delivery apps?
The proposal detailed an integrated delivery model, using a modest in-house system first. It would start with pre-orders and scheduled drop-offs, then gradually expand into app-based orders and same-day fulfillment.
There was even a breakdown on hiring part-time drivers and how to incentivize staff to manage deliveries without compromising floor operations.
Gray rubbed his jaw.
It wasn’t something out of the world. But it was smart. It was also sustainable.
And more importantly, it was something he could actually see working.
He read through the document again, this time slower. The goals were clean. The budget breakdown was also realistic. The person who wrote this had clearly worked in small business settings before.
There were notes about bulk inventory management, seasonal order flow, and customer loyalty programs tied to delivery use.
Gray opened his drawer and pulled out a notebook, flipping to a blank page.
Without realizing it, he started scribbling ideas, questions, and how to tweak this idea. He didn’t even groan like usual.
Because this idea felt worth considering.
He looked back up at the screen.
"...Not bad," he muttered. Then leaned back in his chair again, more alert this time.
He had some calls to make tomorrow.
Gray glanced at the screen again.
Then he looked down at his notebook, at the first few lines he’d scribbled.
Local driver rotation. Loyalty points integration. Bulk pack discounts.
A small smirk tugged at the edge of his lips.
"Good," he said under his breath.
"This’ll be Mara’s first assignment."
Tomorrow, he’d introduce Mara to this proposal. Let her go over the document herself. Give her time to chew on it, then bring her in on the planning.
Gray chuckled at it.
"Oh man," Gray said, now grinning fully. "She’s going to hate me."
He could already see her tomorrow, with her arms crossed and eyes glaring at him.
That imagination made him laugh harder.
But right in the middle of it, Gray’s eyes shot wide open. He didn’t know why but he just suddenly remembered something.
"Oh shit."
He sat up straight.
"Oh shit, I forgot about that crypto!"