Weeks passed by quickly after that sleepover.
Now, they’re already halfway through the second month of the construction phase of the grocery store.
What used to be a place that only has a skeleton of concrete and steel beams now looked like an actual establishment. The exterior was almost done already, the windows, glass walls, and doors were already installed.
The signboard of the store that they commissioned was already done and was just waiting to be installed.
Inside, the electrical and plumbing works were also close to be completed too. The interior was now painted and tiles on the ground was already installed. They just need to do some minor installations yet and they could already furnish inside.
Stoneworks really went with their words that they will be done with this construction in 3 months. For the first month, workers were working on the construction for 16 hours. However, at the 2nd month, workers work in rotation for 24 hours.
"Ha... I’m finally seeing it."
Gray stood near the entrance of the site. He glanced around, quietly impressed by the progress.
Joel was standing beside him, and as usual, he was holding a clipboard in his hand. Joel’s eyes followed the workers who were installing the light fixtures on the ceiling, amazed by it.
The two of them had been visiting the site every few days lately, making sure that the pace stayed on schedule.
The engineer from Stoneworks, a man in his mid-thirties wearing a yellow hard hat and an easy smile, approached them with a rolled-up blueprint in hand.
"Good morning, Mr. Gray, Mr. Joel," the engineer greeted them enthusiastically, nodding respectfully. "If nothing delays us, we should finish all structural and electrical work in about two weeks."
"That soon already?" Joel looked up, brows slightly raised. He was actually impressed with the progression that has been happening so far.
"Yes," the engineer replied confidently. "After that, you can start installing the shelving units and the POS systems. We’ll be focusing on furnishing the back rooms last such as the stockroom, manager’s office, and staff area. Those will be done alongside the finishing touches."
"So, two weeks until we can start setting up the shelves." Gray nodded thoughtfully, scanning the space again with his eyes.
"That’s right," the engineer confirmed. "We’ve already ordered the final batch of materials for the ceiling and fixtures. Once those are done, you’ll have a clean floor for installation."
Joel jotted something down on his clipboard before glancing toward Gray.
"That’s good news, Boss. The suppliers have confirmed that our shelving units will be ready for delivery by the end of next week. If we coordinate the timing right, we can begin setup as soon as the construction team clears the floor."
Gray nodded slowly, a faint smile forming on his face. "Good. I’ll let you handle that."
He walked a few steps forward, taking in the spacious interior.
"Stoneworks has been doing great," Gray said genuinely, glancing toward the engineer who have greeted them. "Please extend my thanks to your team."
"Will do, sir," the engineer replied with a grin. "Once we clear this phase, we’ll also polish up the exterior signage area. You mentioned the signboard’s already finished?"
"Yeah," Joel answered. "It’s waiting in our office. I heard that we can have it mounted after the windows are cleaned and the framing’s reinforced."
"Yes, Sir. Our workers will handle that. Don’t worry."
"Good." Gray let out a quiet breath of satisfaction. "I want the community to start seeing what’s coming up here. It’ll help with the launch later on."
"We can start planning the employee training soon, too. Most of the new hires have confirmed their schedules. Once the shelves are installed, we’ll begin the orientation." Joel nodded in agreement.
"Looks like we’re finally getting there." Gray smiled faintly, the thought making him feel lighter.
"Two more weeks and we’ll be seeing shelves, counters, and the POS system running, Boss" he said lightly. "After that, it’s only a matter of time before customers start walking in!"
Gray chuckled at Joel’s words.
"Yup. And I can see us already starting to be busy again."
The two of them laughed at that.
Gray glanced around one last time before turning to Joel. "By the way," he said, his tone goind back to business, "make sure to give me the final list of employees by the end of this week."
Joel nodded immediately, flipping through the pages of his clipboard.
"Yes, Boss. I’m also planning to do that. I’m just finalizing it and hand it over to you before Friday."
"Good." Gray gave a small, approving nod. "Once I review the list, we’ll finalize everyone’s roles and start scheduling their training."
"Yes, sir," Joel replied, jotting a quick note just to keep track of everything. Then he looked up again, a curious expression tugging at his face.
"By the way... why isn’t Miss Mara with you today? She’s usually the first one to arrive at the site before anyone else."
"She asked for a day off today," Gray answered
"A day off? That’s rare for her." Joel blinked, surprised
"I know right," Gray crossed his arms lightly. "She’s been working nonstop these past few weeks, helping me manage supplier calls, reviewing purchase orders, even staying late to track deliveries, so I guess it’s a well-deserved break."
"That sounds like her," Joel chuckled softly.
Gray let out a quiet breath, then gave Joel’s shoulder a light pat. "Alright, I’ll leave you here for now," he said with a small grin. "I have a meeting with someone."
Joel tilted his head slightly, brows raising with curiousity. "A meeting, sir?"
Gray sighed softly, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smile. "Yup. With Chloe Lancaster."
That caught Joel completely off guard. "Huh? Wait... you know her, sir?"
Gray chuckled lightly at his reaction. "I guess you could say that we’ve known each other for a while now."
"Chloe Lancaster... like the Chloe Lancaster? The daughter of Mr. Lancaster?" Joel’s mouth opened slightly, still looking surprised.
"Yup." That was the only thing that Gray answered before walking away.