By 10 a.m., Marcus had to excuse himself. He still had duties to attend to at the main office, so he couldn’t stay longer. However, before he left, he assured Gray he’d start quietly planning those small meetings with the staff, and that he’d send updates by the end of the day.
Just like that, Gray was left alone in the office.
He didn’t mind it at all. In fact, it was better this way. Fortunately, Will hadn’t returned since he left earlier. Gray considered it a blessing. He didn’t have the energy to deal with more fake flattery and those awkward teeth that he could see whenever the guy smiled.
Finally, he had the time to breathe. A time to think.
The office was quiet. All he could hear now were the muffled hums of customers moving through the aisles and the occasional ding of the cash registers. It was the usual sound you would hear in a grocery store.
Gray sat alone at the desk, his eyes looking at the clutter around him. There was a stale bag of chips, stacks of unfiled paperwork, and some promotional leaflets that were clearly outdated. The mug labeled was still there too, half-full with something that might’ve once been coffee.
He didn’t want to touch Will’s things. It was partially out of respect, but mostly because he didn’t trust the guy. So, he simply cleared a corner of the desk and set his own notebook down. The space was small, but it was enough for him to work.
Flipping through the folder Marcus had left with him, Gray read over the current operations structure. It included staffing schedules and employees’ names. He had already read through half of it the night before, but now he was reading more carefully.
At the same time, he opened a fresh page in his notebook and began writing a list of things he had to do.
Things to Improve Immediately
Staff Room Upgrade: The break room was too cramped. Too dim. Not enough chairs, not enough space.
He remembered that clearly from earlier
Inventory Audit: He’d also noticed that there were some inconsistencies in the earlier reports—numbers that didn’t quite match up, especially regarding restock schedules and surplus items. It was so small that it was often overlooked.
Feedback System: He wanted to install a new company system. A system where the staff could speak freely, without fear of being reported or judged.
Fair Rotation: He saw the schedule for the month. Some employees had been pulling six-day shifts back to back. That wasn’t sustainable. He didn’t know if it was the employee’s request or not, but he got to look at it.
He underlined each point carefully.
Gray sighed afterward. Time flew so fast that it was already 11 in the morning. He only had 1 hour left before he had to leave.
He sighed under his breath and capped his pen. He leaned back in the chair, realizing that he had been writing for nearly an hour straight. His list was getting longer by the minute, and his brain was already three steps ahead, visualizing how he wanted things to run.
’Alright, I gotta be ready now.’
Before he left, he figured he should at least take a quick walk around the store, check on the staff’s interaction with the customers, and see things for himself while everyone was now working.
With it, Gray began organizing his materials. He gathered the folders Marcus had left behind, stacked them neatly, and tucked his notebook between them. He was just about to get up when something caught the corner of his eye.
It was a paper. A paper was half-sticking out from under of the cabinet beside the desk.
Gray frowned.
He stood up and walked over, crouching slightly to reach for it. It was folded awkwardly, like it had slipped or been shoved behind other files. There was a layer of dust clinging to one corner.
He didn’t want to be nosy, but thinking that it might be a company file, he pulled it out and flipped it open.
The heading read:
STAFF FACILITIES INVENTORY — Internal Use Only
Date Filed: January 2
Gray’s brows drew together. January?
It was already September.
That meant this document was from months ago. Curious at it, he took it back to the desk. He also sat down, and started flipping through the pages.
Item after item was listed. Beside each, there was a box labeled "Delivered" and another labeled "Installed."
Ergonomic Chairs (x30) — Delivered ✔ Installed ✔
Lounge Sofa (x2) — Delivered ✔ Installed ✔
Full Coffee Bar Setup — Delivered ✔ Installed ✔
Employee Lockers (x10) — Delivered ✔ Installed ✔
Mounted 50" Smart TV — Delivered ✔ Installed ✔
Mini Fridge (x2) — Delivered ✔ Installed ✔
Water Dispenser — Delivered ✔ Installed ✔
Gray stared at the page. Then his eyes narrowed.
"What the..." he muttered.
His fingers ran down the sheet again, as if thinking that maybe he was reading it wrong.
But no. Every single item had a checkmark. That means every item that was listed on the page should be in the staff room.
Everything... except none of it was actually there.
He sat up straighter, the back of his neck tensing from anger.
"There’s no TV. No fridge. No sofa. Not even a fucking water dispenser."
His voice was low but laced with disbelief. He’d been in that break room less than five hours ago. If even one of these items were there, he would’ve noticed.
But there was nothing. Just old chairs, a scratched-up table, and a microwave that looked overused by employees.
He flipped to the next page.
There was a sign-off section. The name at the bottom was written in sharp handwriting, and on top of it was the man’s signature.
Willa Morris
Store Manager
Gray slowly leaned back in his chair, the document still in his hand.
So that was it.
He didn’t want to jump to conclusions. Not yet. Not without hard proof. But this?
This looked a lot like fraud.
And if it wasn’t... then it was some serious mismanagement.
Either way, it needed to be addressed.
Gray tapped the paper lightly against the desk as he thought. His eyes were cold now.
He carefully folded the document and slid it right between the files and his notebook.
"Alright then..." he muttered under his breath. "Now we’re getting somewhere."