The moment the plates were set down in front of them, Gray stared at the steak like it was a final boss he hadn’t been trained for.
The meat was thick and perfectly seared. It was resting in a pool of red wine reduction sauce, with buttery mashed potatoes on the side. His stomach gave a warning twitch.
’I’m going to die here. This is how I go. In a conference room... over a second lunch.’
Still, Gray lifted his fork and knife, cutting into the meat with calmexpression. He took small bites, spacing them out, nodding along as John continued talking about supplier networks and price strategy.
Thankfully, John didn’t seem to notice or care that Gray was only poking at his food more than actually eating it.
Halfway through the meal, Gray finally worked up the courage. Because if he didn’t, he didn’t know what would happen to him.
"By the way... I, uh... actually had lunch before this," he said casually, lifting his water glass to hide his expression. "I apologize. I Didn’t expect we’d be eating again."
John blinked, then let out a low laugh.
"Oh? You should’ve said something earlier."
"I didn’t want to be rude."
John waved it off. His face was crumpled, finding Gray amusing and funny at the same time. He didn’t know if he had to pity Gray because he barely touched his food or laughed at him.
"You’re not. Don’t worry. I just thought it’d be nice to talk outside of business since we still had some time. You held your own during the meeting. That’s already a good sign. Outside of business, think of us as just friends."
"Thanks. I appreciate that." Gray smiled, this time more genuinely.
After that, the atmosphere around them lightened further. Their conversation drifted into business again, but more casually as John shared a few personal stories about his early days. He shared how he also had mistakes in the past, and what he learned from them.
He offered Gray some simple but direct advice.
"Just remember, Gray, always know the numbers better than the people you’re buying from. And never promise what you can’t afford to lose."
Gray took that to heart.
And before it came long, their lunch came to a close. John wiped his mouth with a napkin and glanced at his watch.
"I’ll get the team on those numbers after I go back to the company," he said as he stood. "We’ll be in touch."
"I’m looking forward to it," Gray answered as he stood up with him.
Aaron bowed again with a polite smile.
"Thank you for today, Gray."
"No, thank you both." Gray extended his hand again, and they shook it once more.
Then, with a few more quick goodbyes, Gray finally stepped out of the restaurant.
He made it about five steps from the door before he loosened his tie again and exhaled hard.
"God..." he muttered, patting his stomach. "That steak almost ended me."
But despite the food overload, he couldn’t deny it—things had gone well.
His meeting with John had turned out better than he initially expected. It was not just professionally, but in terms of connection, too. The guy looked intimidating but kind, and Gray felt like he’d taken a step forward in the right direction.
So yeah... Today?
Today was a win.
"Good job, Gray." He muttered to himself.
Gray got back into the car feeling like he needed to nap for a week and walk it off at the same time.
Daniel glanced back from the driver’s seat, raising an eyebrow with curiousity. "How did it go, Sir?"
Gray let out a quiet groan and dropped his head against the headrest.
"Great. Really great. Also, I’ve never been more full in my life."
"It seemed like Mr. John invited you to eat," Daniel chuckled under his breath. "Should I drive slow so you don’t burst, Sir?"
"Oh, please."
Daniel smiled. He silently started the car and drove off.
The ride back to the office was silent. Because of it, the food coma was slowly creeping in, but Gray kept himself alert by scrolling through his phone.
Finally, when they pulled up to the company building, Gray stepped out and made his way back to his office. His pace was slower than usual but it was because he was really feeling lazy now.
Gray took the elevator to his floor and walked straight into his office. He was about to call Marcus, when he saw that he was Marcus already there. Marcus was sitting at the small lounge on his office.
"Sir,"Marcus glanced up the moment he saw him. "You’re back."
"Yeah. Thankfully I survived," Gray muttered, tossing his blazer over the back of the chair.
"I take it that the meeting went well?"
"Yeah," Gray nodded, pulling out the seat across from him and sitting down with a sigh.
"John’s sharp, but not a pain. He took everything I brought seriously, and said, he’ll have a revised draft ready within a day. So fingers crossed."
Marcus gave a short nod. " That sounds promising."
"It was." Gray leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "He was chill too. After the numbers talk was over, he gave me some advice. I could say that he’s a good man."
Marcus gave a slight smile. "That’s nice, Sir."
They sat in silence for a few seconds, before Gray let out a sigh.
"By the way..." he said, quieter now. "There’s something else I wanted your opinion on."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
"It’s about Will."
Marcus didn’t respond right away. He just leaned back slowly and folded his arms, signalling that whatever it is, he was ready to listen.
"I’ve been looking into the past reports. The numbers looked clean, but there were some noticeable suspicious transactions. They are named after maintenance costs and vague labels like ’employee welfare.’ It was nothing big, but it was freequent." Gray continued,
Marcus’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes sharpened.
"And what are you thinking of doing, Sir?" Marcus asked.
"I want him out eventually. But I want to do it right. That’s why I’m asking you, Marcus..." Gray’s plain and firm voice trailed off for a moment.
"How do I do this?"