Will’s eyes widened so much that it almost looked like he would be able to see things that others couldn’t see.
"S-Sir..." He looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn’t. Not with the weight of Gray’s gaze pinning him down.
"I..." Will tried to open his mouth again to justify his actions. His posture stiffened as he tried to look presentable again in front of Gray.
"There was a... situation, Sir. This young man dropped an item, and I was—"
"You were what?" Gray’s eyes narrowed.
"I was handling it, Sir." Will tried his best to show that he was calm. However, his hands twitched like he wanted to hide them behind his back. "I was just about to call security to—
"To what?" Gray’s voice cut in again. It was low but sharp.
"Drag him out because a plastic bag broke?"
Will flinched at the intensity of Gray’s voice. It was his first time being shouted at by someone, and it was definitely not a good feeling.
The customers around them stayed silent, pretending not to watch, but their ears were clearly open. One woman clutched her child’s shoulder and subtly moved a little closer. They were watching like it was some tense scene from a drama.
Gray turned his eyes back to the young man, who looked frozen and was still in fear. There was a small scratch on his forearm, probably from when the chicken hit the floor. His shoes also looked wet, and some parts of the chicken were still lying there.
As Gray watched him, he couldn’t help but feel a little sorry.
"You," Gray said gently this time, "what’s your name?"
"I’m...Rome," the boy answered, barely above a whisper.
Gray nodded once. "Did you steal anything, Rome?"
"No," Rome said quickly. His voice cracked a little. "I-I had money. I was going to pay. The bag just... broke. I didn’t know it was that thin."
Gray crouched down, picked up the torn plastic, and inspected it.
Sure enough, it had a clean rip near the handle. It seemed like the bag was just damaged prior to it. He knew it could’ve happened to anyone. It was normal, and the mistake was on their part.
Gray sighed and stood. He smiled at Rome to assure him that it was fine, before he looked again at Will. Now, the smile on his face was slowly disappearing.
"You judged him before even checking," Gray said flatly. "You humiliated him in front of strangers. You were going to call security over spilled chicken—and worse, you insulted him for how he looked."
Will opened his mouth, but Gray held up a hand. The silence that followed was deafening.
"I want you to take your break now," Gray said, his voice was low, but it was commanding. He was also surprised how the words just came out naturally on his own.
"And when you’re done, report to my office. Marcus will be waiting."
Will’s face went pale. His eyes widened as he repeatedly shook his head as if not willing to do it.
"Sir, I—"
"Don’t talk anymore," Gray said simply.
"You’re a manager. I expected you to be more professional." He said those words with a big disappointment in his tone.
Will clenched his jaw. Then, slowly, he gave a defeated nod and walked away. His steps were heavy and hurried that even the employees who were watching were surprised to see him that way.
When he was gone, Gray turned to one of the nearby staff who had gone near them earlier. The staff originally intended to just look at what was happening; however, when she saw Gray, she stayed put on one side.
"Can someone clean this up and get the gentleman a replacement?"
"Yes, Sir," the girl said quickly, already hurrying toward the cooked section.
Gray looked back at the boy.
"You still planning to pay?" he asked casually, but with a faint smile.
Rome looked stunned for a moment. His eyes blinked slowly, like he was still processing what had just happened.
"I... yeah," the man finally said. "I still planned to pay. I just..." He trailed off, glancing down at the chicken and then back up again. His face was filled with uncertainty—like he couldn’t believe someone had stepped in for him. His grip on the crumpled plastic bag just tightened even more, almost like it was the only thing that was grounding him to the moment.
Gray gave a small nod and smiled even more.
"Good," he said casually. "But that’s not needed anymore."
"Huh?" Rome blinked. "What do you mean?"
Gray smiled, just slightly.
"Take a cart," he said. "Fill it with everything you need. Food, essentials—whatever it is. The grocery store will cover it..." He paused and nodded. "I’ll personally cover it."
Rome stared at him. His mouth opened, but no words came out for a full second.
Then, very quietly, "Are you... really sure, Sir?"
Gray could see how Rome’s eyes were turning watery. His lips trembled, and he sniffed once before immediately wiping his nose with the back of his hand, as if he was thankful.
He was trying to hold it together.
But it was clear that no one had done something like this for him before.
His shoulders shook slightly, and when he finally looked back up, his eyes were red. There were also a lone tear that fell on his cheeks.
"Sir... I don’t want to be a bother..." Rome added quickly, his voice still unsure.
"You’re not," Gray replied simply. "In this grocery store, we value our customers. And if a mistake happens on our end, we make up for it. That’s how it should be."
For a second, no one said anything. Not even Rome.
But then—
Someone clapped.
Then another.
And another.
"Woah, the owner of this place is cool."
"I didn’t know I could be moved with such words."
"Young man! Take anything you like! I’ll pay for it!"
"Yes! Yes! Don’t be shy! We’ll cover it!"
Just like that, a whole lot of people volunteered to be Rome’s guarantor.
Rome looked around, confused by the sound, but also overwhelmed by it.
Gray just nodded again and smiled at the man. He didn’t need to say anything else.
Rome stood frozen in place for another second. Then he gave a deep bow.
"Thank you, Sir..." he said, his voice shaking. "Really. Thank you."
Gray looked at him and smiled faintly.
"No. Thank you."