It didn’t take long for Marcus to arrive.
As soon as Gray stepped outside the grocery store, he saw Marcus pulling up at the front in a black sedan. The man stepped out briskly, a familiar leather folder tucked under his arm, while his expression was unreadable as always.
"Sir," Marcus greeted calmly the moment he approached.
"Thanks for coming quickly," Gray uttered. He gave Marcus a quick smile before explaining some things. "We’ve got a situation."
He gestured with his hand for Marcus to walk with him as they moved a short distance away from the store’s entrance, where fewer people were around to overhear.
Gray didn’t waste time.
"Will publicly humiliated a customer just now. A kid who clearly didn’t have much. His plastic bag broke, the chicken fell, and Will accused him of theft on the spot. He didn’t verify anything, didn’t ask what happened. He was about to call security to throw him out."
Marcus’s brows twitched slightly at the rundown. He didn’t speak yet, only listening carefully.
Gray sighed and looked toward the store, his jaw clenched. "He insulted the guy, too. Called him names. All because of how he looked. If I hadn’t stepped in..."
He didn’t finish the sentence.
Instead, he looked at Marcus with a straight face.
"So what do we do with it?" Gray asked plainly. "Is this enough to fire him? Or suspend him? What does the law say?"
Marcus nodded slowly, his voice even.
"Workplace discipline has to follow proper procedure," he said calmly. "But yes. If what you’re saying is supported by witnesses or video footage and given your direct testimony, then it’s more than enough to at least initiate a formal investigation and place him on immediate suspension."
Gray nodded. That much, he expected.
"It may not be instant termination yet," Marcus continued, "but for severe misconduct and verbal harassment of a customer, it’s grounds for either a final warning or dismissal, depending on the full report."
"Good," Gray said with a quiet breath. "We’ll do it properly then. Let’s not give him a chance to twist the story."
"Yes, Sir," Marcus said firmly. "Shall we?"
"Yeah," Gray turned toward the office building beside the store. "He should be inside already."
The two of them walked in silence down the side hallway that led to the upper offices.
Inside Gray’s private office, Will was already seated.
He looked like a completely different person from earlier.
Will’s shoulders were now hunched, his hair slightly damp from sweat, and his face looked pale as if he hadn’t taken a proper breath since being called up.
The second he saw Gray and Marcus enter the room, he abruptly stood.
"Sir... I—"
Gray raised a hand. Not to silence him, but to stop him from saying anything too early.
"Sit down," he said.
Will sat just as he was told to. Just like always, Will looked meek.
Marcus moved to the side, calmly opening his folder.
Gray hadn’t sat down yet. He stood across the desk, his eyes locked on the man in front of him.
"Let’s make this clear," Gray began. "Everything you said and did earlier,, was it accurate to what I saw?"
Will opened his mouth. His throat bobbed.
"Sir, I—"
"Don’t lie," Gray cut in.
Will looked down, swallowed hard, and gave a shaky nod.
"Yes, Sir."
Gray took a seat then.
"We’re going to file this properly," he said. "Marcus will start the internal report. You’ll be placed on immediate unpaid suspension while the review is underway."
Will looked up.
"Please—Sir, I didn’t mean—"
"You’ll be given a chance to explain your side in full during the hearing," Marcus said, stepping in calmly. "But this office has a zero-tolerance policy for public humiliation and discrimination of customers."
Will’s hands curled into fists on his lap.
Gray’s eyes were unreadable.
"We run this place to serve people. That includes all kinds of people. You forgot that today."
Will’s head lowered again.
Gray sat back in his chair and sighed.
"You’re in a position of responsibility. If you can’t do better, you don’t belong here."
The silence that followed felt heavy.
Marcus began quietly organizing the paperwork.
And Will, was now looking quiet and small, nothing like the prideful man that he was earlier.
Gray said nothing more.
He simply looked away and stared at the office window, trying to calm the frustration that still lingered in his chest.
However, soon after and he was celebrating in his mind
’Damn, this is nice.’
He laughed in secret.
It was satisfying. For days, he’d suspected Will of being a problem. He tried to look for evidence, but the man was too good at hiding things.
That was not until now.
’No... I can’t laugh yet.’ Gray firmly closed his eyes as he breathed in and out to stop his lips from smile. ’I gotta hold it in.’
This was it.
Finally.
A clear incident, with witnesses from people. And best of all? It happened right in front of him.
Will had pulled the trigger on his own downfall. And Gray didn’t even have to lift a finger.
’I wanted you gone, and you gave me a reason. Thanks for the assist, Man.’
Gray slowly blinked, his jaw relaxing just a little as Marcus continued arranging the documents at the table.
Letting Marcus handle the rest, Gray sat on the chair with a faint sigh.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the desk, Will was sitting stiffly with his fists clenched so tight that his knuckles were turning white.
He was still staring down at the edge of the desk.
But his thoughts?
They were certainly not calm.
’This can’t be happening.’
His jaw twitched.
’This fucking Gray is just new! Just some glorified babysitter Jonathan brought in. And now he’s acting like he owns the place?’
Will’s stomach turned.
’This store? I’ve been here for years. I kept things running. People listened to me. Staff followed my orders.’
His fists tightened even more.
’And now I’m being suspended? Over some filthy street rat? Over chicken?’
His eye twitched as he stole a glance at Gray, who was sitting calmly in his chair.
’You want to play boss, Gray? Fine. But you’re not getting rid of me that easily.’