Despite all the responsibilities piling up, especially the ongoing investigation with Will, Gray still took a half-day from work. He couldn’t do much since it was already planned beforehand.
Gray called the real estate office yesterday to confirm with the moving service. Since he and Lily didn’t own much, there wasn’t much to coordinate, except for asking a few helpers to help them move and organize things.
There were just a few pieces of furniture that they bought themselves. A couple of shelves. Their clothes. Some kitchenware. And a few sealed boxes that held all the memories of their dead parents.
It was stuff neither of them ever opened, but never had the heart to throw away either.
Thankfully, aside from Marcus working on the investigation, nothing else in the office was urgent today.
They were still waiting on statements anyway.
It gave Gray the perfect window to slip out.
He didn’t even go out for a proper lunch. He just grabbed a sandwich on the cafeteria and ate it in the back seat while Daniel drove him home.
Their apartment was already clean. They’d finished everything the day before. They vacuumed the floor, wiped the windows, and taped up all the boxes they will be carrying out neatly.
Lily even labeled everything, just so Gray wouldn’t mess it up.
When Gray arrived, the living room looked a little hollow now. The furniture was still there, but their personal things were mostly gone. It was strange seeing it that way, especially since they lived in the place for years.
Honestly, Gray felt a little sad. They had so much memory in the apartment, even if most of it was bad times. Still, it was the place that housed them for years. They were grateful for the place, but not for the owner.
"I wonder when they are arriving." Gray sat on the couch. He tapped his phone lightly and glanced at the clock.
The movers were supposed to arrive soon.
He stretched his legs out, looked around the room again, and chuckled.
"I wonder what they’re gonna think when they see this place," he muttered. "They’re gonna think I gave the wrong address."
Just as he finished speaking, his phone buzzed.
[Unknown Number]: Hello, Sir. We’re here outside. But... are we at the right location?
Gray smirked and stood up, typing back quickly.
[Gray]: Yup. I’ll come down now.
He walked toward the front door, gave one last look at the apartment, then stepped outside.
The moving truck was parked by the side. It was a sleek black and silver model, the logo of Elysian Properties was printed discreetly on the side.
Three movers stood near the vehicle, all dressed in uniform black polos with name tags.
Gray raised a hand as he approached.
"Hi. Thanks for coming."
One of the men looked up from his clipboard and gave a small bow.
"Good afternoon, Sir Gray. We just wanted to confirm again, uh... this is the correct unit?"
Gray nodded, a little amused. "Yeah. Sorry. It’s not exactly what you expected, huh?"
The mover glanced at the building behind him before looking back at Gray. He smiled politely, but there was a softness in his eyes when he spoke.
"It’s perfectly fine, Sir. We’ve had clients like you before."
"Clients like me?" Gray tilted his head.
’There’s poor client like me?’
"Yes," another mover chimed in with a gentle smile. "We know that some families train their children to live humbly before stepping into a bigger life. It’s not uncommon in upper circles. Living simply is part of their education."
Gray blinked.
"...What?"
The movers just smiled again and nodded. They remained silent as if they already knew it. Like they knew something that Gray didn’t/.
Gray stared for a second, unsure whether to laugh or explain that they had no idea who he really was.
But in the end?
He just gave a short laugh and opened the door to let them in.
"Alright then," he muttered. "Let’s get started."
The movers followed Gray inside with quiet professionalism.
The moment they stepped into the apartment, their footsteps slowed just slightly, taking in the place. It wasn’t much—just a small two-bedroom rental with old tiles, thin walls, and sunlight peeking through sheer curtains.
One of the movers gave a small nod as he looked around.
"You’re already neatly packed, Sir. This should be a smooth move."
"Thanks," Gray said, stepping aside so they could begin. "We tried to keep everything simple."
The three of workers got to work quickly. There were no unnecessary talking and no wasted time. They moved with the kind of coordination that came from experience. One of them began stacking boxes by the doorway while the others carefully assessed the furniture.
"You can leave the bookshelf," Gray said after a moment, gesturing to a cheap wooden frame near the wall. "We’re not taking that one. It’s too old."
"Understood, Sir," one of the movers replied, already marking it off on the checklist.
It didn’t take long for the team to fall into rhythm. The lighter boxes went out first. They were the items that has their clothes, kitchen items, and the smaller decor pieces Lily had insisted on keeping.
After that, they moved the two armchairs, the dining table, and the compact fridge they’d saved up for years.
It was still nice, so they could still use it.
Gray stayed out of their way for the most part. He occasionally pointed to which boxes were fragile or which ones were Lily’s. But mostly, he just watched them quietly. His hands were in his pockets.
He didn’t realize how many memories were tied to all those items until he saw them being carried out.
His throat tightened a little.
He knew they were upgrading their life. Moving on to something better. Bigger. But it was still hard letting go of the place that held years of their silent battles and quiet nights.
He didn’t say anything, though. Just leaned against the doorframe and watched.
As the final few items were brought out, one of the movers gently tapped on the half-sealed box in the corner.
"This one too, Sir?"
Gray glanced over. It was one of the boxes marked with Lily’s handwriting.
[FRAGILE – MOM/DAD’S STUFF]
"...Yeah," he said quietly. "Please be careful with that one."