Gray arrived at the office shortly after the morning rush. Immediately after arriving, he stepped into his private workspace. He sat down at his desk as Marcus walked in, holding a fresh cup of coffee.
"Morning, Marcus," Gray nodded at him, feeling a little appreciative.
"Morning. I’ve compiled the statements and reviewed the footage," Marcus said. He placed the coffee and the folder in front of him. "Everything’s here."
"Alright," Gray opened the folder and immediately looked at what was inside.
In there, papers with time-stamped screenshots from CCTV showing the dropped chicken, Will’s aggressive stance, his tone toward Rome, and dozens of positions of shoppers who paused to watch. Printed witness statements from seven individuals awaited their review as well.
"I’ve also reached out to HR. Once we issue the administrative hearing notice to Will, they’ll provide guidance on managing payroll and holiday benefits during suspension." Marcus continued.
"Let’s start with the statements. Have the witnesses already submitted?" Gray tapped his pen thoughtfully.
"Yes. Three staff members, including the one who helped clean, and four nearby customers, all confirm the boy’s bag broke unexpectedly, and that Will responded aggressively and publicly. No one contested that Rome attempted to pay."
Gray nodded, scanning the paperwork.
"That’s good. Well, then... let’s finalize the report for the hearing notice by the end of the day. Hopefully, we can serve it tomorrow."
Marcus nodded. "I’ve drafted the notice already. It outlines the date, time, purpose of the hearing, and that Will is suspended until its outcome."
"Good. We need the hearing scheduled for the end of the week," Gray said. "That gives us time to notify Will and HR."
Marcus wrote a note in his folder. "Agreed."
Gray leaned back. "And legally, will he be entitled to back pay for the suspension?"
"Yes, if it’s deemed unfair or if the hearing rules so," Marcus explained. "But given the evidence, I believe this will be classified as just cause. We’ll defend the suspension as lawful."
Gray nodded once. "Alright, let’s proceed with it."
Marcus paused, and then added, "You might want to prepare a short statement for staff—about customer treatment and corporate values. This incident may raise questions."
"Hmm..." That made Gray think for a little. "Alright, I’ll do that. I’ll have that ready by lunch." Gray paused before letting out a small smile. "Thank you, Marcus."
"No problem." Marcus straightened and nodded. "I’ll deliver everything by afternoon."
"Alright."
Gray watched Gray as he leave. After a moment of staring at the air, he leaned forward and began drafting the internal memo. He didn’t know what he was doing, but he just proceeded with writing something.
"We uphold respect and dignity for all customers. Any form of public humiliation or discrimination from the employees will be treated with utmost seriousness."
It was just a brief office-wide email explaining zero tolerance policy to employees.
By 11:00 am, the hearing draft was ready. He forwarded it to Marcus for him to check if it was already alright. And when Marcus said that everything was fine, they submitted it to the company’s HR
After sending the report and memo, Gray slumped back in his chair and took a breath.
It had been a long morning already.
The internal memo had gone out cleanly, marked with a firm but polite tone. It stated the company’s zero-tolerance stance on public harassment and reaffirmed the store’s core values of professionalism and respect.
The memo made no mention of names, but anyone who’d been at the store last weekend would know what it was about.
"Now we wait," Gray muttered to himself.
He leaned back, stared at the ceiling for a second, then slowly stood to stretch. The morning was finally done, but he still has some things to do.
*Grrr
Gray’s stomach rumbled amidst the silence.
’Oh no...’
First things first, though, he had to eat lunch.
- - -
In the heart of downtown Arcadia, a man in a long brown coat stepped into the busy marble lobby of Lancaster Group’s main headquarters.
His face was sharp, shaven, with graying hair slicked back in a tidy manner. His expression was cool and confident, with a slight twitch of irritation resting beneath his eyes. His shoes clicked softly against the floor as he walked past the front desk, not even bothering to look at the receptionist.
"Excuse me, sir—this entrance is restricted," the woman at the front desk called out, standing halfway from her chair.
The man didn’t stop walking.
"I have an appointment upstairs," he said casually, not even glancing at her. "Check with your executive office."
The receptionist blinked, confused.
"What’s your nam—"
Before she could finish, a younger employee in a pressed vest rounded the corner from the hallway and quickly waved her down.
"It’s alright," the younger man said, his tone low but hurried. He moved close to the receptionist and leaned in. "He’s... expected in the office. I’ll escort him."
She blinked in confusion, but seeing the staff badge on his chest, she hesitated, then nodded.
The man in the brown coat gave a faint smirk and continued toward the elevators.
The moment the doors closed behind them, his expression changed.
He no longer looked polite.
He looked pissed.
"This was not supposed to happen," the man said under his breath. "That brat. He’s just some charity case Jonathan brought in, wasn’t he? And now he thinks he can run my nephew out of the company?"
The younger man beside him stayed silent. He knew better than to talk back to the man.
The man was Leonard.
Leonard’s voice was sharp and cold. "We had a plan. I put Will in that store for a reason. And now some nobody thinks he can ruin everything?"
He clenched his jaw as the elevator continued climbing.
"No," Leonard hissed. "I won’t let him get kicked out. Not now. Not when we’re just getting started."
The elevator chimed.
The doors opened to the executive floor.
And Leonard stepped out with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
"Is your boss in the office?"
"Yes, Sir. He has been waiting for you."
"Good," he said quietly, straightening his coat, "Let’s remind them how this company used to be run."