Chapter 78: Send Help
In this chapter, Chapter 78: Send Help"Alright." John nodded slowly but with finality. "Give me twenty-four hours. Iâll... Continue reading Chapter 78 of "Suddenly, I Am Rich" for the full story!
Chapter 78: Send Help"Alright." John nodded slowly but with finality. "Give me twenty-four hours. Iâll have my team review the documents. If the numbers hold up, Iâll send a revised draft for approval."
"Thatâs fair," Gray replied. He let out a sigh and nodded.
âThatâs a better response than no. At least I got a chance.â He thought as he continued to show a formal smile on his face.
Aaron, who was still seated to the side, began collecting the pages John had looked through. His hands moved quickly, his eyes flicking between the pages and Gray like he wanted to ask something but knew better than to interrupt.
John stretched his arms slightly and loosened the top button of his collar, the formal look in his posture was finally relaxing. The meeting had gone well and there was no time wasted.
Now that their agenda was done, the atmosphere in the private room also became lighter.
"Iâll admit," John said as he sat back down, this time with less formality, "itâs not every day I walk into a meeting expecting a basic review and end up getting hit with a full-scale negotiation file."
Gray gave a short laugh. "Sorry if that caught you off guard."
"No, no." John chuckled as he waved his hand dismissively. "Itâs actually a pleasant surprise. I heard that youâre still new, but I didnât expect you to be this prepared. Itâs really nice looking at it"
"I appreciate that," Gray said. He pulled his chair in slightly, settling more comfortably. "Iâm still new and not that experienced so I figured Iâd better not come to this meeting half-ready."
"Thatâs good. At least, youâre learning arenât you." John let out a soft chuckle.
"Yeah, Iâm also surprised at how smooth our conversation went." Gray smiled a little.
"So, how are you finding it? Is It nice or challenging?"
Gray shook his head. "Definitely challenging." He answered, followed by a soft sigh.
John smiled at that, nodding. "Well, you handled it well. If your branch keeps up this trajectory, I donât doubt weâll be seeing more of each other."
"Thatâs the plan." Gray paused, then added, "And honestly, Iâm hoping we can build something steady, a good working relationship."
John gave him a knowing look. "Weâll see, but Iâm also looking forward to it.
"Thatâs good," Gray said. "Itâs a partnership at the end of the day."
"Glad weâre on the same page." John turned his head slightly. "Oh right, I want to introduce someone to you."
"Aaron."
The younger man flinched like heâd just been caught daydreaming. He quickly straightened up and looked at them.
"This is Aaron," John said, motioning toward the younger man. "Heâs working under me for now. Itâs part of a training rotation."
Aaron quickly gave a bow.
"Itâs a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Adams."
"Just Gray is fine," he said, offering a hand.
Aaron shook it, still looking slightly tense. His grip was firm, but Gray could still feel the tension in his fingers.
"You donât need to be nervous," Gray said casually, offering him a reassuring smile. "Weâre just talking."
"Thank you, sir," Aaron replied quickly. Then, realizing his mistake, he corrected himself, "I meanâthank you, Gray."
John chuckled under his breath. "Heâs still new. Been with us just under two months."
"No worries," Gray replied easily. "Iâm also new."
"Yes, Gray." Aaron uttered, still nervous but was trying his best to not show it.
That made both Gray and John laugh.
"Well, then I guess weâre all learning together," John said with a grin. "Anyway, I donât know about you two, but I havenât eaten yet. I was in another meeting this morning, so I skipped lunch."
"Oh," Gray blinked. "You want to order something?"
"Yes, letâs order," John nodded, already reaching for the small menu card by the side of the table. "Letâs keep the conversation going over some food. We might as well enjoy the rest of the time."
Gray nodded. However, on the inside, he was immediately regretting it.
âShit. I just had lunch. A full one too,â he thought grimly, picturing the grilled sea bass and roasted vegetables that were still sitting happily in his stomach.
"Sure. Sounds great." Still, he smiled politely, even though on the inside, he was crying.
Knowing how important this was, he couldnât exactly say no.
John waved a waiter over, and soon they were placing orders. Aaron quietly asked for a simple pasta dish, while John went for steak and salad.
Gray, unsure of what wouldnât push him over the edge, settled on a bowl of clam chowder.
Just something small.
"Are you just ordering soup?" John frowned when he saw it.
"Uh... yeah."
"Why? Donât be shy, Gray. I know that our meeting took a time. Donât worry. Itâs my treat."
"Uhâ"
Gray was about to say no, when John personally ordered for him.
"2 orders for the steak please."
"No need for it, John. Iâm fuâ"
"Itâs fine, Gray. I insist. Donât worry."
"Medium rare for the two of us." John motioned to the waiter, leaving Gray speechless on the side.
âFuck...â
Gray kept his polite smile plastered on as the waiter scribbled down the order and left the room, but inside?
He was dying.
âWhat the hell... I shouldâve just ordered coffee...â he thought, staring blankly at the water glass in front of him.
He didnât know what was worseâthe idea of offending John by refusing a free steak... or dying slowly at the table trying to eat a second full lunch while his stomach was already near capacity.
âI shouldâve just had half the damn fish. Why did I finish the plate? I even ate a dessert..â
He shifted in his seat slightly, loosening his tie just a little. He also patted his stomach secretly.
Across the table, John seemed relaxed now. He was scrolling through something on his phone while making a casual remark to Aaron about an upcoming trade show next month. Meanwhile, Aaron was nodding seriously like his life depended on understanding it.
Gray, on the other hand, was mentally preparing himself for war.
âAlright... okay... worst-case scenario, Iâll just eat half the steak and pretend Iâm pacing myself. Thatâs reasonable, right? Thatâs a thing people do?â
He glanced at his phone briefly and pretended to check something, but in reality, he was giving himself a silent pep talk.
âFocus, Gray. You can get through this. Just... chew slow."
After a few minutes, the door opened again. And the smell of grilled meat hit the air. When he saw the steak, his eyes widened at how massive they were.
âGod help me.â