Chapter 392: Party

With Mara’s lead, the preparations for the event went well. In no time, it was finally the day of the event.

They went on with the event center. They invited every employee, as well as partner brands and people who were connected to the store. They also invited Chloe and her whole family, especially since the store was under theirs before Gray.

The event was on Friday night. They closed the 2 branches early to give time to the employees to be ready.

After making sure everything was settled, Gray headed toward the event center by 6 in the evening. The event would start at 7, but it’s better to be there early.

"I’ve already contacted Joel, and he said that the employees are also on the way already," Mara muttered to him.

"Alright," Gray nodded at her.

He doesn’t know what to expect since Mara handled everything, but knowing her, it must have looked nice.

The two of them walked through the event center together. Since they had arrived earlier than most of the guests, the hallways were still relatively quiet.

The workers of the event center moved around carrying equipment and making final adjustments before the event could officially begin.

As they approached the reserved floor, several venue employees immediately straightened when they recognized Gray and Mara.

"Good evening, Mr. Gray."

"Good evening, Miss Mara."

Gray nodded politely at them. "Good evening."

"Hi, thank you for the hard work," Mara also greeted them kindly before continuing forward.

Soon, they arrived in front of the grand entrance of the venue hall. Two workers were stationed by the doors, both wearing a nice outfit to greet the guests. The moment they saw Gray and Mara approach, they immediately stepped forward and bowed their heads lightly.

"Good evening, Sir."

"Everything is already getting ready." One of them smiled before reaching for the handles.

"Please enjoy the event."

With it, the large doors of the venue slowly opened. Gray and Mara walked in. The moment they did, their eyes widened slightly. The entire plain venue had been beautifully transformed.

Warm golden lights illuminated the hall, creating an elegant atmosphere without feeling overly formal.

There was also a large standee that was placed in different sections of the venue, containing photographs that captured the store’s journey over the past year. Aside from that, they added snippets of employees working together.

At the hall, there were numerous rows of tables that filled the center. Each table had simple decorations arranged neatly in the middle. At the far center was where the stage was located.

There’s a massive screen there that was still being worked on right now by a few technical teams. But aside from that, there’s already soft music being played around to get the mood of the event.

Near one side of the venue were sponsor booths and display areas from partner brands that they were able to contact. Meanwhile, the opposite side was where the catering for food was.

"..." Gray’s gaze slowly swept across everything.

"You did all of this?" He turned to Mara and grinned.

"Of course," Mara immediately muttered. There was now a small smile playing on her lips as she saw how her vision came to life.

Gray chuckled at it. But he couldn’t deny that this was much better than he expected. The venue didn’t feel like a simple company event. Instead, it really felt like a nice and well-prepared celebration.

"You like it, don’t you?" A grin slowly appeared on Mara’s face when she saw his reaction.

"Hmm..." Gray appeared, thinking that made Mara’s brows furrow.

"Just admit it, you stupid."

Gray chuckled when he heard the annoyance in her tone. He was thinking of teasing her more, but since she did a good job...

"Alright, it’s good." Gray clicked his tongue.

"I knew it!" Mara ignored his look and just laughed victoriously.

"Stop laughing and let’s just check everything," Gray defeatedly shook his head at that.

Mara smiled playfully, but she still followed as Gray began walking. The more Gray looked around, the more impressed he became.

Eventually, he stopped in front of one of the photo displays. There, among dozens of photographs, was an old picture from months ago. It was a picture of himself standing awkwardly inside the store during his first weeks as owner.

Gray stared at the photo for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his face. Back then, he was so worried if he could even manage the store properly. But now, look at what they’re doing.

Life really was strange sometimes.

"You look pretty different, huh?" Mara’s voice sounded beside him.

"Yeah." Gray nodded. Back then, he barely had enough money to get through the month. Looking at the old photograph now, he almost couldn’t recognize himself.

In the past, his clothes were plain, and his face was all gloomy and dull. That thought made him laugh.

"What?" Mara asked.

"I just remembered how broke I was back then."

When she heard it, Mara immediately burst out laughing too.

"Yeah, you really were."

"Hey." Gray glared at her. However, Mara just ignored him.

The two continued staring at the display for another moment. There were dozens of photos laid out. Gray smiled at it.

Many of the faces in these pictures was familiar to him since they were the employees who had been in the store since he got it.

"Not bad, huh?" Mara quietly said.

"Yeah," Gray nodded. "Not bad."

The two continued walking again. They checked on the catering to see if the food was already there. Then they moved towards the booths that Mara hired. There were photobooths and also small food snacks that the employees could go to later if they were hungry.

Since the event has a program flow, they need to follow the arrangement of the program. Usually, dinner was in the middle of it, so the waiting time can make the guests hungry.

The two were in the middle of double checking everything when suddenly a loud voice echoed out.

"Boss!" Gray’s forehead creased. When he turned around, he saw Joel at the entrance. Behind him were several managers and employees who had arrived early as well.