Chapter 394: Welcome, Mr. Gray

"Mr. Fernard. Thank you for coming. I really appreciate it."

"Of course. An invitation from you is difficult to refuse these days." The middle-aged executive smiled as he shook Gray’s hand.

Gray nearly laughed at that, "I think you’re giving me too much credit, Sir."

"Not at all." Mr. Fernard glanced around the venue. "Look at what you’ve built around here."

"It’s a team effort."

"Still." The executive nodded. "You should be proud."

The two exchanged a few more words before Gray personally guided him toward the reserved guest section.

Unfortunately for Gray, that was only the beginning. As more guests arrived, his responsibilities multiplied almost immediately.

One supplier introduced him to another, and there’s also an executive who wanted to discuss future opportunities. He also entertained a representative from a partner brand, who congratulated him on the store’s growth.

Then there’s a guest who asked about how his second branch was doing. There’s also another one who brought up expansion plans if he wanted to do a third branch of his store in another city.

For the next thirty minutes, Gray found himself moving and talking from one person to another.

"Congratulations, Mr. Gray."

"Thank you."

"I heard the second branch is performing very well."

"We’ve been very fortunate." Gray smiled at the person who said that. The conversation came one after another.

Fortunately, months of managing the business had made him much more comfortable in situations like this. He remembered that back then, these kinds of people would’ve made him nervous.

But now? He could speak with them naturally already.

But even so, after nearly forty minutes of nonstop talking, Gray finally understood why people hired assistants for these kinds of events. His social battery was beginning to suffer, and the event hadn’t even started.

’How are they still talking?’ He showed a polite smile but on the inside, he just want to sit now. Fortunately, a few minutes later, salvation arrived.

"Mr. Gray."

Gray turned, and a well-dressed woman approached him. It looked to be a staff from the event place.

"The emcee has already arrived."

His eyes brightened slightly at that. Finally!

"Thank you."

The woman nodded before stepping aside.

Not far away, a professionally dressed host was already speaking with members of the technical team while reviewing the event program.

Gray excused himself before walking over to them.

"Good evening." Gray gave a brief nod to the technical team before turning to the woman.

The host immediately greeted him with a smile.

"Mr. Gray. Nice to finally meet you."

"Likewise."

The two exchanged a brief handshake after that.

"I’ve reviewed the schedule," the host said. "Everything is ready."

"Perfect."

"The technical team is also prepared."

"Then we’re all set."

"We’ll start whenever you give the signal." The host nodded confidently.

Gray glanced around the venue. By now, almost every seat had been filled.

Employees from both branches occupied most of the tables while partner brands and suppliers sat closer to the front. Conrad and Selina were already seated as well.

"Alright. I think we can start in 10 minutes." Gray muttered to the woman when he saw a few more important figures arriving.

"Alright, Sir." The host smiled before talking to the technical team again.

Meanwhile, Gray did a final round on the venue. He personally escorted several remaining executives and guests toward their reserved tables.

"Please, this way."

"Thank you."

"Your table is right here."

One by one, everyone settled into their seats. After it’s complete, the lively conversations from earlier slowly became quiet. The lights inside the venue dimmed slightly. And at the same time, the massive screen behind the stage came to life.

A soft murmur spread throughout the hall with it. Gray walked towards his table as he looked around. There were hundreds of faces that were all familiar to him.

For a brief moment, he felt strangely emotional. A year ago, none of this would’ve seemed possible. Yet here they were. The store had survived, and he even had a second branch now.

And tonight, everyone had gathered together to celebrate.

Before he could sit, the host approached him from the side.

"Ready, Sir?"

Gray looked at the stage before nodding.

"Yup. Let’s begin."

The host smiled and nodded. A moment later, the spotlight turned on, and the music changed before the host confidently stepped onto the stage.

"Are you all ready?!"

The entire hall erupted into applause.

"Woohhh!!"

"Finallyyy!"

"It’s time, guys!"

Just like that, the anniversary celebration officially began.

"Good evening, everyone!"

"Good evening!" several employees shouted back immediately. They sounded energetic, which made the emcee laugh.

"Now that’s the energy I like to hear."

"Welcome to the 5th Anniversary Celebration of Riverside Grocery and its growing family!"

The large screen behind him lit up with the store’s logo, followed by a collection of photos from throughout the year.

"Tonight isn’t about inventory, sales figures, or work."

"But instead, tonight is about celebrating everything you’ve accomplished together."

The crowd clapped at that. The emcee was doing a good job warming everyone up.

By then, Gray was already in his seat. He was surrounded by a few executives who gave him a few big smiles.

"Before we begin our program, let’s give a huge round of applause to the employees who made all of this possible!"

The hall immediately erupted into cheers but among them, Joel was one of the loudest.

"WOOOO!"

"Sir Joel, calm down!"

"No!"

Laughter spread throughout the room. After a few more opening remarks, the emcee gestured toward the giant screen.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen..." the host’s grin widened.

"Before we begin, I believe it’s time to hear from the person responsible for bringing all of us together tonight."

Immediately, dozens of employees began looking around to look for Gray.

"Oh no," Gray muttered.

Joel instantly stood up for it.

"Speech!"

The employees immediately joined him.

"Speech!"

"Speech!"

"Speech!"

Gray stared at them in disbelief as the chanting only became louder. Beside him, Mara looked entirely pleased with the situation. She was smiling while giving him a thumbs up.

The emcee laughed before extending a hand toward the stage.

"Please welcome the CEO of Riverside Grocery, Mr. Gray Adams!"

With it, the entire venue exploded into applause once again.