Chapter 396: Special Performance

"YES!"

"WOOOO!"

"LET’S GO!"

"That’s what I wanted to hear!" The host laughed as the hall was filled with energy once again.

Music began playing through the speakers as the lights brightened slightly. The atmosphere instantly became more relaxed now that the formal opening was over.

"Then let’s officially begin tonight’s celebration!"

The crowd applauded as the host’s exhilarating voice sounded.

"As a reminder, everyone will receive raffle tickets, there will be games throughout the evening, special employee awards, and yes..." The host paused dramatically which made the employees immediately leaned forward.

"Yes?"

"What?"

"Tell us!"

"There are cash prizes." The host grinned.

The entire venue exploded.

"WOOOOOO!"

"BOSS!"

"I LOVE THIS COMPANY!"

"THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!"

Gray immediately chuckled at that. He didn’t expect that everyone will be excited for that cash price.

"Boss!"

Gray looked up when he heard Joel’s voice from another table.

"Hm?"

"How much is the grand prize?" Joel’s expression was completely serious.

Gray stared at him before letting out a chuckle.

"$5k."

"..."

"..."

The entire venue froze when Gray answered the question.

"F...Five thousand?"

Gray nodded casually.

"Yeah."

The silence lasted exactly one second before the employee’s reaction exploded.

"WHAT?!"

"FIVE THOUSAND?!"

"BOSS!"

"IS HE SERIOUS?!"

"THAT’S A MONTH OF MY SALARY!"

"I think Mr. Gray just woke everyone up."

The host nearly laughed herself off the stage.

A few tables away, employees had already begun discussing what they would do if they won.

"I’m buying a new phone."

"I’m paying my bills."

"I’m immediately taking a vacation."

The conversation only became more chaotic with the money in their minds. Even some of the suppliers were laughing as they listened to the employees talking.

At Conrad’s table, Lily’s eyes were practically sparkling.

"Was brother Gray that rich sister?" She glanced to the side and looked at Selina, who was smiling at the crowd.

When Selina heard her, she immediately smiled at Lily and chuckled.

"Your brother is just generous, Lily. And that money comes from everyone’s hardwork." She gently answered her.

"Ohhhh..." Lily slowly moved her head up and down to that.

The atmosphere throughout the venue had become completely relaxed by now. Employees who normally only interacted during work were now talking and joking together. Seeing that everyone had settled in after the raffle announcement, the host smiled and tapped the microphone again.

"Alright, everyone." The crowd gradually quieted down.

"Now that we’ve confirmed all of you are only here for the raffle money..."

"WE ARE!"

The immediate response made the host laugh.

"Good. At least you’re honest."

Laughter spread throughout the hall again.

"Let’s move on to our first performance of the evening!"

A few surprised murmurs spread through the venue.

"Performance?"

"We have performances?"

"Who volunteered?"

Gray also raised a brow. That was news to him. He immediately looked toward Mara, who immediately looked away at him.

Gray narrowed his eyes. "..What did you do?"

"I didn’t do anything."

"That’s a lie."

"It’ll be funny. Don’t worry." Mara assured him.

On stage, the host grinned. "Actually, this next performance was kept secret from Mr. Gray."

The spotlight immediately landed on Gray, and the employees laughed at it.

"So please give a warm welcome to a group of employees who worked very hard to prepare this surprise!"

The lights dimmed, and a loud and trendy music began playing. As the song played, several male employees stood up suddenly and walked onto the stage.

The moment Gray saw who they were, he froze.

"..."

"..."

Joel was also there, along with a few people who were familiar to him. They all look nervous except for Joel, who even had the guts to confidently wave at everyone.

The group stopped at the center of the stage and the music suddenly changed. A dramatic beat echoed through the speakers, and the employees exchanged looks before they simultaneously removed their outer jackets.

SWISH!

The crowd exploded.

"WOOOOOO!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

"WHAT IS THIS?!"

Underneath, every single one of them was wearing the exact same custom shirt. Across the front was a large printed photo of Gray. It was a very unfortunate photo when he had first taken over the store.

The photo was huge and terrible. The words underneath made it even worse.

BEST BOSS

(MOST OF THE TIME)

The venue completely lost control.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"WHO MADE THAT SHIRT?!"

"LOOK AT HIS FACE!"

Even Conrad was laughing when he saw it. Selina immediately covered her mouth as her shoulders shook. Lily and Eli were also laughing so hard.

"Hahahahaha!"

"BROTHER!"

"YOU LOOK SO WEIRD!"

"..." Gray stared at the stage in horror. Beside him, Mara was laughing so hard she couldn’t even speak.

"You approved this."

"I absolutely approved this."

Gray pinched the bridge of his nose.Meanwhile, Joel proudly pointed toward the shirt.

"Boss!"

"Do you like it?!"

The crowd immediately waited for his answer.

Gray stared at the giant photo of his own awkward face, then he laughed.

"What kind of question is that?"

The employees burst into laughter again.

The music suddenly picked up. And before Gray could ask what they were planning next, the group on stage started moving.

They moved not professionally, not gracefully, and also definitely not in sync. They wiggled their own bodies as they rhythm of the music changed from bubbly to flirty. It was the kind of song that immediately made everyone realize what the performers were trying to do.

"Oh no..." Gray already knew this wasn’t going to end well.

On stage, Joel confidently stepped forward, then he attempted what was clearly supposed to be a smooth and sexy dance move.

The key word was attempted because unfortunately, Joel moved with all the flexibility of a square. His shoulders seayed to the side, but his hips couldn’t follow. The result looked less like dancing and more like a man trying to do a robotic dance.

The people beside him was no even better. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"JOEL!"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

"HE’S TRYING HIS BEST!"

Even the host had stepped away from the stage because he was laughing too hard.