Chapter 400: The End Of The Event

"No way!"

"Are you serious?!"

"That’s really the grand prize?!"

"Yup, you heard me correctly," The host nodded proudly.

"This year’s grand prize winner will receive a brand-new motorcycle and $5000 on top of that."

With the confirmation, the cheering just became more deafening. Those who have won earlier were now regretting, because once you’ve won, you can’t win again.

So those who have not won anything were now praying dearly right now.

"Now let’s see..."

The crowd watched in silence as the host slowly pulled out a ticket.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The suspense lasted for a few seconds. The host laughed at it before finally opening the ticket.

"And the grand prize winner is..."

He opened the paper and mentioned the name out loud. The crowd went silence before a loud scream erupted from somewhere near the back.

"THAT’S ME!"

The entire crowd went to that person’s direction. The guy quickly jumped out of his seat and his friends quickly surrounded him with congratulations. The employee was from the first branch. He looked as if he was about to cry while being pushed toward the stage.

The host handed over the ceremonial key while photographers captured the very moment. The applause continued for nearly an entire minute. After several photos, the host finally returned to center stage.

"Let’s hear a few words from our grand winner!"

The crowd immediately cheered for it.

"WOOOOO!"

"Speech!"

"Don’t forget us now that you’ve won!"

The grand prize winner looked completely overwhelmed. The poor employee was still staring at the ceremonial key in his hands. Several coworkers in the front chuckled at it.

The host handed him the microphone and the employee looked in daze as he accepted it.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The entire venue waited for the man. Finally, after realizing that they were all waiting, he swallowed his fear away and cleared his throat.

"I... honestly wasn’t expecting this. I came here to eat..."

"Instead, I’m leaving with a motorcycle and even cash."

"I don’t really know what to say." The employee rubbed the back of his neck that made the people laugh.

"But thank you." The man’s voice became more sincere.

"Thank you to the company."

"Thank you to our dear executives and sponsors."

"And thank you to Sir Gray for letting me win!"

The crowd chuckled at it, but the employee was still not done. He looked towards his employees and smiled.

"And to my team..." He pointed toward their table.

"If any of you suddenly become very friendly tomorrow, I already know why."

The people in his table laughed at it.

"Seriously though, thank you everyone. This has been an amazing year and this is definitely a night I’ll never forget."

The venue erupted into applause. Finally, the host shook the winner’s hand before escorting him back toward his table.

The moment he returned, he was immediately surrounded by coworkers who practically dragged him into dozens of photos.

The atmosphere inside the ballroom remained lively for several more minutes before the Host had to step in to end the event. The host gave a brief look to everyone before putting his mic near his mouth.

"Before we officially end tonight’s celebration, there is one final person who would like to say a few words." The giant screen behind him changed and immediately, the employees began clapping to show their respect.

Because they already knew who it was.

"Please welcome our dearest guest for tonight, Mr. Conrad."

The old man slowly walked up the stage while he took the initiative to hand shake a few exeutives in front. The executives seemed pleased by it.

"Good evening, everyone." The old man’s voice greeted everyone’s ears.

"Good evening, Sir!" The crowd immediately responded.

"First of all, congratulations to all of tonight’s award recipients and to all of our raffle winners."

"When I look around this room tonight, I don’t just see employees. I see people who worked hard every single day and people who contributed to every success you’ve all achieved this year."

"I know that business numbers, sales, and growth are all important. But still, at the end of the day, none of those things happen without people." His gaze slowly swept across the ballroom.

"I also want to congratulate Gray for such a successful event."

Gray was thankful to have such man giving a speech to his employees. He hoped that his employees will be more determined to work harder with it.

"Thank you for your hard work and keep up, everyone."

With the final line, the host quickly returned to the stage.

"One more round of applause for Mr. Conrad Everett!"

Conrad eaved a hand to everyone hefore returning to his seat. Selina smiled warmly at him while Lily and Eli praised the man in amusement.

"And now, before everyone leaves..." The host pointed toward the front of the stage. "Let’s have a company photo with everyone involved."

Within minutes, hundreds of employees began gathering in front of the stage. All the important people in the room also stood up to go to the front of the stage. And Gray... he somehow found himself in the middle as his workers pushed him.

"Sir, center!"

"Center!"

"Boss, you can’t hide!"

Once everyone was in position, the official photgrapher for the night raised his hand and began counting. "Everybody look here!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

Flash!

The entire company was captured in a single photograph. They took a few more shot ewith a few different poses.

After that, the host returned to the microphone for the final time that night.

"Tonight wasn’t just about prizes and the rewards. It was about celebrating everything you’ve all achieved together throughout the years. On behalf of management, our partners, our suppliers, and everyone who helped organize tonight, thank you."

"Thank you, everyone. Have a safe trip home and Enjoy the rest of your evening." Music began playing through the speakers once more, but this time it was mellow and soft.

With the end of the event, the people made their way to Gray to personally said their gratitude to him. It was a heart-warming moment, not only for Gray but also to everyone who attended the event.

= = =

A/N: Thank you to those who are still reading this novel! New things will now start at the next few Chapters.

Shout out to Ali_Rajabali_6124, Terry_Smoot, ebonysmith12, Eric_Chow_0264, vezval, shawn_vandyke, Randompander, JungleDan. Thank you for dropping Golden Tickets for the last few weeks!