"Alright. I’ll handle this." Gray sighed heavily and rubbed his temples.
He turned again to his visitors and looked at them apologetically.
"I’m sorry. I’ll return. I just need to make so calls."
"Sure, Boss!" The five answered in unison.
Gray excused himself from Ro and the four n with a quick nod before stepping a few paces away. He went to the corner where there were no people around. He pulled out his phone and dialed Jet2.
The line got picked up after a few seconds.
"Hello, Sir. How may I help you?" Ron’s voice ca through on the other end.
"Ron, we’ve got a problem," Gray muttered in a low voice. He looked to his left and right to see if there were soone near him. When he checked that there was none, his face had gotten more serious.
"Several online orders just got cancelled. Again. Because there were no riders available. We encountered that six tis today. Custors are also starting to leave 1-star reviews on our shop because of that problem. If this keeps up, people won’t trust our online service."
"Oh no, Sir. That’s bad." Ron’s tone sobered instantly. "Do you want to check with our partnered riders to see what the problem was?"
"Yes." Gray’s voice was laced with frustration.
Ron didn’t waste a second. The sound of keyboard clicking echoed on the call.
"I checked with our partnered riders, Sir. But..." Ron hesitated for a mont, as though he was choosing his words carefully.
"Since your store is located in a very dense residential area, the rider pool is already stretched thin. There simply aren’t enough to keep up with the demand. That’s why the cancellations are piling up."
"So you’re telling this is going to keep happening?" Gray’s jaw tightened.
"I’m afraid so, Sir," Ron said apologetically. "I’ll forward the issue to higher managent so they can review it. I’m really sorry about this."
Gray exhaled sharply through his nose. He pinched the bridge of his nose as his head pounded. He was trying his best to calm his frustration.
’Forward to higher managent?’
Gray knew that it could take days, even weeks. By then, their montum would’ve already died.
Their store was just new, so any negative review could impact them a lot.
"Ron," Gray said firmly, after a mont of silence. "Can’t we solve this? Even a temporary solution?"
On the other end of the line, Ron hesitated again for a mont.
"With our current system, no, Sir. Unless..." He paused. "Unless you’re willing to handle delivery independently. Technically, the contract allows stores to employ their own drivers if they choose, but... that would be a hassle. You’d need to sort out logistics, pay them, and maybe even cover insurance. Most stores won’t bother."
Gray stared at the empty wall in front of him, his thoughts racing. Most stores didn’t bother.
But most stores weren’t his.
"No," Gray muttered, shaking his head. His tone hardened even more, leaving no room for debate. If that was the only way, then he would do it.
"We’ll do it. Send the details. Forward everything I need to make that possible. As soon as possible."
There was silence on the line for a second. Then Ron’s voice ca back. He was surprised but obedient.
"Understood, Sir. I’ll send the requirents right away and notify the higher-ups about your decision. They’ll definitely be surprised."
"Let them be surprised." Gray’s voice was calm now, but it still had a hint of coldness to it.
"I’m not letting this store fail because we couldn’t deliver a bag of groceries on ti."
"Yes, Sir." Ron’s tone beca more understanding. "I’ll take care of it imdiately."
Gray lowered the phone and let out a long breath; his knuckles had beco pale from how tightly he’d been gripping his phone.
’Damn... this is hard.’
Gray’s forehead ford a straight line.
He had to think of his mission.
And now, he also got to think about how to find drivers as soon as possible.
It wasn’t going to be easy, but he’d already made his choice. It was the only thing they could do now.
’I should talk to Jet2’s higher-ups next ti. I can’t just let that happen for a long ti." Gray shook his head.
He will wait for Ron’s answer. If they wouldn’t be able to do it, then he would go and talk to the higher ups directly.
Gray ended the call with Ron. He exhaled slowly as he pocketed his phone. His brows were still furrowed. He barely noticed when Joel approached. The man was standing a few steps away with a questioning look.
"Boss?" Joel asked carefully. "Is everything alright?"
Gray looked at him but didn’t imdiately answer. Still, Joel could read it from his expression. Sothing was definitely wrong.
Behind Joel, the five n followed him. One of them, the taller guy with a shaved head, nudged Joel’s arm slightly. He didn’t want to ask Gray directly since he looked like he was in a bad mood.
"Oi, what’s with the boss? He looks like he’s having a bad problem."
Joel glanced over his shoulder, debating for a second. Then he gave a small sigh.
"So online orders keep getting cancelled because there aren’t enough riders to handle all the deliveries in this area."
The four thugs exchanged looks before one of them let out a low whistle.
"That’s it?"
Joel blinked in disbelief.
"...What do you an, that’s it? It’s a big problem. Custors are already leaving bad reviews."
"Yeah, but... that sounds like sothing we can help with," another thug spoke up, scratching the back of his head. "Not all of us are exactly busy these days. So of the boys know how to ride. Motorcycles, scooters, even bikes if needed."
The tallest one grinned, showing a chipped tooth.
"Hell, I used to deliver stuff years ago like food, packages, whatever. I know the drill. If it’s just about getting things from here to there fast, that’s easy work."
Joel’s brows knitted together as he studied them. Their voices carried so much confidence and he could sense genuine intent underneath.
"You guys are serious?" Joel asked, still a little skeptical.
"Of course we’re serious," the first one said, crossing his arms. "Boss Gray already helped Ro when no one else would. If he’s got a problem, we can at least lend a hand. Ain’t that right?"
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