The groundbreaking ceremony wrapped up after another round of handshakes and group photos.
The staff handed out water bottles and light snacks for everyone to munch on as they talked among themselves. However, so reporters chose to stay on the side and pester the Stoneworks director and Dante with a few follow-up questions.
When he found the opportunity, Gray slipped off to the side. He silently watched as the crowd slowly dispersed. The press still tried to snap last-minute photos of Conrad before he left, but his bodyguards quickly stepped in, creating enough space for the older man to walk toward his car.
"I’ll get going now, too, Gray," Selina followed him after a few minutes. She was wearing a sweet smile on her face.
"Take care, Selina." Gray also bid goodbye to her.
Selina gave Gray a small wave before quickly following her grandfather. When the two disappeared, the atmosphere around also loosened a little. Maybe because they weren’t that intimidated now by the aura of the Everetts.
Noticing that Gray was on the side, Mara slowly walked up to him. She smiled when their eyes t.
"That went well," Mara comnted as soon as she arrived next to him. She was sipping from her water bottle, "You spoke like you’ve been doing this all your life."
"Really?" Gray gave her a faint smirk. "It didn’t feel like that inside."
Mara chuckled at that. After a few monts, Joel joined them. He was still looking a little stiff, not really used to all the things he had experienced today.
"Boss, the pictures almost killed . I swear, if they use one of my awkward faces in the news, I’m never showing up again."
Mara and Gray laughed at that.
"Relax, Joel. You’ll be fine. Worst-case scenario, you’ll beco a ," Gray muttered at him teasingly.
Joel only groaned while Gray and Mara continued to laugh at him.
- - -
By the evening, the headlines started popping up all over social dia. It couldn’t be helped as the Everetts were a high figure in the business industry.
"Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for New Grocery Branch in the East District."
"Conrad Everett Shows Support for Community Growth."
"Gray Adams Leads Project Backed by Stoneworks."
One article after another covered the event. Pictures of Conrad standing beside Gray and Selina made their way online. The trio’s photos with shovels in hand beca the image plastered across most articles.
In so articles, Gray’s na was only ntioned briefly. In others, however, he was highlighted as the "young entrepreneur leading the big project."
The link between him and Conrad was emphasized again and again.
Scrolling through the news on his phone, Gray leaned back on the couch in his condo. Lily sat cross-legged beside him, peeking over his shoulder.
"Brother, the people really like your picture with Sister Selina," she pointed out in a teasing manner as she pointed it out on his phone, "Look! They even called you her ’partner!’"
Gray’s brow twitched at the word, but he didn’t comnt on it. He knew that Lily would just tease him further if he reacted. Instead, he swiped down to another article.
"Local Residents React Positively to the Upcoming New Branch."
Gray quickly opened it as he was intrigued by the title of the article.
The article was short but filled with quotes from people around the district. It seed like they did a short interview around the area earlier.
"It’ll be nice to have a new store here. The old ones are too crowded."
"I’m curious when it’ll open. Do they already have a date?"
"I saw Conrad Everett there in person. If soone like him is supporting it, then I’m confident this store will be good."
"I saw that the 1st branch of the store was doing good, so I’m expecting a lot from this one."
"I hope they don’t disappoint."
Gray read them quietly. There was a small sense of relief creeping in. He was relieved that the responses were warm and not skeptical. He had prepared himself for harsh criticism or dismissive comnts, but the comnts seed to be leaning toward excitent instead.
"This is good." Gray chuckled as he nodded. "The more interest, the better."
Still, even though he tried to sound calm, he couldn’t deny how strange it felt to see his own na beside Conrad’s in national headlines.
For soone who was only trying to fix one grocery branch months ago, the spotlight now seed to be growing brighter every day, without stopping.
- - -
The following morning, Gray woke up to an unusual number of notifications on his phone. His phone buzzed nonstop with emails piling up one after another.
When he arrived at his office, he sat at his desk with a cup of coffee, slowly scrolling through his inbox.
"Invitation: You’re invited for a community news interview."
"Request: Pri Daily Show—Live Guest Appearance."
"Proposal: Collab Feature with Business Channel."
"Local Radio Invite: Morning Talk."
One after another, invitations for interviews filled his screen. So ca from small, independent studios that focused on local viewership and social dia followings. However, others were from well-known dia outlets with millions of viewers.
"This is... a lot." Gray rubbed his temple.
Gray stared at the screen for a long mont. He almost thought that he was still dreaming. But he wasn’t.
It was the reality.
Gray leaned back in his chair. "What... did I even do to get this much?" he muttered under his breath.
It wasn’t like he had launched so invention or won a national award. All he did was stand beside Conrad at a groundbreaking ceremony, say a few decent words into a microphone, and shovel dirt for the caras.
That was it.
Yet now, he was staring at more interview requests than he had ever imagined possible.
The disbelief settled heavily on him the longer he looked.
"Damn... I’m not even a celebrity. I just run a grocery store," he muttered, almost laughing to himself.
But deep down, he knew the answer. It wasn’t about what he did today. It was about who he had been standing beside. Conrad Everett’s influence stretched far, and right now, Gray was affected by it, whether he wanted to be or not.
He scrolled through the emails again and read through them.
"Mr. Adams, we’d like to feature your journey as a businessman."
"Your words yesterday struck us deeply."
"Our viewers want to hear your side of the story."
"We want to know how Conrad Everett ca to know you."
Gray pressed the back of his head against his chair and exhaled. His disbelief was mixed with a slight feeling of unease.
"This is insane."
He dragged a hand down his face. He was tempted to shut his laptop and pretend it wasn’t happening. But he also knew that it was sothing he couldn’t escape.
In the middle of that, Mara walked in, holding a stack of papers. She spotted the open laptop on his desk and Gray’s current position. She instinctively raised her brows.
"Let guess. Interview requests?"
"Yeah..." Gray admitted, turning the screen toward her. "It has more than I expected."
Mara quickly walked to his side and stared at his laptop. She skimd through the list, then whistled softly.
"Whoa! Pri Daily Show? That’s national coverage, Gray! You know how many people watch that in the mornings?"
"Exactly," Gray muttered, leaning back in his chair. "That’s why it feels overwhelming."
Mara gave him a small grin. She wiggled her brows and gave the man a thumbs up.
"Congratulations. You’re officially newsworthy now."
Gray only sighed.
"Not sure if that’s sothing I should celebrate."
"Of course it is!" Mara insisted. "This is the kind of attention that builds reputation. People will see you as more than just ’the grocery guy.’ With Conrad backing you, it’s only natural for you to gain attention from others."
Gray frowned a little at that last part. He couldn’t deny the truth in her words, but part of him wondered if people were only looking at him because of Conrad.
Still, he knew better than to reject the opportunity outright. Publicity like this could strengthen his projects and attract more investors. It could also help the new branch take off faster than he ever expected.
He scrolled again. So emails were written too formally, others too casually, but all of them wanted the sa thing. His words, his image, and his story.
"Do I accept all of these?" he asked, half-joking.
Mara tilted her head, then smirked.
"Depends. Do you want to beco a celebrity overnight?"
"Definitely not."
"Oh what a pity. I thought you could be one"
Gray quickly shot her a glare.
Mara blinked innocently, feigning confusion. She smiled sweetly and asked, "What?"
"You’re enjoying this way too much." Gray pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Can you bla ?" Mara said before a grin appeared across her face. A laugh slipped out from her lips soon after.
"Who would have known that my friend would suddenly be drowning in interview invites? No one right? Co on, Gray. This is gold."
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