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Chapter Eighty-Six: The Interview List
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2025-07-31 08:00:58The email came through at exactly 6:43 a.m.
Eli was standing in his small apartment kitchen—technically a company-owned property hidden within a commercial complex, passed off as a modest unit for field training purposes—halfway through pouring himself a cup of coffee when his phone buzzed with that distinct chime.It was the encrypted line.The one only the board used.He stared at the screen for a second longer than necessary. Then set the coffee pot down and swiped to unlock.SUBJECT: EXECUTIVE NOTICE – STAFF EVALUATION INITIATIVE (SEI-3)FROM: Board of Directors – BuyMore Retail HoldingsTO: E.L.D. Whitaker, Acting CEOPRIORITY: HIGHDear Mr. Whitaker,As part of the current BuyMore Restructuring Initiative Phase III, the board has authorized an independent third-party review and interview cycle of all staff members across underperforming branches.Your assigned location—BuyMore Midtown Branch 27
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The Secret Billionaire in Aisle 9 Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Tough Interview
The conference room-turned-interview-hub was thick with tension, fluorescent lights humming overhead like an electrical warning. Marcus sat in one of the plastic chairs lined up along the wall, his left foot tapping a steady rhythm that had long passed soothing and drifted toward irritating.He glanced down the hallway where Naomi had disappeared nearly an hour ago. She hadn’t said much when she came back—just gave him a thumbs-up and mouthed something that looked like “weird questions.”Now, Ron was up next. The big guy had been muttering under his breath ever since he was called in. Brenda sat two chairs away, flipping through her phone, but Marcus could tell she wasn’t really reading anything. He wasn’t either. His mind was too full.The rumors had spread like spilled detergent across the store: corporate was conducting individual staff interviews. And not for performance evaluations. Not for training modules.This was about who would stay and
The Secret Billionaire in Aisle 9 Chapter Eighty-Six: The Interview List
The email came through at exactly 6:43 a.m.Eli was standing in his small apartment kitchen—technically a company-owned property hidden within a commercial complex, passed off as a modest unit for field training purposes—halfway through pouring himself a cup of coffee when his phone buzzed with that distinct chime.It was the encrypted line.The one only the board used.He stared at the screen for a second longer than necessary. Then set the coffee pot down and swiped to unlock.SUBJECT: EXECUTIVE NOTICE – STAFF EVALUATION INITIATIVE (SEI-3)FROM: Board of Directors – BuyMore Retail HoldingsTO: E.L.D. Whitaker, Acting CEOPRIORITY: HIGHDear Mr. Whitaker,As part of the current BuyMore Restructuring Initiative Phase III, the board has authorized an independent third-party review and interview cycle of all staff members across underperforming branches.Your assigned location—BuyMore Midtown Branch 27
The Secret Billionaire in Aisle 9 Chapter Eighty-Five: Just The Like Old Times
The BuyMore breakroom was louder than usual for a Thursday. Between Naomi humming a throwback pop song while decorating the whiteboard calendar and Ron from tech support bringing in donuts from the corner bakery, the usual early-morning lull had shifted into something lighter. Warmer. Almost cheerful. Brenda stirred her coffee slowly, eyes on the hallway beyond the breakroom’s open door. She hadn’t said a word in the last five minutes. Marcus, seated beside her with a donut halfway to his mouth, was the first to break the silence. “You’re staring.” Brenda didn’t flinch. “I’m observing.” “You’re sipping like a detective watching a prime suspect from behind a newspaper.” Brenda side-eyed him. “And?” Marcus smirked. “And I take it this has something to do with Callie and Eli?” Brenda finally looked at him fully, her smile just shy of triumphant. “You noticed too?”
The Secret Billionaire in Aisle 9 Chapter Eighty-Four: The Return of the Tag-Team
The early morning at BuyMore started the same way most mornings did—fluorescent lights buzzing, barcode scanners chirping, the murmur of sleepy customers trailing in with coffee cups and coupons clutched like lifelines. The rhythm had returned, more or less, since Elijah’s confession. The team still functioned. The store still operated. Shelves were stocked. Registers rang.But something was missing.Or, more accurately, something had changed.Callie kept her distance.Not cold, exactly—but definitely distant. Professional. Cordial. Efficient.She greeted Eli the same way she greeted every employee now, with a polite nod, a checklist, and little else. No lingering glances. No shared jokes. No teasing flick of her eyebrows. Just the business of running a store.Eli didn’t push.He showed up on time, completed his shift, followed instructions to the letter. The easy warmth he used to carry around her was now cautious, unce
The Secret Billionaire in Aisle 9 Chapter Eighty-Three: The Pitch
The elevator ride up to the 49th floor of the BuyMore headquarters was painfully slow.Elijah Dane Whitaker stood in silence, flanked by floor-to-ceiling glass and mirrored walls that reflected a version of himself he was barely holding together. His custom-cut charcoal suit felt stiffer than usual, and the stack of reports in his hands weighed heavier than the numbers printed on them.He didn’t glance at his reflection.He didn’t need to.He already knew what he’d see: a man who looked calm, professional, and ready. But underneath the tailored layers, Eli was a storm.Because this meeting wasn’t just about business.It was about people.His people.And the store he’d come to care about far more than he ever expected.Two days earlier, the final notice had landed on his desk.BuyMore’s internal finance team, along with their new risk advisors, had confirmed the early projections: due to sluggis
The Secret Billionaire in Aisle 9 Chapter Eighty-Two: Pressure Points
The days that followed Elijah’s confession bled together, each one weighed down with silence and repetition. Callie functioned like clockwork—opening the store, coordinating staff rotations, double-checking inventory numbers, and overseeing vendor check-ins. But the once-vibrant spark in her step had dulled, and everyone could tell.The atmosphere at BuyMore wasn’t tense—exactly—but it felt like something was missing. Conversations with Eli were strictly professional. She didn’t snap at him, didn’t ignore him, didn’t cause a scene. But the warmth? The light teasing and sly grins and shared glances that used to hover between them like sparks waiting to ignite?Gone.Replaced with formality.Controlled civility.Elijah didn’t push. And that, somehow, made it worse. Because every time she saw him quietly helping a customer, fixing a loose shelf bracket, or crouched by a pallet in the back unloading boxes, she remembered the thousand tiny way
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