Semua Bab The Secret Billionaire in Aisle 9 : Bab 21 - Bab 30

Brenda tugged her jacket closed as the wind whipped through the empty parking lot outside BuyMore. The Halloween event had officially wrapped, and the glittering energy of the day had faded into the hum of streetlights and a few stray candy wrappers drifting across the asphalt.Her feet ached in the boots she'd worn all day—the kind that screamed statement piece but whispered poor life choices with every step. Her wig was off, stuffed haphazardly into a tote bag, but her “Pretty Woman” ensemble remained unmistakable. The red blazer. The fitted mini. The thigh-high boots.She looked like someone who was either heading to a costume contest… or walking into trouble.She sighed and began the long, chilly walk to the bus stop, arms folded tightly around herself. The bus wouldn’t be there for another fifteen minutes, but the idea of sitting on the cold bench in this outfit made her skin crawl.The sound of a car engine slowed behind her.She gl

Callie had been working at BuyMore long enough to know when something—or someone—was changing.Eli had always been curious. Annoyingly so, at first. He’d asked too many questions during his first week, most of which were tinged with that awkward but weirdly endearing optimism that grated on her nerves. But lately, his questions had shifted.They were no longer about where to find the extra receipt paper or how to process a return with no barcode. Now, he was asking about the schedule board. About who decided who got which shift. About how long the ladder in Aisle 9 had been taped together with duct tape and hope.He was quieter about it now, too. More observant. More deliberate.Callie noticed.She always noticed.“You’re staring again,” Brenda said one afternoon from behind the returns counter, popping a stick of gum into her mouth.“I’m not staring,” Callie muttered.“You’ve been staring since he started reorg

A week passed in a blur of mismatched inventory, shipping delays, and the slow creep of Christmas music playing on loop. BuyMore had officially made the jump from Halloween chaos to holiday prep madness, and with it came longer shifts, overworked temp hires, and enough glitter to permanently mark the floor of aisle six.Brenda had kept her head down.She joked when needed, smiled when expected, and dodged Marcus whenever possible—not obviously, not dramatically, just... enough.Enough to keep things from getting too quiet between them.Enough to keep the edges of something unsaid from bleeding into their daily routines.And it had worked.Sort of.Until Friday night.The kind of shift that stretches long and thin, where the last customer walks out ten minutes after closing and the cleanup feels like it’ll never end. One of the seasonal associates had knocked over a display of discounted humidifiers. Another forg

The next morning, Callie woke up with the same buzzing energy that had carried her through the day before—but it had soured overnight into anxious anticipation. The kind that wrapped around her stomach like an over-tight belt and made her coffee taste like cardboard.She stared at her phone screen while brushing her teeth, willing a notification to appear.Nothing.By the time she got to BuyMore, the usual rhythms had returned. The floor was back to its semi-scuffed self, Brenda was sipping sludge again, and someone had managed to spill powdered creamer all over the breakroom counter like a sugar bomb had gone off.“Back to the beautiful chaos,” Naomi said as she walked by with an armful of hanging signs. “You hear anything?”Callie shook her head. “Not yet.”“Well, fingers crossed. If they don’t promote you, I’m quitting and starting a commune.”Callie raised an eyebrow. “A commune?”“Yeah. No hierarchy. Just v

Callie hadn’t expected things to feel different after the audit—but they did.It wasn’t just the lifted tension in the store. The whole team walked lighter now. Naomi actually whistled while restocking the seasonal aisle. Marcus replaced his ironic apron with a plain black one. Even Brenda smiled, twice, which felt suspicious.But the biggest shift?Eli.Ever since the surprise HQ visit, something had subtly changed between them. He still cracked jokes, still pretended not to understand basic barcode functions, but his attention was more focused now. His teasing had softened at the edges. And when she caught him watching her, there was something else there—something quiet and intent.Maybe it was the way he’d spoken up for her during the team meeting.Maybe it was the way he’d waited for her in the office afterward, name tag in hand.Or maybe—it was the way her heart had fluttered when he told her, I believe in you.