John smiled, feeling a renewed sense of determination. Suddenly, a plain prompt appeared in front of John with words forming on it in slanting letters later on, a deep mechanical voice cracked in his mind.
[ The Host has to cancel the idea of selling the store. The system is aware of the Host's current situation and there should be no worry. Please, retain the store. Special reward loading...]
John kept staring at the prompt, and a moment of silence came over him. Grace wondered what had happened to John. Actually, you couldn't tell that there had been an active discussion.
Suddenly, the prompt changed the information.
[ The reward is in its final stages. The Host will have to remain patient.]
After the prompt faded away, John came back to reality with a smiling face. "Oh...I can't wait!"
Grace furrowed her eyebrows. "What's up, John? What's crazy? What are you staring at or visualising?"
John chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh, nothing much. Just had a funny thought."
Grace crossed her arms, still curious. "Come on, spill it. What's making you so happy all of a sudden?"
John grinned, trying to dodge the question. "Just thinking about some good times, Grace. You know how it is."
Grace laughed, not buying it. "Sure, but you looked like you saw a ghost. Or maybe won the lottery?"
John winked at her. "Something like that. Maybe I'm just imagining how great the store could be."
Grace rolled her eyes playfully. "Alright, Mr. Secretive. Keep your mysteries then. Sure! You have to be honest enough."
John laughed. "You'll find out soon enough. Let's just say the future's looking bright."
Grace shook her head, smiling. "You're impossible, John. You're my boss and I really have my interest to work for you for more and more years."
Just as John was pondering what the reward could be, a notification popped up on his phone. Anxiously, he browsed through the phone. It was a normal message notification.
Opening the message, John couldn't believe his eyes. The message read: {Confirmed. You have received $1 billion. Family Bank Account. New Bank Account balance...}
"Finally! Finally... It's done! It has come. What a big prize!" John said, kissing his phone. In fact, John could not bother looking at his bank account balance. He was overjoyed by the message of the $1 billion that he had waited for some time to reflect.
Grace remained in the dark. "What is it, Mr. John? Kindly share with me the good news. Don't remain so personal to your able store manager."
John smirked. "Nah... Don't worry about it. It's no big deal... My prize has reflected. I was almost doubting that I could have been scammed. But indeed, the money is settled in my account at the moment."
"Wow! That's incredible to hear from you, boss. Okay, calm down. Indeed I am also happy. Let's plan for it right away."
John chuckled. "Wait... I need just to meditate on the sharp drifts and overtaking competitors on that racing day. Actually, it was not easy for me at all."
Grace couldn't control John's mood of joy. She browsed over her phone. "Wow... I have the clips." She clicked over the gallery TikTok where she had saved the clips for the tournament.
"Amazing...! Is this you, boss? Which one are you among these?"
Grace began making some jokes, pointing out some of the funniest moments. John laughed heartily. "You know, I had to wear my lucky socks for that race. It's all in the socks!"
Grace giggled. "Lucky socks, huh? Maybe I should get a pair for the store!"
John smirked. "Oh, definitely. And don't forget the matching lucky hat."
Grace laughed, showing John another clip. "Look at this one! You almost fell off!"
John's eyes widened in mock horror. "I knew that turn was tricky! But hey, a little drama keeps things interesting. Look at those crazy racing skills..."
Grace shook her head, still laughing. "You really are something, John. Always full of surprises."
John nodded. "And there's more where that came from. But seriously, let's talk about expanding the store."
Grace's expression turned serious. "Yes, we should. There's so much potential. We need to leverage our brand better."
John leaned in, interested. "What do you suggest?"
Grace pulled out her phone, showing a marketing plan she had been working on. "We can start with a rebranding campaign. New logo, new look. We can attract a younger crowd."
John nodded. "Sounds good. What about online presence?"
Grace smiled. "I've got that covered. We need a stronger social media presence. Influencers, targeted ads, and maybe even a YouTube channel."
John raised an eyebrow. "A YouTube channel? What would we post?"
Grace grinned. "Behind-the-scenes of the store, product reviews, customer stories. People love seeing the human side of businesses."
John looked impressed. "You've really thought this through."
Grace nodded. "Absolutely. And we should think about partnerships. Local events, collaborations with other stores. It's all about visibility."
John felt a surge of excitement. "I knew hiring you was the best decision. You've got the vision."
Grace blushed slightly. "Thank you, John. But it's a team effort. We can do this together."
John smiled warmly. "Agreed. Together, we can make this store something special."
Just as they were discussing, John asked for a glass of cold water. Grace hurriedly got John a glass of water.
As he drank the water, something rang in his mind with a hard mechanical voice. Suddenly, a prompt projected in front of him that highlighted the message.
[Congratulations! The Host has been rewarded with a mansion to the southern part of Greenland, 100 kilometres from the city. It's located on the highway to Crystal City.]
Suddenly, Grace observed John lost in deep thoughts, staring at something that raised a lot of concern.
"John? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost again," Grace asked, her tone laced with worry.
John snapped out of his reverie. "Oh, I'm fine. Just... processing something."
Grace raised an eyebrow. "Processing what? Another mysterious message from the universe?"
John laughed. "You could say that. But it's good news, I promise."
Grace leaned in, curious. "Well, don't keep me in suspense. Spill it!"
John took a deep breath. "Alright, since you're persistent let me inform you that I am planning to have a place to call my home or my mansion."
Grace's eyes widened in shock. "A mansion? Are you serious?"
John nodded, grinning. "Dead serious. It should be in the southern part of Greenland, on the way to Crystal City."
Grace shook her head in amazement. "John, that's incredible. You know that's the place meant for the rich people like...?"
John shrugged. "Let's just say it's a mix of good luck and hard work. Nothing short cut..."
Grace smiled. "Well, you deserve it. But we still have a store to run and expand."
John nodded, his mind racing with possibilities. "Yes, and with these new resources, we can make it even better."
Grace looked determined. "Absolutely. Let's get to work. We'll make this store the best in Huruma and the entire Greenland City."
John smiled, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. With Grace's support and his mysterious system, he nodded. Another notification popped up from the system with its usual mechanical sound cracking in John's mind.
[ The Host has to be informed that the mansion was accompanied with the gift. The Host has to accept the gift or ignore it.]
Indeed John was stunned for a moment. ' A gift? Is it really a gift! Nah...I don't have to worry about it. I will take what will come. System,I accept the gift.'
[Congratulations! The Host has earned a Rolls Royce La Rose road star car as a gift accompanying the mansion reward from the System.]
' Wow...! Rolls Royce...am I in a dream?' John couldn't believe it. He pinched on his skin to confirm whether he was dreaming or not. Grace remained calm and busy cleaning utensils on the sink.
Actually, after confirming it was true, John remembered something.' I don't know how to drive a car....even though I have never touched the steering. How will I go about it or attend the driving school?
[Ding! The Host driving skills protocol processing...! Kindly the Host has to remain calm for the skills to merge in him.]
John wondered thoughtfully, ' How? Okay let me remain calm.'
[The Host special driving skills protocol activated successfully. The Host is currently merging with the driving skills...10%...36%...58%...65%...70%...85%...90%...100%. DONE!]