Future Plans

"What are you doing, guys?" Ashley asked with an awkward expression as she saw her mom hugging Alex.

Staring at her mother and Alex embracing each other intrepidly in the store, made her feel somehow gawky. It was something anyone would feel uncomfortable to see.

However, she quickly understood that her mom needed emotional help just like her, so she tried to keep her cool, and she recalled that nothing was happening between her and Alex.

"I felt a little depressed, and I asked him for a hug" Mary glanced back at the source of this girlish nice voice, and she found her daughter Alshely!

Mary was flying off the handle inside, her heart was pounding like crazy, not with happiness and love this time, but from apprehension and nervousness. However, she kept her cool to make things look less suspicious,

And she succeeded to do that, in spite of Ashley caught her hugging with Alex, who was the same age as her.

"Are you okay, m-mom?" Seeing tears rolling down Mary's rosy cheeks, Ashley asked with a concerned tone.

Ashley was still feeling uneasy talking with her mom. Today was her first day talking with her a lot in a long time, still she tried her best to be more affectionate with her mom after learning her life past hardships.

Alex was stunned by Ashley's abrupt appearance as well, but he stayed quiet as Mary took the initiative to talk with Ashley, and explain what was happening.

"I'm fine now" Mary wiped the joy tears with her fingers, and a smile beamed on her beautiful rosy face again.

After wiping her tears, she broke the hug as she began feeling embarrassed. Mary was feeling so uncomfortable with her daughter around, but she kept her smile.

"How are you doing?" Mary turned her attention to Ashely.

In the past, they rarely talked with each other, despite having a mom daughter relationship. What Mary's grandmother falsely told Ashley, made her hate her, and avoid her with all cost.

But everything started changing hastily, and their relationship was slowly building up stronger, as both of them needed each other.

"I–I'm okay now" Ashley averted her gaze from her mom with an embarrassed expression.

Ashley was truly ashamed of the despise feelings she had for her own angel-like mother.

Mary nodded with a sweet, delightful smile and then returned her attention to her surroundings.

She was thrilled to develop a great, lovely relationship with Ashley, but for now, she didn't want to put more spotlight, and more pressure on her as she could feel that she was feeling unease with her.

"The apron really looks so good on you" Mary clasped both hands near her chest as her gaze landed on Alex.

"Oh, thanks" Alex smiled gorgeously back at Mary.

Despite having good looks since the beginning, he wasn't used to be praised or complimented at all.

Mary nodded her head, and started looking for something to do, as there weren't any customers inside yet. Instead of just standing there silently, she began checking her store.

"Woah! A $100, that's great!" Mary exclaimed in surprise as she found a $100 on the money cashier case.

She picked it up with her fingers, and showed it to Alex with a very excited face.

'If I know she would react like this, I would have put another $100 there' Alex chuckled as he stared at the happy Mary.

Alex had $400 on him, which was a lot of money for a broke college student like him. However, he felt so good after giving Mary a hundred.

From her reaction, just 100 dollars was a big deal. Still, it was understandable as she was in debt.

"How did you earn it? Were there any clients earlier?" Mary eyes glistened in happiness, and she couldn't contain herself from asking Alex some questions.

"Do you remember the two girls that came earlier? It was from them" Alex uttered with a calm voice, still his heart was flattered as he looked at the overjoyed woman.

He couldn't tell her that he was the one who placed it there, since she would refuse it, and forcibly return it to him. Also, both of the girls, Linda and Menina paid using a credit card, not with cash.

Besides, their groceries were just some drinks and snacks, which didn't excid 20 dollars.

"Oh! I remember now..." Mary's beautiful face suddenly flushed, as she recalled what she was doing when the two gals were here.

Instead of serving her customers, she was serving her man, which was of course much better. It was slightly courageous and vulgar for her to suck Alex's cock under the cashier, while he was working.

"You're doing so great for your first day! I rarely collect a hundred bucks a day!" Mary smile got even bigger as he held the money bill in her hands as if she was holding her baby.

"Thanks, boss" Alex nodded with a smile.

Unlike outside, he was feeling sad and slightly depressed inside, Mary was going through a lot of financial troubles, and urgently needed help. However, he couldn't think of a way to attract more customers to her store, no matter how he tried.

"Are you going to start working here for real?" Ashley finally spoke, as she glanced at Alex with a curious, shy expression.

Even Mary ponded as her daughter asked such a question. She also looked at him with anxious, curious face. She still felt like this was all a dream, and none of this happy moments really happened.

Meeting Alex and developing feelings for his happened in the speed of light, and somehow that made her reconsider the realness of all this.

"Of course! I am already hired right?, boss" Alex eyes looked so serious as he playfully uttered.

Even for him, everything happened so fast, but still he was slowly adapting to those incredible changes in his life.

Both Mary and Alshely sighed in relief, Alex was someone who was super important to both of them

However, Ashley wasn't his woman yet, nor she had any affectionate moments with him yet, but with his charming, and kind personality, she couldn't help but feel so attracted to him. She even considered him as the most precious person in her life, even above her mom.

"Yes, of course, but I'm sorry we don't have much work to do" Mary smiled awkwardly.

Having low numbers of clients every day, made a low profit income daily. However, that didn't stop the determined Mary from continuing her work.

"I will take this opportunity to clean quickly" Mary took a nearby broom, and went to give the store a quick clean.

Leaving only Ashley and Alex there. As there were nothing to do, Alex decided to get more into Ashley reclusive life.

"Where do you live? Are you guys renting an apartment nearly?" Alex glanced at Ashley, who was distantly standing from him.

However, after hearing his question, she closed herself a little to be able to hear everything more clearly as they talked.

"Huh? You don't know? We actually live here in the store..." Ashley uttered with a complicated expression.

She thought her mom told Alex's about this, but it turned out to be not the case.

Having almost no money to rent even a small apartment, Mary couldn't help but just to live with her daughter miserly inside her only property.

"What!? Seriously?" Surprise was all over Alex's handsome face.

He couldn't believe that both girls were living inside their store. It was possible, but so unusual. Hearing that, made Alex more aware of their financial serious problems.

"Yes, that's my room" Ashley pointed at the room she always goes to.

As someone who went through bullying almost all her life for being unprivileged and fatherless. Ashley was somehow ashamed of telling Alex about those things, but kept answering his questions, as he was no longer a stranger.

"How long have been living in the store?" Alex's heart pounded in saddens, but kept an expressionless face, so he doesn't make Ashley more uneasy if he let out his emotions.

"Hmm, for over a month now, my mom bought this store for a month now. It just a store, but it's really much better than the previous tiny apartment we rented" Ashley waved her hand in front of her to Alex, telling him that everything was alright with living here.

Alex nodded with a calm expression as a response. After hearing what she awkwardly uttered, he was seriously thinking of a way to make this store absolutely successful in a short period.

With silent roaming around them. Ashley left as well to help her mom out of awkwardness. She could tell that Alex was thinking of a way to help them, and she didn't want to stay, to avoid telling him more about their poor, miserable life.

With being in a deep thought, Alex didn't notice Ashley leaving, and remained pondering while fixing his gaze on the ground.

'How can you make a business successful?' Having no idea coming to his fresh business mind, he decided to ask a queen instead.

'Well, It depends on the type of business, but for a retail store like this, I think local marketing is the best way to attract more customers' Liza meaningfully uttered.

Alex didn't know how people lived in hell, but from Liza's dead reactions towards technology and advancement in earth, made him wonder if hell was advanced just like earth.

However, having no time to ask for such questions, Alex decided to continue investigating for ways to make Mary's store more popular in the area.

'Doesn't that need a chunk of money to do? I don'tthink it will successeded that way anyway as other big stores attracting all the customers' Alex responded to Liza's clever, yet impossible suggestion.

'Yes, but don't forget five beautiful looking people running this store, you could just put a physical advertisement in the store glass outside, while having your vampire-like face on it, and then boom! You would attract every female passes by' Liza giggled pridefully as she showed off her cleverness.

'That's a good idea. I will ask help from Anna tomorrow. By the way, we are only four, who is the fifth?' Alex asked curiously, after getting a general idea of what to do next.

There were only four people, who can be considered as workers; Alex, Mary, Anna, and Ashley.

'Hey! Don't forget about me! I'm the fifth' Liza yelled with her sweet voice, trying to get some credibility.

She was definitely a good contribution to the store, even though having no physical body, she was absolutely doing a good job assisting Alex every day.

'Yes, I'm sorry' Alex apologized with a faint smile. Liza was definitely a worker too, and deserved at least his acknowledgement.

With time passing so quickly, over an hour passed since Alex's helpful conversation with Liza, and it was time for him to leave for the house.

It was already 8pm, and Alex still didn't go to his house since the morning when he left at 8am. He couldn't spend more time, as his mom was definitely waiting for him to have dinner together.

"Are you leaving?" Mary asked as she saw Alex's slowly removing her green apron.

"Yes, but I will get back tomorrow morning" Alex uttered with a smile, as he handed the apron to Mary.

"Thanks for today! Take care" Despite her man leaving already, Mary was satisfied with the wholesome time he spent with her today.

"See you tomorrow, Ashley" Alex waved his hand at Mary, then at Ashley, who was still reordering the shelves, then left the store.

"I already miss you" Mary murmured in a very low voice, just under her breath as she watched Alex's back slowly moving away toward the exit.

"Me too!" Alex shouted without looking even back, making Mary frown in embarrassment.

With no time to ask him how could he heard her mummer. Mary went to the manager room. No, her room, after Alex exited the store.

Breeze stroke Alex's face after he opened the store glass doors. He took a few deep breaths, and proceed with walking toward his home.

"Hey! Your shift is down, give me your number now!"

Another soft, seductive voice rang in Alex's ears, and he swiftly turned around to look. As he could already tell, it belonged to... The astonishing gal, Linda...