Ashburn spent the second month moving back and forth between the second and third shop. The third one was still under construction, but he wanted to make sure every detail aligned with his plan. Every morning he visited the finished shops, checked the shelves, and used his quick evaluation skill to judge customer flow, product demand, and which items needed reinforcement. Some days he personally shifted entire cartons into a shop's back storage just because he didn't trust a lazy worker to handle it properly. Other days he drove across the city to meet small retailers who were testing his factory snacks.
Faraz accompanied him through most of these rounds. He was young, energetic, and had a sharp sense for the city's pulse. Together they walked through crowded streets, visited local chains, and studied how customers reacted to new products. Even a few seconds of Ashburn watching people entering and leaving a shop was enough for him to form a near-perfect prediction of that shop's sales patterns.
The city was growing on him. Every corner had movement. Every shop had its own noise. And every retailer had something to complain about—prices, competition, delays, customers demanding discounts. But Ashburn listened, observed, and adjusted. The more he saw the city, the more confident he became about his expansion strategy.
He visited three local retail chains in a week. Each one liked the samples but hesitated to commit. They always said the same thing—"We'll see how customers respond." In the meantime, Ashburn made sure the marketing team kept pushing. Posters went up across marketplaces. Small tasting events were arranged near the newly opened shop. Kids were given free snack packets. Shop owners got trial boxes. A few small restaurants even agreed to use Ashburn's products in their lunch deals.
It was tiring work. His days often stretched from early morning to nightfall. But the results slowly started showing. The city's shopkeepers now recognized him as "that factory owner from Ashrock." Some even called him directly when stock ran low. The visibility was growing, and he could feel real momentum forming.
One afternoon, after several days of visiting markets, he and Faraz stopped at a local chain supermarket called TownMart. The place was clean, modern, and always busy. Ashburn walked down the snack aisle and immediately spotted something useful: one brand's chips were selling out fast, leaving large empty gaps; another brand had oversupplied and barely moved.
He quietly smiled.
He went to the manager's office with Faraz, carrying two fresh samples.
The manager, a calm middle-aged man, tasted them, nodded, and asked some technical questions—production capacity, supply consistency, delivery timings, and whether Ashburn could handle large volume.
Ashburn answered without hesitation. His factory schedule, his current storage capacity, the vans allocated to Bhawal Nagar, the delivery cycle—everything. Faraz added a few points, explaining their cold storage placement and the delivery routes they were testing.
The manager leaned back and nodded slowly.
"If you can maintain the taste and supply the way you're saying," he said, "we need a good alternative brand right now. Let me talk to headquarters. This might work."
When they left the store, both Ashburn and Faraz felt something in the air had shifted. It wasn't guaranteed, but it was close.
Three days later, the phone rang in Ashburn's office.
Faraz picked up, turned to Ashburn, and mouthed silently, "TownMart."
Ashburn stood up immediately.
Faraz switched to speaker. "Yes, sir, we're listening."
The chain manager's voice came clear and steady.
"Congratulations. Headquarters has reviewed your products. They want to place an initial order across all stores. Total value: twenty million dollars. Delivery in two months. Can you handle it?"
Ashburn didn't even blink. "Yes. Absolutely."
When the call ended, Faraz let out a laugh and lightly hit his forehead with both hands. "Boss… twenty million! This is our first big chain order from this city. This will change everything."
Ashburn couldn't stop smiling. He felt a shake of excitement inside his chest but forced himself to stay composed. "This is just the start. If we deliver perfectly, more will follow."
Aisha entered just then, holding a clipboard full of expense sheets. She paused when she saw both of them looking like they had won a lottery.
"Okay… what happened now?"
Faraz practically jumped toward her. "We got a big order. A chain-wide order. Twenty million dollars!"
Aisha blinked at him, then turned to Ashburn for confirmation. "Are you serious?"
Ashburn nodded. "Two months delivery time. We'll need to reorganize schedules. Increase the transportation cycles. Add two more vans. Expand the storage. And push the factory to run in tighter shifts for a while."
Aisha's excitement slowly shifted into her accountant mindset. "We can do it," she said, flipping through her sheets. "But we need to manage resources carefully. The storage capacity will be tight. And fuel costs will jump."
Ashburn walked to the whiteboard and started sketching the immediate plan—how many units needed per week, which products would be prioritized, how Bhawal Nagar's storage would rotate stock, how Faraz's team would supervise quality checks.
Aisha took notes rapidly. Faraz kept nodding and adding small suggestions related to city logistics.
After a long discussion, everything finally started falling into place. It wasn't easy, but it was doable. And it felt monumental.
Aisha placed a hand on Ashburn's shoulder. "This is your city now," she said softly. "Your brand is going to be everywhere."
He breathed deeply, letting the satisfaction run through him.
"If this is what we achieved in just the second month," he said, "imagine what the eighth month will look like."
Faraz laughed again. "Don't worry, boss. We'll push through. This order will make our name in the whole district."
Aisha smiled warmly. "Then let's get to work."
Ashburn nodded, full of confidence, purpose, and ambition. The real expansion had begun.