He used his newfound 'free time' on Friday for another visit to 'Something Fishy'. He needed fresh intel. He arrived during the late lunch period. The shop was noticeably emptier than his own at the same time. The owner stood behind the counter, looking older, more haggard than just a week ago. His eyes were bloodshot, shoulders slumped.
Theo ordered fish and chips again, adopting a sympathetic expression. "Hey man, me again. Just checking in. How's things? Any better this week?"
The owner sighed heavily, leaning on the counter, momentarily forgetting customer service. "Better? It’s a goddamn nightmare!" he burst out, his voice raspy with stress. "It's like the place is cursed! Freezer went haywire again, lost a whole case of cod! Fryer oil goes bad randomly out of nowhere, literally had customers spitting out food! Had to dump it all and close, half a day’s business gone just like that. Then earlier this week, water pipe bursts out back! Major flooding, had the whole damn area roped off! Had to close the entire day yesterday to get it sorted and back up and running just earlier today. Losing money hand over fist, customers complaining non-stop… I swear, I'm this close," he held his thumb and forefinger millimetres apart, "this close to just walking away. Bankruptcy is starting to look appealing." He sounded utterly defeated.
Theo listened intently, his face fixed in a mask of careful commiseration, nodding sympathetically at the litany of woes. Cursed equipment? Bad luck? A humorless, internal sneer curled his lip. No, you miserable bastard. That wasn't bad luck hitting you from every angle. That was precision engineering. That was cause and effect, delivered invisibly, timed perfectly. He vividly pictured this same man, likely hunched over a keyboard weeks ago, gleefully typing out those poisonous, fabricated reviews, the lies about rats, the claims of rancid oil, specifically designed to cripple Maria's before it could regain its footing, before Theo could succeed.
Normally, Theo thought, the cold satisfaction hardening into something sharp edged and dangerous within him, I wouldn't bother with this level of… targeted disruption. Business is business. You compete, you win or you lose based on quality and execution, though my +1 ability does give me an unfair advantage. But that’s life, get your own super powers if you don’t like it. He met the owner’s miserable, slightly panicked gaze, his own eyes carefully neutral, betraying nothing of the icy contempt churning inside. But you didn't compete fairly. You went straight for sabotage. You tried to kneecap me right out of the gate, tried to destroy my reputation with outright lies because you couldn't handle the pressure of legitimate competition.
That forced my hand. The justification felt clean, righteous even, in the cold calculus of his mind. You don't get to launch an unprovoked attack and expect your opponent to play by the rules you yourself discarded. Maybe I'm not a 'nice' person when cornered. I don't play nice with hyenas who try to tear down something I'm building. You wanted to play dirty? Fine. But my game is smarter, subtler, and far more effective. He felt a surge of adrenaline, the thrill of control, of payback. Don't ever mess with me. You started this war, and I intend to finish it, on my terms. Bankruptcy wasn't just a consequence. It was the objective.
"Man, that's brutal," Theo said, shaking his head with faux sympathy. "Really sorry to hear it. Hope things turn around for you." He paid for his (likely mediocre) food, his mind already leaping ahead. Almost time.
Week 25 - Saturday
Saturday. Theo spent part of the day remotely monitoring the shop via the Ring app. He watched Henry expertly handle a large catering inquiry over the phone, saw Olivia charm a group of noisy teenagers into adding desserts to their order, observed Jenny calmly manage both fryer baskets during a surge. Peace of mind settled over him. He trusted them. The cameras were there as a backstop, a security measure, but he no longer felt the compulsive need to watch every second. He spent the afternoon researching business brokers and commercial property lawyers, anticipating he may need them next week…
Week 25 - Sunday
Sunday night. Another strong weekend finish for Maria's, consistently high sales, smooth operations. Theo arrived just before closing to help with the final cleanup and review the week's numbers with Henry. The shop was undeniably a success, generating substantial, reliable profit.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
After Henry, Olivia, and Jenny left, Theo sat alone in the quiet shop, the smell of cooked chicken and clean surfaces mingling. He pulled up the online reviews for 'Something Fishy'. It was a graveyard. More one-star reviews, complaints about closures, bad food, weird noises. A local community Facebook group had a post actively warning people away.
Checkmate, Theo thought, a slow, cold smile spreading across his face. The owner was broken. It was only a matter of time before the 'For Sale' sign went up, likely advertising a desperate, bargain-basement price.
He opened a new document on his laptop, titling it: "Project Neptune - Something Fishy Acquisition & Optimization Plan." He started sketching out the steps:
- Monitor for sale listing / Make discreet inquiry via proxy/broker.
- Negotiate rock-bottom price leveraging owner's desperation.
- Acquire assets (lease, equipment).
- Immediate shutdown for "Major Renovation."
- Gut and deep clean. Repair essential non-enhanceable infrastructure (plumbing, electrics as needed).
- Permanently +1 Enhance core equipment (fryers, freezers, POS, ventilation).
- Rebrand Required – Something Fishy’s brand is completely dead now, whatever good will they had would have been destroyed in the last couple of weeks
- Develop simple, high-quality fish & chips menu.
- Hire new, competent staff – potentially leverage Henry, Olivia or Jenny.
- Relaunch.
He looked at the plan. Acquiring his rival, optimizing the operation with his power, turning it into another cash cow right next to Maria's… it felt inevitable now. Ruthless, perhaps, but entirely justified in his mind as proportionate retribution and smart business.
As he mapped out the potential financials, his thoughts drifted briefly to Sarah. Her sharp mind, her marketing savvy, her tech skills… they'd be invaluable assets as he scaled. Running one shop was manageable with Henry stepping up. Running two? Three? Expanding into different types of businesses needing process optimization? That required a different level of support. He needed someone smart, reliable, and ideally, someone who wouldn't ask too many questions about how his 'optimized' businesses achieved such consistent, market-beating results. Sarah wasn't ready to jump from Meta yet, but he needed to keep cultivating that connection, find the right, compelling opportunity to eventually bring her into the fold, under his terms. Her skills were too valuable to leave untapped in his climb towards the billion-dollar summit. The foundation was laid. Now, it was time to build the empire, one optimized asset, one calculated act of revenge, at a time.
Theodore Sterling - Financial Ledger (End of Week 25)
- Starting Balance (Beginning Week 25): $53,754.00 (Carried over from End of Week 24)
- Income (Week 25):
- Chicken Sales (1200 Units @ $16 avg): +$19,200.00
- Dessert Sales (700 Units @ $8 avg): +$5,600.00
- Total Income (Week 25): +$24,800.00
- Expenses (Week 25):
- Personal Rent Paid (Week 25): -$450.00
- Personal Living Expenses (Week 25): -$500.00
- Business Lease Payment (Week 25): -$700.00
- Food Stock/Supplies (Est.): -$5500.00
- Shop Utilities (Est.): -$250.00
- Wages - Henry (Mgr Rate: 70hrs @ $25): -$1750.00
- Wages - Olivia (New Rate: 70hrs @ $20): -$1400.00
- Wages - Jenny (New Rate: 70hrs @ $20): -$1400.00
- Security Camera System Purchase & Install (Est.): -$600.00 (Paid this week)
- Misc Shop Expenses (Fees, etc.): -$250.00
- Provision for Estimated Taxes (Est. @ ~30% of Profit): ~$4000.00
- Provision for 5% profit share (Est. @ ~30% of Profit after tax): ~$478
- Total Expenses: -$16,678.00
- Net Change (Week 25): +$24,800.00 (Income) - $16,678.00 (Expenses) = +$8,122.00
- Ending Balance (End of Sunday, Week 25): $61,876.00 ($53,754.00 + $8,122.00 = $61,876.00)
- Assets:
- Maria's Charcoal Chicken (Business Purchase Price): $38,000.00
- Avg weekly income - $24,800.00
- Avg weekly expenses - $15,728.00
- Avg weekly profit - $9,072
- Moving forward, we will just use Avg weekly profit for Maria’s as Theo’s focus moves to other ventures
Status: Transition Complete, Revenge Succeeding. Security cameras successfully installed and team briefed. Theo successfully tested team's autonomy by taking a full day off, operation ran smoothly under Henry. New pay structure implemented. Olivia handling social media basics well. Jenny showing strong initiative and growth. Continued subtle sabotage campaign against 'Something Fishy' showing clear negative impact on rival business. Acquisition planning underway. Shop maintaining high profitability (~$9k net gain). Financial reserves rebuilt to ~$61.9k cash + business asset. Theo fully transitioning to oversight role for chicken shop, freeing up focus for revenge endgame and planning next major venture.