That Friday, Theo decided he wanted a break, away from the hustle and bustle of his home and Maria’s to clear his mind and help relax. He then deliberately left his apartment early, driving not towards the shop, but towards a state park about an hour outside the city. He needed the physical distance to resist the temptation to interfere or monitor obsessively.
He spent the day hiking, the scent of pine needles and damp earth a welcome change from charcoal smoke and fryer oil. He forced himself to focus on the physical exertion, the natural surroundings, pushing thoughts of the shop, of revenge plots, of System upgrades, to the back of his mind. It was surprisingly difficult. The instinct to control, to monitor, was deeply ingrained. But he needed to know if the business could survive, thrive, even, without his constant presence. It was crucial for his long-term plans.
Around 1pm, there was a call on his phone, worried it was from Henry about to advise him of some catastrophe, Theo glanced at the caller ID on his phone – Mr. Parker, the sharp, discreet business broker whose firm he’d engaged earlier in the week through 'Plus One Investments LLC'. He felt a flicker of anticipation, silencing the notifications from the Ring camera app showing routine activity at Maria's. He answered, keeping his voice level, professional. "Mr. Parker, Theo Sterling speaking." (He used his real name with the professionals he hired directly, relying on the LLC structure and their discretion for anonymity in the actual transaction).
"Mr. Sterling, good afternoon," Parker's voice was smooth, clipped, conveying efficiency. "Calling with an update regarding the preliminary inquiry into the takeaway establishment, 'Something Fishy'."
"Appreciate the call," Theo replied. "Any progress?"
"Progress, yes. And predictability," Parker said dryly. "We made contact with the proprietor, Mr. Davies (Theo mentally filed away the owner's name, Davies = Sabotage Bastard!). As anticipated from your initial assessment and the public records of declining business health, not to mention the recent utility emergencies flagged in local reports, the gentleman is clearly experiencing significant operational distress." Parker paused for effect. "In layman's terms, he's circling the drain."
Theo felt a cold smile touch his lips but kept his voice neutral. "And his response to our initial feeler? The twenty five thousand offer for assets and lease assumption?"
Parker chuckled, a dry, humourless sound. "Predictably indignant. Lots of bluster about 'established brand goodwill,' the 'potential of the location,' how much his equipment is 'really worth'. Classic seller's denial when facing reality." He cleared his throat. "He countered at sixty thousand."
"$60k?" Theo echoed, letting a touch of calculated disbelief enter his voice, though internally he wasn't surprised by the inflated figure. "For a business that was forced to close due to burst pipes only a couple of days ago and is haemorrhaging customers according to online reviews?"
"Precisely," Parker affirmed. "It's an emotional anchor price, completely detached from the current market value or operational state. More importantly, Mr. Sterling, our discreet inquiries suggest there are currently no other serious parties expressing interest. No competing offers on the table. He’s bluffing into a void."
"So, what's our next move?" Theo asked, genuinely interested in the broker's strategic recommendation. "Counter slightly higher? Hold firm?"
"Neither," Parker stated decisively. "My strong recommendation, based on situations like this, is tactical withdrawal. We formally retract the initial $25k offer immediately. Cite 're-evaluation based on recent operational failures and apparent instability' as the reason. Then? We wait."
Theo processed this. "Withdraw completely? Won't that signal lack of interest?"
"Quite the opposite," Parker explained, his voice taking on a slightly predatory edge that Theo found deeply satisfying. "It signals we're not desperate, we recognize the distressed nature of the asset, and we won't be drawn into unrealistic negotiations. Right now, Mr. Davies thinks he has leverage because he received an offer, any offer. By withdrawing, we remove that psychological crutch. Given his financial situation, the lack of other buyers, and the ongoing operational headaches you… ah… predicted might continue, the pressure on him will mount exponentially. Let him stew for a week, maybe two. Let him face the silence, the bills piling up. I'd wager heavily he'll be the one re-initiating contact, likely through his broker if he has one, with a figure dramatically closer to our initial assessment, perhaps even lower."
Theo felt a surge of admiration for the broker's cold-blooded strategy. It perfectly mirrored his own ruthless approach. "Maximum leverage through calculated inaction," Theo murmured, appreciating the elegance.
"Precisely," Parker confirmed. "Now, Mr. Sterling, I think it would be prudent for us to meet briefly early next week to discuss the finer points of this strategy and prepare for his inevitable counter-proposal once the pressure cooker does its work. Are you available to stop by my office downtown Monday afternoon?"
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"Monday afternoon works," Theo confirmed immediately. "Send me the details."
"Excellent. I look forward to it." Parker hung up.
Theo lowered the phone, a slow, predatory grin spreading across his face. Parker was worth every penny of his retainer. Withdraw. Wait. Let the owner sweat, let the business bleed out from the thousand cuts Theo had inflicted. Then, swoop in for the kill at a bargain price. It was perfect. Utterly ruthless, and perfectly aligned with his plan.
Week 26 – Sunday
Sunday night. Theo sat in his apartment, the newly delivered, high-quality block plane resting heavy and cool on the desk beside his laptop. His research into luthiery tools had confirmed the potential, but it would involve a lot of legwork getting in touch with relevant experts, to them establish trust and get them to test his tools. It would require significant effort and time, something that Theo didn’t necessarily have at the moment. He parked the idea into his backlog, choosing instead to focus on the one piece of unfinished business that remained.
He pulled up the Google reviews for 'Something Fishy'. The trickle of one-star reviews from the previous week had become a flood.
?☆☆☆☆ “CLOSED?? Went by Friday night, sign just says ‘Closed due to emergency’. What emergency? Place has been terrible lately anyway.”
?☆☆☆☆ “AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Finally got food poisoning after eating their greasy fish last week. Health dept needs to investigate.” (Likely fake, but damaging).
?☆☆☆☆ “Owner was yelling at staff when I went in Wednesday. Seemed totally stressed out. Food took forever and was barely warm.”
?☆☆☆☆ “Reduced hours again? This place is obviously going under. Good riddance.”
Theo read them with a feeling of icy finality. The sabotage campaign, the timed equipment failures, the rancid oil surprise, the general disruption, had achieved its objective even faster than he'd anticipated. The owner was clearly broken, the business crippled. The 'For Sale' sign felt imminent.
He opened the document he’d created last week: " Project Neptune - Something Fishy Acquisition & Optimization Plan." His fingers flew across the keyboard, adding details, refining the steps. Contact broker Monday morning, emphasize the closure, the likely health code issues from the (alleged) flood, the cratered reputation. Instruct broker to make an even lower offer than initially planned, sheer opportunism. Aim to acquire assets and lease for less than $25k, maybe even $20k if the owner was truly desperate to escape mounting debts.
He sketched out the turnaround plan again: Gut. Clean. Permanently enhance fryers, freezers, ventilation, POS. Simple, high-quality fish and chips menu, learn from Maria's focus. Rebrand completely, 'Something Fishy' was toxic. Hire fresh staff, maybe shift Olivia or Jenny over to help out initially? Launch with a targeted marketing campaign (he’d consult Sarah again, maybe formally hire her this time?).
He looked at the plan, then at his current bank balance projected for the end of this week. Even after payroll and expenses, the chicken shop's steady profit was rebuilding his capital nicely. Acquiring the fish shop, even with renovation costs, was now well within reach.
His thoughts turned briefly to Sarah again. Her skills were undeniable. Running two shops, planning for other ventures after that… he would need someone like her eventually. Someone sharp, reliable, tech-savvy, marketing-aware. Someone who, ideally, didn't ask too many questions about the source of his consistent 'luck' and 'optimization' successes. Cultivating that connection, finding the right high-potential project that genuinely aligned with her interests (beyond pro-bono help for chicken)… that was becoming a key strategic objective.
A cold, predatory smile touched Theo’s lips. Everything was falling into place. One venture stabilized and delegated, generating reliable cash flow. His primary competitor neutralized and ripe for acquisition. A promising new high-margin venture identified for development, though on the backlog for now. The System remained a mystery, but his core +1 power, now wielded with line-of-sight precision and the strategic option of Un-Enhance, felt more potent than ever. The climb was accelerating.
Theodore Sterling - Financial Ledger (End of Week 26)
- Starting Balance (Beginning Week 26): $61,876.00 (Carried over from End of Week 25)
- Income (Week 26):
- Maria's Charcoal Chicken (Avg Weekly Profit): +$9,072.00 (Using Avg Figure as per note)
- Additional staff hired will be balanced out by selling more, will keep $9072 profit margin for simplicity
- Total Income: +$9,072.00
- Maria's Charcoal Chicken (Avg Weekly Profit): +$9,072.00 (Using Avg Figure as per note)
- Expenses (Week 26):
- Personal Rent Paid (Week 26): -$450.00
- Personal Living Expenses (Week 26): -$500.00
- Luthier Block Plane (Research): -$180.00 (Added)
- Shell Company Setup (LLC Filing Fee Est.): -$100.00 (Added)
- Business Broker Retainer/Consult (Est.): -$500.00 (Added)
- (Note: Shop expenses like Lease, Utilities, Wages, Supplies, Tax Provision are now factored into the Avg Weekly Profit figure)
- Total Personal/New Venture Expenses: -$1730.00
- Net Change (Week 26): +$9,072.00 (Income) - $1730.00 (Expenses) = +$7,342.00
- Ending Balance (End of Sunday, Week 26): $69,218.00 ($61,876.00 + $7,342.00 = $69,218.00)
- Assets:
- Maria's Charcoal Chicken (Business Purchase Price): $38,000.00
Status: Oversight Transition Successful, Acquisition Imminent. Theo successfully transitioned to an oversight role for Maria's, with Henry effectively managing daily operations. Team functioning well autonomously; hiring process delegated. Security cameras installed. Continued sabotage resulted in competitor 'Something Fishy' closing temporarily; acquisition process initiated via lawyer/broker using shell LLC. Theo actively researching next venture (artisan tools) and purchased first item for experimentation. Financial reserves growing steadily from shop profits (~$9k/wk avg), ending week at ~$69.2k cash + business asset. Focus now on executing 'Something Fishy' acquisition at lowest possible price while developing the next high-margin venture.