Week 18 - Friday
Friday afternoon. The closing was almost anticlimactic after the negotiation. They met at a small, slightly dingy business broker's office downtown that Jono had insisted on using ("My guy, knows his stuff," Jono had claimed, though the 'guy' seemed barely competent). Lease transfer documents, bill of sale, asset lists (mostly consisting of 'used equipment - as is'). Theo scanned everything quickly, his legal experience from the bank giving him an edge in spotting potential loopholes (there were few, the agreement was basic).
He handed over the cashier's check for $38,000 drawn from his new credit union account. Watching that much capital transfer out, nearly two-thirds of his entire net worth, still caused a knot to form in his stomach, but he pushed the fear down. Calculated investment. Jono snatched the check almost before it left Theo's fingers, his eyes gleaming.
Signatures were exchanged. Then, the broker handed Theo a small, greasy keychain holding two keys, one for the front door, one for the back. The keys felt heavy, real, symbols of ownership and responsibility.
"Alright man, she's all yours!" Jono said, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet, already halfway to the door. "Good luck! I'm off to finally launch my real business!" He was gone before Theo could even reply.
Theo stood there for a moment, keys dangling from his fingers. He looked at the signed documents. Theodore Sterling, proprietor, Maria's Charcoal Chicken. It felt surreal. He owned a business. A failing neighborhood chicken shop. He walked out of the broker's office into the busy afternoon street. He didn't feel elation, not yet. Just the heavy weight of the task ahead, and the cool, secret confidence of the power he held, ready to transform this neglected corner into the foundation of his empire. Phase one was complete. Phase two – the enhancement and relaunch – was about to begin.
Week 18 – Saturday & Sunday
Saturday morning arrived not with the anxious energy of research or the paranoia of covering tracks, but with the sharp, focused purpose of tangible action. Theo drove to the chicken shop before sunrise, parking his car down the street out of habit, though the need for extreme anonymity felt slightly lessened now that he was the legitimate owner. He let himself in with the newly acquired keys, the click of the lock echoing in the quiet, slightly stale air of the small space.
His first act was practical, symbolic. He unrolled a large piece of poster board he'd bought, uncapped a thick black marker, and wrote in clear, block letters: CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS - UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT - RE-OPENING SOON! He taped it firmly to the inside of the glass front door, facing out, a clear signal of change, buying him time.
Then, he truly surveyed his domain. With the harsh morning light filtering through the grimy windows, the neglect Jono had allowed felt even more pronounced. Layers of grease coated the ventilation hood above the fryers, the stainless steel surfaces were smudged and dull, the linoleum floor near the fryer station was indeed cracked and lifting dangerously, and a persistent faint smell of old oil hung in the air. One of the overhead fluorescent lights flickered intermittently, casting jerky shadows. It wasn't a disaster zone, but it needed work, deep, thorough, immediate work, before he could even think about relaunching.
Rolling up the sleeves of his nondescript work shirt, Theo began. This wasn't about enhancing yet, this was about baseline restoration. He spent Saturday systematically dismantling what he could of the fryer and rotisserie surfaces for cleaning access, scrubbing away layers of grime with heavy-duty degreaser, his muscles quickly aching from the unaccustomed labour. He found a box of basic tools Jono had left behind – a wrench, some screwdrivers. He picked up a worn-looking scraper, intending to tackle some caked-on residue. He paused, looking at the tool, then at the greasy surface. A quick test. Scraper. +1 Sharpness/Durability. Ping. (Charge 1/10). He applied the scraper. It bit into the hardened grease with satisfying efficiency, peeling it away far easier than an ordinary scraper would have. A small smile touched his lips. Even mundane tasks are easier.
Sunday was dedicated to arranging repairs and further cleaning. He patched the worst of the cracked floor tiles himself with a quick-set compound. He replaced the flickering fluorescent tube. He spent hours on the phone, scheduling a professional hood cleaning service for early next week ("Yes, it's under new management," he found himself saying, the words feeling both strange and definitive) and arranging a brief visit from a handyman to look at a leaky faucet in the back prep sink. He bought paint for touch-ups, more industrial-strength cleaning supplies, heavy-duty trash bags.
By Sunday evening, the shop didn't look transformed, but it looked… better. Cleaner. More organized. Ready for the real work to begin. He stood in the centre of the quiet space, the scent of degreaser sharp in the air, keys heavy in his pocket. The task felt enormous, but the path was clear. Enhance the tools. Perfect the process. Relaunch. Profit. It was the most grounded, tangible plan he'd had yet.
Theodore Sterling - Financial Ledger (End of Week 18)
Starting Balance (Beginning Week 17): $59,545.00 (Carried over from End of Week 16)
Income (Weeks 17 & 18):
No Sales/Income Generating Activity: +$0.00
Total Income:+$0.00
Expenses (Weeks 17 & 18):
Rent Paid (Week 17): -$450.00
Living Expenses (Week 17): -$500.00
Rent Paid (Week 18): -$450.00
Living Expenses (Week 18): -$500.00
Business Acquisition (Maria's Charcoal Chicken): -$38,000.00
Closing Costs (Broker/Notary/Fees Est.): -$500.00
Initial Repairs/Prep Supplies & Services (Est.): -$850.00
Total Expenses:-$41,250.00
Net Change (Weeks 17 & 18): +$0.00 (Income) - $41,250.00 (Expenses) = -$41,250.00
Ending Balance (End of Sunday, Week 18):$18,295.00
Assets:Maria's Charcoal Chicken (Business Purchase Price): $38,000.00
Status: Successful Acquisition & Prep Initiated. Theo completed strategic analysis and acquired 'Maria's Charcoal Chicken' for $38k + closing costs. Spent initial weekend on essential cleaning and arranging minor repairs ($850 est.). Capital reserves significantly depleted to ~$18.3k but now possess first tangible business asset valued at purchase price. Validated 'Tool Enhancement' strategy provides clear path for revitalization. Confirmed low risk from Nvidia investigation fallout. Maintained contact with Sarah. Next steps involve completing prep work, permanently enhancing key equipment (rotisserie, fryer), potentially hiring staff, and planning the operational relaunch under the new model. Immediate focus shifts from research to hands-on business turnaround.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Hi All, thanks for reading and hope you are all enjoying the story.
I'm hoping the novel gets a bit more traction this week, please vote some power stones! I'll try and increase the release speed if the novel gets a bigger audience!
Help leave a review, or comments on how you think the story is going. In particular how the +1 could be used by Theo in smarter ways to achieve what he wants. Would love to see all the great ideas people can think of! It would be great to incorporate people's idea into the novel.
Please add to your library. When it hits 300 collections, I'll upload an extra full chapter (so 4+ parts) to celebrate. Chapters start getting bigger and bigger as more things happen.
Finally, a lot of advanced chapters are already available on patreon. If you want to read ahead, please join my patreon, it would really mean a lot to authors like me. Thanks everyone.
www.patreon.com/coffeetimewriting