The next day.
The sun was already high in the sky.
Adam finally got out of bed lazily.
Stepping out of the guest room and into the living room, he saw Karen making breakfast.
Juno was sitting on the couch, sipping coffee. When she saw Adam, she teased, "Didn't you say you'd be ready in half an hour? What were you doing screaming all night?"
Adam's face turned slightly red, and he laughed awkwardly. "Plans never keep up with changes."
"Are you heading to the Sheldon house tonight?"
Juno didn't press further and smoothly changed the subject.
"Yeah."
Adam plopped down next to Juno, leaned back, and said casually, "I think I already know what it's about."
"They want you to invest?"
Juno had clearly thought of the same thing.
The Sheldon family's situation was something they often talked about, so she naturally knew that Sheldon's older brother, George Jr., had been trying to raise money to open his own business.
"That's probably it."
Adam nodded.
"What do you plan to do?"
Juno smiled.
"I'll probably agree."
Adam thought for a moment before saying, "First, because of Sheldon. Second, because I know George Jr.—he's got a good business mind and real talent for this. Investing in him shouldn't be a loss. But it depends on what kind of deal he's offering and how much funding he needs."
In America, not just between friends and siblings, but even between parents and children, financial matters were always kept clear and separate.
Adam was well aware that George Jr. would one day become the 'Tire King of Texas.' Investing in him was definitely a good deal. But did Adam really lack investment opportunities?
Even though it was only 1995, and Adam's knowledge only extended to 2020—and he had never been involved in investing before since that required spare capital—he was certainly familiar with tech giants like Apple, Google, and Amazon.
Two years ago, after setting aside enough cash for daily expenses, he invested all his remaining money in the stocks of these future tech giants.
Each year, as soon as he received royalties from *Lord of the Mysteries*, he would again set aside some cash and invest the rest into stocks.
He vaguely remembered that a stock market crash was bound to happen at some point, but he wasn't worried. He was in it for the long haul, and short-term fluctuations wouldn't affect his massive future gains.
These tech stocks were where the real money was. Compared to them, George Jr.'s tire business, despite being a solid physical industry, wouldn't even come close in profitability—even if he became the Tire King of Texas.
Besides, Adam still wasn't sure about George Jr.'s intentions. Mixing business with friendship was always tricky.
If things went south, their friendship could turn into a bitter rivalry.
While Adam wasn't too concerned about profits and mostly wanted to help George Jr. for Sheldon's sake, if George Jr. handled things poorly, Adam wouldn't hesitate to walk away.
"In that case, we won't come with you tonight."
Juno smiled. "That way, you can discuss business without distractions."
"Good idea."
Adam nodded.
George Jr. was a proud man, and he had also had a past entanglement with Veronica. The fact that he was reaching out for investment was somewhat surprising to Adam.
That Night
Adam arrived at the Cooper house alone, carrying a bottle of fine red wine.
"Welcome, welcome!"
Sheldon's mother, Mary, opened the door and warmly hugged Adam. "It's so good to see you."
"Same here."
Adam smiled.
"Come in, come in."
Mary stepped aside to let Adam in.
"Hey, George Jr. Hey, Veronica."
"Hey, Adam."
Now a married woman, Veronica greeted him with a charming smile and dimples.
"Hey, Adam."
George Jr.'s response was noticeably less enthusiastic, but after a nudge from his wife, he reluctantly greeted him.
"Wow! Fancy wine."
Missy walked over, took the bottle from Adam, and exclaimed, "Looks like *Lord of the Mysteries* really made you a fortune."
"Heh."
Adam glanced at her, thoughtful but silent.
They were all familiar with each other. Even though Sheldon had no interest in these family affairs and George Jr. was clearly reluctant, with Mary, Veronica, and Missy present, the dinner still had a pleasant atmosphere.
As expected, the conversation eventually shifted to George Jr.'s plan to open a business and his need for investment.
Missy chimed in, "George Jr. has a real talent for tires. He can find a leak without any testing—it's like magic."
"I know."
Adam understood the trick behind it, but he was willing to play along. He nodded in agreement. "That's a true tire doctor's skill. If you build the business around that and expand into a chain, the potential is huge. Forget the Tire King of Texas—you could be the Tire King of the world."
"Exactly!"
Veronica said excitedly. "That's our goal."
"Problem is…"
Missy's expression turned a little gloomy. "We're short on funds. If we keep saving at our current pace, it'll take at least five years to open our first store. Five years is too long—who knows, by then, cars might not even need tires anymore."
"Haha."
Adam chuckled. "How much do you need?"
"$200,000."
Missy and Veronica exchanged glances before stating a number that was neither too high nor too low.
George Jr., meanwhile, took a long swig of Lone Star beer, looking just like his father back in the day.
To be honest, George Jr. had initially been against asking Adam for investment.
He would rather work five more years or find another investor.
But raising money wasn't easy. He was young, and most potential investors either weren't interested or demanded too much in return. If he agreed to their terms, he'd essentially be working for them instead of running his own business.
Getting a bank loan wasn't an option either. He didn't want to risk the only house his family had as collateral. Even though he believed in himself, he wasn't reckless enough to bet everything on his first business attempt.
So, this investment plan had been in the works for a while but had made no progress.
Then, yesterday, Missy suggested asking Adam, and Veronica fully supported the idea.
George Jr. was outvoted and had no choice but to go along.
"Alright."
Adam had over a million in liquid assets, so taking out $200,000 wasn't a problem. It wouldn't impact him at all. "Are you looking for a loan, or do you want an investor?"
"An investor."
Missy smiled. "How about 40% of the business in exchange?"
"Let's make it 30%."
Adam smiled. "This business will depend on George Jr.'s management. I'm just putting up the money, so taking too big a share wouldn't be fair."
Hearing that, George Jr. glanced at Adam, a flicker of emotion in his eyes.
The other investors he had approached had demanded 70–90% ownership for the same amount, arguing that capital was the most important factor.
To them, without funding, George Jr.'s skills meant nothing.
Giving him 10–20% ownership was already generous in their eyes.
Yet Adam was only asking for 30%.
"Thank you."
Missy and Veronica were both grateful.
George Jr. was silent for a moment before raising his beer bottle.
Adam clinked his glass against it.
And just like that, the deal was sealed.
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