"No problem!" she smiled. "She's clearly got potential. Looks like you're building a good little team there, Theo. Unexpected, but good." She took another sip of wine, her expression turning slightly more serious. "So, besides dodging bad reviews and training new staff... how are things really going?"
He paused, swirling the wine in his glass. "Did some digging based on your hunch about competitors." He let a small, cold smile touch his lips. "Let's just say… 'Something Fishy' seems very likely to have been involved. Found some interesting coincidences." He didn't elaborate on his methods or findings, just hinted. "Still working out the… appropriate response."
Sarah watched him, her expression unreadable for a moment. "Theo," she said quietly, "just… be careful, okay? Getting into petty business feuds rarely ends well. Focus on your own success." There was a note of genuine concern in her voice that surprised him.
"Don't worry," Theo said smoothly, the cold smile returning briefly. "My responses are always… proportionate."
They finished dinner, the conversation shifting back to lighter topics. When they returned to the chicken shop just over an hour later, the main rush had subsided. The shop was still busy, but Henry, Olivia, and Jenny were managing it smoothly, working together efficiently. Henry gave Theo a tired but triumphant grin as they walked in.
"All good, boss!" Henry reported. "Got slammed for about forty minutes straight, but we kept up!"
Theo felt a surge of pride. Henry had passed the test. He was ready.
Week 24 - Sunday
Sunday night. After another incredibly busy day (hitting 198 chicken sales and 140 desserts), Theo reviewed the week's finances. His cash balance was climbing rapidly, now comfortably over $50k again, even after accounting for the upcoming camera installation cost Sarah had quoted. The chicken shop was a reliable engine.
Before finally packing up his own laptop for the night, driven by a cold curiosity, Theo pulled up the Google reviews for 'Something Fishy'. His usual detached analysis sharpened into predatory focus. He scrolled past the suspiciously generic five-star reviews from the previous weeks and stopped. There they were. Three new reviews, all posted within the last 48 hours, clustered since Friday evening. All scathing. All one star.
⭐☆☆☆☆ "Oil tasted OFF today! Fish was greasy and had a weird aftertaste. Used to be okay, but won't be back."
⭐☆☆☆☆ "Something wrong with their freezer? My fish was partially frozen in the middle! Gross! Avoid!"
⭐☆☆☆☆ "Then my chips tasted like burnt oil. Absolute disaster today."
A slow, chillingly genuine smile spread across Theo's face in the dim light of his apartment. The words were music to his ears. Perfect. Predictable. The timed enhancements had detonated exactly as planned, precisely when they would cause maximum disruption. The +1 Quality on the old fryer oil wearing off mid-rush, revealing its rancid reality. The +1 Efficiency on the freezer compressor likely causing over-freezing, followed by potential thawing issues after its automatic reversal, especially if the owner had panicked and adjusted the thermostat down. Each subtle, line-of-sight strike, deployed invisibly earlier in the week, had landed perfectly, creating precisely the kind of operational chaos and customer misery he'd intended. Phase one of his retribution was a resounding success.
This initial victory didn't quench his thirst. It merely confirmed the efficacy of his methods and sharpened his appetite for the main course. Revenge wasn't just about causing temporary inconvenience anymore. It was about acquisition. Why settle for merely punishing the fool who attacked him when he could seize the spoils of war?
You wanted my business? Theo thought again, the vindictive satisfaction tasting sweet and cold. You poked the bear, now you deal with the consequences. I'm not just going to make you bleed. I'm going to dismantle you.
Phase two would be a campaign of sustained, unpredictable pressure. He could hit the fryer oil again next week, maybe time it for a Thursday this time. The water main still seemed to hold out, but if he enhanced and un-enhanced it a couple more times, even the best pipes can only take so much battering. He eagerly anticipated reports of potential plumbing failures. What next? He could always find new and innovate ways to test his enhance and un-enhance with, there will definitely be other "options" available. Theo had all the time in the world and would keep the pressure piling up relentlessly on "Something Fishy".
He envisioned the owner, trapped in a spiral of escalating stress, inexplicable malfunctions, dwindling customers, and mounting repair bills. He pictured the man's initial smugness curdling into paranoia, then desperation. Theo would watch the online reviews, monitor the decline like a vulture circling its prey, waiting patiently for the inevitable 'Business For Sale' sign, likely advertised at a fire-sale price.
And Theo would be ready. Maybe use a shell company, maybe a proxy buyer, details to be determined later. Acquire the failing business, the location, the equipment, for a song. Then? Install permanent +1 enhancements on everything that mattered. Maybe even offer the broken, bankrupt former owner a minimum-wage job cleaning the fryers, just for the sheer, exquisite cruelty of it. 'Something Fishy' would be reborn under his control, an efficient, profitable counterpart to Maria's. Chicken and Fish & Chips, side-by-side, optimized, dominating the local takeaway market. Two reliable cash cows.
You tried to sabotage me, Theo addressed the absent owner in his thoughts, the smile hardening into a predatory grin. Instead, you're going to unwittingly finance my next stage of expansion. It felt beautifully, ruthlessly elegant. He finally closed his laptop, the raw anger now channelled into a cold, patient, long-term strategy of destruction and acquisition. The climb required leveraging every advantage, and crushing those who dared stand in his way was simply part of the process.
Theodore Sterling - Financial Ledger (End of Week 24)
Starting Balance (Beginning Week 24): $44,161.00 (Carried over from End of Week 23)
Income (Week 24):
Mon Sales (Est. 143 C + 81 D): +$2936.00
Tues Sales (Est. 141 C + 83 D): +$2920.00
Wed Sales (Est. 137 C + 76 D): +$2800.00
Thurs Sales (Est. 147 C + 88 D): +$3056.00
Fri Sales (Est. 189 C + 112 D): +$3920.00
Sat Sales (Est. 192 C + 110 D): +$3952.00
Sun Sales (Est. 198 C + 100 D): +$4128.00
Total Income (Week 24):+$23,712.00
Expenses (Week 24):
Personal Rent Paid (Week 24): -$450.00
Personal Living Expenses (Week 24): -$500.00
Business Lease Payment (Week 24): -$700.00
Food Stock/Supplies (Est. based on ~1147 C + ~660 D orders at 30% of revenue): -$5000.00
Shop Utilities (Est. @ $175/wk): -$175.00
Wages - Henry (Full week + 20% Bonus): -$840.00
Wages - Olivia (Full week + 20% Bonus): -$840.00
Wages - Jenny (Part-time ~25hrs + 20% Bonus): -$300.00
Misc Shop Expenses (Fees, Cleaning Supplies etc. Est.): -$150.00
Provision for Estimated Taxes (Est. @ ~30% of Profit): ~$4403.00
Dinner with Sarah (Camera Consult): -$80.00 (Estimate)
Total Expenses:-$13,438.00
Net Change (Week 24): +$23,712.00 (Income) - $13,438.00 (Expenses) = +$10,274.00
Ending Balance (End of Sunday, Week 24):$54,435.00
Assets:
Maria's Charcoal Chicken (Business Purchase Price): $38,000.00
Status: Revenge Initiated & Operations Delegated. Successfully discovered line-of-sight power activation and confirmed holistic nature of +1. Executed subtle sabotage campaign against rival shop 'Something Fishy' using timed +1/Un-Enhance on key equipment. Successfully trialled Henry in quasi-manager role; promotion pending. Olivia managing social media; Jenny showing initiative and growth. Coordinated security camera installation (Ring system) with Sarah for next week. Shop maintaining high sales volume and profitability (~$10.3k net gain). Financial reserves rebuilt to ~$54.4k cash + business asset. Focus now on formalizing Henry's role, installing security, monitoring revenge effects + potential to acquire, and continuing strategic planning for next venture.
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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.
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