Week 26 - Tuesday
Tuesday morning. With the decision made to pursue the acquisition (I'm coming for you 'Something Fishy'), Theo knew his first practical step was creating a legal shield, a buffer between Theodore Sterling and the potentially messy realities of aggressive business takeovers and future ventures. He couldn't just make offers in his own name, that created a trail, a connection he couldn't afford. And the bastard at 'Something Fishy' had tried to sabotage him earlier, so it would look weird if Theo came with a buy out offer… He needed a shell company, an anonymous Limited Liability Company (LLC) to act as the official entity.
He navigated to a reputable online legal services site, ready to file the paperwork. The crucial field blinked: 'Company Name'. He paused, fingers hovering over the keyboard. What name? It needed to sound legitimate, professional enough to interact with lawyers and brokers, but utterly untraceable back to him personally.
'Sterling Holdings LLC'? The thought was immediate, reflexive. His surname, projecting stability, ownership. He instantly recoiled. No. Too obvious. Far too easy to connect. Anyone digging even slightly would make the link. 'Theo Corp'? Even worse. Vain, amateurish, screamed 'sole proprietor trying to look bigger'. He needed anonymity above all else.
He considered generic corporate-speak names. 'Apex Asset Management'? 'Foundation Growth Partners'? 'Keystone Ventures'? They sounded plausible, forgettable, like countless other faceless entities shuffling money around. Safe. But… they felt hollow. Meaningless. This wasn't just any shell company, this was the foundation stone of his real empire, the entity through which he would leverage his unique advantage. Didn't it deserve a name that reflected that, even if only he understood the reference?
His mind circled back to the core of his power. The simple, impossible function: +1. 'Plus One LLC'? Too blunt? Too on-the-nose? He pictured lawyers raising eyebrows, competitors wondering about the odd name if it ever became public. But then again… who would ever guess the literal truth? It sounded slightly quirky, maybe tech-adjacent, but not inherently suspicious. Obscure enough? Probably. And the private irony… the sheer audacity of hiding his secret in plain sight… it appealed to his darker sense of humour, his feeling of operating on a different plane than everyone else.
'Plus One…' It needed something more substantial. 'Plus One Holdings'? 'Plus One Group'? He settled on 'Plus One Investments LLC'. 'Investments' clearly signalled the company's purpose, acquiring assets, funding ventures. It sounded grounded, professional, while the 'Plus One' remained his private, coded acknowledgment of the power fuelling it all. Yes. It felt right. Representative, yet deniable.
With the name decided, he quickly completed the online LLC formation process, using a registered agent service and the virtual address he'd already secured to further obscure his personal details. He paid the filing fees. Within an hour, 'Plus One Investments LLC' officially existed, at least on paper, his first corporate shield, ready to be deployed in the acquisition of 'Something Fishy'. Now, he could contact the lawyer.
With the LLC registration confirmed, he contacted the commercial property lawyer he was researching into last week, someone known for handling small business transactions discreetly, based on the reviews which admittedly could be deceiving. A brief, encrypted email outlined his interest: representing Sterling Asset Management LLC, seeking to inquire about the potential acquisition of assets and lease assumption for the distressed fish and chip shop, 'Something Fishy', at XYZ address. Emphasize interest in a quick, as-is sale due to apparent operational issues. Request lawyer initiate contact with owner or listed broker (if any) and report back on owner's willingness to discuss a sale. He provided a lowball anchor figure of $25k, well below even the depreciated value of the equipment, instructing the lawyer to convey the LLC's perception of significant risk and required turnaround investment.
He hit send, leaning back. The first chess move towards acquisition was made, cloaked in legitimacy, handled at arm's length. Now, he just had to let the pressure campaign continue while the legal gears started turning.
Week 26 - Wednesday
Midweek, Theo continued his deliberate detachment from Maria's day-to-day operations. He checked the camera feeds maybe twice a day, once during the lunch setup, once during the evening peak, just long enough to confirm things were running smoothly. He saw Henry patiently showing Jenny how to handle the POS system during a lull. He saw Olivia expertly manage a customer who wanted a complex custom order, keeping them happy while ensuring the kitchen flow wasn't disrupted. He even saw a minor hiccup handled without fuss, the delivery driver for their soda supplier arrived an hour late, but Henry had already called the depot, confirmed the new ETA, and communicated it clearly to Olivia so she could manage customer expectations for specific drinks. They didn't need him.
On Wednesday afternoon, Henry texted him.
Henry: Hey boss. Me, Liv & Jenny talked about staffing like you suggested. Can you come in for a quick chat later today and we can sell you our proposal?
Theo: Sounds good, I'll come by around 4pm.
Later that evening, Theo headed into Maria's seeing the team mid huddle, prepping for the dinner rush.
"Hey team, looks like you folks are running a tight ship here. Well done and keep it up. So I believe you folks have a proposal to sell to me?" Theo said. The team beamed at the compliments.
Henry stepped forward slightly, clearly having prepared for this. "Actually boss, me, Liv, and Jenny talked about it quite a bit after the weekend rush," he began, more formally than usual. "We looked at the current hours, peak times, and how stretched we get, especially if someone needed a day off unexpectedly. We think adding just one part-timer might still leave us vulnerable, maybe just trading one type of stress for another."