For a few seconds, no one spoke.The word hung there, awkward and heavy, like it needed to be picked apart before it could make sense. A rich guy like Adrian, claiming to be homeless? It just didn’t make sense.“…What?” Ethan finally said, brows drawn together. “Like actually?”Adrian considered the question, chewing once before answering. “Technically.”That only confused them more.“I don’t have an apartment or a house right now,” Adrian explained calmly. “I kinda just stay at a hotel.”Tristan stared at him. “Why?”Hotels cost more and it helped him multiply his money. It was as simple as that, but Adrian couldn’t tell them that.“Because I don’t feel like doing paperwork,” Adrian replied without hesitation. “Leases, contracts, deposits. It’s annoying.”There was a beat of silence.Then Aira let out a dramatic sigh and leaned over, lightly tapping the top of his head with her knuckles. It barely had any force behind it, more of a playful gesture than anything else.“You’re seriousl

Adrian stepped out of his room early that morning and paused.The kitchen lights were on.Letty stood by the counter, sleeves rolled up, moving with quiet focus. It was different from before. No instant noodle cups. No hurried setup. The counter was crowded with plates and bowls, steam rising softly into the air.Adrian walked closer. “What are you making?”Letty glanced over her shoulder. “Almost done.” She pointed with the spatula. “Hot and sour chicken soup. It’s finished already.”She shifted aside so he could see better. There was toasted bread stacked neatly on a plate. Bacon resting on a paper towel, still glistening. Peanut butter. Jam. Butter.“So you can make whatever you want with the bread,” she added. “I’m also making pancakes.”She gestured again, this time toward the dining table.A large plate sat there. Six sunny side up eggs, the yolks still glossy.“They’re all for you,” she said.Adrian blinked.He nodded once and moved to the counter. He spread peanut butter and j

The details sorted themselves out over the next week.Adrian spoke with Mark Henry first. They went over the basics, then arranged a meeting with Ethan, Tristan, and Mira. Most of it was straightforward. Menus. Capacity. Costs. What could be done quickly and what would take longer.The trio kept things modest. A smaller truck. Fewer upgrades. Just enough equipment to get started. They didn’t want to look like they were pushing their luck or trying to take advantage of him.Adrian ignored most of that.He approved a larger build instead. More space behind the counter. Better equipment. Higher output so they wouldn’t panic the moment things picked up. When the final estimate came back, the number crossed two hundred thousand dollars.He didn’t comment on it. He just approved the payment.The truck took five days to complete. During that time, permits were processed and supplies were lined up. By the time it rolled out, everything else was already in place.The remaining two days, the tr

Practice went on longer than Adrian expected, and it didn’t take long for people to notice that something was off. At first, it was just the basics. He wasn’t falling behind. He kept up with the drills, moved when he was supposed to, and didn’t look lost. When someone broke formation, Adrian was already there, closing the distance before they could do anything useful. It wasn’t flashy, but it was effective, and after a while, it stopped being subtle.As practice went on, the gap became obvious. He was faster than most of them. Not just quick in short bursts, but consistently faster. He pressured constantly, forced mistakes, and made people uncomfortable without even trying. Someone laughed breathlessly halfway through. Another guy muttered something under his breath. By the end of it, they were all looking at him differently.When practice finally ended, a few of them crowded around him, patting him on the back and talking over each other.“Didn’t expect that,” one of them said.“Yo

Adrian’s smile widened just a little more.They started with the simple stuff.Mashed potatoes and the sandwich.Letty took a bite and paused, chewing slowly as if she was waiting for something to go wrong. She didn’t rush it. She swallowed, then took another bite just to be sure. It was exactly what it was supposed to be. Smooth, properly seasoned, comforting in a way that didn’t try to impress. The kind of food you could eat every day without getting tired of it. The sandwich was the same. Crisp in the right places, soft where it mattered, held together without falling apart.She glanced at him again.“…This is really good,” she said honestly, almost surprised by how normal it felt.Adrian nodded, as he too took a bite of his share. “Yeah. You can’t really mess that up.”He said it casually, but his eyes stayed on her. He was already comparing reactions, filing them away. This was the baseline, the control.Then came the butter chicken.Letty took one bite and stopped chewing.She