Lee, the young lawyer, stared at Adam, his initial amusement at the shell company idea quickly replaced by a dawning sense of the seriousness – and potential danger – of the assignment he’d just been given alongside Kim.

  Setting up one shell company discreetly was complex enough, requiring careful legal maneuvering to hide the true ownership.

  But setting up three? And staffing them with random people? And the implication that these companies would be used for potentially illegal activities? That went far beyond standard corporate law.

  "Wait, Adam," Lee asked, his voice hesitant now, the earlier excitement replaced by confusion and maybe a touch of apprehension.

  "What do you mean, 'assign it to us'? You want Kim and me to… handle this political stuff personally?" He still seemed to be grappling with the shift from running a (secret) oil business to actively interfering in a mayoral election.

  Adam met Lee’s uncertain gaze directly, his expression firm, leaving no room for doubt.

  "Yes, Lee," Adam confirmed calmly but with clear authority. "I mean I want both of you, Kim and yourself, to personally oversee and execute these specific tasks I'm about to outline. This is critical, and I need my most trusted people handling it." He used the phrase "most trusted" deliberately, subtly reinforcing their importance while also making refusal more difficult.

  Kim and Lee exchanged another quick, uncertain look. Kim, ever the pragmatist, spoke first, getting straight to the point. "Okay, Adam. We understand the sensitivity. What tasks, specifically, are you assigning?"

  Adam turned his attention first to Kim, his CEO. "Kim, your job has two parts," he instructed, his tone becoming crisp, businesslike.

  "First, I need you to definitively identify Mayor Walker's primary opponent in this election. Not just the name, but everything about them – their platform, their history, their funding, their campaign strength, their public image, any potential weaknesses or scandals. Get a full picture. Second," Adam continued, his gaze sharpening,

  "I need your professional assessment: If we were to provide financial support to that opponent, how much benefit could Fire Corporation realistically expect to gain if they win? Would they be friendly to a new oil company? "

  " Would they potentially help us against Green Refinery or look the other way regarding permits? Would they be less likely to cause trouble than Walker? I need concrete answers, potential upsides and downsides, analyzed thoroughly. Report back to me as soon as you have that assessment."

  Kim absorbed the instructions, his expression thoughtful, calculating. Identifying the opponent and assessing the potential political landscape made sense, even if the idea of actively supporting them was risky.

  He gave a firm, understanding nod. "Understood, Adam. Identify the target, analyze the potential ROI. I'll get started on that immediately."

  Adam then shifted his attention to Lee, the lawyer, whose face now held a clear mixture of anticipation and visible nervousness.

  "Lee," Adam began, his voice dropping slightly, becoming more serious,

  "your task is more… structural. And requires absolute discretion. I want you to set up three separate shell companies. Completely new entities, registered with names that have no connection whatsoever to Fire Corporation, Red Fire Refinery, or any of us personally."

  He paused, letting the weight of the request sink in. "The registered owners," Adam continued, emphasizing the next part,

  "need to be completely random individuals. People with no traceable links back to us, back to our operations. Use proxies, use cutouts, whatever legal structures you need to create maximum distance and deniability."

  " If any investigative agency – government, private, or Walker's own people – starts digging into these companies later, our names, Fire Corporation's name, must not surface. Absolutely no connection."

  Adam saw Lee swallow hard, understanding the complexity and the potentially gray legal areas involved in creating truly anonymous corporate entities. "Get Raven's help if you need it," Adam added, acknowledging the difficulty and nodding towards where Raven had been standing silently nearby (though Raven wasn't currently present).

  "He has expertise in… finding suitable 'random individuals' and ensuring discretion." The implication was clear: Raven could handle the shadier aspects of recruitment for these fronts.

  "Because," Adam concluded, his voice becoming even quieter, more serious,

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  "you'll need to recruit some seemingly normal people to act as figureheads, as staff for these shell companies. We'll need them active, visible… for carrying out some work that might, unfortunately, fall into the category of 'legally questionable' or perhaps even outright 'illegal'."

  Lee's eyes widened considerably at the explicit mention of illegal activities.

  His mind instantly exploded with a thousand questions. Illegal work? What is Adam planning? Is he talking about spreading disinformation? Illegal campaign contributions? Something worse? Am I, as the company lawyer, being asked to facilitate criminal activity? What are the risks? What are the consequences if we get caught? His legal training screamed caution, red flags waving frantically in his mind.

  He opened his mouth to voice his concerns, to demand clarification, to maybe even refuse…

  But before a single word could escape Lee's lips, a sharp, authoritative voice cut through the air from behind them, startling them all.

  "Whatever reckless scheme you're planning now, Adam," the voice stated firmly, laced with undisguised disapproval, "don't you dare endanger this entire company with your foolishness before we've even sold our second barrel of oil!"

  Adam, Kim, and Lee instantly spun around. Walking briskly towards them from the direction of the main administration building was Monica.

  Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest, her expression stern, her eyes narrowed as she fixed her gaze directly on Adam. It was clear she had overheard at least the last part of their conversation, the part about shell companies and illegal work.

  Flanking Monica, looking slightly less severe but equally interested, was Lisa, her eyes wide with unconcealed curiosity, clearly eager to understand what was going on.

  And just behind them, walking silently as always, was Raven, his face impassive, giving no clue as to whether he had heard anything or what he thought about it. The core team was reunited, but the atmosphere had shifted dramatically from earlier cooperation to sudden confrontation.

  Adam reflexively scratched the side of his head, feeling caught out. He tried to force a casual smile, though he knew it probably looked guilty.

  "Oh, hey Monica," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Funny seeing you here. Actually, I was just about to come find you, talk about… uh… logistics." The lie sounded weak even to his own ears.

  Monica let out a short, sharp sigh, clearly not buying his act for a second. "Don't bother, Adam. I thought so," she retorted, her tone sharp.

  "I could practically feel you cooking something up in that overly ambitious head of yours even during the end of the meeting. You get that certain look in your eye." She stopped directly in front of them, her arms still crossed, fixing Adam with an unwavering stare.

  "I had my suspicions then, and hearing talk of 'shell companies' and 'illegal work' confirms it." Her gaze swept briefly over Kim and a very nervous-looking Lee, then settled back hard on Adam. "Now. Tell us. All of us. What exactly are you trying to do?"

  Her demand hung in the air. All eyes – Kim’s now serious and calculating again, Lee’s clearly wary and anxious, Lisa’s wide with burning curiosity, and even Raven’s seemingly neutral gaze – fixed intently on Adam.

  They had all signed on for a risky oil venture. But political intrigue? Shell companies? Illegal activities? That sounded like a whole different level of danger, something far beyond standard business risk.

  They understood the specific tasks Adam had just assigned Kim and Lee, but the reason behind them, the ultimate goal of this dangerous political maneuvering, remained unclear. They needed to know why. Why risk everything they were building on a political gamble?

  Before Adam could formulate a response to Monica’s direct challenge, Kim interjected, his brow furrowed deeply in thought, voicing the most obvious potential motive. "Adam," Kim asked, his voice low and serious, "are you doing this just because of your personal history? Because Mayor Walker is your enemy? Is this purely about revenge?"

  Adam looked at Kim, a flicker of something complex – pain, anger, calculation – passing through his eyes before his expression smoothed over again.

  "That's… certainly one reason," he admitted slowly, honestly. He wouldn't deny the personal motivation; it fueled much of his drive.

  "Getting revenge on the man who destroyed my family and tried to destroy me? Yes, that's part of it." He paused, then added firmly, his gaze sweeping across the concerned faces of his team, "But there's a bigger reason than just personal vengeance. A strategic reason."

  A fresh wave of curiosity rippled through the small group gathered outside the refinery gate. A bigger reason? More than just revenge? Even Monica seemed momentarily distracted from her initial disapproval, her sharp eyes studying Adam, waiting for his explanation.

  "I don't particularly care about your personal vendettas right now, Adam," Monica snapped, quickly regaining her focus, her tone sharp again. Business came first. "Just tell me the plan. What are you trying to achieve by getting involved in the mayoral election? What's the strategic benefit that justifies this enormous risk?"

  Adam met her demanding gaze, then glanced briefly at the others, seeing their shared need for understanding. He knew he couldn't just order them to undertake these dangerous tasks without explaining the 'why'.

  He needed their buy-in, their understanding, if not their full approval. He took a slow, deep breath, preparing himself.

  He needed to reveal something more, something that would explain his confidence, his willingness to take such risks, and perhaps, justify the resources he seemed to possess.

  "Actually," Adam began, his voice dropping slightly, becoming serious, almost confessional, "before I explain the strategy… there's something else I need to tell you. Something important." He paused, making sure he had their absolute, undivided attention. "I… I lied to you earlier."

  The statement landed like a physical blow in the quiet space. Everyone looked utterly stunned.

  Kim recoiled slightly, his eyes wide with disbelief. Monica gasped softly, her stern expression crumbling into shock. Lee looked horrified. Lisa’s curious expression turned into one of deep concern.

  Even Raven’s impassive face seemed to register a flicker of surprise. Lied? Adam? Their confident, mysterious founder had lied to them? About what?

  "Lied?" Monica echoed, her voice strained, barely a whisper. "Lied about what, Adam? The budget? The equipment?" Her mind likely raced through all the potential deceptions, the foundations of their fragile trust suddenly seeming to crumble.

  "I lied to all of you," Adam continued, holding their shocked gazes, forcing himself to maintain eye contact despite the discomfort. "I lied when I implied… when I let you believe… that my only major asset, the core of Fire Corporation's potential wealth, was the oil reserve."

  Monica's surprise deepened, her breath catching in her throat. She stared at him, trying to process his words. "What… what do you mean?" she asked haltingly, confusion warring with dawning suspicion. "You… you have reserves… of something else too? Other resources?" Was he richer than he let on? Did he have other secret ventures?

  A small, enigmatic smile played on Adam's lips. He knew this revelation would be shocking, perhaps unbelievable, but it was necessary to explain his next move, his confidence in funding the political operation, and maybe, ultimately, to secure their deeper trust by revealing a bit more of his hidden strength.

  "Actually," he confirmed, letting the revelation hang in the air for maximum impact, watching their stunned faces. "Besides the oil… I also possess substantial reserves… of gold."

  Absolute, dead silence.

  If his earlier statements had caused ripples of surprise, this one hit like a tidal wave. The group stared at him, momentarily rendered completely speechless.

  Jaws literally dropped. Eyes were wide with utter, uncomprehending disbelief. Gold? Substantial reserves of gold? On top of a massive oil reserve? Where was this kid getting all this from?!

  Then, almost in perfect, shocked unison, a single word exploded from Kim, Monica, Lisa, and Lee simultaneously:

  "WHAT?!"

  The sound echoed off the nearby refinery walls, filled with disbelief, confusion, and maybe even a touch of fear. This changed everything. Again.

  Their mysterious founder wasn't just ambitious and seemingly well-funded; he was sitting on multiple, potentially vast, sources of wealth.

  The game they were playing, the stakes involved, suddenly felt infinitely larger, and perhaps, infinitely more dangerous. The questions hanging in the air were no longer just about business strategy; they were about the fundamental, unbelievable reality of Adam himself.