Darien kept staring into the bag.
For a while, the room made no sound except the slow fan above them. The bundles were packed tight, arranged with the neatness of people who counted money too often. Darien touched one stack with two fingers, then pulled his hand back as if it might vanish.
"Are you serious?" he asked.
The old man placed a folder on the table.
"Read."
Darien opened it carefully. The first pages showed a set of ownership terms. Publicly, Darien Holt would be the operating director and visible holder. Behind that, transfer clauses gave the old man's side control whenever they chose to take it.
He read slower after that.
The company would start with eight million in usable capital. Darien would receive ten percent ownership if he met the first-year conditions. His salary would be eighteen thousand dollars a month, but sixty percent would be withheld until his debt was cleared. Interest would be frozen for three months from signing.
