Four days went by after the refinery started making fuel. The air around the place buzzed all the time with machine sounds – pumps pumping, oil moving in pipes, the power generator making noise.
You could smell the strong, sharp smell of oil and fuel everywhere. It was the smell of work happening.
Inside the fence, workers moved like they knew what to do. They checked gauges, turned wheels, and made sure fuel kept being made day and night.
Adam stayed at the refinery almost the whole time. He felt like he had to be there to watch everything. He walked around the place, watched trucks get filled up, and asked questions to make sure things were okay.
Monica was with him a lot. But she was focused on different things. She spent many hours in the small office they had set up quickly. She was keeping track of all the details.
This meant knowing when the raw oil arrived, how much fuel was in the big tanks, and when people worked. She also handled the boss part of the job. She was like the calm leader making sure the whole operation kept running.
During those days, Raven had hired more people. Not more workers for the refinery itself, but a few people to help with the office jobs that were adding up. Things like keeping track of money, ordering supplies, and talking to truck drivers.
Even though the whole team was still small compared to big, old refineries, everyone worked with amazing hard work. They seemed to know this wasn't just any job. It was the start of something new and maybe risky.
They put all their energy into making it work. Maybe Adam's strong feelings and Monica's calm way of doing things helped them.
Inside the small office – which was really just a metal box with some desks, chairs, and folders – Adam stood next to Monica. She was sitting at a metal desk.
Piles of papers were stacked neatly in front of her. Papers like bills, notes saying things were delivered, and lists of what they had. Both of them were carefully checking the papers.
They looked at numbers to make sure everything matched up. The only sounds in the office were the quiet rustle of papers and the low hum of the refinery machines outside. Adam pointed to a number on one paper.
"Does this number match what the truck driver signed for?" he asked quietly.
Monica looked at another paper. "Yes, exactly. 720 barrels went onto truck seven. The driver signed it an hour ago." She made a small checkmark with her pen. "Everything looks right so far."
Right after she said that, someone knocked on the door. The sound was loud compared to the quiet hum.
Adam and Monica looked at each other quickly. They weren't expecting anyone. Adam stood up a little straighter from leaning over the desk and called out:
"Come in."
The thin metal door opened with a small squeak. A young man, who looked about 22 years old, stepped inside. He wore the usual work clothes, with some grease stains, and held a clipboard. He looked a little nervous talking to Adam and Monica but stood up straight, trying to look grown-up.
"Sir, Ma'am," he started, nodding politely to both of them. "Just wanted to tell you, we finished loading all the barrels for that first big order.
The very last truck is leaving the gate right now. It's heading to the customer." He stopped for a second, then looked from Adam to Monica. He wasn't sure who to ask his next question.
"What should we do next? Should we keep getting the raw oil and making fuel, or should we stop for now until we get another order?"
Adam automatically turned to Monica. He wanted her opinion. He had the big ideas, but Monica knew the real-world stuff – like how much storage space they had, the costs, and how things should run. He trusted her ideas on things like this.
Monica leaned back in her chair a little. She tapped her pen on the desk while she thought for a moment. She thought about how much fuel they already had, how much room was left in the big tanks, and if they might need fuel ready fast if a new order came in.
"We still have enough storage space to hold a lot of extra fuel," she finally said. Her voice was calm and steady. "We don't need to stop making it yet. It costs more money to stop and start again than to just keep going. So, tell the teams to keep getting the oil at a good speed. I feel sure Lisa will bring in another order soon." She sounded sure of herself. Maybe she was trying to make Adam feel better too.
The young worker nodded right away. "Yes, Ma'am. Keep getting oil. I'll tell the boss." He gave another quick nod and then left without saying anything else. He closed the door quietly behind him.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Adam let out a long breath. He hadn't even known he was holding it. The first big step – getting that free order delivered – was finished. It felt good. But it wasn't enough. He turned and looked at Monica. He frowned a little.
"Today is the fourth day since we started making fuel," he said. You could hear he was getting impatient.
"Four days. I really thought that by now, after sending out that free stuff and showing we're real, we'd have at least two or three more real orders lined up. But… nothing. Lisa hasn't called with any good news. Where do you think we're going wrong? Should we be doing something else?" He felt that antsy feeling coming back, the need to see things happen faster.
Monica looked up at Adam from her papers. Her face was calm but serious. She slowly shook her head.
"Adam, you can't rush getting into a business like this," she said gently but strongly. "It's not like turning on a light. Making people trust you takes time. Especially in the fuel business – it's old, people have done it for years, and they don't trust new people easily. You have to be patient. We did our part: we made good fuel, we delivered it on time like we said we would."
"Now, we have to wait for people to notice, for news to spread, for companies to stop doubting us. Some things we just can't control. If we push too hard right now, we might look desperate, and that could scare people away." She looked right at him, trying to help him understand how things really were.
Adam didn't look like he totally believed her. He understood what she meant, but being patient wasn't easy for him. He felt like time was running out and he had big plans. He knew she was probably right, but waiting felt like doing nothing. He sighed loudly. He ran a hand through his hair.
He felt frustrated. He turned away from the desk. He needed to move, maybe walk back and forth in the small office. "Yeah, yeah, patience," he mumbled quietly, mostly to himself. He started to walk towards the door. Maybe he wanted to go outside and clear his head.
Just then, the door swung open again. It opened much faster this time, and no one knocked. Lisa and Raven stepped inside together. Raven looked calm like always, but Lisa… Lisa looked like she was full of happy energy.
Lisa's face was shining with excitement. She looked totally different than she had the last few days, which had been hard.
Seeing her this happy was rare lately. Even though she had worked really hard – making so many calls, sending emails, even trying to visit companies – she had found it hard to get any new orders after that first free one.
Most companies didn't trust them. They just refused to trust a new company that popped up out of nowhere.
They thought the whole thing was maybe a trick to steal their money, or maybe an illegal deal selling stolen or bad fuel.
Lisa had come back to the office looking sad more than once. She told them stories about bosses laughing at her or hanging up on her. Getting told "no" so many times had clearly made her feel down.
But now? The worried look she usually had was gone. She looked bright and happy. Her usual smile was huge and real.
Adam, who had stopped walking to the door, and Monica, still sitting at the desk, instantly noticed the big change in Lisa's face. You couldn't miss it. The feeling in the small office suddenly felt hopeful. They looked at each other, hoping for good news.
Monica pushed her chair back and stood up quickly. Her usual calmness was gone. She looked really excited. Her eyes were filled with hope as she looked right at Lisa.
"Lisa," Monica said, her voice sounding urgent. "Please tell me you finally have some good news. Anything?"
Lisa first looked quickly at Adam, sharing a look that said "We did it!", then turned her happy eyes back to Monica. Her smile got even wider. She looked relieved and proud.
"Not just one piece of good news, Monica," Lisa announced, her voice bubbly with excitement. "I have two pieces of great news!"
Adam's face changed right away from tired and annoyed to very interested. The impatience he felt before disappeared. Now he was just eager and curious. He didn't wait. He quickly walked right up to Lisa. He crossed the small room in two steps.
"Two pieces of good news?" he repeated. His voice was sharp because he really wanted to know. "Don't make us wait! Tell me now!" His own relief and excitement were finally showing. He usually kept his feelings hidden. Raven stepped back a little. She had a small smile on her face as she watched them.
The small office suddenly felt full of happy energy. "Okay, okay, sit down everyone," Monica said quickly. She pointed to the few chairs and the edge of another desk. Everyone sat down fast.
They leaned forward a little. All eyes were on Lisa, excited to hear what she would say. The worries about not getting orders seemed gone for now. They just felt excited.
Lisa took a deep breath. She calmed herself down just a little. She was clearly enjoying this moment after so many hard days. She looked around at the waiting faces of Adam, Monica, and Raven.
"Alright, the first piece of news," she began. Her voice was steady now but still full of excitement. "Remember the company we delivered our first free order to? The truck company? The one where I used to work?" Everyone nodded. That was the only delivery they had made so far.
"Well, their boss called me himself about an hour ago. He couldn't stop talking about how happy they were with our fuel. He said it burned cleaner, their trucks ran better, and they even used a little less gas! He was very impressed, especially since it was our first try making it."
Hearing that their fuel was really good made Adam feel a rush of pure excitement. He felt like cheering! The risk of the free shipment, working hard to make good fuel – it had worked! They weren't just making fuel; they were making good fuel. He felt a smile start to grow on his face. This was the proof they needed.
Before he could say anything, before he could tell Lisa "good job" or show how relieved he was, Monica jumped in. Her mind went right from happy customers to the money side of things.
"That's great news, Lisa, really. But what about the price? When they called back, what price did you offer them for an order they would pay for?" Her voice was sharp and practical. Giving fuel away was one thing; making money was the real goal.
Lisa turned to look right at Monica. She still looked sure of herself. She knew this question was coming.
"Exactly like you told me to, Monica. I explained that the free shipment was just a one-time thing to try us out. For future orders, I offered them a price that is exactly half of the normal market price for the same kind of fuel." She said it clearly.
She had followed the daring plan Monica and Adam had decided on: sell cheap at first to beat the other companies and get noticed fast.
Adam's excited look immediately turned serious again. Offering fuel at half price was a big risk. It meant they wouldn't make much money, maybe even lose money at first.
But they had to do it to get started in the business. His eyes met Lisa's. He looked right at her, very focused. He needed to know if the risk was worth it. He asked the single most important question.
"Half price is a big move," he said, his voice low and steady. "Did they take it? And if they did... how big is the second order?" The answer would tell them if their plan was working, if they were just giving away cheap fuel, or if they were really getting somewhere.
Lisa's smile, which had faded a little when Monica asked about the price, came back even bigger than before. She looked super proud as she told them the biggest news yet.
"They didn't even wait, Adam. They said yes to the price right away. And they've ordered 10,000 barrels this time."
Ten thousand barrels! That was double the size of the free order. A paid order! Yes, it was half price, but it was a huge order from a happy customer.
Adam leaned back slowly in his chair. You could see the stress leaving him. A slow, real smile finally spread across his face – not a cold smile like before, but a smile showing he felt successful and relieved.
His mind was racing. 10,000 barrels. That meant real money coming in, even at half price. It meant their refinery would be busy. It meant they would have cash to use.
Most importantly, it meant their plan – good quality, low price – was working. They had broken through the wall. Other companies didn't want to trust them, but this one did.
This was it.
This was their first real big step into the tough business world. They weren't just some unknown company anymore. They had a real customer who was paying them, and it was a big order! The risk had worked out.
The first step toward building their company felt real now. He looked at Monica. Her usual calm look was gone, replaced by a wide, relieved smile. Then he looked at Lisa, who looked super happy. And Raven, who nodded quietly, looking pleased. They had done it. The real game had started.