machiavellian
When a store or restaurant opens again, and everyone thinks they're winning, but no one notices who might have been behind the shut down in the first place.
The café reopened and everyone was happy, but no one asked who shut it down.
The restaurant started taking reservations again, and people thought they were getting a deal, but the owner was just trying to pay off the debt.
The store reopened and the workers were thrilled, but no one knew the manager had a side deal with the landlord.