Creating an Industrial Empire in 19th Century Parallel World

Two weeks had passed since Poul Nielsen left Pittsburgh for New York to oversee James Russel's fledgling electric motor manufacturing company. Since then, Jonathan Axelsen, the COO of Axelsen & Nielsen Air Brake Company, had thrown himself into their next project, the M1 Garand. Meanwhile, Amelia Weiss had been continuing her role as company secretary, managing departments that reported directly to her and then on to the founders. But lately, she had noticed a change in Jonathan's habits. He was returning to the office past midnight and waking up early in the morning to begin his day.

In the morning, Jonathan would make breakfast for the two of them before heading to the drawing room, where he would work on a project to build an office building for the company for six hours. After that, he would take his lunch and continue working, but this time in the foundry. Amelia couldn't enter the foundry easily, as it was among the most perilous sites within the company. Even if she could, she wouldn't have been given permission by her superiors. So, she could only guess what he was doing there.

But, as it turned out, Jonathan had already begun constructing new weapons for the United States Army. Two weeks ago, Mister Morgan and Sherman had come to their company, offering the founders a contract of seven million dollars to develop a gun that the United States Military would adopt. After some initial exchanges, they accepted it.

What kind of gun were they building? Amelia could only guess. She had been sent to this place to observe the industrialist duo and report anything significant to Amelia. With Jonathan unavailable until dinner, she knew it was the perfect time to call Amelia and relay what she knew.

Amelia grabbed the telephone's mouthpiece and receiver. Turning the crank, Amelia requested a call to the Dupont residence, located on Broadway in New York.

"Hello, how may I assist you?" the operator answered.

"Yes, I'd like to make a call to the Dupont residence. Can you connect me?" Amelia responded.

"Certainly, what is the location of the Dupont residence?" the operator asked.

"They are located on Broadway in New York."

"I see. Please hold while I connect your call."

Amelia waited patiently as the operator did her thing. After a brief pause, the operator spoke again. "Your call is now connected. Please go ahead."

"Good afternoon, this is Caroline Dupont speaking. May I know who I have the pleasure of speaking with?" Caroline's voice was measured, and business-like, a reflection of her no-nonsense approach to work.

"Good afternoon, Miss Dupont. It's Amelia," replied the voice on the other end of the line.

"Amelia, it's wonderful to hear from you. How may I assist you today?" Caroline inquired, her tone friendly yet professional.

"I'm here to report to you, Miss Dupont," Amelia said, her voice slightly hesitant.

"What is it?" Caroline replied, her curiosity piqued.

Amelia took a deep breath before continuing. "Mister Axelsen and Mister Nielsen have accepted a contract from the United States Army. It was proposed by none other than General William Sherman himself."

Caroline's brows furrowed as she processed this information. "I see. And what kind of contract is it exactly?" she asked, her tone urgent.

"It's a contract for building a new weapon for the United States Military," Amelia revealed, and she heard a gasp from Caroline in response.

"A weapon?! What kind of weapon?" Caroline asked.

"I'm afraid I don't have that information, Miss Dupont. I was told to leave the office before they could discuss it further," Amelia explained.

"I see," Caroline said, her voice thoughtful. "And why is that?"

"Confidentiality issues I suppose, and I believe Mister Axelsen is working on it already in the foundry, a place where only trained personnel are allowed to enter," Amelia said.

Caroline nodded, understanding the situation. "I see. Very well, I will reach out to Mister Nielsen himself. Is he currently in New York?" she asked, already thinking about how she could get in touch with him.

"Yes, Miss Dupont. He is in New York," Amelia confirmed.

"Thank you for informing me about this, Amelia. I appreciate it," Caroline said, her voice warm. "Before we end the call, I have one more question for you."

"Yes, Miss Dupont?" Amelia replied, her tone polite.

"Are you being treated well? If you ever feel uncomfortable or unsafe, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. Your safety is my utmost priority," Caroline said, her tone firm and reassuring.

Amelia was taken aback by Caroline's concern, and her eyes widened with surprise. "Thank you, Miss Dupont. But there's no need to worry. Mister Axelsen and Mister Nielsen have been nothing but kind to me," she said, her voice sincere.

"I'm glad to hear that, Amelia. Please take care of yourself, and don't hesitate to reach out if you need anything," Caroline said, her tone warm.

"Thank you, Miss Dupont. Take care as well," Amelia said, and then they bid their goodbyes and ended the call.

Amelia exhaled and turned around, only to see Jonathan standing by the door, his gaze fixed upon her. She was taken aback, her heart racing at the sudden sight of him.

"Oh, Sir Axelsen! Since when were you standing there?" Amelia exclaimed, flustered.

"For about two minutes," Jonathan replied calmly, biting into an apple. "I'm surprised you didn't notice me coming in. Who were you speaking with?"

Amelia hesitated for a moment, debating whether to tell the truth or not. She knew that if he had been there for two minutes, he had probably overheard her conversation with Caroline. She decided that lying would only make the situation worse.

"I was speaking with Miss Dupont," Amelia admitted, her expression sinking as her heart pounded in her chest. She closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, bracing for a reprimand from Jonathan. She knew little about him compared to Poul and wasn't sure how he would react.

As she waited for his response, she heard the sound of his footsteps drawing closer. As Jonathan approached, Amelia braced herself for his reaction. Would he be angry that she had been speaking to Caroline about their new project? Or perhaps he had heard something else that she didn't want him to know?

"Miss Weiss," Jonathan said, his tone cool and collected. "I trust that you have been doing your job diligently?"

Amelia nodded, her palms growing sweaty as she clasped them together. "Yes, sir. I was just on the phone with Miss Dupont."

Jonathan's eyebrows rose in feigned surprise. "Ah, Miss Dupont. What did she have to say?"

Amelia hesitated for a moment, then decided to be truthful. "She was asking about the new contract we received from the United States Army. The one proposed by General William Sherman himself."

Jonathan's countenance remained stoic, but Amelia sensed that he was intrigued by her words. "And what did you tell her?"

"I told her that you and Mister Nielsen had accepted the contract, but I didn't know what kind of weapon you were planning to build," Amelia's voice grew faint as she spoke.

"I see," Jonathan said, taking another bite of his apple. "Well, that's all she needs to know for now. You may return to your duties."

Amelia was taken aback by Jonathan's words. What did he mean by "for now"? Did he plan on telling her in the future? "Excuse me, Sir Axelsen, may I ask?" Amelia inquired.

"You are already asking," Jonathan replied casually.

Amelia took a deep breath before continuing. "So, you plan on telling her about the gun you are developing?"

"Yes, we will need her expertise in the technical aspect of gunpowder. She may have valuable insights, being a chemist," Jonathan explained.

"So, if you are going to tell her, why keep it from me?" Amelia asked.

"Because that's what secrets are for, Miss Weiss. We know that you are here to observe us for Miss Dupont. The project we are working on is sensitive, it must be kept a secret until it is completed," Jonathan replied, his tone calm and collected.

"I understand, so I still don't have your trust?" Amelia asked a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"It's not that we don't trust you, Miss Weiss. We just have to keep this project confidential. You know there are many unscrupulous people in this world, and we need to keep them away," Jonathan explained.

"It still sounded to me that you don't trust me," she murmured barely above a whisper.

"Well, Miss Weiss, I couldn't care less about how I sound," Jonathan responded with a dismissive tone, seemingly unaffected by Amelia's subtle remark. "I will go back to the foundry, you return to your work…hmm?"

He trailed off as he noticed Amelia's expression. "What's with that expression?" he inquired, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing," Amelia replied quickly, her face betraying her feelings of insecurity and uncertainty.

"Do not tell me that you are feeling disheartened because we have withheld information from you," Jonathan said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Amelia let out a deep sigh and replied, "I believe that as your executive secretary, I have the right to be kept in the loop regarding any actions or decisions you make so I can plan my work accordingly."

In a contemplative tone, Jonathan inquired, "And that's how it worked when you were working for Miss Dupont?"

Amelia affirmed with a nod. Jonathan mused over it, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "Well, if I carefully consider it, there's no real need for you to know the technical details of the weapon. You already know that we accepted a contract to develop a weapon, so that isn't a secret. Or perhaps you were interested in seeing the schematics or the design of the weapon?"

Amelia remained quiet, feeling exposed as Jonathan saw through her intentions.

Sensing the conversation was coming to an end, Jonathan gave a dismissive statement.

"If there's nothing more, please proceed with your work." He then left, leaving Amelia alone with her thoughts.

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