nucmednet Chapter 477 477: 450. Decide To Invite The Entire Gang
Chapter 477 477: 450. Decide To Invite The Entire Gang
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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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She leaned forward and, with beautiful, elegant cursive, signed her name on the dotted line as the primary party who got the lion's share of the royalty. The four parchments were made so that everyone could get a copy each. Antonio expertly separated the documents, handing one rolled scroll to each of the three executives, and carefully placing the final, master copy into Caleb's waiting hand.
With the ink dry and the monumental business concluded, the three heads of the publishing houses immediately took their leave. They carefully, almost reverently, gathered the massive stacks of handwritten manuscripts into their leather satchels.
They bowed deeply to Caleb, offered profound, terrified curtsies to Mary-Beth, and quickly retreated through the mansion corridors, eager to return to their presses and begin the work that would change their lives forever.
As the sound of their hurried footsteps faded away, Caleb and Mary-Beth were finally left alone on the sun drenched porch.
Caleb let out a slow, satisfied breath. He looked at the legal document in his hand, then looked at Mary-Beth, a wide, deeply proud smile breaking across his face.
He then talked to Mary-Beth, his voice warm and entirely relaxed, "The hard part is offer darling. Now, all we have to do is wait for a couple of days for their news. The typesetting will be fast, the leather binding will follow, and before the end of the month, you will be holding the very first printed copy of your masterpiece in your hands."
Mary-Beth nodded her head, a soft, dreamy sigh escaping her lips. She leaned back in her wrought iron chair, looking out over the blooming orchids of the garden, trying to fully process the fact that she was now a legally contracted, massively wealthy author.
But her brilliant, ever active mind didn't stay completely lost in the clouds for long. She turned her head back to look at Caleb, remembering the vast, multifaceted nature of the empire he was currently building.
The books were her dream, but he had his own massive industrial ambitions. Before then, she asked him a highly practical question. "What about your Firearms company, Caleb? The one you bought out large number of it's shares? Have they sent a letter regarding when they will send their people down here to assess the land for building a factory around Saint Denis?"
Caleb paused, taking a slow sip of his now lukewarm coffee. He shook his head, looking out toward the distant, smog filled horizon of the city's industrial sector.
"Not yet, sweetheart," Caleb replied smoothly. "The mail from a very far place can be unpredictable, especially with the recent railway strikes up in the northern territories. But I feel, with absolute certainty, that the letter will come very soon."
He set his coffee cup down, his max level Business Skill mapping out the inevitable corporate logistics. "After all, they are a massive, established manufacturing firm. They also need to properly assess from their headquarters in Connecticut the true value and the logistical viability of building a secondary factory all the way down here in Saint Denis. They have to calculate shipping lanes, raw material costs, and the availability of cheap, local labor."
Caleb leaned forward, resting his elbows on the glass table, his blue eyes gleaming with absolute, unshakeable confidence. "Even though they will definitely accept the proposal. They have no other choice."
He reached out and gently took Mary-Beth's hand again, his thumb tracing the smooth skin of her knuckles. "Since I am here, and I am the majority shareholder, they know that the political and economic landscape of this state is entirely under my control. I have already explicitly said and outlined the massive benefits they will receive from the company expanding southward."
Caleb mapped out the sheer, terrifying industrial advantage he possessed. "I told the board of directors that if they build the Thorne-Marlin factory here in Lemoyne, they will never have to worry about union strikes, because I control the labor. They will never have to worry about exorbitant shipping tariffs, because I control the docks and the railways. And they will never have to worry about the local government interfering with their production, because Mayor Lemieux answers directly to me."
He smiled, a dark, visionary smirk that promised a future of unbreakable iron and overwhelming firepower. "They will assess the situation, they will realize that Saint Denis is the most profitable, secure manufacturing hub in the entire country, and they will send their top architects down here on the very next train. The books will build our culture, Mary-Beth, but the factory will build our weapon and armor."
Mary-Beth sat back in her plush, wrought iron chair, her dark eyes wide and completely captivated by the sheer scale of the industrial future her lover was painting.
The idea of massive, smoke belching factories churning out advanced weaponry, of railway lines dedicated solely to their private shipments, and of an entire American state functioning under their absolute protection was staggering
Listening to his grand, visionary promises of unbreakable iron and overwhelming firepower, Mary-Beth completely forgot about her own aristocratic facade for a moment. She literally clapped her hands together in pure, unadulterated delight.
The sharp, happy sound echoed across the serene, sun drenched back porch, cutting through the gentle splashing of the marble fountain. She marveled at the incredible, world altering marvels Caleb just described.
Just a few short months ago, the highest aspiration she could conjure was successfully pickpocketing a wealthy traveler on a train. Now, she was sitting in a Garden District mansion, helping orchestrate a state industrial complex.
But as her brilliant, ever active mind processed the sheer magnitude of the wealth, power, and absolute security they had finally accumulated, her thoughts naturally drifted away from the glittering high society of Saint Denis.
Her mind traveled westward, across the muddy bayous of Lemoyne, past the red dirt of Scarlett Meadows, and settled firmly in the rolling green plains of the Heartlands.
She thought of the people they had left behind. She thought of the time when they still live in their canvas tents, with the constant, suffocating fear of the Pinkerton Detective Agency, the grueling stagecoach robberies that barely paid enough to feed the camp, and the shivering cold of the nights on the run.
She looked at Caleb, her expression shifting from joyous excitement to a deep, profound, and highly emotional sincerity.
"Caleb," Mary-Beth began, her voice softening as she reached across the glass table to rest her hand gently over his. "With all of this... with the city completely secured, the police in your pocket, and the factories on the way... I feel it is time. It is time that we should finally tell the entire gang."
Caleb remained silent, his sharp blue eyes locking onto hers, listening intently as she laid out a perfectly reasoned, deeply empathetic, and highly strategic argument.
"We could invite them all to come here," Mary-Beth suggested, her words flowing with rapid, passionate conviction. "You are building this massive, sprawling empire, Caleb. But you are surrounded by men who only follow you out of fear or greed. You need men you can actually trust with your life. You could position them on critical positions that could provide you with much more trusted men inside the mafia's inner circle."
She leaned forward, her eyes pleading with him to see the logic. "Think about Arthur. Think about Hosea, John, Charles, Lenny, Javier, and Sean. They are loyal to a fault. If you brought them here and integrated them, it would give the boys, especially, a decent work and a decent wage. They wouldn't have to risk their lives holding up dangerous trains for a handful of dirty dollar bills anymore. They could have real salaries. They could sleep in real beds. You could give them the life Dutch always promised but could never actually deliver."
Mary-Beth paused, her mind naturally transitioning from the emotional well being of her found family to the cold, hard economics of the empire, proving that she was truly learning from the Don.
"And furthermore," Mary-Beth added, her eyes lighting up with a sudden, brilliant flash of entrepreneurial inspiration. "We don't just have to give them guard duty. You could also probably expand your restaurant in Valentine to open a brand new branch right here in Saint Denis!"
She squeezed his hand, entirely convinced of her business theory. "Think about it, Caleb. The food Pearson and the staff are making back in the Heartlands is incredible, and the logistics are already proven. With the incredibly affordable prices you gave the Valentine branch, I am absolutely sure it will become a massive revenue engine here."
"Look at how many people live in this city compared to Valentine and the empty areas around it! There are hundreds of hungry factory workers, dockhands, and clerks. If we open a frontier style restaurant here, it would make a fortune, and you could put Pearson or some of the others in charge of running it!"
Caleb, sitting perfectly still in his comfortable wrought-iron chair, was actively listening to Mary-Beth's words. He didn't immediately respond. Instead, he engaged his max level Business and Leadership skills, rapidly running the logistical, financial, and psychological calculus of her sweeping proposals.
He nodded his head slowly, his eyes staring out toward the blooming orchids in the garden as he weighed the heavy risks against the monumental rewards.
He felt, deep down in his core, that she was absolutely right. It was the right time to finally tell the family the absolute truth.
When he had left the Van der Linde gang at the Heartlands homestead, he had fed them a beautifully constructed, highly convincing lie. He had told Arthur and Hosea that he was simply moving into Saint Denis to infiltrate Angelo Bronte's inner circle, playing the role of a high tier associate to siphon the mafia's funds from the inside and slowly buy off the Pinkertons. He had painted himself as a selfless spy risking his neck in the belly of the beast.
But the reality was entirely different. He wasn't a spy anymore, he was the beast itself. He had violently slaughtered his way to the top of the food chain, executed the Italian leadership, and claimed the absolute throne of the Lemoyne underworld.
Seeing as the violent, chaotic situation of the coup was already entirely pacified, and the entire political and criminal infrastructure of the city was all firmly under his control, the danger of bringing civilians into the city was completely neutralized.
More importantly, Caleb recognized the ticking psychological time bomb he had created. Arthur Morgan and Hosea Matthews were not stupid men. They had ears on the streets.
Eventually, the whispers of the "Bounty Hunter Don" would bleed out of Saint Denis, drift across the county lines, and reach the camps in the Heartlands. The longer he lied to Arthur and the others, the bigger the impact on their relationship will be.
If they found out from a drunken traveler in a Valentine saloon that their supposed "spy" was actually running the largest organized crime syndicate in the South, they would feel entirely betrayed. And it will definitely be in the bad direction. Arthur's wrath, fueled by a sense of betrayal, was not something Caleb wanted to deal with.
So, he made his decision.
Caleb looked back at Mary-Beth, his blue eyes softening with a mixture of profound relief and genuine excitement. He agreed with her completely.
"You are absolutely right, Alice," Caleb said, utilizing her aristocratic pet name with a warm, affectionate smile. "It is time to bring our ghosts out of the woods. I will have an invitation be sent for everyone. And I mean literally everyone. Arthur, Hosea, the boys, the women, little Jack, Uncle... the entire camp. I want them all to come here and see what we have built."
He leaned forward, actively planning the logistics of the massive relocation. "And they aren't going to sneak into the city like fugitives in the back of a hay wagon. They could just come by train. I will have it paid for. I will send enough money for first class train tickets for the entire gang. So they don't need to ride on exhausting horses and bump along in uncomfortable wooden carriages that will take days of their time and energy. They will arrive in Saint Denis rested, comfortable, and in absolute style."
Mary-Beth's face lit up with a joy so bright it rivaled the morning sun. The thought of seeing Tilly, Karen, Abigail, and little Jack walking the paved streets of Saint Denis, completely safe from the law, was a dream come true.
"And as for your other suggestion," Caleb continued, shifting effortlessly into his corporate CEO persona. "Your idea of expanding the restaurant back in Valentine by opening a new branch here in the city? It is a stroke of pure, unadulterated genius."
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Name: Caleb Thorne
Age: 23
Body Attributes:
- Strength: 8/10
- Agility: 8/10
- Perception: 9/10
- Stamina: 8/10
- Charm: 8/10
- Luck: 9/10
Skills:
- Handgun (Lvl MAX)
- Rifle (Lvl MAX)
- Firearms Knowledge (Lvl MAX)
- Past Life Memory (Lvl MAX)
- Knife (Lvl MAX)
- Blunt Weapon (Lvl MAX)
- Sneaking (Lvl MAX)
- Horse Mastery (Lvl MAX)
- Poker (Lvl MAX)
- Hand to Hand Combat (Lvl MAX)
- Eagle Eye (Lvl MAX)
- Dead Eye (Lvl MAX)
- Bow (Lvl MAX)
- Pain Nullifier (Lvl MAX)
- Physical Regeneration (Lvl MAX)
- Crafting (Lvl MAX)
- Persuasion (Lvl MAX)
- Mental Fortitude (Lvl MAX)
- Cooking (Lvl MAX)
- Teaching (Lvl MAX)
- Trilingual Language Proficiency - G, I, & C (Lvl MAX)
- Inventory System (Permanent - 100x100x100)
- Acting (Lvl MAX)
- Alcohol Resistance (Lvl MAX)
- Treasure Hunter (Lvl MAX)
- Drugs Resistance (Lvl MAX)
- Business (Lvl MAX)
- Leadership (Lvl MAX)
Money: 3,322 dollars and 60 cents
Inventory: 285,392 dollars and 61 cents, 11 gold nuggets, 74 gold bars, 1 Double Action, 1 Schofield, 2 Colm's Schofields, 1 land deed (Parcel), 1 Mauser, 1 Semi Auto Pistol, 1 Lancaster Repeater, 1 Old Wood Jewelry Box, 1 F.F Mausoleum small brass key, 1 Ruby, 1 Braithwaites Land Deed, 1 Broken Pirate Sword, 1 Milton's Safety Deposit Key, 1 Senator Pendleton Sealed Envelope, Proof Of Marlin-Thorne Firearms Co., 10 Dynamites, 1 LeMat, 1 M1899, 1 Carcano, 1 Ownership deed of Doyle's Tavern, 3 Diamonds, & Important Documents & Deeds Of Cornwall
Bank: -