Creating an Industrial Empire in 19th Century Parallel World

Jonathan arrived at the main office. He went upstairs to get changed, removing his coveralls and wiping off the sweat that he had accumulated from working in the factory for five hours.

But that was enough to remove the metallic off his body so he went to take a bath. After that, he donned his formal suit and went downstairs, and into the office room where Poul and Amelia were discussing things.

"Oh, Jonathan! You finally arrived. So how did the teaching go?" Poul asked as he stood, and gave him a fistbump.

"Well if you ask me, it was fulfilling," Jonathan said, chuckling. "I didn't know that I would use the lessons that I learned in the machine shop subject."

As he said that, Amelia's brows raised. "Do you perhaps go into a university or school or applied for an apprenticeship to learn how to use a lathe, Mr. Axelsen?" Amelia asked.

"You can call that an apprenticeship, Ms. Weiss," Jonathan said, sighing inwardly as he managed to mislead her. He got carried away and ended up speaking things that would otherwise result in confusion.

"I see," Amelia nodded understandingly.

"I heard that you gave my partner here some gift?" Jonathan asked.

"Uhm…yeah I did, it was a pocket watch and Mr. Nielsen liked it," Amelia said.

Poul pulled the pocket watch out from his pocket purse and held it up to show it to Jonathan.

"That's some intricate and expensive-looking pocket watch," Jonathan commented. "Where did you buy that?"

"From Tiffany and Company, the delivery man mailed it last week."

"Tiffany and Company?" Jonathan's mouth gaped after hearing the name.

"What's the matter, Jonathan? You looked as if you knew about the company," Poul said.

"Well, Tiffany and Company is a retailer of luxury goods established in New York. They are known for selling high-end luxury items, including pocket watches."

"How are you knowing all of that?" Poul asked.

"I'm reading magazines, Poul. You should try it," Jonathan replied, his gaze flickering back to Amelia. "So Amelia, how much was it?"

Amelia fiddled with her hand nervously and then revealed. "Two hundred dollars."

"Two hundred dollars?!" Poul and Jonathan intoned together.

"That's like a month of your salary!" Poul exclaimed. "I accept gifts but not if they are super expensive. I'll pay for this…"

Amelia's initial salary was one hundred dollars. But as years passed by, her performance at the company brought significant changes and thus her income increased to two hundred dollars. Which is like the modern equivalent of five thousand and nine hundred twenty-four dollars.

"No, please don't! Mr. Nielsen. It was my gift to you, returning it to me will make me feel bad," Amelia said somberly.

"But Amelia," Poul called her casually. "You don't have to spend a lot of money on a gift. I come from a humble background, and I'll accept whatever it is, even if it has no monetary value as I value its sentimentality. But this…"

"It's really okay, Mr. Nielsen. I save my money every time I get paid, so it's okay," Amelia said, fumbling her hand.

Poul's expression softened as he looked at Amelia. "Amelia, I appreciate the thought, but I can't accept this. It's too expensive, and I don't want you to spend your hard-earned money on something like this."

Amelia shook her head. "Mr. Nielsen, please don't worry about it. I wanted to give you something special, and I saved up for it."

Jonathan spoke up, sensing the tension in the room. "Perhaps we can compromise. How about we accept the gift, but Amelia, you don't have to spend so much money next time. We don't want you to go spend one hundred to two hundred bucks,"

Amelia's face brightened at the suggestion. "Thank you, Mr. Axelsen. I appreciate your understanding."

Poul nodded in agreement. "Yes, that's a good compromise. With that, allow me to thank you again for this gift. I'll cherish this pocket watch and remember your kindness every time I use it."

Amelia blushed and smiled gratefully at Poul. "You're welcome, Mr. Nielsen. I'm glad you like it."

""Hey, Poul, before I go, I just wanted to say something," Jonathan said, his tone suddenly serious. "I know we don't always say it, but I want you to know how much I appreciate you. You've been more than just a partner to me, you're like a brother. And today, on your birthday, I want to wish you all the happiness and love in the world. You deserve it, man."

"Aww…come on man, we know I'm vulnerable to that," Poul chuckled and punched Jonathan's arm lightly. "Thanks, man. I appreciate it. It means a lot coming from you."

Amelia smiled warmly at the exchange. "That's so sweet, Jonathan. You guys have a great friendship."

Jonathan grinned. "Yeah, we do. And I hope it stays that way for a long time."

Poul nodded in agreement. "Me too, man. Me too. Well, next month is Jonathan's birthday. Perhaps you'd want something?"

"I haven't given you a gift yet, but if you are asking for it, then here it goes. Poul, I want a heat pump. You know how hot it gets during summer and cold during winter."

"Heat pump?" Amelia propped her chin up, musing on that thought.

"A heat pump Ms. Weiss is a mechanical device that can cool or heat the room depending on your needs. You'll see it once the office building is fully completed but if my partner badly needed one earlier, I can make it for him."

Amelia was curious and asked, "Excuse me, Mr. Axelsen, but what exactly is a heat pump? I'm not quite familiar with that term."

Poul smiled kindly at her and replied, "Ah, I see. Well, a heat pump is a device that can regulate the temperature of a room or building. It can cool the air in hot weather and warm it up during colder seasons."

Amelia's eyes widened in amazement. "Really? It would be amazing to have that kind of technology."

"Okay, the year has been great for the company and the subsidiaries. I want to make sure that everything is in order. So, what is our agenda for today?"

"Well, we are going to visit Berlin next month, Mr. Axelsen, Mr. Nielsen. Where we can look for a spot in our first overseas branch for the Air Brake Company."

Jonathan clapped. "Germany, here we go."