Creating an Industrial Empire in 19th Century Parallel World

After a brief conversation with Poul, Fiona walked out of the conference room. Outside, she saw her father standing there, waiting patiently for her to come out.

"So, is it done?" Morgan asked.

"Yes Father," Fiona said, her voice melancholic.

"What's wrong my dear? Did Mr. Nielsen say something that displeased you? If so I will talk to him personally…"

As Morgan was about to enter the conference room where Poul was, Fiona quickly grabbed her father by the arm, stopping him.

"You are mistaken father, I just found out something that I can't accept…We should head out now. You said that you have a business to attend to right?"

"Fiona…" Morgan looked at his daughter with concern. He could tell that something was bothering her, but he didn't want to push her to talk about it if she wasn't ready.

"Alright, let's go," Morgan said, putting a comforting hand on Fiona's shoulder. "We can talk about it later if you want."

As they walked out of the office, they came across Amelia, who was heading toward the conference room. She greeted them.

"Did the meeting just finish?" Amelia asked.

"It was a productive meeting, Ms. Weiss and we are on our way out," Morgan smiled and nodded politely.

Fiona, however, barely acknowledged Amelia's presence. She was lost in her own thoughts and couldn't bring herself to make small talk with someone she barely knew.

"Is that so? In that case, please have a safe journey to wherever your destination will be," Amelia said with a polite smile, before continuing on her way.

***

Amelia entered the conference room and saw Poul propping his chin with his hand, deep in thought. She cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Everything okay?" Amelia asked.

Poul looked up and gave her a half-smile. "Yeah, just thinking. That was an intense meeting."

Amelia took a seat across from him. "What happened here? I saw Morgan and Fiona leave looking quite serious."

"Well, we just secured another investment from Morgan for our oil enterprise. As for his daughter, well…you know what, I don't even want to talk about it."

Poul was aware that Fiona has a crush on him. After he saved her life, she developed a feeling toward him. Though that is normal in a sense, he just wished she would stop pursuing him romantically. It was a distraction that he didn't need right now and he already has a woman in his heart so there's that.

"Ah, I see," Amelia replied, sensing the tension in Poul's voice. "Well, congratulations on the investment. That's a huge win for us."

"Yeah, now we are playing the waiting game," Poul said. "The moment we have the necessary permits, licenses, and lands, we will start our operations…"

***

A month later, news arrived in Pittsburgh. Poul was clutching his hands into a fist as he read the report passed by Amelia, who was standing in front of her.

"What the heck is this?" Poul growled. "Why are they not giving us the permits?"

"I have inquired about that matter, Poul but the state said that they can't hand you the rights to mine oil over those regions citing that it could cause environmental concerns…" Amelia explained.

Poul slammed his fist on the table in frustration. "This is ridiculous! We've done everything by the book, and now they're holding us back because of some hypothetical concerns?"

Amelia nodded sympathetically. "I know, and there are farmers there protesting about us mining oil in that region, stating that it'll ruin their lands."

Poul frowned as he heard those words. "Wait, how come they are reacting too quickly? I did mention that we are going to start an oil mining enterprise but I didn't go public with it."

"Are you saying that there is something contrived going on?" Amelia asked, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"Think about it for a second, Amelia. Who do you think would benefit if we were stopped by this?"

Amelia pondered for a moment, thinking of a person who could be responsible for this. And a name popped up in her mind.

"I'm not quite sure about this man but I believe it's Mr. Rockefeller. He is an oil magnate who controls oil in the northeastern part of the country. They owned a lot of land in the north of the Appalachian Basin and when he learned that we were buying lands in the south, we somehow caught his attention."

"And then he offered us money to buy the lands that we bought right and we rejected his offer and now have resorted to some underhanded tactics," Poul continued. "Who would have thought that Rockefeller wouldn't do something like this. I expected this but not this early."

Amelia nodded in agreement, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I see. So, what's our next move, Poul?"

Poul read the reports further, looking for additional information. "Oh, this one, it was stated in this article that since we are new players in the industry, we might be ignorant on the environmental issues of mining oil in the region…"

He scoffed. "This is ridiculous, isn't his Standard Oil Company the one causing damage? Polluting water sources, releasing toxic gasses into the air, destroying forests and wildlife habitats?" Poul shook his head in disbelief.

"Yes, I have heard of that news, Poul. One example that comes to mind is the 872 oil spill in Titusville, Pennsylvania, which was caused by the Standard Oil Company. It resulted in a massive oil slick that covered the surface of Oil Creek and polluted the water source for the people and wildlife in the area. Up to this day, the effect of that negligence is still being felt by the people living in the area."

Poul nodded grimly. "That is right, I have also heard that news. Well, we can't back down now. We have to get those permits and licenses. Morgan will be pissed if his investments are wasted."

Amelia nodded in agreement. "I'll do some research and try to find a way to appeal to the state. We can also reach out to the farmers and communities in the area and see if we can address their concerns and work together towards a solution that benefits everyone."

"I'll talk to Morgan, and find out what he knows in our current predicament."

With that, the two started working.