Two days later, Poul and Amelia arrived at the Port of New York. Walking down the gangway, they set foot on solid ground, officially disembarking from the ship. They looked around as if looking for someone.
"There they are!" Amelia pointed her fingers to the distance.
"Where?" Poul looked to where Amelia was pointing, and there were Jonathan and Caroline, standing by the automobile, waving their hands at them.
They quickly head towards the two.
"Just in time!" Jonathan exclaimed enthusiastically. "We've been eagerly waiting for your arrival. You must have so many stories to share! So how did it go? Did the Sauds accept the proposal…"
Jonathan trailed off, his enthusiastic voice fading into concern as his gaze fixated on something he had noticed on Poul's face. Furrowing his brow, he interrupted himself mid-sentence, unable to ignore the peculiar sight any longer.
"Poul, is everything alright?" Jonathan's voice now held a tinge of worry. "You seem to have a mark on your cheek. Did something happen during your journey?"
But Poul was silent, lost in his own thoughts as he tried to recall any incident that could have caused the mark on his cheek. Sensing his friend's preoccupation, Jonathan turned to Amelia, seeking answers.
"Amelia, do you have any idea how this could have happened?" Jonathan asked, concern etching his face.
Amelia's eyes widened, momentarily taken aback by Jonathan's question. She quickly collected her thoughts and nodded.
"Well, the thing is Mr. Axelsen, there was an unprecedented meeting that occurred during our time in the Middle East," Amelia explained. "It's King Alexander of the British Empire."
"Alexander…you say?" Caroline repeated, walking over to them. "I almost forgot about the guy, what did that king tell Poul to make him look like that?"
"King Alexander is showing no signs of leaving our backs," Poul finally spoke, yet his tone was serious. "He knew where I was and it is not a coincidence that we happened to meet there in the Middle East."
"Shit…" Jonathan mumbled a curse. "Alexander hasn't moved on huh? After all these years. But what's more concerning is that he knew where you were."
"And he is also keeping tabs on the election polls," Poul added. "He made fun of me Jonathan, that prick…it seems like any moment now he could retaliate. Though I don't know how far he will go, it's best that we prepare. How is the recruitment going on to our private military company?"
"The United States Army is willing to loan some of their men for it, but are you being serious right now? Why the private military company? Don't tell me…you are going to hire them to kill the King?" Jonathan exclaimed.
"What?! No, of course not," Poul quickly interrupted and continued. "About the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has accepted our proposal. We are to operate and mine their oil reserves. However, I have a feeling that King Alexander might do something that would not be in the best interest of our company. Like coercing King Saud to terminate our agreement with us or worse, sanctioning British troops to occupy some regions in the country…The British Empire helped the Sauds family to gain their independence so you can imagine the leverage King Alexander holds over them."
"Yeah, I can definitely imagine it," Jonathan said, his voice grim. A potential conflict in the Middle East with their private military company against the British Army. If things escalated and those two were to clash, it would be a war.
"He is declaring war on me, though not literally but figuratively," Poul said. "I want the list of men the United States Army is willing to loan us for our private military company. We need to be prepared for any eventuality."
Jonathan nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. "I'll make sure to get that information for you, Poul. I'll call Morgan, he is the one I call for this type of thing."
"Poul, perhaps you are overreacting…" Caroline chimed in. "You might lead this country to a war with the British Empire."
"Well, if that were to happen, it's a win-win for us," Poul said. "Our arms manufacturing enterprise may be producing revolutionary weapons but it's not going to matter if there is no conflict for it to be used. Besides, I have a feeling that King Alexander would undermine our interest in the Middle East."
"Looks like the wedding is going to get postponed," Jonathan said jokingly to Caroline.
"No, you can push forward your marriage, Jonathan. It's not like the conflict is going to happen now. Let's return back to Pittsburgh."
***
Seven days later, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, the headquarters of the Axelsen & Nielsen Corporation. Hundreds of men outside the main office queued up to be vetted by the industrialist duo for their private military company.
Poul and Jonathan were in their respective rooms, each interviewing the potential recruits. They implemented stringent measures to make sure that only the most capable and trustworthy individuals would join their ranks.
Meanwhile, outside the main office were the factory workers. They chatted amongst one another, wondering why there were a lot of young men lining up outside.
"Miss Olsen, do you happen to know what's going on there?" One of the nurses working under Sara asked.
"To be honest Leila, I don't have any idea."
"But…isn't Mr. Nielsen, your fiance? How come that he hasn't informed you about it?" Leila asked, her curiosity piqued.
"It's simple Leila, I don't usually meddle in Poul's business affairs or anything for that matter," Sara replied with a gentle smile. "We respect each other's professional domains, and Poul has always been the one to handle the strategic decisions regarding the corporation. He trusts me to focus on my work as a doctor, just as I trust him with his responsibilities as an industrialist…" She paused, her curiosity piqued. "But now that you mention it, I can't help but wonder what exactly is happening. It seems like a huge job fair but never in the main office…"
As curiosity got the best of her, Sara walked over to the line and asked one of the men.
"Excuse me, sir, may I ask what you are here for? Are you applying for a job in one of the factories?" Sara asked.
"Sorry lady, but I'm not at liberty to discuss the details. We've been asked to wait in line and follow the instructions given to us," the man replied politely.
"Is that so?" Sara's suspicion grew stronger as the man's response raised more questions than it answered. She couldn't shake off the feeling that something significant was happening within the Axelsen & Nielsen Corporation. Determined to find out more, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
"Leila, wait here. I'll go inside," Sara said.
"I will return back to the clinic, rather than wait for you, Ms. Olsen," Leila said sheepishly.
Sara nodded at Leila and made her way towards Poul's office inside the building. Up on the eighth floor, Sara made her way to Poul's room. As soon as she arrived at the door, she saw Poul shaking hands with a man.
"Welcome to Aegis Tactical Services," Poul said to the man.
