Creating an Industrial Empire in 19th Century Parallel World

"Thank you for being kind enough to give me a ride, mister?" the lady asked Poul who was pouring a glass of water.

Poul turned and offered her a glass of water, and spoke. "Poul Nielsen is the name. That man behind me is Jonathan Axelsen, my business partner since childhood."

"Good day to you, lady?" Jonathan walked forward and extended his hand, offering a handshake.

"Amelia Weiss," Amelia said, taking the glass of water with her left hand and the other shaking the hand of Jonathan. "Once again, I'd like to thank you for your kindness. Without you, I would get stuck in Pennsylvania penniless."

"Well, I guess that you will have to be careful next time and be wary of your surroundings. You can't differentiate good and bad people on the street," Poul advised.

"Yeah…"

The glass of water shook lightly as Amelia fiddled with her hands nervously. She looked around and couldn't believe that she was in the first-class car. Exquisite furnishings and intricately-woven carpets and curtains added a touch of elegance to an already classy car. There is also a small bedroom and a water closet. Though the interior design was beautiful and overwhelming, it was not the reason why she was getting nervous. It was the fact that she had to stay with two gentlemen in the same car.

The business class tickets are sold out, and the spot that she herself reserved was taken by someone else due to the situation that was unfounded earlier.

Would it really be okay to stay with two men here? Speaking of those men, it felt like she had heard their names before. It was from the newspaper, where she read the statement released by Mr. Wanderbilt about the tragic accident that occurred on one of his express trains.  If her memory serves right, Mr. Wanderbilt's company sealed a deal with the company that makes air brakes and locomotive draft gears. The name of the company was Axelsen & Nielsen Air Brake Company.

Her eyes widened in shock. "You both are owners of the air brake company!?" Amelia exclaimed in disbelief.

Poul and Jonathan glanced at one another meaningfully after her sudden exclamation, then faced her again with a nod.

"Indeed we are. Our name gave the hint away," Poul said and continued. "I am sorry if we haven't gotten you a seat in the business class, as you know, it was fully booked, and your seat was quickly taken by someone. Seeing that this train trip is important to you, we bought you a first-class ticket."

"Ahh…you don't have to apologize, Mr. Nielsen, you have been very kind to me."

"I can sense that you are uncomfortable staying in the same car with two men you just met. If you want, you can have a bedroom for yourself. We are not really going to need it as the chair alone is comfortable enough for us two, right Poul?" Jonathan said as he shot a cursory glance at Poul.

"Right," Poul agreed while nodding.

Amelia shook her head vigorously and fumbled her hands. "Oh no, Mr. Nielsen, that won't do, I wouldn't want to trouble you two more than necessary…"

Poul and Jonathan chuckled softly at Amelia's reaction.

"Please, Lady Amelia, at least for once in our life, give us a chance of acting like gentlemen in front of a beautiful lady," Poul said smoothly, receiving a light smack on the head from Jonathan.

"Oh please, forgive my associate for his inappropriate behavior, Mr. Nielsen. He gets carried away sometimes," Jonathan said as he smiled kindly at Amelia.

"No...it's okay...really," she stammered, her cheek blushing from the gentle tone of the two.

And then an awkward silence fell upon them all.

Jonathan broke the ice with, "So uh, the trip to Landsdale is about five hours. Perhaps we can pass the time by beginning a conversation," he proposed formally.

"That would be a very good idea," Amelia bashfully giggled and started walking over to the vacant seat next to where Poul was standing.

The moment she passed by Poul. Poul felt a good fragrance invading his nostrils, causing him to follow Amelia's movement with his head and sniffed her fragrance that perfumed the air.

"She smells sweet….very sweet," he mumbled as he opened his eyes. There he noticed her glossy pristine hair.

"You are being a creep again, Poul," Jonathan reminded him.

"Uhm, Lady Amelia, do you, by any chance, use shampoo or perfume?" Poul asked.

Amelia was slightly surprised at his question but nevertheless answered him.

"Yes, it's a product made by the company I have been working for. Have you heard of a company named Loreal?"

"Loreal?" Poul heard that name from his original world. It is a personal care company in France. He believed that the company was founded in the early nineteen hundreds. How did he know? It popped up as one of the questions from the quiz bee he joined in high school.

Could it be that the parallel Loreal in this world was founded way too early? It's possible, given that this is a parallel world. But this is his first time hearing the company name in this world so—

"I believe it's the first time I heard that name," Poul said as she sat next to her and glanced at Jonathan who sat across from them. "Have you heard of it, Jonathan?"

Jonathan shook his head. "No."

"What kind of products do they make?"

"Uhm…shampoos, soaps, conditioner, fragrances, make-ups, skin care. The company also has subsidiaries in the clothing industry. A branch in New York just opened at sixth avenue a month ago."

"So, the company is not based in the United States?"

"The company is based in Paris and was founded by a genius woman named Caroline Dupont. She was only ten years old at the time when she first made shampoo that is safe."

"Seriously?" Poul and Jonathan gasped lightly. Poul continued. "Just how many young prodigies are living in this world? First, the young female doctor in England is now a chemist from Paris? Wait, so if the company is based in Paris, then how did you meet the founder?"

"Well, she is my childhood friend. I work for her as a personal secretary. It means I handle everything ranging from managing diaries and organizing meetings and appointments to booking and arranging travel, transport, and accommodation. organizing events and conferences, and lastly reminding her of important tasks," Amelia said with pride laced in her tone.

"So you are not from the United States?" Jonathan asked.

Amelia nodded her head, confirming it. "Yes. I was just visiting Pennsylvania to scout the location for the future expansion of the company, and I had to present to her my findings tomorrow morning. Which is why I'm devastated when my purse got stolen. You were a lifesaver. I promise that I will pay you once I return to New York."

"I see, it's all starting to piece itself together now," Jonathan said.

"You said you are a secretary right? How good are you at your job?"

'Uhm, very to the point Lady Caroline doesn't intend to replace me," Amelia said confidently.

"That's sad, I was thinking about hiring you as our secretary because we are in dire need of one," Poul said.

"Eh?" Amelia looked at Poul in surprise.

"The paperwork is swamping us," Jonathan said and continued. "The correspondence keeps piling up to the point we are losing track of it. We are desperate to find a secretary that can sort those problems out so we can focus on research and design, and help us make executive decisions based on the summary of the correspondence."

"I think I see now," Amelia covered her lips as she giggled. "Well, I wish you good luck in finding one because I have no intention of leaving Lady Caroline."

"I admire the loyalty," Poul nodded respectfully.

"Are you engineers by any chance?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, I'm a mechanical engineer and Jonathan is a civil engineer. We are partners. The pipes filled with air that is running below, I'm the one who designed it. The facilities and buildings in the headquarters were from Jonathan."

"You two are a great partner indeed," Amelia smiled proudly at the pair and the trip continued in silence after that.