Creating an Industrial Empire in 19th Century Parallel World-Novel

The morning light seeped into Jonathan's suite, casting a warm glow on the cozy room. Caroline stirred from her slumber, rubbing her eyes and taking a moment to adjust to her surroundings. As she glanced over at her bed, confusion crept over her. "Jonathan?" she mumbled, tilting her head inquisitively.

"I'm here," came Jonathan's calm reply. Caroline's gaze followed the sound of his voice, landing on him hunched over a book, scribbling notes on a piece of paper.

Curiosity piqued, Caroline propped herself up on the bed, her vision clearing as she watched Jonathan engrossed in his work. "What are you doing?" she asked, still a bit groggy.

"I'm working," Jonathan responded, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Sorry if I wasn't beside you when you woke up."

Caroline shook her head, dismissing his apology. "No, no, it's okay," she said, stretching her limbs and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "I just didn't expect you to be up so early."

Jonathan chuckled softly. "I'm always up early. You know that."

Caroline smiled, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I do." She paused for a moment, taking in the peaceful atmosphere of the room. "So, what are you working on?"

Jonathan looked up from his book, meeting Caroline's gaze.  "It is a ledger, from a certain individual who thwarted our plans."

Caroline furrowed her brows in confusion. "What do you mean 'thwarted our plans'?"

"Remember the telephone call early in the morning? A private investigator that you recommended to us went to this hotel to hand over the ledger. That ledger contains Mr. Rockefeller's transactions, mostly illegal."

"Ah…you mean Jack Davis? So he got the job done huh? As expected of him, he is the best when it comes to that kind of job…What?"

Caroline noticed a neutral expression on Jonathan's face.

"Nothing…anyways I have to deliver this ledger to Poul and work his way from there. I can't deal with this for a moment as I'm busy supervising the construction of the metro station…"

"Heh…" Caroline mused, grinning. "Jonathan…are you perhaps jealous when I praised Jack Davis?"

"Wha…" Jonathan was taken aback at the sudden question. He shook his head, trying to hide the hint of embarrassment on his face. "No, of course not. Where did that come from??

Caroline laughed, knowing Jonathan too well. "You're cute when you're jealous, you know that?"

She stood up and walked forward to him.

"What are you doing?" Jonathan asked, watching Caroline approach him.

Caroline leaned down and planted a soft kiss on Jonathan's forehead. "Just saying good morning," she whispered with a smile. "And to assure you that you are the only man worthy of my love and admiration, Jonathan."

Jonathan's cheeks reddened at Caroline's words. "Thank you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Caroline sat down on Jonathan's lap and snuggled close to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Jonathan wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, enjoying each other's company.

Caroline broke the silence. "What do you think Poul would plan to do with this information?"

Jonathan's expression turned serious as he spoke. "I think Poul would use this ledger as leverage to get permits and licenses, or he can even bribe them. I don't really know. Why don't we stop discussing this and focus on us instead?"

"On us?"

"Like we should get married or something. We have done a lot of things and I figured that it's time to step it up?"

"But that would make me look easy," Caroline said somberly.

Jonathan interrupted, looking at Caroline with concern. "What do you mean by 'look easy'? Why would getting married make you look easy?"

Caroline looked down, fidgeting with her fingers. "Well, we haven't been together that long and it might seem like we're rushing into things."

Jonathan took Caroline's hands in his, his eyes softening as he looked at her.

"Caroline, I love you. I know we haven't been together for a long time, but I know in my heart that you are the one for me. I don't want to spend another day without you by my side. And getting married isn't about rushing into things. It's about making a commitment to each other, to love and support each other through thick and thin. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Do you love me too?"

"Of course I love you," Caroline responded.

"Then there's no problem right?" Jonathan leaned in and planted a kiss on her navel.

Caroline moaned and wrapped her arms around Jonathan's neck, deepening the kiss.

"You like this?" Jonathan continued, pulling back slightly to look at Caroline.

"Stop teasing me~!" Caroline laughed, playfully swatting Jonathan's arm. "

"So what is your answer? Will you marry me?"

"If I said yes, would that make you stop?"

Jonathan chuckled at Caroline's playful response. "I can't promise I'll stop completely," he said with a mischievous grin, "but I'll definitely tone it down a bit."

Caroline rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. "Okay, okay, I'll give you an answer," she said, her eyes locking with Jonathan's. "Yes, Jonathan, I will marry you."

Jonathan's face broke into a wide grin and he pulled Caroline in for a tight embrace. "You've made me the happiest man in the world," he said, his voice full of emotion. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Now that I gave you my answer, you should prepare for work. You have a meeting with the engineers later right?" Caroline asked.

"Well, it's still early, perhaps we can do one round."

"One round of what?" Caroline asked.

Jonathan leaned in close to Caroline and whispered in her ear, "You know what it is, and I know you want it too."

He then began peppering her face with sweet, lingering kisses, making Caroline giggle and squirm with delight.

***

One week later, the ledger was delivered to Poul, who was checking on it.

"This is great. With this, we can finally start our mining operations. Amelia. Schedule an appointment with Mr. Rockefeller. Tell him we have the thing."

"Understood, Mr. Nielsen."