Tatiana tapped her lip as she regarded the series of names Then she tried to recall as much as she could about Senator Heathridge YouÆve never held this specific dagger but itÆs clearly one youÆve kept with your friends And I predicted the individual targeting Erickson Steel would soon make a move has it been you this whole time Heathridge
Tatiana looked up sharply at the sound of the intercom It was from the front desk it appeared that Lee Holloway had arrived early
Clicking a button to indicate the man should be sent up immediately Tatiana walked over to the cabinet and removed the completely empty bottle of her favorite Donnyton whiskey and set it on the desk next to her work area Then she pulled several piles of meaningless earning reports and set them haphazardly around her chair and desk
Tatiana paused briefly in her work when several papers fluttered to the floor around her desk but that only made her smile in satisfaction She then walked to the windows and pulled the blinds closed The office became dark and disheveled
Suddenly it seemed that Tatiana was beset by a sea of accumulating problems in paper form
To finish off the illusion Tatiana poured herself a glass of a rich amber colored iced tea She took a sip and smacked her lips in pleasure Bitter as the day I was born Perfect LetÆs see what sort of hammer is about to fall LetÆs hope to god that this man doesnÆt think he can play chicken with Randidly Ghosthound
Lee Holloway looked exactly like someone who worked in government as a career wheedler he wore a three piece suit and his dark hair was slicked back with oil His beard was impeccably trimmed
When he entered the room Tatiana took careful note of the way his gaze went to her face and never once flicked down to the empty bottle of whiskey on the desk or the glass of amber liquid in her hand He was good at what he did but that also made him relatively predictable He would save that card for when he meant business
Tatiana He boomed with a confident laugh as he strode forward and took a seat at one of the leather chairs in front of her desk How are you You truly as young and beautiful as the rumors say
Ah well thank you Tatiana looked down demurely for just long enough Then she quickly looked back up to his face and then away IÆve been expecting I mean how are you What ah what brings you here
Of course I should have guessed Lee winked at Tatiana Business before pleasure I should have expected as much from a successful woman like yourself So IÆll get right down to it I represent certain interest groups and IÆm sure you realize that considering the recent activities of Erickson Steel Zone 1 would eventually need to find a solution to this strange conundrum that makes every happy
Tatiana forced her face into a polite smile To have no reaction prepared would be too amateur might alert him that this is just a ploy Better to immediately buckle down and show some capability Ah You must be referring to the recent shift in distribution strategy I had no idea that Senators would be interested in such things
yes of course Holloway seemed amused He winked at her again Based on that specifically IÆd like to inform you that the government of Zone 1 would like to sponsor a Village being founded on Erickson Steel land We really think that if Erickson Steel wants to become a traveling hub we should do everything to support that venture You continue to supply the quality steel and we will build the infrastructure to make this the second Orchard What do you think
Chapter 1006
What Tatiana blinked in surprise not even needing to fake her slightly bewildered surprise Her mind danced around touching all of the connecting threads She forced her face not to shift from that shock as she rapidly calculated what such a move by the government that would mean Based on HollowayÆs phrasing he seemed to indicate that the government would be the one funding this venture And she didnÆt think that he would lie to her face
If they were offering something that would obviously benefit Erickson Steel it meant that they were confident on getting a return on the investment A lot of return Which meant that they would ask for an assurance that
Of course itÆs a business deal In exchange for such a partnership Erickson Steel simply has to sell back its land to the government We would enter into a lessor/lessee relationship and could begin the project immediately Suddenly Lee HollowayÆs gaze turned sympathetic He spared the empty liquor bottle on TatianaÆs desk a glance IÆm sure youÆve realized it but Erickson Steel is in a somewhat precarious situation
Previous laws allowed the creation of special business districts as Zone 1 was developing in New Earth under the discretion of designated officials vetted by Congress But it is a rather murky issue of whether those special officials could sell the special business districts to third parties without leave of Congress Honestly it seems highly unlikely that such arrangements would stand up in court
Tatiana just looked at Lee Holloway Her face continued to smile politely
IÆll give you some time to think it over Lee stood and headed to the door with the abruptness and capriciousness of a prowling cat
Of course you will leave you smug prick Tatiana thought as she suppressed the urge to yawn I havenÆt looked into the way Randidly obtained the land rights here so IÆll need time to realize whether your threat is a genuine one At that point I bet you expect me to panic for a while No need to force the issue immediately
But of course Lee stopped at the door This would be the looming blade above Erickson SteelÆs back But the threat about HelenÆs interaction with the police didnÆt emerge Instead Lee took an entirely different tack
Ah there is one more thing Since we will be moving into a more working relationship I wanted to give you a heads up Due to bureaucratic oversight that resulted from the rising threat of monsters in the South some of our patrols in the area have been erratic Forced to return early due casualties forced to avoid growing Raid Bosses due to lack of supplies suffice to say the normal patrols have not occurred Intelligence operatives predict that monsters are massing in the South around Lake Apollo
TatianaÆs face twitched She carefully raised her hand and pretended to cough into it in order to cover her mouth
HollowayÆs smile was sharp Unfortunately I donÆt know if we will be able to rectify the situation in a short amount of time Please take some precautions to protect Erickson SteelÆs interests
You wonÆt help until we sell out you mean
After Holloway left Tatiana waited three seconds During those stretched moments Tatiana demonstrated a depth of character and Willpower that she hadnÆt realized she possessed Then she laughed so loud and long she was holding her belly and gasping five minutes later
IÆm sure they would be extremely surprised to find that one bored spear hellion eradicated your carefully cultivated threat in a single afternoon Tatiana thought with amusement Then she shook her head and wondered what she could get for Helen as a gift for taking away one more problem Tatiana had to deal with
But very quickly TatianaÆs focus shifted to what the government was after Giving the government the land would obviously put Erickson Steel at their mercy but it wouldnÆt be a rapid death for the company They could slowly charge higher and higher rent and tolls but Tatiana doubted they would use such a roundabout approach if their goal was really to destroy or dominate Erickson Steel
Tatiana thought for sure they would ask for a controlling interest But instead they targeted the land What did it mean