Re: Blood and Iron

Bruno walked to his personal office within his estate. It was a room that only he was permitted to enter. Anyone else who wished to enter would first be required to have been given his express permission to do so. Even his beloved wife could only knock on the door outside and request entry.

The reason for this was simple: Bruno's workload was massive, and he needed a quiet and solitary place free from distraction to conduct his business outside of his employment as a Generaloberst in the Imperial German Army.

With three young children who were liable to go running through rooms screaming and hollering like a bunch of howler monkeys whenever they got a little too rambunctious, it was no wonder that Bruno established these rules and made them very clear to both his family and the staff who lived and worked out of the massive and luxurious estate.

This was where Bruno led Maximilian, partially because he wanted to be away from the ongoing festivities while discussing potential business with the man. But also, because if he needed to teach his elder brother a painful yet valuable lesson about wasting his precious time, then there would be nobody to come to his rescue until Bruno was done with him.

Without even realizing it, Maximilian had walked straight into a jaguar's den and sat across from the beast himself with a conceited smile on his face. Bruno listened intently to what the man had to say; he was more than willing to give his elder brother a chance to impress him, even if he personally thought very little of the man.

Maximilian started the conversation with pointless flattery, which might work for those ancient nobles who loved to have their asses kissed, but from Bruno's perspective, it was a complete and total waste of his valuable time.

"I have to say, little brother, you have done quite well for yourself. This estate is really something else. I would say it is at least two to three times bigger than the one we grew up in. Your family is also quite—"

As Maximilian blathered on with pointless pleasantries, Bruno looked at his watch and quickly tapped it with a stern look on his face. His voice became ever more callous as he spoke to the man with an air of indifference about him.

"You have wasted five minutes already; that means you have twenty-five left. If I were you, I would cut the shit and get straight to the point, as I don't have much time to waste, seeing as how it is my beloved daughter's birthday…"

Bruno emphasized the beloved part of his statement to let Maximilian know that whatever shit he might be thinking internally about his family and their "status," he better not say. Because of this, the man sighed heavily before revealing his hand.

"Alright, fine. If you're going to be that way, I won't bother being polite. Fine… Bruno, I'll make it simple: I want you to invest a substantial sum into a certain business proposal. By chance, I happened to come across some information related to a patent that is currently being processed.

It has the potential to revolutionize the world! With my connections at the patent office, I could easily have it stalled long enough to steal it right from under the creator, or at the very least have some chemists come up with a viable alternative! Hell, I could even have it outright rejected!

All I need is your help funding the startup costs! Together, we can make untold fortunes off of this new plastic business!"

Bruno frowned immediately when he heard what his brother had dared to say in his presence. First and foremost, it made sense now why this bastard came to him. Such a sinister plot to steal intellectual property from someone else would never have gained the approval of their father or older brothers.

And in fact, it could have had severe consequences for the man. Bruno frankly found it insulting that Maximilian had actually dared to come to him, thinking he was as low and despicable as the man himself.

But more importantly, Bruno was agitated because those patents more or less belonged to him. What he was talking about was the creation of Bakelite, the first synthetic plastic in the world.

Originally invented in some primitive form by Adolf von Baeyer in 1872, it was initially believed to have no real commercial applications and thus was relatively forgotten about until just a year or two prior when the process was improved upon and perfected by a Belgian chemist by the name of Leo Baekeland.

He applied for patents that year, which were currently ongoing, and because Maximilian worked for the German Reich's patent office, he naturally learned of this fact and wanted to take advantage of it, having just enough foresight to realize how profitable such a material could prove to be.

There was just one problem: Baekeland was one of many scientists, like Nikola Tesla, who Bruno had long since scouted out and brought under his own investment and influence. Unlike in his past life, Baekeland did not live in the United States, but as a result of Bruno's patronage, had immigrated to the German Reich, where he filed the patent for Bakelite.

In fact, Bruno had gotten Baekeland and other famous chemists from the era who also specialized in plastics and other materials science to come together as the primary researchers for a single corporation dedicated to their creation.

To put it simply, Maximilian had come to Bruno to borrow money to invest in a company that would infringe on intellectual property he owned, just so they could become a competitor.

Plastics were a major enterprise, one which Bruno was currently having a monopoly on, as patents were currently being filed for a variety of plastics—not just Bakelite, but also things like polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride.

As the years spent developing these materials with the funding Bruno provided, the chemists had borne fruit. Because of this ironic twist of fate, Bruno couldn't help but break out into laughter after hearing his brother's sheer audacity, where he was quick to stand up and intimidate the man with an overtly hostile glare.

"I have to say… all these years, I knew there was a reason I kept you alive. You truly know how to play the part of the fool, did you know that? I mean, you have misunderstood more than just my character.

Did you seriously think that I would latch onto the first opportunity to make an illicit profit via theft of intellectual property? Am I so lowly in your eyes that you do not perceive me as having the honor and integrity of our father and brothers?

Well, you were mistaken, and not just in regards to myself as a person. But also in the fact that this patent you are trying to infringe upon—I own the company that filed it. You probably would have known this interesting fact if greed had not taken such control of your mind that you did not even look into the matter more than a mere cursory glance!

I find it truly ironic… after all the things you have said about me, my wife, and my children over the years. You, the mighty noble scion, would stoop so low as to theft. And would even have the audacity to approach the man you are trying to steal from and to ask him to invest in your criminal enterprise.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

I think God is having a laugh at you, brother… but don't worry, I won't inform the authorities of your unlawful conduct. No, I think our family is humiliated enough by having such a wretched son among its ranks. To bring such shame to the public eye, it would honestly be too cruel to our parents who sired such an amoral bastard. Don't you think?"

Bruno was using the term bastard rather loosely here to imply a lack of moral character rather than questionable heritage. Either way, being called a bastard by his youngest brother—and a man who had married a bastard, no less—it instantly caused Maximilian's smug smirk to come off of his otherwise handsome face.

Or it would have, had he not been so dumbstruck by Bruno's admission. But before he could respond, Bruno looked at his watch and realized that the hand had just struck the thirty-minute mark.

He quickly shooed his elder brother from his office and assured him he was welcome to stay for the celebrations that were to be had, albeit implying that he and his family would be heavily watched by the estate's security.

"I am afraid that is all the time I have for you, brother. Do stay and enjoy the cake and festivities. You are more than welcome here in my home; you are family, after all. Though if I were you, I wouldn't be too keen on starting trouble. My patience has its limits, and the guards are a bit overprotective of my family, if you get what I mean.

We wouldn't want you and your family overstaying your welcome and being forcibly removed from my home in front of so many guests, now would we? I'm afraid that would be a scene that people would be talking about for years to come, now wouldn't they?"

After shutting the door behind him and locking his office before stashing the key away in his pocket, Bruno walked away with a rather jovial gait in his step, humming a tune as he did so—one that only he was aware of its origin.

Maximilian, of course, curled his fist in wrath but stayed his anger as he knew making a scene here and now would only result in further shame. He had never been so humiliated before in his life and did not know what to do now that his hopes to steal a fortune away from those who deserved it had been dashed before his very eyes.

Ultimately, he would return to his own family and force them to leave Bruno's estate early, having no desire to stay and endure such a grievance.