Brandon's BMW pulled through the main gates of what the media had dubbed "The Citadel"—the sprawling campus of Carter Innovations, the parent company that housed all of his various business ventures. The name had stuck despite Brandon never officially approving it, though he had to admit it captured something about the place.
The headquarters building rose thirty stories from the center of the property, a marvel of glass, steel, and sustainable design that looked like it belonged a decade in the future. But that was just the centerpiece. The campus spread across nearly a square mile of the farmland he'd purchased years ago, now transformed into an integrated community that blended work, research, and living spaces.
Construction crews were still busy on the eastern sections, adding research facilities and additional residential towers. The entire project had cost three hundred billion dollars so far and wouldn't be complete for another year. Architectural magazines called it the most ambitious corporate campus ever constructed. Employees seemed to genuinely love working there.
Brandon parked in his reserved spot and walked with Elena toward the main entrance. The building's design incorporated every innovation his companies had developed—energy systems that made it completely self-sufficient, AI-driven climate control that adapted to occupancy patterns, security measures that would make most government facilities jealous.
"Morning, Mr. Carter!" called out Sarah Kim from the AI division as they entered the atrium. "Great job at the Senate hearing yesterday. You made them look like amateurs."
"Thanks, Sarah. How's the neural network project coming?"
"We're three weeks ahead of schedule. I'll have the report on your desk by this afternoon."
As they walked through the building, more employees greeted them—not with the forced enthusiasm of people trying to impress their boss, but with genuine respect and affection. Brandon had worked hard to create that culture, even as the company grew to employ millions worldwide.
"You know what's weird?" Elena said as they waited for the executive elevator. "Most companies this size, employees would barely know what the CEO looks like. But here, people actually seem to like you."
"That's because I never forgot what it was like to be powerless," Brandon replied. "I remember every condescending coffee order, every dismissed suggestion, every paycheck that barely covered rent while my bosses got rich off my work."
The elevator rose smoothly toward the top floor. "So you made sure things were different here."
"Exactly. Everyone gets paid on time—above market rates, actually. No layoffs during hard times because we plan for contingencies. We listen to complaints and actually solve them. Hiring and promotions are based on skills and results, not politics or who you know."
Elena smiled. "Diversity and meritocracy. Revolutionary concepts in corporate America."
"You'd think," Brandon said. "But apparently treating people fairly and rewarding actual competence is enough to make employees loyal."
The top floor housed the executive offices and main boardroom. As Brandon and Elena approached, they could see the board members already assembled through the glass walls—twelve people who represented the leadership of various divisions within the empire.
They entered the boardroom, and all twelve executives immediately stood in respect.
"Please, sit down," Brandon said, settling into his chair at the head of the table. Elena took her place at his right hand, already pulling up financial reports on the table's integrated display.
"Alright, let's get started," Brandon said. "First item—the Senate hearing fallout. Lydia, what are we seeing in terms of political response?"
Lydia Mason, still serving as Chief Operating Officer after all these years, pulled up a summary document. "Mixed reactions. Some senators are backing off after your performance, but there's a core group led by Marcus and Burton who want to push forward with antitrust legislation."
"Let them try," James Parker, the CTO, said dismissively. "After Brandon laid out how much the economy depends on us, any serious regulatory action would be political suicide."
"Don't underestimate political stupidity," Elena cautioned. "We need to prepare for multiple scenarios, including hostile legislation that forces restructuring."
Brandon nodded. "Agreed. James, I want contingency plans for operational continuity under various regulatory frameworks. If they force us to spin off divisions, those divisions need to maintain quality and integration."
"On it," James confirmed.
"Second item," Brandon continued. "The Chinese electric vehicle partnership. Where are we on production scaling?"
David Lin, who headed their automotive division, brought up manufacturing projections. "We're at three million units per year across all facilities. Demand is outpacing supply by almost two to one. I'm recommending we accelerate the construction of additional production lines."
"How much will that cost?"
"Approximately forty billion to add capacity for another two million units annually."
Brandon glanced at Elena, who nodded. "Do it," Brandon said. "Electric vehicles are still in early adoption phase. We want dominant market share before traditional manufacturers fully transition."
They worked through the agenda systematically—pharmaceutical research updates, social media platform enhancements, cryptocurrency regulatory challenges, streaming content acquisitions. Each division leader presented their progress and challenges, while Brandon and Elena provided strategic direction and resources.
"Last item," Elena said as they neared the end of the meeting. "We've received another acquisition offer for the payment processing division. A consortium of traditional banks is offering two hundred billion."
"Not interested," Brandon said immediately. "The payment system is core infrastructure. Selling it would create vulnerabilities across multiple divisions."
Thomas Walsh, who'd eventually come around after years of skepticism, raised a hand. "Brandon, two hundred billion is a lot of money, even for us. At least worth considering."
"I'm not building this company to sell it piece by piece," Brandon replied firmly. "Every division connects to and supports the others. Start dismantling that integration, and the whole ecosystem becomes weaker."
Elena smiled slightly, remembering when she'd had similar doubts about Brandon's vision. Now she understood that his seemingly random acquisitions years ago had been building toward this moment—a completely integrated technological empire where every piece made the others stronger.
"Anything else?" Brandon asked, scanning the faces around the table.
Silence. The board members looked satisfied, even energized. These weren't people being dragged through corporate drudgery—they were leaders who believed in what they were building.
"Good meeting," Brandon said. "Let's get back to work."
As the executives filed out, Elena lingered behind with Brandon. They stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the campus, watching construction crews work on the eastern expansion.
"You know what's funny?" Elena said. "When we started this, I thought success would feel like reaching a destination. But it just feels like the beginning of something bigger."
Brandon nodded, understanding exactly what she meant. "We've built the infrastructure. Now comes the harder part—figuring out what to do with all this power."
"Any ideas?"
Brandon was quiet for a moment, thinking about Margaret trapped in an abusive marriage, about the Senate trying to control what it couldn't understand, about all the problems in the world that money and technology could actually solve if someone was willing to try.
"Yeah," he said finally. "I've got a few ideas."