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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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They didn't even bother recounting the night's events, they simply fell into the massive, four poster bed, tangled together in the heavy down quilts, and fell into the deepest, most peaceful sleep of their entire lives. When they finally woke, the bright, crisp winter sunlight was streaming brilliantly through the gaps in the heavy velvet curtains. The clock on the mantle indicated it was well past noon.
They dressed comfortably, shedding the formal wear of the previous night for soft cotton and warm wool, and made their way downstairs to the sunlit dining room.
Antonio, possessing the uncanny timing of a master butler, was already waiting for them. The dining table was set flawlessly for two.
"Good afternoon, Don Thorne. Madam," Antonio greeted them, his face breaking into a rare, incredibly warm smile. He bowed deeply. "Please allow me to offer my most sincere, heartfelt congratulations to you both. It was a historic evening, and it is a profound joy to see this house filled with such happiness."
"Thank you, Antonio," Caleb smiled, pulling out a chair for Mary-Beth before taking his own seat at the head of the table. "The banquet was a masterpiece. You outdid yourself."
Antonio poured them sparkling water and served a magnificent late lunch of roasted winter fowl, fresh garden greens, and warm, crusty bread.
As they ate, the reality of their engagement began to settle in. Caleb looked across the table at his fiancée, a playful, excited glint in his blue eyes.
"So," Caleb began, cutting a piece of the roasted fowl. "Now that we are officially engaged, and the Thorne Holding Company is legally untouchable... we have a wedding to plan. Where would you like to hold the ceremony, Mary-Beth? We could rent out the grand cathedral in the center of Saint Denis, or we could secure the botanical gardens. Money is no object. Whatever you desire, it is yours."
Mary-Beth took a sip of her water, a thoughtful, beautiful smile touching her lips as she considered her own vision for the day.
"I don't need a massive cathedral, Caleb," Mary-Beth responded softly, her dark eyes shining with anticipation. "I just want a beautiful, spacious place. Somewhere open to the sky, somewhere that can welcome absolutely everyone we care about. Our gang, your most trusted men, the people who fought for us. I want it to feel like a family gathering, not a corporate spectacle."
"A spacious, beautiful place for the family," Caleb nodded, committing the parameters to memory. "I will have Antonio begin scouting private estates and waterfront properties immediately."
Just as they were discussing the floral arrangements, the heavy doors of the dining room opened. Antonio stepped inside, carrying a small silver tray.
"Forgive the interruption, sir," Antonio murmured, approaching the table. "But the express post just arrived. There is a priority letter addressed to you, dispatched from Strawberry."
Caleb arched an eyebrow, setting his fork down. He reached out and took the letter, breaking the wax seal. He recognized the precise, immaculate handwriting of Herr Strauss immediately.
Caleb unfolded the heavy parchment, his eyes rapidly scanning the contents of the letter.
As he read, the casual, relaxed expression on his face morphed into a look of sheer, overwhelming triumph. A massive, incredibly bright smile broke across his handsome face, a smile that practically radiated absolute victory.
Strauss's letter detailed that the monumental logistical nightmare was finally over.
The sprawling, multi story luxury hotel complex built into the mountains of Strawberry was finally, completely finished. The private hydroelectric dam was fully operational, the imported European carpets had been laid down, the electric fixtures were blazing, and the staff was fully trained.
Strauss wrote that they were officially ready to open their doors to the tycoons of the East Coast, and he formally invited Caleb and the entire inner circle to come down to the mountains for the grand, exclusive opening gala.
Caleb let out a rich, booming laugh of sheer delight, tossing the letter onto the mahogany table.
Mary-Beth looked at him, completely intrigued by his reaction. She smiled, resting her chin on her hand as she watched the rich Don of the South practically vibrating with excitement.
"Well?" Mary-Beth asked playfully, her eyes sparkling with profound amusement and undeniable love. "What on earth could possibly be in that letter, Caleb Thorne, that is making you beam even brighter than when we were discussing our wedding location?"
Hearing what Mary-Beth said, a deep, resonant chuckle escaped Caleb's chest, the sound vibrating with a mixture of sheer relief and huge joy. He leaned back in his high backed mahogany chair, his blue eyes dancing with the fire of a man who was watching his grandest visions manifest into physical reality.
"This, my beautiful fiancée," Caleb began, his voice dripping with triumphant satisfaction as he slid the heavy parchment across the polished surface of the dining table toward her, "is a letter from our esteemed Herr Strauss. He has just informed me that the monumental hotel project we have been funding for the better part of some time is finally over. The luxury hotel complex in the Strawberry mountains… is finally done."
Mary-Beth, hearing that massive piece of news, was surprised. Her dark eyes widened as she quickly scanned the immaculate, precise cursive handwriting of the Austrian accountant.
The sheer scale of what Caleb had been attempting to build out in the rugged wilderness of West Elizabeth had seemed almost mythical at times, a multi story palace carved into the rock, powered by a private hydroelectric dam, designed to cater exclusively to the wealthiest tycoons in the nation.
As the reality of Strauss's words set in, the initial shock on Mary-Beth's face melted into an incredibly happy, radiant smile. She looked up from the parchment, her eyes shining with absolute pride.
"Caleb, that is magnificent!" Mary-Beth exclaimed, her voice filled with a genuine, overwhelming joy. She reached across the table, taking his large, calloused hand in her own.
"Congratulations, my love. Truly. I know exactly how long you have been waiting for this project to be finished. I know how much money and sleepless nights you poured into those blueprints. To finally have it completed… it is the true beginning of your legitimate empire."
"It is our empire, Mary-Beth," Caleb corrected her softly, his thumb gently tracing the platinum and emerald engagement ring resting on her finger. "But yes. It is the anchor we needed. A fully operational, highly visible, and perfectly legal monument to the Thorne Holding Company."
Mary-Beth smiled, looking down at the letter once more. The gears in her own sharp, highly observant mind began to turn.
She had spent the last year watching Caleb manipulate markets, orchestrate hostile takeovers, and build a fortune through sheer willpower and tactical genius. Being so close to the fire, she had naturally absorbed the warmth of his ambition.
Suddenly, a brilliant pragmatic idea came to her mind. Her eyes lit up, the spark of inspiration completely transforming her expression.
"Caleb," Mary-Beth said, her voice dropping into a slightly conspiratorial, deeply excited tone. "Just a few minutes ago, you asked me where I would like to hold our wedding ceremony. You told me to find a spacious, beautiful place, surrounded by nature, where we could welcome our entire family."
Caleb nodded slowly, his full attention captivated by the sudden shift in her demeanor. "I did. Have you thought of a location so soon?"
"I think I just found the absolute perfect place," Mary-Beth smiled, tapping the heavy parchment letter with her index finger. "Why don't we use the new Strawberry hotel as the place to hold the wedding?"
Caleb blinked, genuinely taken aback for a fraction of a second, completely not expecting that proposition.
"Think about it, Caleb," Mary-Beth continued, her words flowing with an infectious, visionary enthusiasm that perfectly mirrored his own. "It is nestled right in the heart of the mountains, completely surrounded by the wilderness and the open sky. It is massive enough to comfortably house Arthur, John, Sadie, Hosea, the gang members, and every single trusted capo in your syndicate without anyone having to sleep in tents or cheap boarding houses. It would be a private, incredibly luxurious gathering for the family, far away from the smog and the prying eyes of Saint Denis."
She paused, a distinctly shrewd, highly intelligent glint entering her dark eyes as she delivered the final, masterful stroke of her argument.
"And furthermore," she added, a playful smirk touching her lips, "if we are inviting the absolute richest, most influential politicians and tycoons in the state to witness the wedding of the newly revealed Don Thorne… hosting it at your brand new resort would serve as a massive, entirely free advertisement for the people that will come. They will sleep in your imported European beds, they will eat in your grand dining rooms, and they will see the sheer perfection of your establishment firsthand. By the time they leave the wedding, they will be begging to invest in your next project."
Hearing that flawless, brilliant, and ruthlessly pragmatic line of reasoning, Caleb was surprised for a moment. He stared at her, his mind rapidly calculating the logistical brilliance of the idea. It was an absolute masterstroke. It combined profound personal sentiment with a highly aggressive corporate marketing strategy.
A moment later, Caleb let out a rich, booming chuckle that echoed off the vaulted ceilings of the dining room. He shook his head in sheer disbelief and profound admiration.
"Yes," Caleb said, his voice laced with unadulterated awe. "That is… that is very, very true. It is absolute genius, Mary-Beth. Why in the hell didn't I think of that before?"
He stood up from his chair, walking around the edge of the mahogany table until he was standing right beside her. He looked down at her, his blue eyes filled with an overwhelming, intoxicating adoration.
"I am a very, very lucky man," Caleb murmured, his voice dropping into a low, intimate hum. "To be marrying a woman who is not only breathtakingly beautiful, but also incredibly smart. You possess the mind of a business woman, Miss Gaskill."
Mary-Beth, hearing that specific phrasing, immediately snorted. She arched a delicate eyebrow, looking up at him with a feigned, highly exaggerated look of utter offense, a playful, teasing light dancing in her eyes.
"Oh, is that so, Mr. Thorne?" Mary-Beth challenged, crossing her arms over her chest. "And exactly what did you mean by that? Was I not smart before? Was I just a beautiful face sitting in the corner reading penny dreadfuls until you put a ring on my finger?"
Caleb let out a loud, genuine laugh as he heard what she had just said. The sound was warm and entirely unguarded. He didn't even attempt to formulate a verbal defense against her sharp wit. Instead, he simply reached down, wrapping his strong arms around her waist, and pulled her up from the chair and directly into a tight affectionate hug.
"You know exactly what I meant, you absolute menace," Caleb chuckled, pressing a firm, lingering kiss to the crown of her head. He held her close, feeling the warmth of her body against his. He assured her, his voice softening with absolute sincerity, "Of course you were already smart from the very start. You were the smartest person in that entire camp, and we both know it. But seeing you apply that beautiful mind to our empire… it is the most intoxicating thing in the world."
Mary-Beth smiled against his chest, her arms wrapping securely around his waist as she accepted the compliment. They stood there in the sunlit dining room, sharing a quiet, profoundly romantic moment, entirely insulated from the chaotic, violent world that Caleb ruled outside the mansion walls.
Eventually, Caleb gently pulled back. The domestic peace of the morning had been wonderful, but the gears of the Thorne Holding Company never truly stopped turning, and he had a monumental amount of work to do.
"I need to coordinate the logistics with Antonio," Caleb said softly, brushing a stray curl from her cheek. "I will leave you to your writing, sweetheart. We will dine together this evening."
"Go conquer the world, my love," Mary-Beth smiled, returning to her chair and picking up her cup of sparkling water.
Caleb turned and walked purposefully out of the dining room, his demeanor instantly shifting from the tender, devoted fiance back into the cold, calculating, and ruthlessly efficient CEO of the Southern underworld.
As he stepped out into the grand, silk-lined hallway, Antonio was already waiting, stepping out from the shadows of the servant corridors with his silver-headed cane in hand and a leather-bound ledger tucked under his arm. The head butler fell perfectly into step a half-pace behind his employer as they walked toward the grand foyer.
"Antonio," Caleb commanded, his voice sharp and decisive, echoing off the marble floors. "The plans for the wedding have been finalized by me and Mary-Beth. We are holding the ceremony and the subsequent reception at the newly completed luxury hotel complex in the Strawberry mountains."
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Name: Caleb Thorne
Age: 23
Body Attributes:
- Strength: 8/10
- Agility: 8/10
- Perception: 9/10
- Stamina: 8/10
- Charm: 8/10
- Luck: 9/10
Skills:
- Handgun (Lvl MAX)
- Rifle (Lvl MAX)
- Firearms Knowledge (Lvl MAX)
- Past Life Memory (Lvl MAX)
- Knife (Lvl MAX)
- Blunt Weapon (Lvl MAX)
- Sneaking (Lvl MAX)
- Horse Mastery (Lvl MAX)
- Poker (Lvl MAX)
- Hand to Hand Combat (Lvl MAX)
- Eagle Eye (Lvl MAX)
- Dead Eye (Lvl MAX)
- Bow (Lvl MAX)
- Pain Nullifier (Lvl MAX)
- Physical Regeneration (Lvl MAX)
- Crafting (Lvl MAX)
- Persuasion (Lvl MAX)
- Mental Fortitude (Lvl MAX)
- Cooking (Lvl MAX)
- Teaching (Lvl MAX)
- Trilingual Language Proficiency - G, I, & C (Lvl MAX)
- Inventory System (Permanent - 100x100x100)
- Acting (Lvl MAX)
- Alcohol Resistance (Lvl MAX)
- Treasure Hunter (Lvl MAX)
- Drugs Resistance (Lvl MAX)
- Business (Lvl MAX)
- Leadership (Lvl MAX)
Money: 2,772 dollars and 60 cents
Inventory: 283,392 dollars and 61 cents, 11 gold nuggets, 74 gold bars, 1 Double Action, 1 Schofield, 2 Colm's Schofields, 1 land deed (Parcel), 1 Mauser, 1 Semi Auto Pistol, 1 Lancaster Repeater, 1 Old Wood Jewelry Box, 1 F.F Mausoleum small brass key, 1 Ruby, 1 Broken Pirate Sword, 1 Milton's Safety Deposit Key, Proof Of Marlin-Thorne Firearms Co., 10 Dynamites, 1 LeMat, 1 M1899, 1 Carcano, 1 Ownership deed of Doyle's Tavern, 3 Diamonds, & Important Documents & Deeds Of Cornwall
Bank: -