Free Web NovelWhen Riley Bechtel saw the sneer on my face, his expression twisted grotesquely.
But because of Caspar Weinberger’s and Kissinger’s words, he couldn’t even part his lips—he just clenched his fists tightly, trembling in place.
Speaking in his stead, Caspar Weinberger asked me again.
“What you’re saying now is...... that those three construction companies will definitely participate in the consortium? That there won’t be any disruption to the reconstruction project—is that correct, Charlie?”
“Yes, that’s correct. In the case of Daehyeon Group and Poongsan Group, the shares I personally hold are far greater than the shares held by Dream High. They’re stakes I’ve accumulated over a long period of time, maintaining those connections. If I wanted to, I might not be able to seize the company outright, but I could change who sits in the owner’s seat at any time. Those so-called chaebol types in Korea are always eager to rise to the position of owner whenever an opportunity presents itself. Well, I suppose America isn’t all that different.”
At my firm answer, a faint smile appeared on Caspar Weinberger’s face.
At that moment, Kissinger, who had been listening beside us, spoke up.
“I’ll vouch for that.”
With Henry Kissinger’s guarantee added on top, ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ Caspar Weinberger’s smile deepened.
He nodded and asked once more.
“Then will you take full responsibility for constructing the housing and transportation infrastructure, as we proposed? That would be more than the equity stake promised by the White House—certainly not less. Am I right, Charlie?”
“Exactly. It’s definitely not a deal where I take a loss. But that’s precisely why I’m more suspicious. Housing and transportation infrastructure are projects of considerable scale. Why are you willing to yield them to us?”
I couldn’t blindly trust their goodwill.
If anything, these were the kinds of people who would rather covet the table I had already set than give anything away.
There had to be a reason. As Caspar Weinberger received my suspicious gaze and parted his lips to respond—
He suddenly doubled over, coughing violently.
When Caspar Weinberger lifted his head again and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, it was soaked red with blood.
“Director!”
Startled, Riley Bechtel rushed toward him.
But Caspar Weinberger raised a hand to stop him.
Riley Bechtel froze in place at the gesture, fidgeting anxiously.
After very slowly wiping his mouth, Caspar Weinberger spoke with an awkward expression.
“I’ve embarrassed myself.”
“Not at all. It seems your health isn’t good.”
“That’s right. I should really be in the hospital.”
Forcing a smile, he continued.
“Charlie’s question is reasonable. It’s only natural to feel suspicious.”
As he struggled to continue speaking, George Shultz stepped in and stopped him.
“Caspar. You should rest now. I’ll explain the rest.”
At George Shultz’s words, Caspar Weinberger nodded.
After casting a sympathetic glance at him, George Shultz turned his head toward me. With a gentle smile at the corner of his mouth, he asked,
“Charlie, you were asking why, weren’t you?”
“Yes. I expected you to take as much as you could from us, not to offer more.”
When I replied casually, George Shultz laughed even louder.
“Straightforward. I like that. The reason is simple. Iraq’s reconstruction isn’t something the United States can monopolize. If we did, the EU and other countries would rise up in protest.”
“So you intend to use us to minimize resistance from other countries?”
“I won’t deny it. Dream High—or more precisely, you, Charlie—taking the business rights means that Korean companies will carry out the projects. And just as we expected, you confirmed that Korean construction firms would form a consortium. If that happens, we can speak confidently to other nations.”
I nodded slightly at George Shultz’s words.
The reconstruction isn’t being done by the United States alone. We’ve signed legitimate contracts.
Look at the Korean construction companies—haven’t they won plenty of contracts?
In the end, it meant using Dream High—using me—to put on a façade.
“It benefits us too, but it benefits the United States even more.”
“That’s true. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be taking a loss, does it?”
He was right. We weren’t taking a loss at all.
If anything, the gains were far greater than I had anticipated.
Because that would mean we could carry out the entirety of Iraq’s reconstruction work ourselves.
“......That’s true.”
“Then will you accept it?”
I glanced once at Riley Bechtel, who was standing there stiffly, then turned my gaze back to George Shultz.
“I’m fine with accepting it, but I’m not sure how the Chairman of Bechtel over there feels. He seems to have had no idea about this at all.”
Without even looking in Riley Bechtel’s direction, George Shultz nodded immediately.
“It was decided today. If we had informed him in advance, Chairman Riley would have opposed it. That’s why we didn’t tell him.”
“Hm...... Won’t that cause problems later?”
“There won’t be any problems. No one will raise objections to what we agree upon here today. Even if the administration changes from Republican to Democrat, I can promise you that.”
George Shultz said firmly.
Even if power shifted from the Republicans to the Democrats, today’s agreement wouldn’t be broken......
If anyone else had said that, I would have dismissed it as nonsense—but this was George Shultz.
Though he was a Republican, he also maintained close ties with the Democrats.
“Then I’ll accept it.”
At my words, George Shultz broke into a broad smile and clapped his hands a couple of times in satisfaction.
“Alright! Then let’s wrap this up.”
At that moment, Riley Bechtel spoke in a sharp voice.
“Director Shultz! That’s an overreach of authority.”
George Shultz turned his head.
Riley Bechtel was still standing, not having returned to his seat.
“An overreach?”
“Yes. I am the Chairman of Bechtel. The decision should be mine. I cannot accept this agreement.”
“Hm......”
After stroking his chin slowly and letting out a low hum, George Shultz turned his head—not toward Riley Bechtel, but toward Tim Bert, the chairman of KBR sitting across from him.
“KBR will accept my proposal, won’t you? Think carefully before you answer, Tim Bert.”
His tone was calm, but George Shultz’s gaze was icy.
Swallowing dryly at the sight of that gaze, Tim Bert asked cautiously,
“......We would be monopolizing Iraq’s energy infrastructure rights, correct?”
“No. You won’t have a monopoly. But you’ll take the majority. The rest will have to be handed over to the EU. Even then, they’ll only be picking at the scraps you leave behind.”
“Then we will agree with your proposal, Director.”
At Tim Bert’s response, George Shultz asked once more,
“Can I take that as Halliburton’s official position?”
“If I didn’t even have that authority, I shouldn’t be sitting here, should I? I came with full authorization. And this is by no means a bad proposal for us.”
“Good. Then we’ll consider Halliburton to have accepted our proposal.”
Nodding, George Shultz turned back to Riley Bechtel and said,
“Chairman Riley, why don’t you sit down now? How long are you planning to stand there?”
At George Shultz’s words, Riley Bechtel returned to his seat. Once he sat down, George Shultz spoke again.
“You said you don’t agree, Chairman Riley?”
“......That’s correct. No matter how much this reflects the directors’ opinions, these are terms we simply cannot accept. We ask that you hand over only one of the two—either housing or transportation.”
A hollow laugh escaped me before I could stop it. If you lack awareness, you should at least be quick with your calculations.
Housing and transportation were bundled together, which was why I was receiving more than my agreed equity share.
If I took only one of them, it would fall far short of what I was supposed to receive.
Reading the mocking smile on my face, Riley Bechtel glared at me fiercely, then turned to George Shultz.
“Bechtel cannot accept this agreement.”
“Is that so? You can’t accept it. Very well.”
George Shultz accepted Riley’s words with surprising ease.
He sighed as he looked at Caspar Weinberger, who was still coughing harshly, then turned to Henry Kissinger.
“Dr. Kissinger. It doesn’t really matter if it’s Bechtel handling this, does it? As long as someone carries out the work for us.”
At his question, Henry Kissinger raised an eyebrow, then burst into laughter.
Gesturing toward me with his chin, he replied,
“It doesn’t matter. If it weren’t for George Shultz and Caspar Weinberger, there’d be no particular reason it had to be Bechtel. Do as you please. I’m not particularly invested in this matter. I only came because I was told this young man would be here. Handle it as you see fit.”
At their exchange, Riley Bechtel interjected.
“What are you saying? That it doesn’t matter if it’s not Bechtel—”
“Didn’t you say you couldn’t accept it? Then we’ll have no choice but to find another partner.”
“Well, that’s—”
“Listen, Chairman Riley. You don’t seriously believe that only Bechtel is capable of handling this project, do you? I trust you’re not that foolish.”
Bechtel was indeed one of the world’s foremost comprehensive construction companies—but it wasn’t an irreplaceable existence. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
There were alternative companies in the United States. Even if there weren’t, they could simply be created. In the end, construction work could always be subcontracted.
Bechtel itself didn’t directly carry out every project around the world.
Issuing contracts, creating competition, selecting construction firms, and assigning them the work—
That was how Bechtel managed to handle countless projects simultaneously across the globe.
So changing construction firms wouldn’t pose a major problem.
Of course, it would be a shame to lose Bechtel’s many patents—but those could be utilized one way or another.
“The reason we’ve considered Bechtel as the backbone of the reconstruction project is simple. You’ve walked alongside us for a long time. Because of that long partnership, there was no reason to consider alternatives. But if you force us to think differently now, then we’ll have no choice but to change course.”
“Director Shultz!”
“Your father wasn’t this obtuse...... Tsk. Foolish boy. Did you really think this project was something that could be overturned over your petty pride?”
“Director! There is no company that can replace Bechtel!”
Riley Bechtel cried out almost like a scream, but George Shultz merely shook his head firmly.
“If there isn’t one, we’ll make one. Was Bechtel this massive construction firm from the beginning? No. It grew alongside the rise of American national power. If you think Bechtel reached its position purely through its own capabilities, that’s a grave misunderstanding.”
At George Shultz’s rebuke, Riley Bechtel turned toward Caspar Weinberger beside him, pleading.
“Director Weinberger. You can’t do this to Bechtel.”
Caspar Weinberger, seated with difficulty, gave a bitter smile.
“Chairman Riley. Then you should make the concession. This is not something that can be changed.”
“Director Weinberger......”
“Take my advice. Don’t think that pulling out of this deal would mean no major losses. The moment Bechtel falls out of step with the U.S. administration, its value will drop sharply.”
Even Caspar Weinberger issued a warning to Riley Bechtel.
Clearly unprepared for this turn of events, Riley Bechtel’s panic was written all over his face.
‘And someone like that is the chairman of Bechtel.’
In my eyes, Riley Bechtel held a position far beyond his actual capability.
Without the protection of the U.S. government, Bechtel would have collapsed long ago.
George Shultz asked one final time.
“Chairman Riley. Answer clearly. Will you join us, or will you step aside?”
Riley Bechtel hesitated, unable to answer right away.
Considering his pride, he should have refused—but the risks were too great, so his hesitation was only natural.
At that moment, the conference room door opened and a young man entered.
He bowed politely to everyone.
“Hello. I’m Brendon Bechtel.”
He was the son of Chairman Riley Bechtel—Brendon Bechtel.
