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Chapter 138: The Proposal
🕑 Added 2025-01-06 13:14:56 +0000 UTCThe C-69 roared as it landed in New York.
"Go home and spend some time with your family. No need to rush back to work. I'm a very understanding boss!" Josh said, patting Winters on the shoulder as they parted ways at the airport.
Standing nearby were Winters' close friend Nix and Josh's trusted ally Aldo.
With the surrender of Japan due to the six nuclear bombs, World War II had officially ended in this Universe.
The United States soon began to downsize its massive military force. The current army structure was unsustainably large, even for a wealthy nation like the U.S. However, the reduction wasn't immediate. The military needed to remain vigilant, especially toward the Soviet Union, so the reductions were phased in slowly.
The first soldiers to be discharged were those who had served the longest, including most of the veterans and officers of Winters' 101st Airborne Division.
Winters, along with his friends Nix and Aldo, and most of the veterans of Company E, were among those discharged.
Although talented officers like Winters and Nix could have stayed in the Army if they had wanted to, both were tired of war and chose to retire. Aldo, who had long wanted to leave the military, didn't hesitate either.
When Josh learned of their decision, he took the three back with him.
Winters also accepted Josh's job offer. After visiting his family in Pennsylvania, he planned to work for Josh. Of course, Josh was not hiring him for any shady business—Winters was not and would never be a Hydra agent.
Instead, Josh recruited him for a job at Boeing.
Although Winters was a mid-level officer, he was also a business graduate of Franklin & Marshall College. The college wasn't an Ivy League institution, but it was highly rated. With his education and military background, Winters was more than qualified for a leadership role at Boeing.
Aldo's future was different. He would become one of Josh's most trusted inner circle members, much like Vito.
As for Nix, he came from a wealthy family that owned a large fertilizer company. Unlike Winters, he didn't need Josh's help. In the original timeline, Winters worked as an executive in Nix's family business, but this time Josh got to him.
Considering the size of Josh's enterprises, Nix had no complaints, even as Winters' friend.
After saying goodbye to Winters and Nix, Josh and Aldo boarded a plane back to Chicago.
Since Aldo had no family of his own, he decided to accompany Josh to Chicago.
Once back in Chicago, Josh planned to give Aldo a new role in the Blackwater gang.
It wasn't about taking territory from Dix. Josh wanted to separate the gang's military training division, legitimize it, and create a private military company (PMC).
In short, he wanted to create the Blackwater Company.
Given Josh's ties to the military, this version of Blackwater would far surpass the original timeline company in size and strength.
In the original timeline, Blackwater was notorious but relatively small in the U.S. PMC industry, often taking on risky jobs and acting as a scapegoat for the Department of Defense.
But this Blackwater would become the most formidable private military force in the world.
Josh and his group returned to his Chicago home without incident.
Leaving Aldo in Vito's care, Josh hurried to the backyard where Margaret was reading a book.
A passionate young man and a lonely woman who had waited too long for her husband...
It was a fiery reunion. Sparks flew, passions flared, and time seemed to stand still.
By the time they were both exhausted, the sun had set.
And the children? They were well looked after by Francesca and the team of maids, so there was nothing to worry about.
"Are you staying this time or will you be leaving soon?" Margaret asked softly, her fingers lazily tracing circles on Josh's chest as she lay in his arms.
"Not this time," Josh replied, kissing her warm forehead and gently stroking her golden hair. "Things have mostly stabilized over there. Even if something comes up, I can handle it with a short trip. There won't be long trips like before."
"That's good to hear!" Margaret smiled and snuggled closer to him.
"Margaret," Josh called softly.
"Yes?" She tilted her head curiously.
Before she could react, Josh pulled a heart-shaped diamond ring out of nowhere, took her left hand and slipped it onto her ring finger.
Margaret froze.
It wasn't the value of the ring-though it was exquisitely crafted with a large diamond, it was small compared to the pink diamond Josh had given her earlier.
What mattered was its place—on her left ring finger, the traditional spot for an engagement ring.
Josh was proposing.
"Josh, this... this is so sudden!" Margaret stammered after a long pause, overwhelmed and unsure of what to say.
She had imagined moments like this countless times, only to dismiss them herself.
Part of her hesitation stemmed from Josh's young age, the rest from his extraordinary success, which sometimes made her feel insecure-especially in a time when women's status was far from equal, as Carter's struggles had shown.
When Margaret had been wealthier than Josh, things had been easier. But as Josh's empire grew larger and more powerful, it was impossible for her not to feel a sense of crisis.
Especially as a widow.
Yet happiness had come so unexpectedly.
"Suddenly? I don't think so. We've known each other for two years. Our children are almost talking. It's time we got married," Josh said, holding her close. "I've got it all planned. First, we'll get engaged. Then, when the kids are a little older and Neuschwanstein Castle is finished, we'll have the grandest wedding there. We'll hire the best designers in the world to create the most beautiful wedding dress, and you'll wear that pink diamond set..."
As Josh outlined his dream wedding, Margaret's eyes sparkled with delight.
The vision was enough to make any woman faint.
As Josh continued to whisper sweet words and paint a picture of their ideal future, Margaret, who had just been tired, suddenly felt rejuvenated.
In one swift motion, she threw Josh onto the mattress and pinned him down.
What followed was another round of indescribable sex.
For the next few weeks, the couple indulged in the bliss of their reunion, their days filled with love and sex.
It wasn't until more than half a month later, when Josh received a summons to a Council meeting in New York that he reluctantly left the loving arms of Margaret.
