"I can't put all my money into arms, either..."
Lorne sat at his desk, fountain pen in hand, scribbling in the open ledger before him.
His arms business was growing larger by the day. With the orders and shares supplied by the Negan Family, he believed it wouldn't be long before he swallowed up the Backlund Arms Company entirely.
But as his business expanded, so would his concerns and constraints. The greatest potential risk naturally came from his biggest partner, the Negan Family.
After he had saved Duke Negan, Lorne's cooperation with the Negan Family had essentially involved acting as their proxy. As established aristocrats, they couldn't conveniently abandon their position and move directly into a controversial emerging industry, so they used Lorne to hold and manage those interests on their behalf. Besides, the pretext of "repaying a debt of gratitude" offered a perfectly reasonable explanation for many investments and transfers, even if word got out.
But a proxy was ultimately something that could be discarded.
Back when Lorne hadn't yet found his footing, he might have worried about that. Now, however...
With his current strength and soaring prestige, he didn't believe the Negan Family would-or rather, would dare-do something as stupid as getting rid of him once he had served his purpose.
Besides, judging by Dela's earlier attempt to bring her cousin over to "make friends" with him, the Negan Family most likely wanted to bind him to them through a political marriage.
Still, putting all his eggs in one basket was never safe. Making other products and opening up more avenues couldn't hurt.
As for marriage... ugh... better not think that far ahead. Too much trouble... Lorne shook his head, banishing the images of socialites and noble ladies from his mind.
"For the civilian market, I could try