Chapter 58

The four-story building, which housed the CULID beverage company, stood in rare magnificence, overlooking the ever-busy streets. It had been a law firm belonging to the late Oliver McDeere before his firm crumbled, forcing him to sell it off. McNeil, brimming with ideas, approached him and made an offer he couldn’t refuse. By the end of the year, the building became his, and McNeil acquired his first property. He pampered the building, coddled it, and indulged it. Each year, he added a layer of luxury to his landmark and fortified it with guards to protect it and its occupants. Soon, elevators were added; security codes; electronic surveillance; a weight room; a steam room; a locker room; a large boardroom equipped with a mammoth, shiny mahogany table; a large conference room; and a staff dining room. While the factory occupied the first two floors, production took the third, and management was on the topmost floor.