Andrei POV
December 1975
Success, I was learning, was a tangible thing. It had weight. The royalty cheques from Penguin. The steady, climbing lines on the trust fund statements showing the early growth of the Intel and Monsanto holdings. It was a quiet, numerical validation of the path. Yet, as I sat in the winter-lit study, a new variable inserted itself into the Organiser's logical pathways.
Legacy wasn't just assets and audience. My first life, lived on the margins, had shown me the other side of the coin—the sheer cliff-face some people were born against. The System was built for acquisition and strategy. But the memory of that life, and the grounding lesson from Grandfather Harris's porch, whispered a question: to what end?
I focused inward, on the silent, ever-present Library.
Query: *Historical analysis: Strategic integration of philanthropic ventures with corporate growth in the late 20th century. Focus on public perception, brand equity, and long-term societal capital.*
Query: *Feasibility study: Franchise-based business models as vehicles for social impact (1970s-present). Case studies on vocational training, youth employment, and self-sustaining charitable structures.*
The data flowed, not as a moral treatise, but as a systems analysis. It showed the rise of "Corporate Social Responsibility" from a PR footnote to a strategic pillar. Companies that were early to authentically align with community needs built reservoirs of public goodwill that insulated them during crises and attracted superior talent. It wasn't charity; it was reputational architecture. A different kind of infrastructure investment.
The second stream of data was more granular. It presented models. The YMCA's quasi-franchise expansion. Fast-food chains that succeeded through rigid systems anyone could be trained to run. The critical failure point was always management, not the frontline workers.
The idea synthesized in my mind, clear and sharp. Not a donation, but an engine.
A social enterprise franchise. A simple, replicable business—a copy shop, a stationary store, a basic print shop. The systems would be designed by professionals, managed by them for quality control. But the operations would be run by its staff: teenagers aging out of the care system, at-risk youth needing a first rung on a ladder that wasn't greased with nepotism or sheer luck.
It would be a business. It would need to be profitable to be sustainable, to not be a perpetual drain on charity. But its profit margin would be deliberately secondary to its social KPI: lives stabilised, skills earned, references secured.
For me, it served multiple strategic vectors:
Reputational Capital: Building a visible, tangible legacy of reinvestment long before I entered the cutthroat arena of Hollywood.
Practical Testing: A real-world laboratory for managing remote operations, brand consistency, and human resources—skills directly transferable to a future media empire.
The Harris Directive Honored: It was stewardship. Not of land, but of human potential. It put down roots in communities.
This, I would not bring to the family table. Not yet. Damien's fund was for traditional business. Daphne's was a future gift. This was my private line item—the allocation of capital according to a conscience I hadn't fully known I'd retained.
The plan would require its own capital pool. A portion of future Lionel royalties would be siphoned into a separate, dormant account. The research would continue in annual Library sessions: refining the business model, identifying ideal locations, studying legal structures for social enterprises.
A new, private notification glowed in my vision, distinct from the main System prompts.
[ USER-GENERATED DIRECTIVE: LOGGED ]
[ Project Designation: 'First Rung' ] [ Type: Social Impact Investment / Reputational Architecture ] [ Status: CONCEPTUAL. AWAITING CAPITAL ACCRUAL. ]
[ Primary Objective: Create a self-sustaining franchise model for youth vocational training & stable employment. ]
[ Secondary Objective: Build foundational public goodwill and practical management experience. ] [ Note: This directive operates on a parallel, confidential track. ]
I looked out at the frost-kissed garden. The path to power in Hollywood was paved with more than movies and money. It was paved with perception. I could build a studio that was feared, or one that was respected. The former was a product of might. The latter, I was beginning to understand, was a product of careful, calculated humanity.
The game wasn't just about winning. It was about defining what winning meant. And for the first time, my definition included a line item for the cliff-face, and a system to build a ladder.
A/N
Andrei has a secret, long-term project that aligns morality with strategy. The 'First Rung' directive is logged. How will he begin to discreetly research and save for this venture while maintaining his family façade, and what will be the first tangible step he takes?)