The Rubicon #
Gaius enters Livia's study, ledger in hand, looking like a ghost. He tries to talk business, but Livia remains composed and distant.
"Put the ledger away, Gaius. The account is settled," she says, staring out at the factory smoke.
Confused, Gaius asks how. Livia turns to him, her expression final: "I paid him in the only currency Rome understands. I left the receipt at the gate."
The ledger slips from Gaius's hand as the truth hits him. She has burned the boats. She has burned the world. He is no longer a merchant; he is a rebel.