Sitting in the joint Dubow and Morozov board room at my eldest brother, Aleksandr Dubow’s main offices, I felt slightly intimidated. Never have I seen a boardroom filled to the brim. Today, though, was different.
Three Bratva families were gathered to conclude the alliance. The top dogs in this alliance, the Morozov family members, were scattered throughout the room. Some were talking with members of my family, the Dubows. Others stood with some of the Chrenykh family members.
Each little cluster was busy working on the kinks of the alliance. There was a mutual respect that could be felt in every corner. It was an amazing day for me as I had a majority hand in this alliance proceeding. I would rather be burned alive than ally with the Aslanov family.
The Aslanov family wanted to ally with the Morozovs. But I felt something in their family dynamics was off. Even though I couldn’t say what, I was firmly against the alliance.
When about half of the Morozov family agreed with me on this, I was surprised. They had already started negotiations with the Aslanovs. But some of them could also see the danger ahead should that alliance be formed.
The Aslanov family had no moral values; they would trample anyone who got in their way. The Chernykhs might look at things from different perspectives, but they aren’t purely evil. My sister, Tasha, also married Vadik Vasiliev, who works for the Chernykhs. I had to ensure we kept the alliance tightly knit.
I was pulled from my thoughts as Alexandr, my eldest brother, suddenly spoke next to me. “Akim, did you hear me?”
Shaking my head, I looked up at him, towering over me. “I asked if you would be fine with a shuffling of the family members?”
“Shuffling?” I replied, feeling stupid as I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Open your ears and pay attention,” he said, leaning closed and breathing down my neck.
Nodding, I glanced around. No one else seemed to notice the absence of my mind. Sitting up, I listened as they started ironing out the alliance rules. When I pushed for the Morozov family to create an alliance with the Chernykhs instead of the Aslanovs, I never imagined being caught in the middle.
“We have come to an arrangement,” Roman Morozov said. His voice was clear and loud as it carried his words through the room. A deadly silence suddenly filled every corner.
Iosif Chernyk, the eldest brother of their family, stood up. He folded his arms across his chest. As he spoke, my mouth fell open. I never expected him to be so calm, yet controlling. “I have to insist,” he started. His tone was quiet. Yet, I could hear his authoritativeness coming through. “ I feel that to keep things in order and perspective, I must insist that we push the younger members of all three families to the forefront of operations.”
The room was filled with grumbling and mumbling as most didn’t seem to have their own opinions. Especially the younger members like me. Then Iosif raised his hand and waited for everyone to settle again. “I want this as it is the only way to avoid potential chaos or betrayal from more experienced members.”
Once again, the room filled with whispers and murmuring. “Yes, we agree,” Roman Morozov replied, stepping towards him.
“So do we,” I heard Alexandr stating. “Can we sit back down and draw it up?”
Glancing around, I noticed almost everyone nodding in agreement. Alexandr joined the other two on the opposite side of the table. They pulled out chairs and sat down in a little circle. The room fell silent again as we listened to them assigning offices, warehouses, and other positions to us, the youngest ones.
First, Timofey Chernykh was assigned to one of the Morozov establishments. He would work with Morozov personnel under him. Pavel Vasiliev was also moved to work at one of our warehouses, controlling Dubow workers. They had another Chernykh taking the reins on a shipment warehouse, and a Morozov leading some of the labs.
Then, it was my turn to be reassigned. I was displeased as I loved doing the dirty work, which I excelled at. I’ve gotten so good at the dangerous side of our business dealings and loved it that I wanted to protest. But as I was about to raise my voice, I bit back my words.
We were partially here because of me. I wanted this alliance, so my silence was all I could offer now. I felt my heart sinking to my feet as I was assigned to one of the Morozov real estate project branches, working with Chernykh employees.
I wanted to reject it, but Anton, my second-oldest brother, grabbed my hand and shook his head at me. Lowering my head, I swallowed the anger, pushing up. Sitting in an office, doing paperwork, and meeting with investors and clients wasn’t for me. I have never found any pleasure in such things.
I listened in silence as more people were assigned other projects and shuffled like chess pieces on a board. Once the alliance agreements were captured and signed, I headed out. Standing in the lobby, drinking coffee, I scanned all the players. This was a one-time meeting. Never again would so many bosses be in one place.
Evelina Morozov came up to me. “Thank you for pushing for this alliance. I am sure it’s going to be good for all sides,” she said.
“I hope so,” I replied shortly. I wasn’t in a good mood and didn’t want to discuss it. I was still struggling to get a grip on my anger with the shuffle.
She extended her hand, holding out a set of keys. “These are for the Estate offices,” she added as I took them. “I’ve sent you a message with all the details.”
I stood flabbergasted as I watched her turn and walk off. I jumped slightly as a big hand closed on my shoulder. Turning, I saw Abram, my other brother, standing there, a smug grin covering his face as he spoke. “A whole new world of adventure awaits you, little brother. Welcome to the corporate part of the business.”
Clenching my fists at my side, I fought the urge to slug him. “Yeah, rub it in,” I spat back as I turned and walked out. I still couldn’t believe my luck as I drove to the address Evelina had sent.
The day’s negotiations had drained the energy out of me. The little I had left, I swallowed with the lump forming in my throat. I wasn’t corporate material. But I knew that I would make it work by giving my all. I have never backed off from any challenge.
Parking outside the office building, I glared at the five-story office building. Office lights still burned on the second and third floors. It was a great architectural design. The corner offices boasted wall-to-wall windows, and the ones in between were about half the size. The outside was painted a silver grey. This contrasted perfectly with the golden window frames.
One could see it was a building of stature, excellence, and wealth. Its sheer design was surely one of the attributes that attracted the higher-class clients.
There was a gathering of guards at the front. I assumed the Chernykh men were getting read in on their new duties as I saw Avgust, the second eldest brother, speaking to them. This was something I would take on in the morning, I thought as I pulled out. Now I had to relax.
I hit the clubs looking for a pliant, flirty companion as usual. It was one of the many methods I used to rid myself of a hard day’s tension. Arriving home, I noticed it was well past midnight. It was actually a good thing that I didn’t find a suitable companion tonight. My sleep would be little to none, I thought as I took a quick shower. It would surely have been even less if I had brought a companion home. This wasn’t generally an issue as I mostly worked after hours. But venturing into the paper trail world, I knew things would be different.
After two hours of sleep, I went for my early morning run, showered, and headed to the office. I was in the office by five. No one else had arrived yet; the place was deserted. I met two of the main guards as I entered. They seemed friendly enough, but I knew they weren’t my men. Adjusting to trusting others with the safety of our business ventures would take some time.
My office on the top floor, nestled in the corner, had an amazing view of the park and waterfront. There was a small coffee bar in the front section where I made myself a cup before going to stand by the window.
I stood watching as the sun lit up the world below me. People scurrying to the left and right. It was going to be a hot day. Taking a couple of deep breaths, I headed to meet the staff as they started arriving. At half past seven, everyone was there. I gathered the staff from the top floor in the boardroom and held a morning briefing.
After everyone told me their positions and what projects we had going on, I excused them and called in the managers of each floor. After brief introductions, we discussed the finances, ongoing building projects, and clients.
I headed back to my office with a ton of files, logs, and briefing notes. This was going to be harder than I initially anticipated. There was so much information to consume. I spent the rest of the day behind my desk, reading file after file. Getting caught up was frying my brain. By the day’s end, I was too tired to go home. I slept on the double couch in my office. I woke at three and went home for my morning jog and shower.
Day two was the same as day one, but by the end of day three, I had absorbed most of the information. I could start functioning and sorting business as needed.
After a week of chaos, meetings, and paperwork piling up, I felt like I was going insane. After our Friday morning briefing, I grabbed my coffee and stood by the window looking out. I wasn’t made for this. The paperwork was getting me down. I now knew the client’s expectations and what had to be done.
Yet, there was so much to get around to; one of us wasn’t enough. I heard my office door open. Swirling around, I was ready to send whoever it was straight to hell. I needed time alone. But to my amazement, my three brothers all stood there staring at me.
“Guys,” I huffed, walking toward them. Relief flooded me as I smiled. It was good to see them. “Am I glad to see you!” I added, fighting the urge to hug them and beg to be relieved of this awful place.
Alexandr smiled at me as he held out his hand. “We had to come see for ourselves if you were still alive,” he said jokingly.
Anton and Abram walked past us to the wall-to-wall window. “Stunning view,” Anton said, glancing back at me.
“It’s the only benefit to being in hell,” I huffed as Alexandr and I joined them.
Abram bumped into me lightly as he spoke. “It can’t be all that bad, man. There are many pretty ladies on the lower floors. Have you even ventured down yet?”
“I have a briefing with them every morning,” I huffed as my three brothers laughed. I was the only one who was still not hitched. I have told them a million times, I didn’t intend to get serious. My work was my wife.
“What’s up, Akim?” Alexandr asked. “You look down. I’ve never seen you like this. It can’t really be all that bad, can it?”
Turning away from them, I walked to my desk and flopped down in the chair. “Look at this. It’s mountains I can’t climb,” I spat, waving at the paperwork on my desk. I felt like a pressure cooker about to explode.
“If that’s your biggest hurdle,” Anton added, coming closer. “Then simply get a PA.”
Looking at him, I wondered when he became the man with ideas. “Maybe,” I replied hesitantly. “But remember the rules of the alliance. I’ll have to use one of the Chernykh staff.”
“They can’t all be bad,” Abram chipped in. “They seem friendly and harmless enough. Take one of the women from the lower levels, you already know.”
“It’s not that,” I responded, lowering my head and breathing in slowly.
It’s that none of these women will be able to do what is required. It took me a day or two to get into it. I need someone who knows their way around the industry. A woman who can handle long hours. One who loves being around stubborn clients, and has a flair.”
Alexandr walked to the door. “So, advertise, and I will get the permissions needed. Maybe they know someone like that at another one of their operations,” he said confidently.
Nodding, I replied softly. “I’ll think about it. You guys want some coffee?”
“Unfortunately, we have to head out. We just wanted to come to see how you are doing. You will be fine, little brother. Stay strong.” Alexandr said, opening the door.
I said goodbye and watched as they left. Turning my chair to face the window, I decided to give it a go. I started by sending an internal memo stating that if any current staff felt they could do the job, they could come and see me. I also sent out a memo to the corporate offices asking for a PA.
Iosif or his brothers may see it this way. They might be uncomfortable, but I knew Alexandr would always have my back. Besides, I couldn’t do this by myself. I was drowning. Heading out, I stopped on the third floor. I didn’t know any of the employees by name yet. But I did know their job descriptions.
Entering the manager’s office, I stopped just inside the door as I spoke. “Have you received the memo?”
He got up so quickly that he almost threw over his glass of water. “Yes, I have,” he uttered.
“Please interview the candidates that come in and make sure I have someone by Monday,” I added.
“Yes, yes, no problem. I will get you the most qualified PA who knows all the ins and outs,” he assured me as I walked out.
I took two boxes of files, notes, and client profiles home to do over the weekend. I didn’t mind hard work or long hours. But the little personal life I had was now nonexistent.
By Monday morning, I was in a storm. I barely slept six hours over the weekend. This week, I held two presentations, and I was far from ready. I placed the boxes in my car and headed to the office. I hoped that the third-floor manager had managed to get someone.
If not, this would be the week I was going to resign and leave the country. My brothers would understand, but the rest. Well, of them, I wasn’t as sure.
It was the first time since I took over that I was late. I parked in my usual spot underground and took the elevator to the top floor. I left the boxes as I would send someone to get them once I had my coffee and signed the documents that came this morning for a bid we placed.
One of the accountants stepped onto the elevator on the fourth floor. He was mumbling something about the new hire. I was so focused on what I had to get done, I didn’t have time for this discussion.
Storming out of the elevator, I didn’t even see the woman sitting before my office door. The fourth-floor manager stood waiting at the reception desk. The woman behind the desk rose and held out a stack of notes. “Not now,” I breathed out after collecting my messages from the receptionist. The manager nodded and left in a rush.
Turning to the left, I wanted nothing more than to get to my office. Have a cup of coffee and sign the real estate papers. The accountant walked with me towards my office, still mumbling. I was almost there when I caught sight of her.
Her dark caramel eyes filled with passion instantly pulled my attention. Her dark blond hair was tied up with two strands decorating her shoulders. Something inside me shifted. Feeling my breath catching in my throat, I knew I had to get past her quickly.
Remembering the accountant at my side, I turned, chasing him back to his office. I was struggling to pull my eyes from her. Realizing I was staring, I felt angry at myself. Needing to get out of her presence, I stormed into the office.
The coffee could wait. I headed straight to my desk. One thing at a time, I reprimanded myself. Grabbing the documents from the receiving tray, I pulled out my pen. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the movement in the front part of my office. Looking up, I studied her as she stood by the desk in the front section.
