The Romanov Diadem: Oblast Dmitrovka

13. The Driver

"Hello, Mr. Viktor. I'm Andriy Shevchenko. I've been in front of your hotel room."

Viktor was stunned at the explanation of the man he had just met. He listened intently. 

"Would you mind opening the door for me, Mr. Viktor?"

Viktor thought for a moment. He finally mustered up the courage to meet the strange manーnot knowing who he was.

" Okay. I'll open the door."

Viktor ended the conversation with the man he just met. He walked as he pocketed his smartphone into his pants pocket.

"Hello, Mr. Viktor."

A man in his early thirties bowed as Viktor opened the door.

"Introducing myself, I'm Andriy Shevchenko. I've been sent by Mr. Gennadius to help you conduct business at Konstantin CoーKonstantin's subsidiary based in St. Petersburg, Russia."

Viktor was stunned. Viktor's pair of blue eyes almost slipped out of their sockets.

"Honey, who's coming?"

Xandrova appeared at the door abruptly.

"Oh, Andriy? Why are you here? If you wanna see Papa, his room is over there."

Xandrova spoke without pause. She pointed to her parents' room, then looked at Andriy with perfectly open eyes.

"Good morning, Miss Zoya."

Andriy bowed as he greeted the Konstantins' only granddaughter.

"I came here by order of the great lord to help Mr. Viktor run the Konstantin family business."

Andriy said expressionlessly as well as without a smile.

"Really, isn't it?"

'Did Viktor tell Grandpa about his decision to accept Grandpa's offer to work for the family company?' Xandrova wondered in her heart anxiously. 'I'm pretty sure Papa would be furious to learn of Viktor's presence in the ranks of Konstantin's company officials.' Still in her heart, Xandrova continued the sentence.

Viktor stared at Xandrova, and she stared back.

"There must be some misunderstanding here, Mr. Andriy. I'll contact Grandpa first."

Viktor reached for his smartphone and searched for Gennadius's contact information. He pressed Gennadius' contact without hesitation, hoping that the great master of the Konstantin family would answer his call soon.

"Yes, please, Mr. Viktor. I'll be waiting here."

Xandrova followed Viktor into the room. She closed the door and left Andriy standing there.

"Hello, Viktor."

Gennadius's heavy, but firm voice rang clearly in Viktor's ears. The old man always surprised anyone he wanted to.

"Would you like to thank me, Viktor? Did Andriy do a good job? Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Gennadius laughed. Yes, he laughed all the time.

"Grandpa, there must be a misunderstanding. IーI... I haven't even answered your question yet."

"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Gennadius's laughter was getting louder on the phone line so Viktor was forced to move the smartphone away from his earlobe.

"Viktor listen to me carefully! I don't need your approval because this isn't a bargain, it's a necessity."

Viktor heard Gennadius deliberately emphasize the last word of his sentence. And of course, Viktor was stunned to hear it.

"A necessity?!" Viktor repeated Gennadius' words.

"That's right. Therefore, you can't refuse. Get ready, because we're gonna a business seminar at the Lakhta Center."

Viktor sighed as Gennadius disconnected the phone.

"How was it, Viktor? What did Grandfather tell you?"

Xandrova was worried at the look on Viktor's face.

"Grandpa told me to prepare for the business seminar at the Lakhta Center."

Viktor looked at Xandrova earnestly.

"Do you know where the Lakhta Center is located, Viktor?"

Viktor shook his head. Then, he smiled awkwardly.

"The Lakhta Center is located in the Primorsky district. It'll take you 60 minutes to get there."

"Not a problem, Zoya. However, I don't have any preparations. Did Papa bring any clothes that I can borrow?"

Viktor hesitated a little. Not hesitant because of the seminar, but because he didn't have any preparations.

"Didn't you see it?"

Xandrova raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Saw? Saw what?"

Viktor was a little confused by Xandrova's words.

"Alright. You wait here! I'll bring you some clothes, Viktor."

Xandrova hurried away before Viktor could stop her.

"Zoya!"

Viktor called out his wife's name, but Xandrova didn't seem to heed.

"Mr. Andriy? Jaーso, Zoya knows him. Who exactly is Mr. Andriy? Is he part of the Konstantin family? However, this is the first time I've seen him."

Viktor sat on a chair right in the corner of the bedroom. He opened his social media accounts and looked at some of his wedding photos with Xandrova.

"I was so happy on that day. But what about you, Zoya? You never spoke your heart out to me."

Viktor waited for Xandrova's arrival. He clicked a heart on Xandrova's social account where he saw a picture of his wife taken the previous day.

"I never get bored looking at your pictures, Zoya. You're always photogenic, Zoya!"

After Viktor exclaims to himself, Xandrova arrives with a set of clothes for her husband.

"Viktor!"

Xandrova shouts Viktor's name with sparkling eyes.

"Quickly change your clothes and let's have breakfast together before you leave!"

Viktor got up from his chair and approached Xandrova who was standing not far from him.

"Where did you get these clothes, Zoya?"

Viktor grabbed the clothes from his wife's hand. He smiles.

"Andriy brought it for you, Viktor. I hope you like it."

"Andriy?"

Xandrova nodded. "Yes. He will be your assistant, Viktor."

Viktor was surprised. "My assistant?"

'Whatever it is, I'm not used to anyone's help!' Viktor complained inwardly about Gennadius's overreaction to him. However, he was unable to refuse all of his requests.

***

After dressing, Viktor and Xandrova ate together. It was quiet. Not a word came out of their mouths.

"Hmm, Zoya, what about the ballet we're going to see?"

Xandrova remembered the ballet tickets Viktor had given her earlier.

"Isn't the ballet tonight at 7 o'clock, Viktor?"

Viktor tried to remember. However, he couldn't remember anything as nerves got the better of him.

"Viktor? What's wrong?"

Xandrova noticed the change in Viktor's facial expression which showed that he was unfocused. Xandrova stood up and hugged her husband from behind.

"Take it easy, Dear! Everything will work out just fine."

Xandrova whispered words of encouragement. Viktor's heart sank at the thought.

"Ah, yes. Thank you, Zoya. Today is my first time attending a business seminar and yes, I'm really nervous."

"You can do it, Viktor. Don't you know business?"

'I do understand business according to the degree behind my name, but I've never worked using my degree, Zoya. It's because I've always struggled to find a suitable job that I finally, against my will, accepted an online food delivery job. Don't you know about that?'

Viktor said inwardly with doubt. His mind drifted back to his past, which he had spent working as a driver for one of the online apps.

"Viktor, is everything ok, Dear?"