— “What do you mean ‘Elena Vladimirovna’? You’re only twenty-nine!” her friends would remark, chuckling. — “It stuck,” Lena would wave it off. “For clients I’m Elena Vladimirovna; for suppliers—especially. And for colleagues.” Lena was building her business and meant it seriously. So at work the tone was businesslike, with no chumminess. — “Come on, […]
Продолжение...
The autumn air in the settlement of Lesnaya Sloboda was thick, sweet, and searingly cold. It smelled of rotting leaves, smoke from stove pipes, and that special, timeless silence that wraps the soul like a good old blanket. Olga had come here, to the nest she’d left long ago, to visit her parents—or rather, their […]
Продолжение...
Lena had always known the value of her apartment. Not in rubles, but in the meaning her late father put into it when he said, “Daughter, this is your fortress. As long as you have your own place, you don’t have to bow to anyone.” The two-room apartment on the fourth floor of a panel-built […]
Продолжение...
Marina stopped in the bedroom doorway, watching Roman hurriedly pack his things into a scuffed backpack. His movements were sharp, jittery—as if he were getting ready to flee. The zipper snapped shut with a metallic click, and he turned his back to the wardrobe. — Going somewhere? — She stepped into the room. — Rom? […]
Продолжение...