Part 1. A Feast of Vultures The living room looked like a showroom in an expensive furniture store: too sterile, too pompous, and completely devoid of life. Rostislav sat at the head of the table, studying everyone gathered there as if they were defective specimens in his private insect collection. He twirled the stem of … Read more
Part 1. The Dust of Ages and the Smell of Roast Duck The hallway did not smell like home. It smelled like someone else’s feast. The thick, greasy aroma of duck roasted with apples mixed with the sour, heavy stench of an unwashed body and medicine drifting from the far room. Nina pulled off her … Read more
Inga sat at the kitchen table, sorting through the apartment documents. Two property certificates — the reward for four years of brutal work at the construction company MegaStroy. Back in the 2000s, she had practically pulled the company out of a financial pit on her own, created a new sales strategy, and brought in major … Read more
Eduard sat at the kitchen table, calmly spreading butter over a slice of bread. His movements were slow and measured, as if he were talking about the weather rather than a decision that could change their entire life. “She’ll sleep on the sofa in the living room,” he said calmly, taking a bite of his … Read more
Veronika stood by the window, looking out at the Moscow courtyard below. The June sun flooded the room with golden light. In her hands, she held two plane tickets — two weeks in Cyprus, the vacation she had dreamed about all year. Her work at the architectural bureau had drained her completely, and this trip … Read more
Friday evening promised to be pleasant. Around fifteen friends, maybe even more, had gathered in Ilya and Nadezhda’s apartment. The table was covered with appetizers, bottles of wine passed from hand to hand, and the conversations grew louder and livelier with every minute. “Remember how Ilyukha danced at his wedding?” Maxim, an old friend of … Read more
There was barely enough room at the long dining table for all the expensive dishes and all the self-satisfaction gathered around it. Vika placed a porcelain soup tureen in front of her mother-in-law and stepped back, tucking a loose strand of hair back into her hairstyle. Andrey’s guests — his mother, Elvira Karlovna, his sister … Read more
“Did you really think I would sign the documents without asking any questions?” Victoria slowly placed the folder on the kitchen table and lifted her eyes to her husband. “It’s just a formality,” Artyom snapped irritably. “We’ve already discussed everything.” “Then why does it say here that the apartment will belong entirely to you?” For … Read more
“You are obligated to help your mother! Her pension is tiny!” Artyom snapped in outrage right in the middle of the family dinner, slamming his palm on the table so hard the dishes rattled. Elena slowly set down her fork and looked first at her mother, then at her brother. Tamara Pavlovna nervously twisted a … Read more
The river was heavy today, the color of lead. Vadim liked the water like this — when it didn’t flirt with the sun, but honestly revealed its deep, gloomy nature. He wiped an oil stain from the cover of the rescue boat’s engine with an old rag. The smell of gasoline and river mud was … Read more