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“Are you really a chief accountant?” Irina Viktorovna looked the young woman up and down, unable to hide her astonishment. “I thought people in the countryside only knew how to milk cows.” She was staring at Vika — slim, beautiful, dressed in a flawless sand-colored linen suit, with perfect hair and the faint, elegant scent … Read more

“Please state your surname again, ma’am,” the man in the black uniform with the word “Security” on it said, pressing a button on his electronic tablet. I adjusted the bag on my shoulder. My fingers accidentally brushed against the cold metal pin badge attached to the leather strap. The pin sat crookedly, its metal slightly … Read more

Yulia was mechanically wiping the kitchen countertop when the doorbell rang. Three short, demanding rings — she immediately recognized that “signature.” Galina Petrovna never rang just once, as if she were afraid no one would hear her. “Open up!” came the voice from behind the door. “I know you’re home!” Yulia slowly walked to the … Read more

Natasha stood in the middle of the kitchen, clutching a bank statement in her hands. The numbers blurred before her eyes, but she kept rereading the same line for the tenth time — a cash withdrawal of forty-eight thousand rubles. That was exactly the amount they had saved for their trip to the sea. “Vadim,” … Read more

Galya slowly lifted her eyes from the evening newspaper. In the living room of their two-room apartment, the usual Friday silence reigned — the television was off, and the lights of neighboring buildings shimmered outside the window. Dmitry stood in the middle of the room with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his sweatpants, … Read more

Anna stood at the kitchen table, methodically chopping vegetables for a salad. The sound of the knife tapping against the cutting board created a steady rhythm that helped her focus. Their three-room apartment in a new residential complex had once been their shared dream — spacious, bright, with high ceilings and a modern renovation. Sergey … Read more

Tatyana stood in the middle of the kitchen, clutching a bank statement in her hand. The numbers blurred before her eyes, but she stubbornly read them again and again, hoping she had made a mistake. Two million rubles. TWO MILLION had disappeared from the account where, only a week earlier, the money from the sale … Read more

Zoya was standing at the stove, stirring a vegetable stew, when she heard the front door slam. From the heavy footsteps alone, she knew Alexey had come home in a bad mood. Only three weeks had passed since their wedding, yet the atmosphere in their home had already become unbearable. “Why am I only finding … Read more

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