Despite having recently gone through similar experiences, Maria Rozin and Uliana Meletskova were not well-acquainted. Their conversations had been limited to casual chats between lessons.
Given the circumstances, Maria felt awkward seeing Uliana again. Although Uliana appeared calm and composed, Maria could only feel unease. When Uliana invited her to dinner, Maria instinctively shook her head. "No, thank you, Uliana. I... have other plans tonight."
Uliana noticed Maria's hesitance and stammering, met her eyes for a moment, then smiled faintly. She put her sunglasses back on and said, "In that case, another time."
After a few polite words, the two parted ways.
Annette Rozin glanced at Uliana as she walked away, then at her mother. Though curious, she held back her questions, remembering her mother's teary-eyed state from earlier. Maria, sensing her daughter's gaze, avoided eye contact and continued walking silently.
On the other side, Uliana returned to her villa with her two attendants. As soon as she stepped inside, a young boy, about ten years old, ran up to her, his eyes darting to the grocery bags carried by the attendants. "Mom, Uncle called just now," he said.
Uliana frowned slightly. "Which one?"
The boy hesitated and turned to his sister for help. The girl, about fourteen or fifteen, tall and strikingly beautiful like her mother, said, "It was Uncle Boris. He said he'd call back later since you weren't home." She clung to her mother's arm with a determined look. "Mom, he probably wants money again, doesn't he? I didn't give him your phone number."
Ignoring her daughter's question, Uliana noticed her son eagerly rummaging through the grocery bags on the coffee table. Just as she was about to scold him, the phone in the living room rang.
She shot her son a warning glance, instructed the attendants to sort the groceries, and picked up the phone. After listening to the caller briefly, her tone turned cold. "I'm fine. I don't know when I'll be able to go to the US yet... I'm tired, Boris. If you have something to say, get to the point... Our agreement was $500 a month for taking care of our parents. That's it. Don't try to push for more, or I'll stop sending anything... The money goes to Dad's account, no exceptions... You're testing my patience, Boris. Don't think you can get away with manipulating me. The $500 is already generous. If I find out you're neglecting our parents, you'll regret it. You know I have the means to act."
Without waiting for a response, she hung up. Ignoring her children and attendants in the room, she turned and went upstairs.
In her bedroom, Uliana shed her black dress and kicked off her shoes. She collapsed onto the soft bed, exhaustion washing over her. Pulling the blanket over herself, she felt her eyelids grow heavy, but her mind refused to let her rest.
Her thoughts churned with unease and even fear.
It was August 25th.
Ever since she had caught Simon's attention last month, her emotions had been a whirlwind of excitement and anticipation—especially after learning she might leave Ukraine for the US. But two weeks ago, she began noticing troubling signs: persistent fatigue, mood swings, and most importantly, a missed period.
A mother of two, she didn't need confirmation to suspect what was happening.
Far from feeling joy, Uliana was filled with dread. Having grown up in a prominent family, she knew all too well how powerful men treated illegitimate children or women who used pregnancies to climb the social ladder.
And now, she felt trapped.
She didn't dare take action, fearing any decision might be the wrong one. Drawing from past experiences, she thought it best to inform Simon directly and follow his lead. But what if things went wrong? What if he, or those around him, saw her as a threat?
Simon's immense wealth and power were intimidating. In Rivne, a city under his absolute influence, making someone "disappear" would be a trivial matter.
Overwhelmed by anxiety and fear, Uliana didn't know when she finally fell asleep.
She awoke to a knock on her bedroom door.
The evening sky outside was already dark.
"Come in," she said softly. Her attendant, Katya, opened the door and informed her, "Dinner is ready, ma'am."
Acknowledging with a nod, Uliana let Katya turn on the lights. She sat up and allowed the attendant to help her into a dress. Though she enjoyed the luxury of being waited on, she couldn't suppress her lingering worries. How could this have happened? After all, she had taken the contraceptive pill under the watchful eye of the estate's housekeeper that morning.
Dressed and freshened up, she went downstairs to the dining room. Her children were already seated at the table. Once she had begun eating, her daughter, Anna, exchanged a glance with her brother before cautiously asking, "Mom, can we go out later? To the theater?"
Anna was referring to the entertainment area of the resort.
Without looking up from her plate, Uliana responded coolly, "And what do you plan to do there? Drink? Gamble?"
Anna quickly shook her head. "No, Mom. There's a circus performance tonight. I saw the poster near the fountain earlier."
Uliana grunted in acknowledgment but didn't lift her head. "We're not going."
Anna looked disappointed but tried again. "If you don't want to come, can Nick and I go? Please?"
"You're too young."
Eleven-year-old Nicholas chimed in, "Mom, Katya or Irina can come with us. That way, it's safe. Please, Mom."
Uliana sighed, annoyed by their persistence. To avoid further pleading, she relented. "Be back by 10 p.m., or you're sleeping outside."
Nicholas hesitated. "But the show runs from 9 to 11."
"Then don't go."
"No, we'll be back by 10!"
"Fine."
"Mom, we—"
"Enough!" Uliana snapped.
The children fell silent.
After dinner, Anna carefully asked for some spending money. Distracted, Uliana handed her a $100 bill. Elated, Anna grabbed Nicholas and Irina and left the villa.
Though the weather was cooling, the resort's entertainment district buzzed with life. Catering primarily to foreign tourists, it also attracted local visitors on weekends.
Anna and Nicholas wandered the area, marveling at the lively scene. While they avoided casinos and bars, simply observing the atmosphere thrilled them. At one point, a man with broken English approached Anna, clearly interested, but Irina quickly intervened, exchanging a few words before the man retreated.
As 9 p.m. approached, they made their way toward the theater. Near the venue, two young men stopped Anna, their attention drawn by her striking appearance. Irina stepped forward to handle the situation, but the encounter seemed to escalate. Suddenly, a group of young locals approached, intervening with exaggerated friendliness.
The two largest men, both in black leather jackets and exuding a thuggish aura, draped their arms around the foreigners' shoulders and pulled them aside, signaling Irina to take the children and leave.
One of the men, speaking broken English, told the tourists, "Friends, let me buy you a drink at the bar. But next time, steer clear of women in uniform, okay?"
Intimidated, the tourists nodded, allowing themselves to be led away.
As the group dispersed, the leather-jacketed brothers exchanged words. "Do you know who those kids were, Nick?"
Nicholas Kolkoshko shook his head. "Not sure, but they definitely had Westeros bodyguards. Best to step in."
Kirill Kolkoshko nodded, then grumbled, "These foreigners... coming here and causing trouble. Makes me want to beat them up."
"Calm down," Nicholas warned. "No drama."
"Yeah, yeah. Just venting. If I really wanted trouble, I wouldn't have helped you."
For the Kolkoshko brothers—once petty criminals and now semi-legitimate businessmen under Simon's indirect influence—the resort represented something sacred. Causing trouble here was unthinkable.
The brothers proceeded to a private club within the resort, where they had a meeting with Yuri Yagushevsky and Boris Orlevich, two men leading Rivne's reorganized underworld at Simon's behest.
While Simon's plans had elevated the Kolkoshko brothers to semi-legitimate trades like amber mining and import-export, Yagushevsky and Orlevich were tasked with consolidating criminal operations—strictly in drugs and arms. Tonight's meeting was to clarify boundaries and establish cooperation.
The discussions went smoothly. The brothers would focus on smuggling everyday goods in high demand across Eastern Europe, avoiding overlap with the pure criminal enterprises. By the end of the meeting, agreements were reached amicably, setting the stage for future collaboration.
As the meeting concluded, a subordinate informed the brothers that their father, Vladimir Kolkoshko, was also at the club and had requested their presence. Recently promoted to Deputy Governor of Rivne and overseeing economic development, their father was now a key figure in Simon's political network.
Setting aside their plans for leisure, the group headed to Vladimir's private room.
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