Chapter One
Roman’s POV
I didn’t have a lot to prepare for. It was another interview and, like countless ones I’ve had before, the rules were the same for me: paint an image so flawless and airtight that the media has nothing on us. I was totally in my element as I had my morning coffee.
The interview was slated for 9 am, and I knew I still had over an hour to get to my office in the heart of Manhattan. As always, I had no reason to be bothered or rushed. Emptying the coffee mug in a last gulp, I stood and buttoned my suit jacket. The black suit was specially ordered from my bespoke designer for days like these. If I was going to make a literal statement, I’d also make a fashion statement, which tends to last even longer. The fabric of the suit looked like that of a regular suit, but on closer inspection, it has a glorious shimmer that doesn’tannounce itself. My silver bow tie contrasted neatly with my ensemble, made up of a black shirt, shoes, and a leather watch.
Picking up my leather briefcase from the couch on my way out of the living room, I took my phone out of my pocket. Pavel picked up on the first ring.
“The Mercedes. We leave now,” I informed.
“Yes, sir,” he promptly responded before I ended the call.
I had asked him to warm up both the Bugatti Chiron and the Mercedes since I was still debating which of them would work best for the day. The Bugatti Chiron, with its sleek green elegance, was an unmissable beauty. The black Mercedes-Benz 300SL, on the other hand, gave off an air of modern dominance that sometimes melded with every other thing.
My choice ultimately came down to one factor: I was in the mood to go with modern and almost commonplace instead of intentional, old-money elegance.
In less than two minutes, the elevator ride was over, and Pavel was shutting my door and turning to the driver’s seat.
I went over the reports from the previous night, occasionally glimpsing the busy streets from my tinted window.
As Pavel slid into my personal parking spot, I got out of the car, heading straight towards the five-story building, whose glass walls shone in the yellow morning sun.
“Good morning, sir.”
“Welcome, sir.”
Nodding in acknowledgement of my men’s greetings, I walked past the glass double doors they held open.
“Where’s Oleg?” I asked Leo, the receptionist, who sprang to his feet as I approached his desk. A reaction which wasn’t surprising since he had eyes and could see that I wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries at the moment. While I wasn’t frowning (and I rarely did), my face definitely carried an air of the irritation I felt about the report that Oleg sent to me.
“Good morning, sir,” he quickly greeted. “He went to the security room just now, sir.”
“And since when does his job include affiliations with security?” I inquired, pivoting towards the right hallway.
But I stopped myself.
“Ask him to meet me in my office in one minute,” I instructed Leo before I added, “If he has any need for his limbs.”
“Yes, sir,” Leo answered, nodding fervently as he grabbed the receiver of the intercom.
Just as I dropped my briefcase on the desk and unbuttoned my suit jacket, knocks sounded at my door.
“Come in,” I called, sitting in the leather chair behind the desk.
I could have asked who it was, as usual, but I didn’t feel like hearing the idiot’s name again. It wasn’t like anyone could get to my office door without my knowledge.
“Good morning, sir,” Oleg greeted, closing the door behind him and standing in front of it.
Uncertainty was clear in his posture as he stood facing my desk. He definitely had no idea why he was summoned, but he clearly understood that it wasn’t good news.
Wordlessly, I turned my briefcase to face me and unzipped it, pulling out the stack of documents that I’d separated. I sent them to the other end of the table with a finger.
“What is this rubbish you sent to me?” I questioned, looking up at him.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it back and brought his eyes to sheets of paper. My steady, albeit annoyed gaze remained on him as his eyes widened a fraction, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
“Now, can you explain why there are entire phrases in all caps and spaces that do not correspond across paragraphs?”
