Mr. Bocharov didn’t answer right away, and Rurik left a message. “Get your ass on a video call, this is an emergency.”
Great. I didn’t quite get their odd relationship. They were related by marriage somehow, and sometimes they got along well, agreeing on everything. Sometimes it seemed like both had a reason to want to kill the other. I hoped they didn’t team up to fire me instantly when I told them our hopes for a contract with Koboyashi were pretty much dashed.
If only I could have found out that crucial bit of information before I pitched the game system and got everyone’s hopes up, mine most of all. Well, maybe not most of all. I got that sweet bonus, but they were going to lose millions, maybe more, if the product took off the way I thought it would.
By the time Mr. Bocharov made it to a video call, I felt sick, fighting to keep my sandwich down.
“What’s the emergency?” he asked. Rurik nodded for me to fill them both in.
“The Koboyashi Corp is a very conservative, family-run company. While I was researching every possible way to make sure we came out ahead in the bidding war for their system, I just figured out that they seem to only do business with other family-owned and run companies.”
I kept my hands in my lap despite wanting to wipe away the sweat that had popped up at my hairline.
“What’s the problem?” Mr. Bocharov asked. “We’re a family-owned and run company.”
“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t explain properly. I’ve looked back on every company they’ve ever worked with, down to small plastic parts, and all the owners are married. I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”
“Of course it’s not,” interjected Rurik. “And it’s not something we should overlook with this much money at stake. You’ll have to be the face of this deal, Gavril.”
Mr. Bocharov looked skyward, then exploded. “Do you think I just sit around all day waiting for updates? I agreed to be a silent partner in this, and that means I’m staying silent.”
I bit my lip to keep from telling him he was making plenty of noise right now. Rurik jumped in and did it for me, and we exchanged a brief, tight smile. He was clearly as stressed by the news as his partner, but thankfully, he was keeping it together.
“I don’t have the time, and you know why, Rurik,” Mr. Bocharov snapped. “You’ll have to hope it is just a coincidence.”
“With hundreds of millions riding on this?” Rurik asked
They both fell silent, at an impasse. Rurik wasn’t smiling anymore. So much for that new apartment that didn’t have drug dealers in the courtyard at all hours of the day and night. So much for this job I loved.
“Rurik could hire someone to act as his wife for the meetings,” I blurted before my brain caught up to my mouth. “It’s not dishonest, not really. Gavrik Imports is the best company and deserves that contract.”
“Figure it out,” Mr. Bocharov said, ending the call.
Gavril looked at me appraisingly for a long time. “It’s a good idea,” he said before motioning for me to leave his office. “I need to think.”
Since I was done with my truckload of work and didn’t want to bother him if he was brainstorming better solutions than mine, I left for the day. It was still daylight, so I walked, feeling guilty about the taxis Rurik encouraged me to charge on the company account if I left the office after dark. My car had finally refused to start for the last time, and I’d been informed it would cost more to tow it than it was worth as scrap metal. I couldn’t afford the fee to get it to the metal yard since I needed every penny for the move.
And I did need to move, and as soon as possible, since the same burly guy who pretended he wasn’t staking out the apartment complex was casually leaning against the wall a half a block away, talking on his phone. He wasn’t one of the dealers, and he definitely wasn’t a resident, but he’d been there every time I happened to look out my front window before going to sleep at night.
Was it paranoia, or should I be worried? I had no choice but to be worried. It would have been nice if I could stop looking over my shoulder. Maybe I could use my bonus for a car that ran or just had a safety net for the first time in my life instead of moving again.
Was the constant running always going to be my life now?
The next morning, Rurik beat me to the office, and there was no giant pile of work to do on my desk. I brought him his coffee and braced myself for the worst.
“Too much sugar,” he said.
“I’ll bring you a new one. Is there anything else?”
He stood up, grinning. “Yes. Marry me.”
What the hell? I staggered back, but then it all clicked into place. This was my idea, after all. It was for the meetings with Koboyashi, nothing more. So why did my heart skip a beat there? There was no way I had developed a crush on my boss. No way.
“Yes,” I said instantly, grateful I still had a job.
Reading my thoughts, he said, “You did nothing wrong. No one could have foreseen such a prerequisite. Now take the company card and buy yourself some clothes.”
“What?” My head spun at the odd command.