thin layer of fresh snow, I inhale the cold morning air. Arriving, I bump into Andrei in the hall. He shows me to the dining room. At the far end of the huge wood table, Kazimir sits sharing his undivided attention with his porridge. A monogrammed china tea service is set for two. I take a seat at the other end and help myself to a black tea with lemon. Sipping it, I stare at an imposing icon above Kazimir’s head. The awkward silence lingering around us is getting on my nerves. “Kazimir, shall we talk about the Voronov case?” I venture. “Yes, go on.” He mutters. “I’ve gone through the information you sent me and have a short report on his bio-fuels investment portfolio, highlighting the areas that might be of interest to you.” I say, pushing a file towards him. “There’s only one area of interest to me,” he says without glancing at it, “51% of his stake.” “Kazimir, why on earth would you want a 51% stake in his biofuels portfolio?!” “And that is none of your fucking business!” He spits out. Falling silent, I look into my cup.
Ep isode 34
Winding Path As Kazimir leaves, Andrei comes into the breakfast room. His orange scarf flashes annoyingly before me. Eyeing me from behind his thick dark eyebrows, he selects an apple from a large glass vase and begins to peel it. Finished, he quarters it and drops the pieces into his mug. The subtle aroma of warm apple releases into the air as he pours hot tea over them from a monogrammed pot. I can’t get my eyes off his scarf. “How are you, La? Haven’t seen you here for a while.” He looks at me, taking a slurp. “Quite fine…thank you…” “What I’ve always admired about you is your endurance. I often wonder what a woman like you has in common with… a man like 54