Читать книгу Vera the Mistress - Валентина Басан - Страница 6

ArinaPetrovnaZlatykh was the only and favorite daughter of the head of the largest Gypsy clan.

Perst, that is his real gypsy name, but not gypsies called him Peter Zlatykh, accepted and acknowledged the only child from the most beautiful and most beloved wife, Dana.

Perst was afraid of Dana's mother, a hereditary witch, so in front of the entire camp announced that Dana was his only wife, and the daughter that Dana gave birth to in the first year, Ara – the only heir.

PerstZlatykh was a real gypsy of the hottest blood. Already at ten, he slaughtered a young man (in the post-Soviet criminal world they call them “fraer”) in the market, and at sixteen went to collect his camp, in other words, organized a criminal group in the South of Moscow City. Perst was about fifty (although no one knew how old he really was) when he took the eighteen-year-old Dana, who was his last and favorite wife.

As soon as Ara was born, Perst has registered her as ArinaPetrovnaZlatykh and translated into the only recognized and legitimate daughter, and all movable and immovable property.

The times were dashing, and there were many young and zealous candidates for his throne. Traitors were punished by the Baron, who himself sentenced them to death, and the sentence was immediately carried out. But in their place came new leaders who demanded a greater share of the sale of drugs, influence on businesses from beggars. The new heads of his armies tried to create their own brothels from prostitutes who came from all over the vast homeland.

The Baron feared every day that he would die, leaving little Ara alone to be devoured by the hungry wolves of the pack. He trusted only one person. To his Deputy, SuleymanKaysarov. It was the leader of the Gypsy mafia who instructed him to take her abroad, to the United States.

"Sulik, you are responsible for Ara with your head, and if something happens to her, none of your family will be left alive. You know me.

– Yes, PerstStevovich, I understand-Suleiman was always stingy with words, so he only adjusted his holster with a gun.

"The documents are ready. According to them, you are the father of Ara, she is only five, but she knows everything and understands why I send her overseas.

– Yes, PerstStevovich.

"I'll let you know when things quiet down here." But for the next ten years, keep your nose out of it. It will be hot here.

Suleiman sniffed. He left his sworn father and boss at such a difficult time to babysit a girl in a distant country, which he saw only in pictures. There, a house, insurance, and a place in a private school were already registered in Ara's name. Sulik was supposed to control the American branch of the Baron's bandits.

At parting, Perst embraced Suleiman, whom he loved as his son. For a long time, he looked into Arina's night-black eyes, stroked the raven's hair, and called her Dana.

"Daddy, I'm Ara.

"I know, my flower, I know, I know, my soul. Your mother looks down on you from heaven, she died when she gave birth to you. But she always keeps you safe. I will always keep you safe.

A terrible and cruel bandit who punished by shooting gave orders to take young women as prostitutes, collected tribute from young beggars, yes, he cried for the second time in his life. The first, when his beloved Dana died in childbirth.

And all the guards, even the heartless Suleiman, had tears in their eyes.

ArinaPetrovnaZlatykh returned to Moscow exactly twenty years later.

On the threshold of his death, Perst was saying goodbye to his beautiful daughter, who was sitting at the head of the bed in one of the most expensive clinics in the capital. Next to him stood the unchanging Suleiman.

"Daddy, maybe Switzerland?" Ara uttered the words with emphasis and with a trembling voice.

"My flower, I am going to my beloved. Don't stop me. Before I die, look, all the property documents are at the home of Sulik's wife. I have money in my Swiss account that will be inherited by you, lawyer Jorik Rosenberg manages all my finances, you know, he helped you when you lived in America. Restaurants here and abroad have already been transferred to your name. But you know that. Come closer to me. Sulik, wait outside the door.

When they were alone in the room, Perst took his daughter's hand and finally said:

"Your grandmother Vadoma was a witch. The entire camp knew and feared the power of her curses. It could have destroyed the fruit, sent a pestilence, or killed a whole herd of horses from a neighboring camp. I also turned to her for help more than once, she gave me a long life, but with the condition that I had to give something in return. But I didn't know then that the dark forces would take my Dana, my soul. Vadoma, having lost her daughter in childbirth, cursed all her gods and asked them to take away all the dark forces from her. Her gods were merciful and returned them … you… I kept the secret of Vadoma for a long time, but when you turned eighteen, Suleiman began to say that he felt strange around you, that you could read minds and get into heads. He also said that the Professor who taught you history jumped out of the window…

"Daddy, it's not me… himself… he just pestered me after lectures.... – Arina was on her knees near her dying father and wept…

– Light of my eyes, I don't blame you, you are my soul. Forgive me.

"For what, daddy?"

"Before she died, Vadoma said that in exchange for your gift, which the gods returned to you, they would take what was most precious from you. You will always be barren.

"What?" Dad? Daddy?!Ahhh!!!

Suleiman ran into the room to the screams, disheveled, tearful, and barefooted Ara tried to shout to the helpless old man.

Only for a moment did the Perst open eyes that had once been black and transparent with age.

– Dad!

– Dana, my Life, I have been coming to you for so long…

After a lavish funeral of the criminal business legend, Ara received an inheritance and lived the life of a rich, fashionable lady. She wasn't interested in drugs, prostitution, or begging.

Having made Suleiman their right-hand man, they hired a staff of the best lawyers to open new, absolutely legal businesses in the field of IT technologies. Arina graduated from the American University with a degree in modern computer programs and websites, so after understanding the Russian market, she invested part of her inheritance in their development.

"Dad would be laughing at me right now if he knew that robots bring me money.

Suleiman silently smiled in the next seat and adjusted his holster out of habit.

– Mila, who's next? Arina asked her Secretary over the phone.

– ArinaPetrovna, Oleg Bryantsev, a post-graduate student from Moscow State University with the project "the Future of computer technologies".