At that moment, Mikhail Petrovich approached us.
“Dmitry, I see you’ve already met Anna Sergeevna,” he said with a smile.
“Mikhail Petrovich,” Dmitri instantly switched to his obsequious tone, “I didn’t invite my wife. Honestly, it would be better if she went home. After all, this is a business event…”
“Dmitry,” Mikhail Petrovich looked at him in surprise, “but I invited Anna Sergeevna. And she’s not going anywhere. As the owner of the company, she must be present at this informational event.”
I watched as the information seeped into my husband’s mind. First confusion, then understanding, then horror. Gradually, he paled.
“Owner… of the company?” he asked barely audibly.
“Anna Sergeevna inherited the majority stake from her father,” Mikhail Petrovich explained. “She’s now our largest shareholder.”
Dmitry looked at me as if seeing me for the first time. I saw panic in his eyes. He understood that if I found out about his plans, his career would be over.
“Anya…” he began, and his voice held notes I’d never heard before. Pleading. Fear. “Anya, we need to talk.”
“Sure,” I said. “But first, let’s hear the reports. That’s what we’re here for.”
The next two hours were torture for Dmitry. He sat next to me at the table, tried to eat and keep the conversation going, but I could tell how nervous he was. His hands were shaking as he raised his glass.
