Mission to win

By EDGARS AUZIŅŠ

Each of them is convinced that they have been betrayed and need to erase Love from their hearts! Will the heroes manage to forget each other, or is True Love possible even across kilometres and time?

• Language: English
• Publisher: EDGARS AUZINS
• Release date: Jun 13, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227597816

EDGARS AUZIŅŠ

Dzimis 1989. gada 22. decembrī. Absolvējis Rīgas Juridisko koledžu. Profesijā nav strādājis, bet apguvis programmēšanas prasmes un pašlaik ar to nodarbojas. Kopš 2022. gada ir personīgā uzņēmuma vadītājs, kas nodarbojas ar transporta pārvadājumiem, kā arī programmēšanu. Dzīvnieku, īpaši suņu, mīļotājs. Born 22 December 1989. Graduated from Riga College of Law. Has not worked in the profession, but has acquired programming skills and is currently working in it. Since 2022 he has been the CEO of his own company, which deals with transport transport as well as programming. Lover of animals, especially dogs.

Book preview

Analysis of the past

I STARTED A NEW LIFE.

No, I can't say that I feel like I'm in a fairy tale or something like that. Because, like in a fairy tale, no one knows: the curtain fell after the final kiss and - that’s it! They lived happily ever after. And no one says how exactly they lived.

But I know for sure that for the first time in many years, I am alive! I am no longer afraid: I breathe in my life greedily, with pleasure! And how mmm... delicious it is! Yes, it's delicious!

Almost six years ago I lost my parents.

Gas explosion. I don't know how this is possible. For many years I forbade myself to remember this horror I went through. Just a meek hint from the subconscious, just the slightest movement of thought about that day - and with an incredible effort of will I changed the focus of my thoughts.

But now... Now it’s like I’m no longer a lonely hedgehog among a huge beast. It's like I've grown up. And, having enlarged, she saw that there were no predatory animals around at all (well, at least some) - and sometimes you could hide thorns.

All this would have been impossible if not for Him. My Dude. Or just Denis. Denis Nechaev. Terrible troublemaker. When we first met him (and this happened on the subway - he had to deign to use public transport because the city was paralyzed by a terrible traffic jam, and our snob was not used to being late for meetings) - I thought that it would be difficult to find a more unpleasant type.

Well, judge for yourself:

- He speaks arrogantly and quietly. He deliberately clenches his teeth so that his words don’t get dirty on you;

- does not show feelings. At all. It’s as if he doesn’t have them at all;

- does not know how to take care of anyone. Only about your business;

- changes women like gloves;

- ready to do anything for the sake of his goal. Even sign an agreement with the first person you meet (that is, with me) to depict the relationship.

By the way, about the contract. The dude (that is, Denis) really really needed one, as my ex-best friend called him (more on that later), tycoon tycoon. Simply put, an insanely rich man. And so, this same tycoon Yusupov invites Dude to his dacha, but on the condition that Denis will come with me.

We arrived, Yusupov began to pester me...

Oh. I don’t want to remember all this dirt!

The main thing is that this Dude described above, all as cold as an iceberg in the ocean, narcissistic and selfish to the tips of his fingers and his relatively long brown-haired hair, a man-machine for making money, thinking only of goals... He turned out to be a gentle, caring and passionate man!

But he also became my first man! I remember our first night... And goosebumps! He confessed to me the other day that he keeps our sheet with traces of my... ahem... How can I put this? With bloody evidence of his pioneering, let's say.

No, I'm not a prude, but damn, with my intellectual parents, I was used to trying to express myself... ahem... literary. At least when I'm relatively calm.

Oh, I still remember that the first time my heart skipped a beat near Dude, when I smelled his perfume - like my dad’s. I must say that my father was an ideal man! All my life I have observed what a man’s love for a woman is! How dad looked at mom, how he took care of her, how he gave her surprises! And she? She was either gentle with him, or, on the contrary, turned into a cocky fury! But love sparked between them. They loved each other until the explosion. Until the end.

At almost 24 years old, to tell the truth, I had already despaired of finding someone who could compare even one iota with my dad. Who could even come close, let alone stand next to the father in my head.

And so, He meets.

But I already talked about him. Although, to be honest, I am pleased to talk about him. And about us...

Yes, I wanted to tell you about my friend. More precisely, an ex-friend... Lika. She was my support all those years that I was left alone. It was hard for me not only morally, but also financially: I managed to squander not only all my parents’ money, but also my grandmother’s soon deceased one. Of course, it was her own fault: she signed everything that was handed to her, practically without reading it.

In short, it was not only morally bad, but also a financial hole opened up underneath me.

And Lika helped. She supported me and helped me with money. Of course, I returned everything, but if it weren’t for her at certain moments... I don’t even know.

So, about the quarrel. I left two things after my mother: a bag and a dress. They were in her car. Both things are quite expensive. Especially the bag. I kept my relics in a sealed box and took them with me from apartment to apartment. To be honest, I didn’t even have the courage to touch them.

But you already know - Dude appeared in my life, and everything went wrong. I needed my mother's dress. And I took out this box of artifacts.

But since I was late, the box with the bag was left lying at home in the middle of the room. And I left with Denis.

And my friend decided to come to me after the party. She had the keys. She saw this bag and threw a huge scandal. That I'm... greedy. That she didn’t sell the bag when Lika needed money. I tried to explain to her that this was more than a bag: it was a part of my mother! I have nothing left of her in my life, you know? And my mother not only touched this bag, she constantly walked with it. Even her things are still there! How can I sell it?

In general, we stopped communicating with Lika.

But I got Vika: this is Dude’s assistant. She has very little time, but in those rare moments when we communicate, it’s like we read each other’s thoughts!

Ah, there is still one difficult moment for me! Lika, whom I already told you about, met a guy, Artem, in a bar. And here's the fun part! This Artem’s mother turned out to be a friend of my mother! This is unthinkable! Her name is Nina, and she did not immediately learn about the tragedy, especially since they lived in another country at that time. But as soon as the sad news reached her, she tried to contact my grandmother... She was still alive... My grandmother was very suspicious (as my personal experience showed - not unreasonably), and in general, after the death of my parents, she very quickly began to give up. Grandma told Nina off quite harshly and asked her not to disturb us anymore.

Basically, Nina and Nina. But when we met recently, she... You know, she was so hurt by what she found out. Well, I was alone all this time. That there is no type of support. To be honest, I hardly thought about it myself. But when Nina poured out all these feelings on me, and even almost expressed her desire to adopt me, I... How can I say... I understand, she probably loved my mother. And now she wants to do something for me, so that... Well, to kind of please my mother. And I feel embarrassed in front of this Nina... Because, to tell the truth, I don’t need her. Not in any way. But also somehow ignoring it... In general, I don’t know...

I fell silent, thinking.

— Marcel, thank you very much for your story. Let us still try to formulate the question that you would like to resolve during our sessions.

I looked at the psychologist. She sat a little further away from me in cozy white sneakers and a soft suit.

To be honest, I don’t know, Tatyan, I wrinkled my brow, Denis says that we need to do something about my nightmares...

-Are you having nightmares, Marcel? — Tatyana somehow perked up, and even her cozy white sneakers tightened a little and stopped seeming so cozy.

No, I tried to reassure the psychologist, her sneakers, and, at the same time, myself, I just often cry in my sleep. Well, that's what Denis says.

- Does this cause you any inconvenience?

- No! - I rolled my eyes and tried to explain to the psychologist that in general everything in my life is fine, it’s just that Dude hasn’t cared about anyone for so long that he decided to dump what he’s accumulated over the years on me. Sharp and merciless.

We also talked about my injuries, I endured the allotted time (fortunately there was quite a bit of it left), said goodbye and left the building.

A warm spring breeze caressed my skin, and the rays of the sun tickled my eyelashes.

Beautiful time. And I'm 24 tomorrow!

Chapter 1. Burning bridges

Marcel

Nechaev, of course, is in his own spirit! He made my birthday party into a party for his close associates!

Well, a normal person, huh?

Well, I told him that I just want to sit at home (it doesn’t matter: at his place or at mine) together!

No, you are, after all, officially my fiancée, you couldn’t find a better reason to bring good people together.

Yeah. He doesn’t want to bring together good people, but the right ones - that’s it.

But we are still fictitious bride and groom. Yes, our relationship is real - there’s no point in complaining about it. But the ring and the engagement migrated into our current life from the past: when we only had an agreement on the relationship.

At the same time, each of us is embarrassed to start a conversation about this very engagement. Personally, I'm afraid that he will think that I really want to marry him! And that in general I initially hoped that everything would end exactly like this. A real relationship and the fact that I almost moved in with him. Now I’m going to my apartment for the first time in five days.

Why he doesn’t stutter about the purpose of my expensive ring on my finger (which, by the way, for some reason I wear without taking it off) - I can only guess. Maybe he’s embarrassed to remind me that it was all for fun? In general, I don’t want to rack my brains—it’s easier not to think about it.

I went home. I looked at my reflection in the mirror above the bathroom sink.

- Tomorrow you are 24, congratulations! - I said to myself, soaping my hands. Just recently the cast was removed from my left hand, and I still enjoyed the freedom of movement.

I was interrupted from my thoughts by the ringing of my mobile phone. I answered the phone: wow! Zazubnov himself is the general director from my previous place of work. Certainly! I never officially quit there! I drew a line in our labor relations: I told the boss that he was an asshole. But he, apparently, wanted to extract some preferences - after all, he still has my work book. And I’m with Nechaev. The man who builds the coolest shopping centers in the city. Surely Viktor Stepanovich really wants to get at least some benefit from this state of affairs.

But that’s why he’s a goat: calculating cause-and-effect relationships is clearly not his strong point. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have taken it into his head to call me an escort, whom Nechaev hired.

I sighed heavily and answered the call.

- Mashenka, hello! - Zazubnov sang into the phone.

I’m Marcel, I corrected.

Indeed, before I tried to disown my real name and asked to call me Masha. But Dude... Meeting him changed a lot in me. And one of these changes is that I fell in love with my name. My name is Marcel. And that's cool!

- Oh, well, whatever you say. Marcel, the general director agreed without being at all discouraged, darling, I’m really looking forward to seeing you in the office!" We need to somehow get out of the crisis! I called you many times already, you still didn’t answer. When is it convenient for you to come?

I thought about it. I almost never wanted to come to the Cinderella office. On the other hand, I’m 24 tomorrow—isn’t today the best time to clear out the affairs of the past year?

- I can today.

- ABOUT! This is amazing! I'll spend another three hours in the office! I will wait for you!

I passed out. I looked into the refrigerator (it was empty) and, deciding that I would have lunch near the former office, I left the apartment.

___

I paid, grabbed a glass of coffee and headed towards the building that had been my place of work for several years. Was it really only recently that I flew here, having previously barely collected the required number of coins for a metro ticket? Were you preparing to break the delegation from the bank and push them through one tenth of a percent in cashback? I burst into tears. The tasks that are now entrusted to me in the Dude’s office are much more responsible. And, to my satisfaction, I achieved such trust not through my relationship with the owner of the corporation.

After all, it all started with my dismissal from here, from Cinderella. When, in despair, I wandered around the city and, sitting on the steps of the building where Nechaev has an office, spoke to Irma. (Irma is the HR director and also sits on the company’s board of directors). Both my position and my achievements are precisely my merit.

Last week I won the trial (well, like me - I’m not a lawyer. But teaching the company’s lawyer the intricacies of labor law is my achievement), now I’m changing the document flow scheme. I do everything that I really wanted to implement in Cinderella, but I was met with eternal confrontation.

I went up to the right floor. Natasha, Zazubnov’s secretary, stood up at the sight of me and burst into a smile:

- Masha!.. Oh! That is, Marcel! Victor said you should now be called Marcel! He's waiting for you!

I looked at Natasha with a smile - how long ago did she put me on the VIP list? For her to communicate with me like this before? Never!

I entered the office of my former boss.

- Marcel! - Viktor Stepanovich jumped out of his chair and walked towards me, - how glad I am to see you!

I couldn't respond in kind, so I simply smiled and shook one of both hands extended to me. He did not grin at all from the lack of friendly hugs and invited me to sit down.

After a short conversation about how I got there and if I wanted some coffee (I glanced meaningfully at my paper cup), he got to the main point:

- Marcel, dear. You and I both know that I have become a hostage to intrigue. You and I are wise people and will not remember the old. I know you have a new job now and you probably think it's better. But remember where you grew up and became who you are! I want to invite you to return to our family! To our Cinderella! Of course, under new conditions! New position, completely different salary...

My glance from under his eyebrows, coupled with a grin, slowed down his heated speech a little.

A new separate office, Zazubnov added less confidently. Apparently this is impromptu. Initially, there was no such bonus in the prepared list.

Thank you, Viktor Stepanych, I answered briefly, "but after what happened, I don’t...

- Oh, dear, well, we agreed - not to remember the past! Everyone makes mistakes...

This is important to me, I said, pursing my lips slightly.

- Well, I admit that I was a fool - I believed Svetlana, who appropriated your ideas! I repent...

I’m not talking about Svetlana, I interrupted, I don’t care about that. I'm talking about Nina and what you tried to convince Denis about me.

- But regarding Mr. Nechaev - here I wanted the best! You're like a daughter to me! I wanted to feel it! How will he treat you if a leftist guy from the outside tells him some nonsense about you!

- Why did you tell Nina that I was an escort?

- What??? This is slander! I Nina would never talk about you...

I stopped listening to his bad excuses. Catching myself thinking that I was starting to get very emotionally involved in the conversation, I immediately remembered Dude’s advice: Don’t let your feelings awaken - look at yourself from the outside.

- Viktor Stepanych, I’m here to quit. I will not return to work at Cinderella, I calmly and with a smile interrupted his monologue.

- Marcel! Think about it! I have endless respect for Mr. Nechaev, but to build a career on... - he hesitated, - on personal relationships...

— I don’t build a career on personal relationships! - I exclaimed, - but solely on my knowledge and skills!

Yes, Marcel, I understand, Zazubnov agreed softly, but judge for yourself how dependent you are on your relationship in your work! Any discord - so what? Will you be able to go to work? If suddenly - God forbid, of course! But still, what if you quarrel? How will you work