Chapter 8 Part 1. Chapter 8

- I'm your lawyer, my name is Dmitri. – A man introduced himself, taking a folder out of his briefcase.

Spartacus looked at him blankly and lowered his eyes.

- The father of your late wife filed charges against you. – The lawyer began, taking a seat at the table opposite the defendant in the empty interrogation chamber.

- How much is my sentence? – Spartacus asked in a hushed voice.

- A lot. More than fifteen years, but thanks to Valeria Igorevna, you will not sit.

- She is a magician? – Grimly smirked guy.

- You shouldn't make fun of her. She spared no expense to confirm the fabrication of evidence of your guilt.

He sighed and looked at the lawyer, then asked, - And what evidence did Nadia's father provide?

- He brought in the people you allegedly hired to steal her with further plans to blackmail her.

Spartacus shook his head, then lowered his arms and groaned.

- These men are on our side now, don't worry. They will recant their testimony.

- Does the list of these people include my stepfather? – Spartacus asked.

- He is.

He raised his head and looked at the lawyer.

- Are you serious?

- Unfortunately, - said Dmitri bitterly in his voice. – I'll even tell you more, - it was him who called and called your father-in-law the next day, but you managed to get married.

Spartacus opened his mouth, being shocked.

- It can't be...- he muttered faintly.

- I even looked into his motives, and you know what I found out?

The guy looked at him questioningly, unable to make a sound.

- There is a certain citizen, Claudia Dyankova, who lives in your village?

He at once remembered that young woman with whom he had spent many hot nights.

- What's she got to do with it?

- Do you have any idea?

- No.

- Your stepfather was in love with her. It's all very trivial.

- So how could I stop him being married and in love?!

- Married, no. But single or divorced, yes.

Spartacus covered his face with his hands, pressed his fingers into his eyes and mumbled:

- What the fuck?!

Dmitri nodded silently, looking at the shocked guy.

- Does my mother know about this?

- Yes. – The lawyer barely nodded his head. – She knows everything, unfortunately. But you couldn't keep it a secret. In the township gossip runs ahead of what's going on, you know.

For several minutes Spartacus tried to come to his senses. He stepped back against the wall, resting his palms and forehead against it, and stood like that for a while before returning to his seat.

- I understand, all at once and all unthinkably hard, but you should pull yourself together. Your mother is at Valeria Igorevna's house now, she has given her all kinds of help and is looking after her. Don't worry. But in any case she needs you.

- Tell her I said thank you so much.

- I will. Valeria Igorevna could visit you, but she's afraid.

- I'm very sorry about last time, - said Spartacus. – I didn't believe her.

- It's okay. She understands everything.

The case was closed and he was acquitted. Suspicion fell on Vladimir Klimov himself, Nadezhda's father, but that case didn't go far either. Everything was closed quickly. Money and connections solve any problems in the shortest possible time. Spartacus got behind the wheel and went to him, asking Dmitri to accompany him just in case. But on the way he turned to Spartacus:

- What do you need it for?

They managed to become friends and went beyond the lawyer-suspect relationship.

- I want to know how he's happy now!

- You won't hold back and you'll get carried away. A new problem will arise, think of the mother. Trust him just to get you there.

Spartacus stopped and breathed heavily. He looked ahead and listened to his clever comrade. That's right. Yes, he wanted to kill him. He couldn't let Nadezhda's death go unpunished. He was plagued by nightmares. Her tears, begging him not to send her to her father. He just couldn't let it go, leave it alone. They hadn't been together very long, but he had fallen in love with her. And now he was in great pain.

- You can't get her back with revenge or get in trouble. It won't get any easier. – Dmitri put his hand on his shoulder.

Spartacus cursed and slowly turned the car back.

- I have to find a way to punish him, Dim. Otherwise I will not be able to live.

- I understand. Let's not be in a hurry. He knows that you are angry with him, and he probably expects some action on your part and is ready for it. Let things settle down, and then we'll find a solution or a way.

Spartacus looked at him and agreed.

After the trial, his stepfather apologized to him and his mother. To no avail, of course, Katerina Aleksandrovna didn't wish to know him anymore, and neither did Spartacus. It was a pity for Stepan, he was upset to the point of tears. Spartacus, as a brother, promised that he wouldn't break off contact with him.

They had nowhere else to go and until they found a place to live, they stayed with Valeria.

She turned out to be a very wealthy lady, had a large house in the elite Voronezh area and her own profitable business.

- I want to offer you cooperation, - she said at dinner, addressing Spartacus and his mother. They were sitting in the dining room area, at dinner, in her house.

- Yes, of course. We owe you a lot, Valeria, - the guy answered at once.

- I owe you no less, - she replied with a smile. After stretching out a bit, she continued, - And so. Spartacus I would be glad if you and Katerina Aleksandrovna would come to work for me.

She folded her fingers together and waited with a smile for their reaction.

- We agree, - he answered and looked at his mother.

- Yes, Lera I've already been told, I'll get to work as soon as it's convenient. – Spartacus' mother said in a kind and grateful tone.

- Tomorrow is fine, thank you. That's very kind of you.

Spartacus had a rough idea of what his mother was supposed to be doing. Probably cleaning and other household chores.

- I've asked your mother to keep an eye on the house in general, there's a girl who keeps it clean. She comes, a couple of times a week, - Valeria explained, figuring out his thoughts. – And also that she cooks for us. While Katerina Aleksandrovna lived with me for a while, I liked her dinners, - she said with warmth in her voice.

Spartacus smiled quite a bit and immediately got serious.

- Thank you very much, - he said. – And what am I supposed to do?

- Be my guard and driver all in one. Always accompany me, or at least often.

- No problem. I can do that easily.

- You'll live here, - she added as she began to eat. – There are a lot of empty rooms here. Sometimes I have guests, but mostly I live alone and often disappear for work. So Katerina Aleksandrovna can get herself some hobbies to save her from boredom.

Spartacus moved from his KIA to Valeria's Mercedes and put on a suit and tie. He actually began to look like a security guard from some action movie. He was tall and broad-backed, with polished boots and dark glasses. The only thing missing was a gun on his belt.

- I'm not so rich that I have to be guarded with a gun, - Valeria laughed when he shared his idea with her.

But at the same time, she was the owner of a fairly well-developed advertising agency. Which was both an intermediary between the radio and television companies and advertising clients directly, as well as producing print products itself. Calendars, posters, all kinds of brochures, and all in the same direction, were successful. In addition, free and varied printing on request on the surface of ready-made products, or the application of logos, trademarks and more. Along with this, gradually expanded trade activities branded and little-known products of other companies and firms, the advertising world.

The agency itself occupied a fairly large building with four floors, which worked at least fifty people. Half of them were designers, because the work was more creative. For Spartacus, such a profile was new. He had no idea about print or advertising. And what he witnessed seemed to him extremely curious and interesting business. By its novelty, the activity made him divert his attention from his heartache. Of course, the pain of losing the woman he loved had not faded, but it no longer tormented him so much. He began to sleep at night. Perhaps also from fatigue. Because he was happy to help out in the workshops during the production process itself. He stopped jumping up and screaming her name in the middle of the night, thrashing around in the cold bed as he had at first. The soul wounds were still making themselves felt, but they were already letting him breathe.

And Spartacus was insanely grateful to Valeria for the opportunity she gave him and his mother. In turn, she was just as grateful to him for not letting her say goodbye to her own life on that decisive night.

A year and a half passed.

Only that thing upset Spartacus that he was never found out where Nadezhda was buried. He never once came to see her with flowers. All he could afford was to go to church and put candles. He didn't have the courage to ask Valeria to try to find out anything for him. Especially since, as he realized, she avoided talking about the past at all costs and tried to look only forward.

One day they had closed a big project, and the boss rewarded everyone with a big bonus. As well as paying for a general week-long tour of the Mediterranean Sea. Those who didn't have international passports soon began to apply for them. Spartacus refused to go, though he had always dreamed of going abroad. His heart held close to the land where his Nadia lay. He no longer wanted to leave her.

- Can you swim?

- Professionally, - he answered without suspicion.

- But I don't, - she continued. – Do you understand what I mean?

He smirked and stretched his lips in a smile and nodded imperceptibly. Well, all right.