Despite his status and financial situation, Yegor Petrovich always rose with the first rays of the sun, adhering to the belief that «the early bird catches the worm.» Even today, on his fiftieth birthday, the man did not stray from his long-established habit. Yegor Petrovich did some exercises, took a shower, and dressed in his everyday clothes: trousers with creases, a crisply ironed shirt, and an understated knitted sweater. Smiling at his reflection in the mirror, he strutted confidently and walked into the living room, where his beloved wife and daughter were waiting for him. A huge cake with fifty candles was set on the table for the occasion.
«Happy Birthday, Daddy!» exclaimed Alina, throwing herself around her father’s neck.
His beloved wife, Lenochka, with whom Yegor Petrovich had spent many happy years in marriage, joined the embrace shortly after.
«Thank you, my dears! I’m so pleased! What a celebration you’ve organized! I’m at a loss for words!» Yegor Petrovich said, moved to tears, as his mind involuntarily returned to events nearly thirty years ago. Back then, at the age of twenty-three, a tiny cake on his table was hardly comparable to this magnificent culinary creation. At that time, the young man led a very poor existence and could not afford to live in a spacious house located in an elite cottage settlement.
Despite the fact that his father was a wealthy man during his lifetime, young Yegor rarely had extra money. This was because his father, Pyotr Vasilyevich, left his eldest son practically nothing when drafting his will. Officially, he handed over to his son a loss-making car repair shop on the outskirts of the city, which had long fallen into disrepair and ceased to be profitable. Meanwhile, the businessman himself had an entire network of gas stations and repair shops throughout the city, which brought him stable and high income.
Unfortunately, this financial empire, after the father’s last will, passed into the hands of Yegor’s younger brother, Maxim. Naturally, deep down, it was very painful for the young man that his father had deprived him so much when drafting the will. At that time, he did not know why this was the case and preferred not to be unnecessarily upset due to his youth.
Maxim, Yegor’s younger brother, besides being smaller, did not excel at work, preferring a leisurely and fun life free from financial problems. He loved visiting nightclubs and restaurants more than anything, spending parental money in amounts unimaginable for an ordinary person. Maxim and Yegor were about the same age, and few knew that the elder brother was actually his adopted sibling.
It turned out that Pyotr Vasilyevich and Darya Ivanovna could not have children for a long time, and when they finally despaired, they decided to adopt a child from an orphanage. Of course, the choice was agonizing and deliberate, as the head of the family understood that, given his financial situation and status, it was extremely important to have an heir who would take over the business after his departure and not give competitors the slightest chance.
Among all the adoption profiles, the wealthy parents chose little Yegorka, who, despite being born into a good family, became an orphan by a cruel twist of fate. The boy’s real parents died in a horrific car accident, which brought their three-year-old son to the walls of the orphanage. The tragic fate of his parents was only averted because, at that moment, he was in the nursery group of a kindergarten.
At first, when little Yegorka found himself in the family of his adoptive parents, he was surrounded by unearthly tenderness and care… But then, when Darya Ivanovna, to her astonishment, found out that she was pregnant, the attitude towards the boy changed dramatically. The birth of little Maxim drew a distinct line between the native son and the adopted one. Yegor lacked nothing, but still, he involuntarily felt a certain chill coming from his parents…
If the boys received gifts for New Year, Maxim’s were always better and more expensive than his older brother’s. The same was true for clothes and everything else. When Yegor graduated from school, his father advised him to apply to university on his own.
«Why are you looking at me like that, Yegor? If I help you with everything, you will never become a real man,» Pyotr Vasilyevich explained, while demonstratively giving his younger son money to take a girl to a cafe and the cinema.
«Alright, dad… Of course… I will prepare for admission,» Yegor meekly responded then.
His father passed away when the young man was twenty-two. It goes without saying what a blow this was for the unfortunate young man. While his younger brother slept off another night of revelry, Yegor helped his mother organize the funeral and the memorial dinner. At that moment, the young man hardly thought about the inheritance or anything related to his father’s will. But a month after the father’s death, when the notary public announced the last will, tears welled up in Yegor’s eyes…
«How could you do this, daddy? … Why did you treat me this way? And why do I now need this half-ruined car repair shop on the outskirts of the city?» the young man thought, trying not to notice the gloating expression on his younger brother’s face, who at eighteen became a millionaire, now owning nearly half the city.
Aloud, of course, Yegor did not express his disappointment but bore the resentment in silence. However, after his father treated him that way, the young man could not stay in his parents’ home and rented a room on the outskirts of the city. Maxim, on the occasion of his inheritance, threw a lavish banquet for a hundred people and partied for three days straight, dousing all the guests with champagne and expensive wine.
Meanwhile, his elder brother tried to bring the car repair shop, bequeathed to him by his father, into order. Initially, upon seeing it, the young man’s hands simply dropped. It was an old, dilapidated building with broken windows and peeling, partially faded paint on the window frames and door… The room was drafty, and it was as cold as in a cellar… Trying to find money for repairs, Yegor approached his younger brother with this request.
«I would gladly help… But I don’t have any free money right now… I’ve put everything into the business… I’m developing a promising direction, bro… So, come by some other time, alright?» Maxim responded.
Yegor, who didn’t even get a chance to tell his brother that he would return the money with any interest, left with nothing. Since childhood, the young man felt that there was a huge difference between him and his younger brother in the eyes of their parents.
«And how am I worse than Maxim? Maybe I didn’t turn out as handsome? Or did I not meet your expectations?» Yegor thought sadly, returning to his car repair shop.
At the same time, he was repeatedly offered to sell the building for a purely symbolic payment… But Yegor, honoring the memory of his late father, even dying of hunger, would not have agreed to this.
«Why do you need these ruins, boy? After all, you don’t have the money for restoration anyway… But with it, we could turn your workshop into an elite auto service…» competitors told Yegor.
But our hero was resolute and firmly stood his ground. Yegor tried to take out a loan at the bank, but due to the low financial status of the client, he was denied. And then, the young man decided to raise his business by his own efforts. Of course, he could not combine work at the car repair shop with university studies, so he chose the former and gave up all hopes of obtaining a higher education.
Making such a fateful decision in his life, the young man began to repair cars in a damp, unheated room at his own risk and peril. Initially, there were very few clients. But everyone who, one way or another, turned to Yegor for help, remained satisfied with the services and the quality of the work performed. As is known, word of mouth works much more effectively than any advertising. Therefore, grateful clients began to recommend the small workshop on the outskirts of the city to all their acquaintances.
Little by little, by his own efforts, the young man repaired the workshop and purchased new equipment. Then, he expanded the premises and hired a couple of skilled auto mechanics. Business picked up, gradually increasing its turnover. That’s when competitors and enemies of Yegor stopped laughing. And the young man, working up to the seventh sweat, intensified his efforts, got on his feet, and expanded his business. After all, bloodied hands, elbow-deep in car grease, and chronic sleep deprivation and fatigue were a very high price for his hard-earned success.
And when Yegor managed to save enough money to open a second car repair shop, his mother died, saying such shocking words to the young man before her death.
«Son… Forgive us, your father and I… We never told you… Basically, you’re adopted… I’m about to die soon… So I decided to confess… I’ve lived with this all my life… Endured… And now, it’s like a stone has fallen from my heart,» the old woman whispered, dying from an incurable disease.
«Thank you, mommy! There’s no one closer or dearer to me than you… After all, a real mother is not the one who gave birth, but the one who raised you,» Yegor whispered through tears, holding the thin hand of the sick woman.
Soon after, his mother was gone, and it was the last time the elder son saw her alive. But now, realizing that he was adopted, the young man understood why his father had been so cold to him. And this discovery gave him the strength and energy to continue working…
Meanwhile, his younger brother systematically squandered the parental fortune, amassing substantial sums for alimony and divorce proceedings. At the same time, Maxim did not work a single day, preferring the noise and revelry of the nightclub to the stuffy office atmosphere.
When Yegor turned twenty-four, Elena appeared in his life, becoming his faithful wife and helper for all the following years. Lena grew up in a poor family and, falling madly in love with Yegor, devoted her entire life to him. The young people recognized the sincerity of each other’s feelings, played a modest wedding, and led a quiet family life. A year later, the couple had a lovely little girl, whom the loving parents named Alina…
The birth of their daughter only spurred Yegor on to new achievements, and by the age of thirty-five, he earned his first million. Further, there was more… The smart and far-sighted young man restored himself at the university and graduated with honors. Having knowledge and money in hand, Yegor began to invest them in real estate and other profitable business projects.
By this time, his younger brother Maxim had completely squandered the parental fortune and, living below the poverty line, turned to Yegor for help.
«Sorry, bro, but I don’t have any free money right now… If you want, I can offer you a mechanic’s position in one of my auto services,» Yegor responded, who had not forgotten the royal generosity his brother had shown him many years ago.
Not wanting to repeat the mistake of his parents, the newly minted millionaire raised his daughter Alina with strictness, implying the absence of any kind of extravagance. Of course, this did not mean that the girl lacked anything or lived in a monastic cell. Just Yegor, from childhood, instilled in the girl a love for labor, so that she would not turn into a capricious princess, tirelessly squandering her parents’ money. Instead, she became a sweet Cinderella, understanding the value of earned money and that, at any moment, the fairy-tale carriage could turn into a pumpkin.
By the age of sixteen, despite the presence of servants in the house, Alina already knew how to cook beautifully, was familiar with a mop and washing machine. And now, as the girl turned twenty-one, her father realized it was time to think about her marriage. The thing was that business partners had repeatedly hinted to Yegor Petrovich that they would not mind becoming related to him. But the wise businessman did not want to give his daughter away to another representative of the «golden youth,» commonly called «majors» among the people.
He knew that they, just like his younger brother Maxim, were accustomed only to luxury and wealth. Such unions usually lead to the ruin of parents’ capitals or a painful and burdensome divorce process laden with infidelity.
Many of Yegor Petrovich’s companions considered him a stuck-up upstart who did not know what he wanted for his daughter. But this was not the case at all. And some influential businessmen even considered the millionaire’s refusal a personal insult and harbored bitter resentment in their hearts. That’s why today, in the midst of celebrating the fiftieth anniversary, Yegor Petrovich occasionally glanced at his daughter, involuntarily noting her beauty, intelligence, and charm…
«Ah, you need to get married, my dear…,» the man thought, understanding how important a proper marriage is.
The next day, the businessman, as usual, went on a tour of his enterprises and industrial facilities. This work could have been entrusted to his manager, but Yegor Petrovich preferred to do everything himself and did not trust the conduct of business to outsiders. On the way, the businessman stopped by the very car repair shop, bequeathed by his adoptive father and with which his ascent to the financial Olympus had begun.
It still belonged to Yegor Petrovich, so from time to time, he visited there to indulge in moments of nostalgia and pay homage to his past. The businessman, out of habit, mentally greeted the building that made him a millionaire and entered inside.
Looking around, to his surprise, he saw a mechanic sleeping in a corner of the workshop. The young man was in tattered pants, sneakers in need of repair, and a patched-up jacket. At the same time, he was covered from head to toe in grease and machine oil.
«Is he drunk?» the businessman asked his partner in astonishment.
«No, Petrovich… This is Danil… He doesn’t drink a drop… An orphan from an orphanage… Has nowhere to live, so he works around the clock in the workshop… Wants to save up for a house… And sleeps in between clients… Don’t scold him… He’s already having a hard time,» the man explained, guiltily looking at the owner.
But Yegor Petrovich had no intention of punishing the young man… Instead, he gently touched his shoulder and gestured for him to come outside. There, after a couple of polite words, the businessman got to the point…
«Danil, I want to make you an offer… How you respond to it will determine your future life. The fact is, I’m looking for a groom for my daughter… I think you could be the one! What do you say?» Yegor Petrovich straightforwardly laid out the essence of the question.
The young man looked at the millionaire in surprise and then said:
«With all due respect to you… I am resolutely against it… I don’t need your money and I want to marry only for love… And now, sorry, I need to go to work.»
Yegor Petrovich thoughtfully watched the departing worker and mentally admired his response. The businessman realized that with such a young man, Alina would certainly not be lost… Yegor Petrovich saw in Danil’s eyes the same spark that once burned in himself… Throughout the entire return journey, the businessman thought only of this young man. Yegor Petrovich was so impressed by his story that he knew he could not let such a candidate slip away.
Returning home, the millionaire called Alina to his office and asked his daughter to take his second car and go to the workshop to change the oil in the engine. Naturally, he did not tell her that he had been there just half an hour ago. The businessman’s calculation was simple… He hoped that Danil would either notice his daughter or, conversely, become reserved and reduce communication with her to a minimum.
Fortunately for the father-millionaire, the first scenario played out and the daughter returned home very late. When Yegor Petrovich asked where she had been, the girl, smiling sweetly, answered that she had met a nice young man working in his workshop. As it turned out, mutual attraction sparked between the young people within the first minutes of communication, engulfing them completely.
From that day on, Alina and Danil started dating, although the girl did not tell the young man who her father really was. After all, more than anything, Alina did not want the young man to think of her as a princess – a white-handed lady who only knew how to spend her parents’ money and shop. But when Danil asked the girl to introduce him to her parents, everything fell into place…
Not knowing what to say, Danil looked amazed at the exquisite decor of the living room where Yegor Petrovich and his wife were waiting for him. Looking at the embarrassed young people, the businessman got up from the table and, anticipating their faltering explanations, said:
«I know… What you’re thinking about marriage… I’ll say more… We, your mother and I, are not against it and bless you, my dears, for a long and happy life!»
Hearing the words of the bride’s father, who turned out to be the owner of the workshop where he worked, Danil firmly shook his hand and gently embraced Alina’s mother.
Some time later, the young people played a modest, quiet wedding. Partly, this was due to Danil and Alina’s reluctance to spend money on ostentatious luxury and pomp. Instead, they made the first payment on a mortgage they took out right after the honeymoon. Danil flatly refused help from Yegor Petrovich and, over time, achieved everything on his own.
At first, he became a senior auto mechanic in the workshop, and then, working up to the seventh sweat and bloody calluses on his hands, he became a manager. After the wedding, Yegor Petrovich’s companions often teased him, thinking he had gone mad and given Alina away to a pauper.
«He’ll surely bankrupt you… How can a street boy understand how to run a business? Laughable, and that’s it,» the millionaire’s envious competitors and ill-wishers told him.
But the man, modestly smiling, thought otherwise and knew that his daughter was in safe hands. For, while the daughters and sons of his millionaire friends disappeared for days on end in casinos and nightclubs, Alina and Danil developed and strengthened the family business, inherited by Yegor Petrovich at the cost of incredible efforts and inhuman labor. Subsequently, the size of the business built by the wise businessman and his daughter’s family reached unprecedented proportions and even went beyond the borders of the country… This was explained by the fact that Alina’s son-in-law, like him, had gone all the way from the bottom to the very top and knew the value of human labor and a drop of sweat on the face of a working person.
