Katya stepped out onto the bus stop and glanced at her watch.
“Horrible, how late I am,” she muttered to herself. “Just my luck…”
It all started with an accident right in front of her trolleybus—because of it, they were stuck for a full thirty minutes. She looked at the road again. There was no transport in sight. Not wanting to waste time, Katya decided to dash across the street instead of going down to the pedestrian underpass.
No sooner had she reached the opposite side than she heard the screech of brakes and a loud car horn behind her. Turning around, Katya saw a boy, about twelve, trying to cross the street on a scooter. He lost his balance and fell right in front of the wheels of an approaching bus.
Without thinking, Katya rushed back and, acting on instinct, scooped the boy under his arms, literally throwing him onto the sidewalk. The bus zoomed past, leaving behind only the crushed scooter, which now resembled a tin can.
The boy, stunned, switched his gaze from Katya to his ruined toy. Finally, catching his breath, Katya asked:
“Why are you riding on the roadway? Don’t you know the traffic rules?”
“How else am I supposed to get to my dad’s work?” he cried out, tears filling his eyes. “I’ve already told him not to leave me with Irina Viktorovna!”
He sat on the sidewalk, covered his face with his hands, and began to sob. Katya sat next to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.
“And where does your dad work?”
“He’s the CEO of ‘Logistics.’ That building over there,” he pointed towards a large office complex.
“So, you are Sergey Dmitrievich’s son?” Katya was surprised.
“Yes, my name is Sasha, and who are you? And how do you know my dad?”
“We work in the same building. I’m just a cleaner. Someone has to keep it clean, right?”
Sasha nodded.
“You know, I always love watching our janitor take care of the grounds, especially in autumn. When the leaves fall, everything looks like it’s from a magazine page.”
Katya couldn’t help but smile. She couldn’t imagine that the director’s son was so impressed by the work of a simple janitor.
“Alright, Sasha, enough grieving over the scooter. Let’s find your dad. But just to warn you: I’m running very late, so we need to hurry.”
She almost ran to the office, and the boy barely kept up with her.
“Katya, why can’t I stay home with… what’s her name?”
“Your governess is nice, but she’s sick. Now, your dad’s second wife, Irina, is watching you, right?”
“Exactly. She tried to tie me to a chair until I rewrite my entire math notebook. Am I a slave? I had to calm her down a bit.”
“How exactly?”
“Just poured hot coffee on her. But don’t worry, the coffee was just tepid. She always places it on my table, and there was practically no steam.”
Katya sighed with relief. Although Sasha didn’t cause serious harm, the situation could have been much more complicated.
“And how long has Irina Viktorovna been living with you?”
“Almost a year. After my mom died, Dad was going to sell the firm and leave. But I talked him out of it. Then Irina came along, and he changed his mind about leaving the city. I don’t know if it’s for the better. Maybe it would be better to live somewhere quiet, but without her…”
Upon reaching the office, Sasha was the first to rush to his father’s office doors, but the strict secretary Polina blocked his way:
“Where do you think you’re going? There’s an important meeting in there!”
Katya just shrugged, indicating that she wasn’t going to interfere.
“The boss was extremely displeased with your tardiness,” Polina whispered as Sasha walked away. “He asked you to come early, and you let him down.”
“What a nightmare of a day. First, that accident in front of the trolleybus, and then Sasha almost got hit by a bus.”
“What?!” exclaimed Polina. “How did he even end up on the road?”
“I was rushing to Dad,” Sasha intervened. “My scooter got hit by a car. Katya saved me, but the scooter…” he waved his hand.
“Unbelievable! It feels like the whole world converged here today,” Polina shook her head. “And how haven’t you been taken to the police yet? That scooter, by chance, wasn’t expensive?”
“I don’t know,” Katya answered, continuing down the hallway. “I was just thinking about getting him off the road.”
After the meeting ended, Sergey Dmitrievich called Katya to him. His face expressed a mix of bewilderment and irritation.
“Katya, you are new here, and I would like to understand… Is this your style – ignoring the requests of management? Or is it a form of protest? Or, maybe, do you dream of a Gazprom-level salary?” he said with noticeable sarcasm.
Katya blushed slightly from the tension in her boss’s voice: “Sergey Dmitrievich, my salary is completely satisfactory. I have additional work, so money is fine.”
“In that case, can you surely afford to pay for the electric scooter that was damaged because of your mistake?” he remarked sarcastically.
At these words, Katya momentarily lost her speech but quickly gathered herself and replied: “I don’t quite understand you, Sergey Dmitrievich. Are you saying you would prefer that I stood aside and watched as a bus ran over your son?”
“Of course not. But before putting him under the wheels of a car, you should have thought about the cost of the scooter,” he retorted coldly.
“It seems we speak different languages…” Katya muttered, feeling disappointed.
“It seems you are not only inattentive but also stubborn. I think we should no longer cooperate. Write a resignation letter.”
This time, Sasha heard his father’s shout and burst into the office:
“Dad, this is unfair! She saved my life!”
“Sasha, get out immediately!” Sergey Dmitrievich roared.
The boy slammed the door and ran to his father:
“Dad, you owe her thanks! Give her a bonus or at least say thank you. She risked herself for me!”
“Sasha, remember who makes the decisions here. I will decide who deserves rewards and who – punishments. Now sit down and write your resignation, Katya.”
“For what?” she asked bewilderedly.
“I don’t want information about my family to spread around the office. And today you’ve learned too much. I think now everything’s clear?”
He literally pushed his son out the door and followed him, continuing to loudly argue in the reception. Katya realized that the boss’s anger would not subside even after the child’s intervention. She wrote her resignation, gathered her things, and went home.
“What an incredible day! – she thought as she walked the familiar alleys. – I really believed he would make me compensate for the scooter. Why doesn’t he hire professional security for his son instead of this Irina?”
She turned into the yard of the old two-story houses where she lived with her retired mother.
“Katenka, you’re home already! Great, let’s have tea. We have a guest – Oleg,” her mother greeted her.
Katya rolled her eyes and quietly cursed to herself. After such a day, she only wanted to talk to her mother alone.
“Hello, Olezheka! What brings you?” she tried to be cordial.
Her cousin had truly transformed: a stylish beard, fashionable haircut, and impeccable appearance.
“Hello, Katya! Well, I decided to drop by. I recently got my diploma and got a job at one of the best companies in the city.”
“Really at ‘Logistics’?” she was surprised.
“Exactly! It seems now we are colleagues.”
“Colleagues? I was fired today,” Katya sighed.
“What?! How come? Why didn’t you tell me anything?”
“I didn’t want to upset you. This day was simply a nightmare.”
Oleg hurriedly finished his lukewarm tea and said goodbye. Katya only dreamed of crawling under a blanket and forgetting everything with sleep. Her mother saw her nephew out, and Katya heard him quietly say:
“Tetya Tanya, talk to Katya. She looks completely exhausted. Maybe it’s worth offering her a different job? It’s hard for her to juggle all this.”
“She’s proud, she wouldn’t want to be dependent,” her mother answered.
Later, when they were alone, her mother decided to start a conversation:
“Katya, what do you think of Oleg? He has really changed.”
“Of course, he’s changed. Now he’s a real handsome man, probably every woman in town is dying for him.”
“And if he weren’t your relative, would you think of him as a potential partner?”
“Mom, stop these fantasies! You’re not going to say he’s aunt Ira’s adopted son?”
“No… Actually, Katya, you are my adopted daughter. Forgive me…”
“What?! Mom, that’s impossible! Look at us – we’re like sisters, only I’m younger!”
Her mother lowered her gaze and fell silent, then quietly began to explain:
“It’s not a coincidental resemblance. People who live together really do become similar. I was a midwife in the very maternity hospital where you were born. Your real mother abandoned you. She was in a difficult situation, and your father was a well-known person. He refused to marry her.”
“And who is listed on my birth certificate?” Katya asked, shocked.
“It’s me, Kat. When I adopted you, I changed my last name. That’s how you became Zimina. All I know is his last name. He’s Kirsanov. Your mother told different stories: he died, he disappeared, he just left her. There’s no specifics.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“Because for me, you were always the only daughter! I have no one else – no husband, no other children. We were happy together, and I didn’t want to stir up the past. But Oleg fell in love with you… His parents tried to dissuade him, saying that you are brother and sister. And he, being older, knows the truth. He demanded that I tell you everything myself, otherwise he would have done it himself. I had to tell…”
“Mom, what do we do now? The situation is so complicated!” Katya grabbed her jacket and ran outside to calm down and think over everything that happened.
Suddenly, a car horn sounded. She turned around and saw her former boss’s car. Sergey Dmitrievich slowed down at the sidewalk and began to get out of the car.
“Just what I needed,” she muttered to herself. – Really came for the scooter?”
“Good evening,” he said in a soft tone. – I would like to apologize for our conversation today. I was wrong, and I am deeply grateful to you for saving my son. The thing is that our CEO…”
“Something happened, Sergey Dmitrievich?” Katya interrupted, noticing his confusion.
He hesitated slightly, as if unsure how to continue:
“My position obliges me to ask your forgiveness. Could you please call this number?”
“Yes, but why exactly now?”
“The thing is that Sasha… He ran away from home. Claims that I am evil and unfair. We agreed that if I apologize to you, he will come home.”
“And how will he know that you really asked for forgiveness?”
“I am recording our conversation. But that’s not the only reason I’m here. Our governess is seriously ill and can no longer work. And you are studying to be a psychologist, right?”
“Yes, that’s true. But what does that have to do with me?”
“You can certainly take on the duties of a governess. Sasha is studying in an online school with a deep focus on programming and English. Your task is simply to assist him during classes and be there. If you want, you can live with us.”
“Will I have enough time for my own studies?”
Sergey Dmitrievich confidently nodded:
“Of course. You only need to work five hours a day, and Saturday and Sunday are free. If you want, we will provide you with food and accommodation. Otherwise, I will pay extra. But please, come by nine o’clock.”
“Alright… Tell Sasha that it’s time to come home. Don’t make his father worry. Let him remember: he’s the most important person in his father’s life.”
The boss gratefully looked at her:
“I look forward to your decision on Monday.”
Next Monday, Katya came to her new job. Seeing her, Sasha joyfully shrieked and ran to hug:
“Kat, great that you agreed! Want me to show you your room?”
“Thank you, but I prefer to live with my mom. She has no one else. Better show me where you study.”
The boy led her to a special room, equipped with everything necessary for studying. There were desks, computers, and educational materials.
“I used to have a teacher come to my house. Now I study online. Twice a year I take exams in a regular school to make my education legal,” he explained seriously, then added: “Well, shall we start? Here are your headphones and your spot at the monitor.”
When Sasha immersed himself in his studies, Katya breathed a sigh of relief:
“It seems that with such a student, the work will not be difficult.”
She was glad that she wouldn’t have to live with the boss and his second wife. However, at that moment, Irina Viktorovna entered the room. The boy immediately tensed up, but the stepmother seemed not to even notice him.
“Katya, do you have a minute to talk? You used to work in my husband’s office?”
“Yes, but not for long.”
“That doesn’t matter. Are you familiar with Polina?”
“Of course. She’s one of the longest-serving employees of the firm.”
“The oldest? She has been working with Sergey Dmitrievich from the very beginning and is categorically against new people in the team. Haven’t you noticed anything special in their relations?”
“I think they maintain strictly professional ties.”
“Oh, don’t talk nonsense. You apparently don’t know the whole story. Polina planned to marry Sergey Dmitrievich and even got pregnant by him. But then he met Sasha’s future mom and rejected her. Imagine, she gave birth to a girl and left her in the maternity hospital just to not lose her position. Wonder what she was counting on then?”
Katya was shocked by what she heard. Her hair literally stood on end.
“When did this happen?”
“About twenty years ago.”
Katya remembered how Irina Viktorovna tried to tie Sasha to a chair, and she was filled with anxiety. After work, she went outside and ran into Oleg near the gates.
“Kat, how much longer will you torment me? What needs to be done for you to agree to become my wife?”
“Olezheka, I already said: I’m not planning to marry until I finish my studies. Why such a hurry?”
“I can’t wait. What if you meet someone else?”
“Who will I meet? I barely leave the house except for work and university.”
“Just don’t stare at Sergey Dmitrievich.”
“What?! Are you jealous? He’s old enough to be my father. Although, imagine, his wife told me an interesting story today…” Katya told Oleg about her boss’s past with Polina.
“Wow! And do you think he knows about this? What do you think he will say when he learns the truth?”
Two days later, Katya faced another surprise. Oleg met her at her house and handed her some document.
“What is this you have?”
“Won’t tell just like that. Let’s swap for a kiss.”
“Oleg, that’s not fair! I would have without a condition…”
“Alright, I give up.” He handed her the paper.
Katya grabbed the document and delved into reading. It turned out to be a medical report from the hospital archives where patient histories were stored. The document stated that twenty years ago Polina Georgievna Beletskaya gave birth to a girl and was planning to leave her in the maternity hospital but then changed her mind and handed the child over to Tatyana Fyodorovna Zimina—Katya’s mother.
“Oleg, you’re a real magician!” Katya threw her arms around his neck. “Where did you get this?”
“Forgot that my mom still works in that maternity hospital?”
“Really, how could I forget! Odd to think of aunt Vera as my future mother-in-law.”
“What’s there to be surprised about?”
“Well, many mothers-in-law don’t get along with their daughters-in-law, but your mom has adored me since childhood.” “Then you’ll have the most caring mother-in-law in the world!” “And for that, it’s worth considering marriage.”
“What to do with this document?” “Let things develop naturally. We’ll wait.”
During one of the classes with Sasha, Katya felt stuffy. She cracked open a window and tied her hair in a high ponytail. At that moment, Irina Viktorovna peeked into the room. The woman was clearly looking for entertainment and occasionally came by to watch Sasha’s lessons, trying to stay out of the camera’s view. Her gaze lingered on Katya’s neck, usually hidden under a cascade of hair.
“Katya, can I have a moment?” Irina Viktorovna called quietly.
Katya approached.
“Did you notice? On your neck, closer to the shoulder, there’s a birthmark exactly the same shape as both Kirsanovs. Do you understand that you might be the daughter of Sergey Dmitrievich and Polina? You’re about twenty years old, aren’t you?”
Katya covered her face with her hands, trying to hold back laughter.
“I’m serious, check for yourself,” Irina Viktorovna insisted, approaching Sasha and lifting the collar of his shirt. The boy had exactly the same birthmark on his neck.
“Mom, you’re interrupting!”
Irina Viktorovna nearly fainted. Katya supported her.
“Did you hear? He called me mom! Heaven has heard my prayers!”
Katya decided that Sasha simply decided to shorten the address, but the boy repeated: “Mom, please, leave.”
“Alright, son,” Irina Viktorovna muttered.
After the lesson, Sasha explained everything.
“Irina Viktorovna is expecting a baby, so Dad started calling her mommy. I thought—why not? It’s even more convenient. And I felt sorry for her—I’ll call her mommy. Better peace than conflicts.”
Voices buzzed in the yard. Rapid phrases of Irina Viktorovna, just having met her husband.
Sergey Dmitrievich entered the house and immediately headed to Katya.
“Irina Viktorovna says that you might be my daughter.”
Katya took out the documents.
“Here, take a look. This should clarify the situation.”
She spread out the papers in front of him: a hospital extract, her birth certificate, and a certificate of her mother’s name change.
“Now everything falls into place. Now I understand why I always wanted to take care of you,” he said with pleasure.
“Honestly, I’m a bit scared. I’m only working here for Sasha’s sake. How interesting… Turns out, the person I considered a brother is not my relative at all. And now I have a real younger brother.”
“And another one is coming soon!” Irina Viktorovna added cheerfully. “Let’s celebrate this event with the whole family. Katya, call your mom, let her join. And the one who turned out not to be a brother, invite him too. Let’s be one big happy family!”
Sergey Dmitrievich nodded approvingly. His wife always loved celebrations, and now there was a great reason to gather together.
“It’s a pity that Polina left and never knew about her wonderful daughter,” he sighed.
“She left?” “Yes, a couple of months ago she got married, and yesterday they moved to Belarus.”
“So, the secretary’s position is vacant?” Irina Viktorovna worried. “Katya, can you recommend someone?”
“Yes, my niece Kira. She’s very capable.”
Katya turned to Sasha. “Brother, you know, I look at Irina and can’t believe she once threatened to tie you to a chair.”
Sasha blushed. “Maybe she wouldn’t have tied me up, but she threatened because I was getting on her nerves,” he admitted.
Irina Viktorovna was soon to become a mother. Katya and Oleg, at the insistence of Sergey Dmitrievich and her mom, filed an application at the registry office. Sasha declared that he no longer needed governesses, as he was already an adult and successfully managing his studies on his own.
