The slanted rain furiously drummed against the window, creating an atmosphere of gloomy heaviness in the half-lit office. The light from the desk lamp barely dispersed the dimness, which was further deepened by the dark wallpaper.
“— When are we finally going to fly to the sea?” Lena’s voice sounded from the depths of the room, where she had settled on the sofa.
“— Lena, I already explained: the vacation is only possible after the wedding. Right now, I have too much to do. My father recently died, and you’re already dreaming of the beach,” Andrey replied with a slight irritation, not taking his eyes off the computer.
The young woman sighed heavily but decided to continue:
“— Do you remember how we used to travel so carelessly? No worries, no problems. You hardly ever fretted about the restaurant…”
“That was in another life! Now everything is different. The responsibility for the restaurant lies entirely on me. If I start traveling to resorts instead of working, we’ll lose everything!”
Barely had Lena gathered herself to object when the office door opened and Alexander, the restaurant administrator, entered:
“— Andrey Nikolaevich, there’s a young woman here regarding a job. You said you would conduct the interview yourself.”
“Yes, invite her,” Andrey nodded.
Alexander had long been the right hand of Andrey’s late father, the previous owner. He not only coordinated the work of the staff but also handled recruitment. However, with the arrival of the new owner, everything changed. Instead of a competent man, the establishment was now led by his son, whom the staff considered a frivolous playboy.
While his father was alive, Andrey only appeared at the restaurant for free lunches. His image—a young man with an expensive car and a string of new girlfriends—had become fixed in the eyes of the employees. But after his father’s death, he became different: he found a fiancée and began to take the business seriously. Yet he still hadn’t earned the staff’s trust. Everyone expected the restaurant’s collapse soon, especially given the nearby competition.
“— Hello,” a young woman of about twenty-seven appeared in the doorway. Soaked by the rain, she was clearly cold and barely managed to stifle a shiver.
“— Good day! Please, come in,” Andrey motioned her to a chair.
She sat and immediately began:
“— My name is Irina. I saw the advertisement for a vacancy at your restaurant.”
“What position are you applying for?” Andrey asked businesslike.
“— I’m not exactly sure. Maybe a waitress? Or are there other positions available? I’m ready to work in any role.”
From deep within the room, a faint comment was heard. Irina turned and noticed a beautiful young woman slowly rising from the sofa and approaching the table.
“— Lena, is something wrong?” Andrey asked.
“I wanted to speak with you. Privately,” she replied, casting a meaningful glance in Irina’s direction.
“— Right now?” Andrey was surprised, then turned to the young woman: “Irina, could you wait a couple of minutes in the next room?”
When she left, Lena whispered:
“— She definitely isn’t fit for the role of waitress. Her looks are plain, and her legs… such employees will scare away customers. Don’t rush your decision; there will be more candidates.”
Andrey pondered. He urgently needed to find people: most of the staff had fled after the change in ownership. Yet he did not want to quarrel with his fiancée either.
“— Alright, I won’t hire her as a waitress. I’ll offer her another position where appearance is less important. Will that work for you?”
“— It’s up to you,” Lena replied indifferently with a shrug and returned to the sofa.
“— Irina, please come in!” Andrey called. Within seconds, the young woman re-entered the office.
“— Unfortunately, the waitress position is temporarily closed. But we need someone for the kitchen. Our dishwasher recently quit, and the assistant cook has been covering her duties. If you’re okay with this position, I’m ready to offer you a contract.”
“— I agree,” Irina responded quickly.
“— Then please approach Alexander, our administrator. He will tell you which documents are needed.”
Irina left and set off in search of the administrator. She found him near the kitchen, where he was loudly reprimanding one of the staff members. Waiting for a pause, she approached:
“— You are the administrator? Andrey Nikolaevich said you would give me a list of documents for employment. For the dishwasher position.”
“And what? Has he already approved you? And do you have any experience? I hope you won’t break all the dishes on your first day?” Alexander clearly was displeased, but he didn’t dare to argue with the owner. He handed Irina a sheet with the list of documents and asked her to come back by noon tomorrow.
The young woman returned home and immediately began preparing for her first day at work. Her modest rented apartment required timely payments, and the job was essential.
The first day turned out to be long and exhausting. Irina didn’t break any dishes, but she did cut her fingers, sharpening the knives until they gleamed. Overall, the working conditions suited her: the salary was paid reliably, and her colleagues didn’t interact much. Only Alexander periodically expressed his dissatisfaction with the quality of dishwashing. However, Irina understood: the issue wasn’t with the utensils, but with his bias.
While the staff was busy with routine tasks, the management was trying to deal with the rival café across the street. The owner of that café dreamed of destroying Andrey and his business by bribing people to organize provocations.
Andrey had personally tried several times to resolve the conflicts, but to no avail. Plant clients posted negative reviews online and filled the complaint book. The restaurant’s reputation was plummeting.
“— Can you imagine, they’re writing online that we have cockroaches running around! I even posted a copy of the health inspection report, but they just laughed at me and blocked my account,” Andrey admitted bitterly to Lena.
“— Oh, come on, don’t dwell on it. They’re just jealous. Let’s talk about our honeymoon trip. I found a few great tours to Dubai, but I like the Maldives best,” Lena said, immediately starting to show Andrey photos of resorts on her phone.
Andrey mechanically nodded at the bright pictures, but his thoughts were far away. He just couldn’t find a way out of the situation with the restaurant’s problems.
Apart from the fabricated reviews, the restaurant faced another serious nuisance. There were regular thefts of customers’ belongings in the cloakroom. Since all employees had access to the dressing room, suspicion fell on everyone.
“— We must do something. We’re losing our last customers,” Andrey asked the experienced administrator for advice. However, Alexander just shrugged.
“— I don’t know what to say. Now everyone is afraid to leave their belongings in the cloakroom. By the way, I should mention that these problems started right after the new dishwasher joined us. Coincidence?”
“Irina?” Andrey asked in surprise. “— No, she’s always in plain sight in the kitchen, and the cloakroom is in a completely different part of the restaurant. Although… who knows.”
“— As you say,” Alexander replied indifferently.
Andrey thought for a moment. He had a plan to catch the thief red-handed. He decided to test the staff by occasionally leaving cash or inexpensive jewelry in plain sight around the restaurant.
To his dismay, he noticed that almost all the employees unhesitatingly took the found items for themselves without reporting to the management. Only one person did not – Irina. She hadn’t yet been tested, and Andrey decided to check her.
In his desk drawer he kept an old silver ring that he had found in his parents’ house. It seemed it had belonged to his mother, although she had never worn it. Andrey decided to use it for a test.
Discreetly tossing the ring into a dirty glass that Irina was supposed to wash, he sat down at his computer and waited. After a while, the office door opened and the young woman entered, holding the ring in her hand.
“— Andrey Nikolaevich, there are rumors that someone is scattering money and jewelry around the restaurant. Is it true?” she asked, staring at him intently.
“— True? This is the first I’m hearing of it,” Andrey feigned surprise.
“— Then why did that ring end up in the glass I was washing? Are you trying to test something?”
Andrey remained silent, unwilling to confess his actions. But then Irina took out a second ring from her pocket and placed it next to the first one.
“— I also want to know what’s going on,” she said, showing her find.
Andrey carefully examined both rings. They were identical. His gaze fell on the young woman’s hand. On her finger was exactly the same ring.
“How is that possible?” Andrey exclaimed in amazement. “This is handmade! A very rare piece!”
“This is my mother’s ring. I kept it as a memento after her death,” Irina explained.
Andrey suggested taking the rings to a jeweler to learn their origin. Irina agreed.
At the jewelry shop, the craftsman examined the ornaments for a long time and finally declared:
“— These rings are in the style of Miroslavsky. He was once a famous craftsman in this town. Now he lives on the outskirts, by the river.”
Without hesitation, Andrey went to see the old man. Approaching his house, he knocked on the door. An elderly man appeared on the porch.
“What do you need?” the man asked grumpily.
“— Are you Miroslavsky? I wanted to inquire about these rings,” Andrey replied, showing the ornaments.
The old man inspected them carefully and then said thoughtfully:
“— Oh, how many such rings I’ve cast in my life – they’re innumerable. But I remember these well. Twenty-five years ago it was… My late wife had just retired, and she kept pestering me to finish the work faster. And she was so angry with that client!”
“And what was so special about this client?” Andrey asked in surprise.
“Special? He ordered them for two women – for his wife and his mistress! The man was living a double life. Oh, my Marfa, she used to give me such grief about that order.”
“— Do you remember the client’s name?”
“— Am I an elephant, to remember every detail from half a century ago?” the old man chuckled. “But my records are still intact. I meticulously noted every order in my ledger. Wait a minute, I’ll find it.”
Miroslavsky rose and slowly made his way to the adjacent room. While he searched, Andrey could hear the muffled sounds of drawers opening. After several minutes, the old man reappeared, holding a worn-out book bound in faded leather.
“— Here it is, my memory! My whole life is recorded in here,” the old man said as he carefully opened the book and began to leaf through the pages, his finger tracing the lines.
“Aha! Here it is!” he finally exclaimed. “A man paid for two rings at once. His name was Denisov Nikolai Andreevich. Now I remember clearly! Back then, his son was born, whom he named after his father. And my Marfa lamented, ‘He has a child, but he’s out gallivanting!’”
Listening to the old man’s tale, Andrey was stunned. It turned out that his father had indeed led a double life, and Irina’s mother was his mistress.
“— So she is my half-sister?” Andrey whispered, still not believing what he had heard.
“What are you mumbling? I didn’t catch that!” Miroslavsky asked, returning his attention to his ledger.
“— Thank you very much for the information. I must be going now,” Andrey said hastily, taking the rings.
He returned home in a state of disarray. Lena, after hearing his story, merely snorted disapprovingly:
“— And now? Maybe it’s just a coincidence?”
“— I’ll talk to Irina tomorrow. Right now, there are ways to verify our kinship.”
The night passed without sleep. Andrey was sifting through childhood memories: his parents’ frequent quarrels, his mother’s temporary moves to another apartment. Did she know the truth? Had she forgiven his father’s infidelity and the child born out of wedlock?
In the morning, he was the first to arrive at the restaurant. Seeing Irina, he immediately rushed to her:
“— Good morning, Irina! May I have a word?”
The young woman sensed that the conversation would be serious and followed him into the office without further questions.
After Andrey recounted his story, Irina’s face showed extreme shock:
“— How is that possible?”
“I’ve been asking myself the same question all night,” he replied.
“— So we are half-brother and sister?”
“It appears so.”
The young people silently absorbed the news. Andrey was the first to break the silence:
“— Listen, Ira, I need someone to handle difficult customers and online reviews. Alexander is busy, and I’m too impulsive. You’re the best person for the job. The salary will be respectable.”
“And who will help the cooks?”
“We’ll find a replacement. Do you agree?”
Irina accepted the offer, and soon her quality work began to yield results. However, not everyone welcomed the changes.
“— Why did you promote that plain Jane? You’re not even sure she’s your half-sister!” Lena fumed.
“— Lena, I see the results of her work. People like her shouldn’t be stuck at the sink.”
Alexander, too, saw Irina as a competitor. He constantly criticized her and complained to Andrey:
“— She has no experience! We’re all going to have to clean up the mess!”
“— Sasha, look at the dining room. When was the last time it was full?” Andrey retorted.
Alexander had no counterarguments. Irina indeed attracted customers with her charm.
One day, the entire staff gathered at the bar. Out of breath, Irina ran up to her colleagues:
“— Any news about Andrey Nikolaevich?”
It turned out that he had been in a serious accident. On the highway, an SUV cut in front of his car, and to avoid a collision, he jerked the steering wheel, ending up in a ditch. The car collided with a tree and was severely deformed. Rescuers had to work long to extract the injured man. In a very critical condition, he was taken into intensive care.
“— They say he’s in a coma!”
“I heard something even worse…”
“— It’s all the rivals! When they couldn’t ruin the restaurant, they decided to take out the owner.”
Listening to these conversations, Ira felt dizzy:
“— Does anyone have exact information?”
“— His fiancée said that Andrey Nikolaevich needs a blood transfusion. But the donation center is short of a rare blood type and phenotype,” came Alexander’s voice from behind the counter.
At that moment, Irina immediately devised a plan. If Andrey and she were indeed siblings, her blood might be a match. She left everything at the restaurant and rushed to the blood donation center.
There, she explained the situation to the staff. First, they took a blood sample for compatibility testing. A few hours later, the lab technician brought her shocking news: their blood types and phenotypes were completely different.
“What does that mean? Are we definitely not related?”
“It’s hard to say for sure. Additional tests, including a DNA analysis, are required.”
Despite the unexpected turn, Irina decided to focus on the main task – saving Andrey. She began actively searching for suitable donors through social networks and other platforms.
Gradually, her efforts paid off. Volunteers willing to help were found. They responded to her announcements and came to donate blood for Andrey.
A few days later, Andrey’s condition stabilized, but he still remained in a coma. The doctors were cautious:
“— If he survives, it will be a miracle.”
Lena appeared at his bedside only a week after the accident. Pale and motionless, he lay entangled in tubes, while the monotonous beep of the heart monitor filled the silent ward.
“— Oh, Andrey…” she sighed. “And why did you drive so recklessly? I always warned you.”
She spoke, convinced that he couldn’t hear her:
“— I spent so much time on you, and you decided to bail before the wedding… What am I supposed to do now? The banquet had to be canceled, and the deposit wasn’t returned. Scoundrels! One step away from our wedding, and you left me with nothing. I’m sorry, but if you wake up disabled, you’ll have to find a caregiver yourself. I never signed up for that. I’m too young to take care of a living vegetable.”
With those words, Lena left the room. The heart monitor began to emit a more rhythmic beat. Andrey, although physically paralyzed, was fully aware of what was happening.
A couple of days later, he opened his eyes. Gradually, his condition improved. As soon as he was able to speak, he immediately asked to contact Irina.
Irina waited for news with bated breath.
“— Andrey!” the young woman burst into the room and hugged him fiercely.
“— Careful, you’re about to strangle me,” he joked with a smile.
“— I’m sorry. I’m just so glad you’ve recovered! I knew you’d pull through!”
“— Thank you. The nurses said you found donors. It’s thanks to you that I survived.”
“— Yes, I wanted to donate my blood, but it wasn’t a match,” Irina replied cautiously, without going into details.
Andrey looked at her with gratitude, and she returned his gaze with a warm smile.
There was clearly a spark between them, yet both remembered the possible kinship.
“— I need to tell you something,” Irina suddenly said. “Although perhaps now isn’t the best time…”
“— Speak. I’m listening,” Andrey interrupted.
“— A few days ago, I accidentally overheard Alexander’s conversation. He was whispering with someone about a reward. I realized that he was the one behind the thefts in the restaurant, orchestrated for money by the competitors. I don’t know what he hoped to achieve, but I had to tell you.”
Andrey pondered. It hurt him to realize that the person his father had trusted could do such a thing.
“— What else did he say?”
“— Here’s the second bad piece of news,” Irina said compassionately. “He mentioned the name of his conversation partner several times. It was Lena.”
They both fell silent. Andrey recalled his fiancée’s monologue during her last visit.
“— I see,” he murmured quietly. Everything fell into place. Alexander, who had always disliked him, had decided to profit from the restaurant’s problems. And Lena was simply tired of the fact that the groom spent too much time on the business instead of on vacations. Her dreams of a luxurious life abroad clashed with the reality where Andrey preferred working over resting.
That was why they had decided to act together: to discredit the restaurant and force Andrey to relinquish control. But their plan failed, in part thanks to Irina, who managed to restore the establishment’s reputation.
After speaking with Irina, Andrey pondered for a long time. Once he was discharged from the hospital, the very first thing he did was to fire Alexander. Of course, Alexander denied everything, but Andrey found witnesses who confirmed his involvement.
From the moment Andrey began to recover from the accident, Lena never appeared again. As soon as she realized that the groom might not return to his old life, she packed her things and left his apartment. Later, upon learning that he had fully recovered, she tried to return. But it was too late—rumors that Andrey had exposed her conspiracy with Alexander spread quickly.
While the man was on the mend, all the restaurant’s affairs fell onto Irina’s shoulders. Their communication grew ever closer, and a feeling began to blossom between them—one they tried to hide. However, the attraction between the two only grew stronger with each passing day.
One day, Irina decided to tell Andrey the details of the incident at the blood donation center.
“— So you’re saying that our blood types and phenotypes didn’t match?” Andrey asked in astonishment.
“— That’s exactly what they told me in the lab,” she confirmed.
“And what does that mean?”
“— Honestly, I didn’t find out. I had another objective at that time.”
“We must uncover the truth,” Andrey declared firmly.
To finally clarify the situation, they went to have DNA tests done. The six days of waiting felt like an eternity. Irina hoped that the result would be negative—then she could confess her feelings to Andrey. But if the truth confirmed their kinship, she knew she would have to vanish from his life forever. She realized that she wouldn’t be able to work beside him or even be in the same city.
The day the results came was spent in the restaurant’s office. Andrey opened his email, and Irina, anxious, came closer.
“— The reply from the laboratory has arrived,” he said, clicking his mouse.
A chill ran down the young woman’s spine. The screen displayed a document, and next to the line “PROBABILITY” it read eleven percent.
“What does that mean?” Andrey asked, perplexed.
“— Look here,” Irina pointed. “It states: ‘Very low degree or kinship not proven.’ This means that we are not siblings.”
Irina could barely contain a smile, and Andrey was relieved as well. However, a new mystery lingered: if their father had been involved with two women simultaneously and both had children around the same time, then one of the children might not be his biological offspring.
They decided to solve this mystery together. Irina contacted an old friend of her mother, Valentina Petrovna. They had last seen each other seventeen years ago when the woman had moved to the far north after her second marriage. Recently, she had returned to her hometown, and Irina reached out to her through social media.
“— Aunt Val, I remember when you used to visit us,” Irina began warmly.
“And I remember! You were so little,” the woman smiled.
“Yes, exactly,” Irina agreed, then added seriously, “— Aunt Val, by any chance, do you know who my real father is? My mother never told me.”
“Oh, dear… Perhaps it’s time you knew… Although your mother would never forgive me,” Valentina said.
“For what?”
“— For telling you the truth. You’re not her biological daughter. In her youth, due to illness, she couldn’t have children, but she longed for one. So, she took you from the orphanage when you were about a year old.”
Irina froze, unable to utter a word. Having started work at the restaurant as an ordinary dishwasher, she never imagined the consequences this revelation would bring.
When Irina told Andrey about her meeting with Aunt Val, she couldn’t hold back her tears. He comforted her for a long time, gently saying:
“— Now at least you know the truth.”
This event brought them even closer. No further speculation about their kinship could hold them back, and soon a romance blossomed between them. After some time, they got married, and a few months later, they learned that a new member was on the way.
Together, they continued to develop the restaurant, which flourished day by day. The increase in customers was explained not only by their coordinated work but also by the fact that the competing café suddenly burned down. Fortunately, there were no casualties. Andrey often thought that it was fate punishing those who had tried to destroy his father’s business.
