Dear, you can’t even imagine who I really am,» Anna whispered quietly, looking at the ceiling. «You are better than anyone for me,» Vadim mumbled sleepily, hugging his wife. If only he knew how prophetic these words would turn out to be. Anna smiled faintly, remembering how it all began. How she, the daughter of a currency millionaire, decided to conduct the boldest experiment of her life.
Their first meeting was like something out of a movie. She was already working at the district library, playing the role of a modest provincial girl. Vadim came in looking for some scientific literature—he was preparing to defend his thesis. Disheveled, in worn jeans, with a coffee stain on his shirt.
«Excuse me, do you have anything on quantum physics?» he asked, squinting.
«Third shelf, top row,» Anna replied, holding back a smile. «You’ll need a ladder to reach it.»
«Could you help me?» he scratched his head sheepishly. «I feel like I’ll drop everything otherwise.»
And that’s how their romance began—with falling books, awkward jokes, and conversations until the library closed. Vadim turned out to be a simple guy with a sharp mind and an amazing sense of humor. He could talk for hours about his scientific research, then suddenly crack a joke that made Anna laugh until she cried.
He proposed six months later, in the same library.
«You see,» he said, nervously fiddling with a cheap ring box, «I know I’m not rich. But I love you. And I promise, I’ll do everything to make you happy.»
Anna agreed, feeling a twinge of guilt. But the experiment was too important—she wanted to understand how society treats women without status and money.
The first warning signs came at the wedding. Vadim’s mother, Elena Petrovna, gave Anna a look as if she were a cockroach on a wedding cake. Anna understood that not all people were like this, but she ended up with an extremely unpleasant family.
«And that’s all you could dress up in?» she hissed, examining the bride’s simple white dress.
«Mama!» Vadim scolded her.
«What ‘mama’? I’m worried about you! You could have found a better girl. Like Lyudmila Vasilyevna’s daughter…»
«Who ran off with a fitness trainer last year?» Vadim’s sister Marina snorted. «Though, you know, even she would have been a better match.»
Anna silently smiled, mentally taking notes in her research journal. «Day One: Classic manifestation of social discrimination based on assumed material status.»
A month after the wedding, Vadim’s aunt Zoya Aleksandrovna joined in the «education» of the bride—a woman who loved visiting the local municipal services office, it was her hobby.
«Sweetie,» she said in a sugary voice, «can you even cook? Vadimushka is used to good food.»
Anna, who had learned cooking from the best chefs in Paris, nodded modestly:
«I’m learning, little by little.»
«Oh, what a disaster,» Aunt Zoya threw up her hands. «Let me write down my meat recipe for you. But can you afford the ingredients? They’re expensive these days…»
In the evening, Anna wrote in her journal: «Month One: Financial pressure is used as a tool for social control. I wonder how quickly they would change their tone if they knew about my annual income?»
Vadim tried to defend his wife, but he did so weakly, as if afraid to go against his family.
«Darling, don’t mind them,» he said. «They’re just worried.»
«About what? That I’ll spend all your budget?» Anna smirked.
«No, just… well, you know, they want the best for me.»
«And I’m not the best?» In such moments, she wanted to scream the truth, to show the statements from her accounts, but she restrained herself.
By the end of their first year of marriage, the mockery reached its peak. At Vadim’s birthday, Elena Petrovna outdid herself.
«And what, Anny, did you give your husband for the holiday?» she asked, examining the modest wristwatch.
«What I could,» Anna quietly replied, remembering the collection of Swiss chronometers in her London apartment.
«Well, yes, of course… Love is the main thing, right? Although love is love, but a man needs status. Look, Marinka gave her Kolya a car for his birthday.»
«Taken on credit at crazy interest rates, which Kolya will be paying,» Anna muttered to herself, but no one heard her.
In the evening, left alone, she took out her journal and wrote: «Year One. Intermediate conclusions: Social pressure intensifies in proportion to the duration of contact. I wonder how long I can continue this experiment before it destroys my marriage?» She didn’t know that the answer to this question would come very soon.
In the second year of their marriage, Vadim got a promotion. Now he led a small department at an IT company, and his relatives went wild.
«Son, now you need to match the status,» chirped Elena Petrovna, conspicuously examining the worn wallpapers in their rental apartment. «Maybe think about changing… the setting?»
Anna mentally pictured pulling out a platinum card and buying a penthouse in the city center. But instead, she just shrugged:
«We’re fine here.»
«Of course, you’re fine,» Marina, Vadim’s sister, snorted. «You’re used to… simplicity.»
«Day 748 of the experiment,» Anna wrote in her journal that evening. «Social status continues to be the primary factor in evaluating a person. Even a minimal increase in one family member’s income provokes a sharp rise in claims against another, less wealthy member.»
Everything changed on a rainy Tuesday. Aunt Zoya dragged another «decent girl» into their home—the daughter of some important man from the district management.
«Vadimushka, meet Verochka,» she sang, pushing forward a made-up blonde. «She, by the way, opened her own real estate agency!»
Anna froze with a cup of tea in her hands. She could endure a lot, but this…
«I’m shocked myself!» Vadim said, looking at me in confusion.
«And what about Anna?» Zoya Aleksandrovna threw up her hands. «She’ll understand! You have to think about your future!»
Verochka giggled:
«Yeah, by the way, I have great apartment options. I can show you… alone.»
That was the last straw. Anna stood up, straightened her shoulders, and announced:
«I think it’s time for a family dinner. This Friday. I’m inviting everyone.»
Friday came too quickly and at the same time unbearably slowly. Anna prepared for this evening as if it were a theater premiere. She pulled out her favorite dress from a luxury brand, put on family diamonds, and called her personal chef—for the first time in two years.
The relatives arrived in full force, anticipating another opportunity to mock the poor bride. Elena Petrovna even brought her friend Lyudmila Vasilyevna—apparently as an audience for the upcoming spectacle.
«Oh, we have guests!» Anna exclaimed, opening the door. «Come in, I just ordered dinner from the restaurant.»
«Ordered?» Marina squinted. «And the money from where?»
Anna smiled mysteriously:
«You’ll find out soon.»
When everyone was seated at the table (specially rented, antique, made of mahogany), a real theater of the absurd began.
«And what’s this wine?» Aunt Zoya sniffed at her glass. «It doesn’t look like our local Krasnodar wine…»
«Wonderful wine, vintage 1982,» Anna casually tossed out. «Dad brought it from his cellar.»
Silence fell in the dining room. You could hear a fly trying to break through the stained glass window.
«W-which dad?» Elena Petrovna stammered. «You said you were an orphan…»
«Oh, this is the most interesting part,» Anna stood up, holding her glass. «You see, for the last two years I’ve been conducting a social experiment. Studying how society treats women without visible wealth and social status. And I must say, the results have been quite… enlightening.»
She paused, watching as her husband’s relatives’ faces gradually lost their color.
«My father is a currency millionaire,» Anna continued, enjoying the moment. «And all this time I lived modestly, to understand how you would treat me if I didn’t meet your standards.»
Vadim looked at her, his eyes wide.
«Anna, what are you…»
«But now,» she interrupted, «the experiment is over. And I think we all need to discuss how we’re going to live from now on.»
Silence reigned in the room, broken only by the ticking of expensive clocks on the wall. Anna smiled, knowing that her words had changed everything.
She paused. The dining room was so quiet that you could hear Lyudmila Vasilyevna’s dentures creak.
«The thing is, I am Anna Sergeyevna Zakharova. Yes, that Zakharova. My family owns the ‘ZakharGroup’ holding. Perhaps you’ve seen our offices—a glass skyscraper in the city center.»
Elena Petrovna turned so pale that she blended in with the tablecloth.
«And we also own a chain of five-star hotels,» Anna continued, savoring every word. «And, by the way, that real estate agency where your Verochka works is also ours. Dad bought it last year… how did you put it? Ah yes, ‘thinking about the future.'»
Marina tried to say something, but only a squeak came out.
«And you know what?» Anna scanned the frozen relatives. «Over these two years, I’ve gathered amazing material for my book. ‘Social Discrimination in Modern Society: An Inside Look.’ I think it will cause a sensation in academic circles. At the same time, most people treat someone like me quite well. They help, give practical advice. But your little family—this is an interesting anomaly.»
Vadim sat, gripping the armrests of his chair. His face resembled Munch’s «The Scream.»
«You… all this time…» he began.
«Yes, dear. I wasn’t who I pretended to be. But my love for you was the only thing that was real.»
«And what about…,» Elena Petrovna finally found her voice, «all these humiliations? You could have stopped us at any moment…»
«Stop you?» Anna smirked. «Of course. But then the experiment would have lost its purity. By the way, it was amusing to listen to your discussions about how I was unworthy of your son when my annual income exceeds the value of all your property.»
Lyudmila Vasilyevna choked on her wine and started coughing. Aunt Zoya hurriedly fiddled with her Gucci bag (a fake, as Anna had noticed).
«But the most interesting thing,» Anna turned to her husband, «is that you, Vadim, were the only one who loved me just because. Without money, without status, without…»
«Without the truth,» he interrupted, standing up from the table. «Sorry, I need some air.»
He left, leaving Anna standing with an unfinished glass of wine. A funeral silence hung in the dining room, broken only by Marina’s quiet sobs and the rustling of Aunt Zoya’s napkins.
«Day 730 of the experiment,» Anna mentally noted. «Result achieved. The cost… still unknown.»
Three weeks after the «truth dinner,» time flew by like a fog. Vadim did not return home—he stayed at a friend’s house, taking only the essentials. The relatives disappeared as if they had never been, only Marina occasionally wrote ingratiating messages on VK: «Anya, maybe we can meet? I’ve been thinking…»
Anna did not respond. For the first time in two years, she allowed herself to be herself—ordering food from her favorite restaurants, working on her book on her expensive laptop (which she had hidden all this time), and suffering. Oh, how she suffered.
«You know what’s the funniest part?» she told her assistant Kate, the only one who knew the truth from the beginning. «I really fell in love with him. For real.»
«And he with you,» Kate shrugged, elegantly stirring sugar in her cappuccino. «Otherwise, he would have run to you for money long ago.»
They sat in Anna’s favorite coffee shop—a small establishment on the roof of the very ZakharGroup skyscraper. From here, the whole city seemed toy-like, especially their rental apartment in the residential district.
«My dad called yesterday,» Anna smiled sadly. «Said I was crazy. I could have just written an article based on other people’s research.»
«And you?»
«And I replied, that’s the point—everyone writes based on others’ stories. No one wants to go through it themselves.»
Kate finished her coffee and suddenly asked:
«Listen, if you could turn back time… Would you change anything?»
Anna pondered, looking down at the city:
«You know… probably, yes. I would have told him the truth. Not right away, but… definitely before the wedding.»
Vadim appeared suddenly—just rang the doorbell of their rental apartment at seven in the morning. Anna opened it, wrapped in a silk robe from Valentino (she was no longer hiding), and froze. She still hadn’t moved into the expensive apartments, waiting for him.
«Hello,» he croaked. «May I come in?»
He had lost weight, shadows lay under his eyes. Anna silently stepped back, letting him into the apartment.
«I’ve been thinking…» Vadim began, nervously fiddling with the keys.
«Twenty-three days,» Anna interrupted.
«What?»
«You thought for twenty-three days. I counted.»
He grimaced:
«Is this also part of the experiment? Counting the days of separation?»
«No,» she shook her head. «This is part of love.»
Vadim sat down on their old sofa—the same one they had bought at IKEA, although Anna could afford furniture made of solid mahogany.
«You know what I realized these days?» he asked, looking at the floor. «I kept trying to remember a moment when you were insincere with me. And I couldn’t.»
Anna sat next to him, maintaining a distance:
«Because I never pretended about the main thing. Only in small things.»
«Small things?» he laughed bitterly. «You call being an heiress of a multimillion-dollar fortune a small thing?»
«Yes!» she suddenly flared up. «Because money isn’t me! It’s not even my merit, I was just born into a wealthy family. And you loved me—the real me, who laughs at your silly jokes, who adores reading sci-fi, who…»
«Who kept a journal for two years, recording every humiliation from my family,» he finished quietly.
Anna turned to the window, trying to gather her thoughts. The first rays of the sun were piercing through the curtains they had once chosen together in a store. Cheap, but beloved.
«You know,» she began quietly, still looking at the waking city, «when I was sixteen, I had a best friend. Just an ordinary girl from the neighboring house. We would talk for hours about everything under the sun, share secrets. And then her mom found out whose daughter I was…» Anna bitterly smiled. «A week later, she started hinting that it would be nice to go to Europe with her for the holidays… Just because I could afford it.»
She turned to Vadim, tears in her eyes:
«I didn’t want our story to start with money. I wanted to make sure that I would be loved just for me. Silly, right?»
How his father’s partners fawned over him, how his classmates in London were divided into «us» and «them» based on account size… She wanted to prove that it really exists. That it’s not just make-believe.
«And did you prove it?» There was no bitterness in his voice, only fatigue.
«Yes. But you know what I realized?» she moved closer. «There are things more important than any experiments. Like trust.»
Vadim finally looked up:
«And now what?»
«Now…» Anna pulled out a thick notebook—her research diary—from her bag. «Now I want to burn this. To hell with science, to hell with experiments. I just want to be with you.»
He looked at her for a long time:
«And what about your book?»
«I’ll write a new one. About how I almost lost the most important thing in pursuit of scientific fame.»
Vadim reached out and took the diary:
«You know, I realized something too these days. I was angry not because of the money. I was angry because I thought it was all pretense.»
«But it wasn’t,» Anna said quietly.
«I know. Now I know,» he suddenly smiled. «By the way, what about my silly jokes?»
She laughed through tears:
«Well, like your favorite one about the theoretical physicist and Schrödinger’s cat in a bar…»
«Who is simultaneously drunk and sober until the bartender checks his passport!» Vadim picked up, and they laughed together, just like in those first days when it all began.
An hour later, they were sitting in the kitchen, drinking instant coffee (although Anna’s bag held the keys to a penthouse with a professional coffee machine) and discussing the future.
«So, we’re starting over?» Vadim asked.
«Yes. But this time without secrets. And you know what? Let’s stay here, in this apartment.»
«But you can…»
«I can,» she nodded. «But I don’t want to. Our story started here. Let’s continue it here. I’ll do a good renovation and we’ll live here for at least another year.»
Vadim smiled:
«And what about mom? And Marina? And Aunt Zoya?»
«Oh, they won’t get away from me now,» Anna squinted slyly. «They’ll come to family dinners and eat the simplest food. No wine for thousands of dollars.»
«Cruel,» he laughed.
«But fair.»
The doorbell rang—it was Marina with a huge cake and a guilty expression.
«Anya, I’ve been thinking…» she began her rehearsed speech.
«Come in,» Anna interrupted. «Will you have instant coffee?»
Marina blinked confusedly, but nodded. And Vadim, watching this, realized: everything will indeed be alright. Because true love isn’t about expensive wine and brand-name things. It’s about the instant coffee you drink with loved ones in a small rental apartment.
And this was no longer an experiment. This was life.
Chapter Two Six months have passed since the heiress of the «ZakharGroup» holding revealed her two-year social experiment. Six months since her husband learned that his modest librarian wife could actually buy the entire library along with the building. They reconciled, yes. But Vadim still flinched every time Anna tried to give him a gift.
In the end, the family moved to a more spacious apartment.
«I ride the metro, and it suits me,» he firmly added.
«On the metro?» Elena Petrovna appeared in the garage door. After the «great revelation,» she became a frequent guest in their new apartment. «Vadyusha, but that’s not solid! You’re now…»
«Who am I now, mom?» he turned sharply. «A rich woman’s husband?»
Anna winced. Each such conversation was like a punch to the stomach.
In the evening, she sat in her office, absentmindedly flipping through financial reports. Vadim had gone to the roof—he often was there lately, as if trying to escape from the golden cage he suddenly found himself in.
There was a knock at the door—it was Kate, her faithful assistant.
«What do you think,» Anna asked, not taking her eyes off the numbers, «can you be too generous?»
«Depends on who for,» Kate sat on the edge of the desk. «You know, my grandmother used to say: ‘Some people find it easier to forgive an offense than a benefaction.'»
Anna finally looked up:
«Do you think he feels… obligated?»
«I think he feels lost. Imagine: he built his path, his career, all his life, and now every second person whispers behind his back—why work if your wife is a millionaire?»
Anna remembered today’s conversation in the garage. Yes, Vadim had refused the car. But it wasn’t about the price—she saw how his eyes lit up at the sight of the silver sports car. It was about not wanting to be «a rich woman’s husband.»
Later that evening, she found him on the roof. Vadim stood at the parapet, looking at the city lights.
«Remember our first meeting?» Anna asked, coming closer. «In the library?»
«When I almost knocked down the shelf with books on quantum mechanics?» he smiled. «Of course.»
«Do you know what I thought then? ‘Here’s a person who isn’t afraid to ask for help.'»
Vadim turned to her:
«What are you getting at?»
«That you’ve changed. Now you’d rather fall off the ladder than ask for support.»
«It’s different,» he shook his head. «Then I asked for help from an equal. But now…»
«Now what?» her tone pleaded. «Did I suddenly become a different person just because of money?»
«No!» he ran his hand through his hair. «But you don’t realize. Every time you try to give me something, I feel… inadequate. As if I can’t take care of myself. And then there’s your father…»
Anna tensed:
«What interest does dad have here?»
«He offered me a position on the board of directors. Just like that, without experience, solely because I’m his daughter’s husband.»
«And what’s your answer?»
«I said I’d think about it. But we both know—I’ll refuse.»
They fell silent. In the distance, cars honked, the wind carried snippets of melodies from a nearby drinking establishment.
«Vadim,» Anna whispered, «for two years I pretended to be poor, to meet someone who would love the real me. And now, when I can be myself, you’re preventing it.»
«What are you talking about?»
«That it’s natural for me to delight my beloved. To share my wealth. Yet you reject every gesture of mine, as if it’s something unworthy.»
Vadim put his hand on her shoulder:
«I want to achieve on my own. Do you understand?»
«I understand,» she leaned against him. «But know this: you don’t need to prove anything. Not to me, not to my parents. You’ve already proven the most important thing—your ability to love unconditionally.»
He snorted:
«Even if that love was born within an experiment?»
«Especially because of that.»
Suddenly, Anna’s vision blurred. She swayed, and Vadim tightened his grip on her:
«Hey, is everything okay?»
«Yes, just…» she pondered, listening to herself. «You know, maybe we should conduct a new experiment.»
«What kind?»
«Let’s see how you handle being a father.»
Vadim froze, slowly grasping the meaning of her words.
Elena Petrovna dropped a cup when she heard the news. Porcelain shattered across the polished parquet, forming a whimsical pattern of shards.
«Pregnant?» she asked, clutching her chest. «And when…»
«In seven months,» Vadim replied, reaching for a broom. He still ignored the services of a maid, although Anna had offered repeatedly.
«Lord,» exclaimed the mother, «we need to prepare urgently! Maternity hospital, stroller, crib…»
«I’ll take care of everything myself,» Vadim declared firmly.
«On your earnings?» Elena Petrovna scoffed disdainfully. «Son, don’t be silly. Anna has all the resources…»
Vadim gripped the broom handle so tightly that his knuckles whitened.
«You know what bothers me the most?» he pondered aloud in bed that evening. «Everyone around thinks I should just relax and let you make decisions.»
Anna gently ran her hand over her barely noticeable belly:
«And what would you like?»
«I aspire to…» he faltered. «I want to be a father, not just an accessory to a wealthy wife. To choose the stroller for our child myself. Even if it’s less functional, at least…»
«At least paid for with your own money?» Anna finished softly.
«Exactly!» he sat up in bed. «You see, I’m not against your wealth. Honestly. But I want our child to know—his dad is also worth something.»
Anna stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. Then she suddenly asked:
«What if we try another approach?»
«Which one?»
«Remember my project? When I pretended to be a simple librarian? Now let’s do research together.»
Vadim raised his eyebrows in surprise:
«What kind?»
«I propose we live on your income for nine months. Everything necessary for the child we’ll buy exclusively with the money you earn. My funds will remain a reserve fund.»
«Are you serious?» Vadim looked at her incredulously. «And what about…»
«The maternity hospital? Governess? Prestigious child center?» Anna smiled. «Mom gave birth to me in an ordinary medical institution. And nothing, turned out quite decent.»
The news of the «pregnancy research,» as Kate dubbed it, caused a stir.
«You’ve lost your mind!» Anna’s father protested over the phone. «In your condition…»
«In my condition, many women in Russia live on their husbands’ incomes, dad.»
«But you’re not an ordinary woman! You’re my daughter!»
«That’s exactly why I want to do this,» Anna declared firmly. «So our child knows: his parents can handle any difficulties, even without millions.»
Marina, Vadim’s sister, reacted differently:
«Can I also participate in the research?» she asked, blushing. «Kolya and I… Well, we’re also going to be parents soon.»
So their «project» unexpectedly gained new participants. Marina and Kolya also decided to refuse family financial support. Elena Petrovna was beside herself:
«Have you both gone mad?! Two pregnant women and both pretending to be I don’t know who!»
But gradually, amazing changes began to happen. Vadim and Kolya, young programmers, created an app for new parents—with recommendations on where to find inexpensive children’s goods, how to save on purchases, what documents are needed to receive various benefits. Orders flowed like a river.
Anna watched her husband with quiet pride. He seemed to blossom, realizing that he could provide for his family on his own, without anyone’s help.
«You know what’s funny?» she told Kate one day. «Everyone thinks I’m doing this for Vadim. It seems I’m doing it for myself.»
«What do you mean?»
«All my life, I’ve been ‘the daughter of wealthy parents.’ Then I turned into ‘the poor librarian.’ Now I’m back to being ‘the wealthy heiress.’ But I just want to be… a regular expectant mother, who goes to the consultation and patiently waits her turn for an ultrasound.»
Kate shook her head:
«You’re incorrigible. Always starting some research.»
«But this time it’s honest,» Anna smiled, stroking her noticeably rounded belly. «And you know what? I think this research has pleased all its participants.»
In the pocket of her simple dress, she kept another printout from the women’s consultation. And among the blurred spots and numbers, a little secret was hidden, which she hadn’t even told Vadim yet.
On the ultrasound, two tiny silhouettes were clearly visible.
«Twins?» Vadim collapsed on the floor in the maternity hospital corridor, leaning against the wall. «So… two?»
«It happens,» smiled the midwife, handing him a glass of water. «Not the first such reaction.»
Anna watched her husband from a wheelchair. Contractions started suddenly, earlier than expected. She was just filling out a form for their «research» app when she realized—it was time.
«Honey,» she called him. «You wanted to be a full-fledged father? Here’s your chance to double down.»
Vadim looked up at her, stunned:
«You knew?»
«Three months already.»
«And you kept silent?»
«I wanted to make it a birthday present, but our little girls decided otherwise.»
Elena Petrovna rushed over in half an hour, loaded with bags.
«I told you!» she lamented, pulling out various jars and boxes. «You should have prepared in advance! And you with your research…»
«Mom,» Vadim interrupted, «we’re all set.»
He pulled out his phone and opened a spreadsheet. It detailed all the expenses for the past months: a stroller (used, but perfect), a crib, diapers, clothes…
«All this was covered just by your salary?» the mother asked incredulously.
«And not just by the salary,» Vadim smiled. «Our app for parents is already generating a good income. Kolya and I even rented an office.»
Anna closed her eyes, enduring a new wave of pain. She remembered how Vadim came home disheveled and happy a month ago.
«Imagine,» he said, «an investor showed interest in us! Ready to buy a controlling stake for…»
He named a sum that could stun anyone. Anna just smiled—she was used to such figures from childhood.
«And what did you say?»
«Told him we’d think about it. But you know… I think Kolya and I can handle it on our own.»
The childbirth turned out to be difficult. Anna thrashed in delirium, the twins were positioned incorrectly, doctors mentioned something about an emergency…
She woke up already in the ward. Through half-closed eyelids, she saw Vadim—he was sitting between two cribs, whispering something.
«…and then your mom set up the most elaborate project in the world. Pretended to be poor, can you believe that? And I fell for it,» he smiled. «Though you know what? I’d fall for it again. Because thanks to that project, I realized the most important thing…»
«And what’s that?» Anna whispered.
Vadim turned around:
«Ah, you’re awake?» he approached the bed. «How are you feeling?»
«Fine. So, what did you realize?»
«That true wealth isn’t capital,» he caressed her cheek. «It’s the opportunity to be yourself. You gave me that opportunity twice. First when you pretended to be poor, and then when you agreed to live on my salary.»
«Technically, it was my idea,» Anna smiled.
«Technically, I still love you.»
Some time later, noise erupted in the corridor—a support group arrived, led by Marina, with a huge belly, leaning on Kolya. Elena Petrovna with yet another set of bags. Kate with a laptop—»just in case there’s urgent work.» Even Anna’s father showed up, although he continued to grumble about «these strange research projects.»
«Wow,» Marina gasped, peering into the cribs. «They’re so tiny!»
«But there are two of them,» joked Kolya.
«What will you name them?» Elena Petrovna inquired.
Anna exchanged a look with her husband:
«We’re thinking… Faith and Hope.»
«Why not Love?» Kate was surprised.
«Because we already have love,» Vadim replied. «And faith in ourselves and hope for the best—that’s what all these research projects have taught us.»
A month later, they returned home.
Anna sat in a chair, feeding one of the daughters, when the phone rang. It was a representative of a major investment firm.
«Mrs. Zakharova? We’re interested in your husband’s app. We’d like to discuss the possibility…»
«Sorry,» Anna interrupted, smiling, «but for all financing questions, please contact the project’s creator. I’m not involved. I’m just… a happy wife and mother.»
She hung up and looked at her daughter. The little girl was already asleep, snuffling in her sleep. From the office came Vadim’s voice—he was discussing an app update with Kolya.
«Project completed,» Anna thought. «Conclusions? Love isn’t measured by money. Happiness doesn’t depend on the size of a bank account. And true wealth is the opportunity to be yourself and allow others to be themselves.»
The main values were here—in the nursery crib, in the voice of her husband from the next room, in the simple wedding ring on her finger.
And no more projects were needed to prove that.
