Victor Kolesnikov slowed his SUV at the intersection. Through the window of the expensive foreign car, the world outside seemed somehow different, as if shielded by an invisible barrier from everyday problems. The businessman tiredly wiped his eyes with his palm. The day had been exhausting—negotiations with his Japanese partners had dragged on until late in the evening.
“Damn pedants,” Victor muttered under his breath.
Rain drummed monotonously on the car roof. This autumn had proven particularly damp and cold. Outside, the wind was raging. People hurried to find shelter from the storm, eager to get home.
But Victor wasn’t in any hurry. No one was waiting for him in his spacious penthouse. Success came at a price: loneliness had become the constant companion of the businessman. Partners, colleagues, fleeting romances—all were tied to money. Genuine feelings had long ceased to exist in Victor’s life.
The traffic light turned green. The car gently pulled away. Amid the passing displays of elite shop windows, Victor’s gaze was caught by a bench near a shopping center. There, huddled together under a canopy, sat a woman with two children. The downpour prevented them from moving further.
The children clung to their mother. The woman held the phone to her ear, her face etched with despair. Unexpectedly to himself, Victor stopped his car. He stepped out into the torrential rain and hesitated, unable to take the next step.
“May I help you with something?” Victor cautiously asked as he approached the bench.
The woman lifted a tired glance at him. Her facial features blurred under the streams of water, yet distrust shone in her eyes. The businessman felt uneasy. He was used to business negotiations, not situations like this.
“We have nowhere to go,” the stranger replied quietly. “I’m trying to get through to a friend. Maybe she can take us in for the night.”
“My name is Victor,” he introduced himself. “Tell me what happened.”
She flinched, looking at him strangely.
“I’m Anna,” the woman replied, stumbling over her words. “My husband died six months ago. He left behind enormous debts and two children.”
The children watched Victor cautiously. A boy of about ten was hugging his little sister, who barely reached his shoulder. Judging by her size, she must be no older than five.
“Do you have any relatives?” Victor inquired.
“They refused to help,” Anna said bitterly with a wry smile. “They say it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have married such a man.”
Victor took out his mobile phone and dialed his assistant’s number. After a brief conversation, another black SUV arrived at the shopping center.
“Allow me to introduce Igor, my assistant,” Victor said. “He will take you to a hotel. Get some rest, and tomorrow we’ll decide what to do next.”
Anna looked at the businessman with suspicion. Her eyes silently asked a question. She clearly wasn’t ready for such generosity from a stranger and feared there might be a catch.
“Why are you helping us?” she asked.
“Because I can,” Victor replied simply. “No strings attached. Just help. Come on, the children are freezing.”
Igor helped the family into the car. Victor returned to his “Mercedes.” A strange feeling lingered within him. Something about this woman seemed familiar, but he decided it was merely his imagination.
The next morning, Victor asked Igor to gather information about the family. The assistant brought disheartening news: Anna’s husband had indeed left behind multi-million debts. Loans, mortgages, personal borrowings—the collectors had driven them to eviction.
Victor decided to offer Anna a job at one of his companies. They needed an administrator—a calm yet well-paid position. A suitable option for a mother with children. He set up a meeting at his office.
Anna arrived exactly on time. She looked considerably better than during their first meeting. Neat clothes, a tidy hairstyle. But her eyes betrayed fatigue and anxiety.
When Victor motioned for her to sit, he froze. In the bright light of the office lamps, Anna’s face seemed painfully familiar. His heart skipped a beat. It was her—his first love, the only woman he had ever truly loved.
Anna recognized Victor too. Surprise flashed in her eyes, followed by pain and something else he couldn’t understand. She tensed, clenching her fists.
“Victor,” she said softly. “What an irony of fate.”
Memories surged like a flood. Twenty years ago, they had been students. Poor but happy. Standing on the threshold of adult life. Victor—a driven guy from a working-class family. Anna—a beauty, the daughter of a professor.
They had made plans for the future. Dreamed of a wedding. Victor had sworn eternal love. Then the opportunity arose to move to the capital—a chance to start over, build a career.
He had promised to take Anna with him once he was established. First, he needed to earn money. Then new goals emerged, new heights to conquer. And the old promises dissolved into thin air. He simply stopped returning calls and letters.
“So you did achieve your goals,” Anna remarked indifferently. “You became a big shot.”
“Anna, I…” Victor faltered.
“Thank you for your help,” the woman interrupted. “You mentioned work?”
Victor looked at her with pain and remorse. The years had not been kind to Anna. Early wrinkles, strands of gray in her hair. But her eyes remained the same—deep and expressive.
“Yes, work,” he managed to say, regaining his composure. “An administrative position. A convenient schedule. A salary twice the city’s average…”
Anna listened intently, nodding at the right moments. But Victor saw that her thoughts were far away—in a past that he had destroyed with his own hands.
“I agree,” she said. “When can I start?”
“Tomorrow, at the earliest,” Victor replied. “Anna, we need to talk. About the past.”
“Why?” the woman replied with a cold smile. “We both made our choices. You chose a career. I chose family. We each got what we wanted.”
“You’re still angry,” Victor stated, not as a question but as a fact.
“No, Victor,” Anna shook her head. “I’ve long since stopped being angry. I just don’t want to dredge up the past.”
Victor swallowed hard as a lump formed in his throat. His fingers nervously drummed on the desk. The businessman was used to getting everything he wanted. But now the situation was different.
“All right,” he finally said. “Let’s focus on work. You have experience as an administrator, don’t you?”
“Three years at a medical center,” Anna straightened up. “Then the children came. It became too difficult to juggle.”
Victor nodded and handed her a folder of documents. Inside was an employment contract. The schedule was indeed convenient, and the salary was twice the city average.
“You can start tomorrow,” he said.
“Thank you,” Anna replied as she stood. “See you tomorrow.”
After the door closed behind her, Victor sat motionless for a long time. Thoughts whirled in his mind. Fate had given him a chance to make things right. But he didn’t know where to start.
The following weeks turned into a strange game. Every day, Victor found a new reason to visit Anna. Sometimes to check on the new employee’s work, sometimes to clarify details, sometimes to discuss formalities.
Here’s a more unique version of the text:
Anna conducted herself with reserve and propriety. She answered questions briefly, not allowing the conversation to stray into personal matters. Between them, it was as if an invisible wall made of past grievances stood.
“How are your children doing?” Victor asked one evening as he rearranged some documents.
“Thank you, they’re all fine,” Anna continued with her task.
“What are their names?” Victor persisted.
“My son’s name is Mikhail,” she sighed, “and my daughter, Alisa. Misha is already in school, and Alisa goes to kindergarten.”
“Is the school located near your new apartment?” Victor asked, perching at the edge of the desk.
“Not exactly nearby…” Anna hesitated. “We rented an apartment closer to your office. Thanks to the advance payment.”
Only then did Victor realize how little he knew about Anna’s life after their separation. All these years she had existed in her own reality, parallel to his. And now their worlds had crossed paths once again.
“Tell me, what happened next?” Victor ventured. “After…?”
The woman looked up from the documents. Her gaze was filled with weariness and sorrow. For a moment, it seemed she would withdraw again, hiding behind a mask of courtesy.
“Why do you need to know?” she asked quietly.
“Because I want to understand,” Victor admitted honestly.
Anna slowly sank onto the chair, folding her hands on her lap. She was preparing for a serious conversation.
“I waited for you… a month, two, six months,” she began. “You stopped answering calls, you wrote less and less…”
Victor lowered his head, filled with shame. He had indeed betrayed her hopes. New opportunities and career growth had clouded his mind.
“Then I met Andrey,” Anna continued. “He was a kind man. A bit naive and dreamy. Not as decisive as you.”
Victor frowned at the thought of jealousy. Even after all these years, the idea of another man beside Anna stirred unpleasant emotions.
“We got married,” Anna’s voice was soft. “Misha was born, then Alisa. We lived modestly, but happily.”
“What happened next?” Victor asked cautiously.
“Andrey wanted to start his own business,” Anna said bitterly with a wry smile. “He took loans, mortgaged the apartment. But his heart couldn’t take it…”
A silence fell in the office. Victor looked at the woman’s slumped shoulders, her tired profile. He wanted to embrace her, to shield her from all the hardships.
“Why are you helping us?” Anna suddenly asked. “Be honest, Victor.”
The businessman paused. How could he explain? Admit that all these years he had thought of her? Regret his choices? Suffer from loneliness?
“Because I can,” he replied simply. “If there’s an opportunity to do good, one must take it.”
Anna looked at him intently. In her eyes, doubt was evident, but slowly the ice began to melt.
From that moment on, their relationship began to change. Victor no longer searched for artificial excuses to meet. Anna no longer avoided the conversation. They started to get to know each other anew.
He met Anna’s children. Misha turned out to be a serious child, bearing his mother’s character. Alisa was a bright, cheerful little girl.
Victor helped with their studies. He drove the children to amusement parks. He enrolled Misha in a prestigious school. He paid for a private kindergarten for Alisa.
At first, Anna resisted the help. She was afraid of becoming dependent. Of growing attached. Of trusting—and being hurt again.
But time passed. Victor remained by her side. Steady and reliable. He kept his promises. Proving his sincerity through actions, not words.
“You know, Anna,” he said one evening, “I loved only you.”
They sat on the terrace of a country house. The children had long been asleep. Anna shuddered at his words.
“Don’t,” she whispered.
“It’s the truth,” Victor looked straight into her eyes. “All these years, I searched for you in other women. I compared everyone to you.”
“Victor, twenty years have passed,” Anna shook her head. “We are different people now.”
“I love you just the way you are now,” the businessman said. “And I will never leave you again.”
Anna fell silent. Tears filled her eyes. She was afraid to believe. To open up. And to be hurt once more.
“I need time,” she finally said.
“I’ll wait,” Victor took her hand. “For as long as it takes.”
Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. Gradually, Anna thawed. Victor showed patience. He didn’t rush events. He simply stayed by her side.
The children grew attached to him. Misha began calling him “uncle.” Alisa sometimes mistakenly called him “dad.” In those moments, Anna would freeze, her eyes filled with both anxiety and flickers of hope.
One day, the whole family went to the seaside. The children built sandcastles. Victor and Anna sat under an umbrella, watching the sunset.
“I’m no longer afraid,” Anna suddenly said.
“Afraid of what?” Victor asked in surprise.
“To trust you,” Anna turned toward him. “I see how you’ve changed. How you care for us. For the children.”
Victor froze, afraid to believe his good fortune. Anna slowly leaned toward him. Their lips met.
“I love you too,” she whispered.
Victor wrapped his arms tightly around her. At last, he had found what he had always lacked—a real family. People who accepted him as he was, unconditionally and without calculation. Now, Victor Kolesnikov was truly rich.
