Konstantin sat stunned, unable to grasp how he’d gotten himself into such a mess that now he couldn’t tell his head from his tail. Although, to be honest, he’d brought it on himself. He knew Rimma was married, but hadn’t given it much thought — he didn’t care. More than that, it was convenient: fewer demands, fewer obligations. But now everything had turned into a nightmare.
He had never been especially faithful or deeply attached to his wife Sveta. Not that she annoyed him — on the contrary, she suited him in every way. Simple, trusting, compliant. That’s exactly why he chose her. Convenient.
He had noticed Sveta back in college. A quiet girl, modest, a straight-A student. He was a couple of years older. Looking at her then, Kostya thought: here she is — the perfect wife for a man building a career. He liked that she accepted any of his decisions without questions.
She hadn’t had anyone before him. It took just a few days to make this provincial, inexperienced girl fall in love with him. And when he saw how she blossomed next to him, grew prettier, believed in herself — he decided: this was the right start.
Sveta turned out to be not just a support, but a real salvation. When things went badly (which happened quite often — Konstantin studied more formally than seriously), he’d come home and complain. Saying he was tired, everything was blurry, too much pressure.
And Sveta would immediately send him to rest. «Lie down, sleep, I’ll take care of everything.» And she really found solutions. She checked documents, looked for mistakes, listened to partners. Did everything for him. And never complained.
Kostya wasn’t stingy. He didn’t limit her financially — and she didn’t need much. As long as she was by his side, looked good, upheld the image. Sometimes he even insisted:
“Sveta, we’re at important meetings. You need to keep up appearances. Dress fashionably, keep your hair neat. I’m a businessman, I have a reputation!”
And she listened. Adjusted herself. That pleased him. Especially nice was that all eyes were on her, and she belonged only to him. Only to him alone.
And there were no problems in their personal life. Sveta didn’t interfere. She busied herself with her duties, trusted him unconditionally. Business trip? Of course. Working late? Of course! She never once suspected anything wrong.
But with Rimma, everything was different. They met at a party where everyone was single. No husbands or wives around. They noticed each other immediately. Exchanged a couple of glances — and left together.
Rimma was fire. A true lioness. After quiet and predictable Sveta, this was a real explosion for Konstantin. Later he found out she was married. She, in turn, knew he was married too. But that didn’t stop them.
And recently he learned who she was married to.
That’s when it hit him. A real shock to the mind. Rimma’s husband was Timur Galimov. A well-known businessman. But even more known as a former influential figure. The kind of man who could, without hesitation, “arrange” your fate right into concrete slabs.
Konstantin didn’t understand why Timur hadn’t reacted yet. After all, he must know about their affair. Konstantin arrived to meet Rimma in a depressed state, like a beaten dog.
“We have to end this,” he said, staring at the floor.
“Why?” Rimma asked, slightly mocking. “Stopped wanting it?”
“That’s not it!” he shook his head. “I don’t want to be found buried in the forest!”
Rimma smirked. Poured herself some wine, as if amused.
“So, you found out who my husband is?” she drew out.
Kostya was silent. Everything inside him trembled.
“You didn’t tell me before! That’s not fair!”
She sat down on the couch like a queen on her throne.
“And you, it turns out, are a coward,” she said with a cold smile.
Pause. Another dose of poison:
“If I didn’t like you… I would have long ago called my husband and told him you were bothering me. Understand?”
Konstantin trembled like a leaf.
“Don’t be afraid. He forgot about me long ago. Just like I forgot about him. We married by contract, for family reasons. Stupid, of course. Come to me.”
What could he say? What could he do? Nothing. Only obey.
Over time the fear began to fade. He got used to it, apparently.
And now they were preparing for an important deal. Profitable. Promising growth. But half an hour ago he got a call from the other party’s representative — the owner of the company they were supposed to meet tomorrow.
It was Timur Galimov. Rimma’s husband.
And that’s when Konstantin realized: he was not just stuck. He’d trapped himself. Up to his ears. Refuse negotiations? Impossible. His company was the initiator. Offer knowingly disadvantageous terms? Stupid. That would look like suicide.
He didn’t know what to do. One step — and he was a rabbit, Timur a boa constrictor slowly squeezing the noose.
In the evening, Rimma called. Kostya locked himself in the bathroom, turned on the water so no one at home could hear.
“Kostik…” came her voice on the line. “How did you get yourself into this mess?”
“You already know?” he was surprised.
“Yes. My husband told me at dinner. What will you do? Work with him?”
“Rimma!” he barely kept his nerves. “This isn’t funny. Not at all.”
“Don’t be mad, kitty,” she laughed. “Cancel the negotiations? No way. Bad idea.”
“We have to sabotage everything!” he blurted out.
“You think so?” Rimma went silent. For a moment it seemed she was thinking. “And how do you imagine failing the deal?”
A minute stretched into eternity. Then her voice became serious. Businesslike.
“Listen, Kostya, your company is jointly owned by you and your wife, right? On paper?”
“Yes.”
“Exactly!” Rimma almost rejoiced. “Send her to the negotiations! Let Sveta mess it all up! I’m sure she’ll fail for sure! And Timur will never want to deal with your company again!”
Konstantin wanted to say she was crazy, but suddenly thought. There was something to it.
“Rim…” he began uncertainly, “I don’t know if this is nonsense or not… but I’ll think about it.”
He came out of the bathroom, sat down on the couch, spread out the documents in front of him. Sveta brought coffee, as always — quietly, with care in her eyes.
“Kostya,” she asked gently, “are you okay? You seem strange today.”
Kostya looked at his wife as if seeing her for the first time. His gaze became attentive, almost assessing.
“Sveta, I really need help. Only I’m not sure if it will work…”
“Please tell me!” she immediately tensed. “If I can — I’ll do everything!”
Konstantin began explaining that their company was moving to a new level, that horizons needed expanding. That he was urgently called to another city where they were waiting for him, and he completely forgot about the upcoming negotiations.
“Sveta,” he took her hand, “you know everything, right? You’re also a co-owner on paper. Maybe… you can do it? Hold the meeting instead of me?”
Sveta’s eyes opened wide in fear.
“Kostya… What if I ruin everything? What if I can’t handle it?”
Konstantin sighed sadly, a little theatrically.
“I really hope you can do it. Honestly, Sveta. If not… we’ll have to look for other options. But I won’t be mad at you. Not at all.”
Reassured by the thought that everything was under control, Kostya went to sleep. Sveta carefully took his place, took the papers, and stayed up until three in the morning, immersed in the deal’s details.
A couple of hours of sleep — and she was already getting ready. Confident, composed. Thinking: “Everything will be fine.”
In the morning Konstantin got ready quickly, kissed his wife on the cheek, and left — not to the office, but to a rented house outside the city, where Rimma was supposed to wait for him.
Everything was going according to plan. They had calculated everything perfectly. Sveta — simple, trusting, understanding nothing about real business. No, that required cunning, tricks, maneuvering skills. She didn’t have those. The negotiations would be ruined.
And he would only have to shrug: “What can you do?” Meanwhile, Sveta would feel guilty. And become even more compliant. Even more obedient. The benefit was obvious.
Sveta arrived early to get acquainted with her husband’s office. Met the pregnant secretary Katya.
“Hello, Svetlana Grigoryevna!”
“Hi, Katyusha. Can I have some coffee?”
“Of course!” the girl nodded. “And, I suppose, you’ll be leading the negotiations?”
The secretary suddenly added decisively:
“That’s right. I don’t understand why you haven’t been involved in the company’s affairs before? You’ve missed so much interesting stuff!”
Sveta raised an eyebrow in surprise but said nothing. Now she needed to concentrate.
She spent the remaining half hour in thought, just looking out the window. What was she thinking about? About why she had studied so many years if she had then turned into a house helper? She could have done that without a diploma…
The door opened with a light creak.
“Svetlana Grigoryevna, the guests have arrived.”
“Come in,” she answered calmly.
Sveta smiled. And immediately forgot that once she had considered herself just a wife. Today she was a co-owner of the company. The very one she had studied, prepared, and worked for. And now it should show in everything.
The first to enter was a man. Very handsome, with a slight hint of southern temperament in his appearance. He raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Good afternoon. Where is Konstantin?”
“My husband went on urgent business,” Svetlana replied evenly. “I’m Svetlana, his wife and co-owner.”
“Unexpected,” he smiled. “Not what I expected at all.”
“How so?” she smiled in response.
“That you’re so… charming.”
Sveta thanked him and confidently continued:
“I’m prepared. We can start.”
Four hours of negotiations. Changes in the contract. Lawyers on both sides. When everyone signed, Timur slowly put the pen down and looked at her with respect.
“You make an impression,” he said thoughtfully. “At first, you seemed an angel — gentle, kind. But now I see: gentle, but with character. A she-wolf in a dress.”
He smiled.
“I take my hat off to you. I haven’t met such women yet — smart, strong, and beautiful. I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”
Sveta smiled warmly. She liked Timur. He exuded confidence, directness. He spoke straightforwardly, openly admiring. Not like Kostya at all.
“You gave me so many compliments, I haven’t heard that much in a year,” she admitted.
“Don’t believe it!” he laughed. “Such a woman can’t go unnoticed.”
“Svetlana,” Timur suddenly grew serious, “usually after such contracts people celebrate. We’re partners now. I’ve reserved a table at the restaurant ‘Volna’ for all participants.”
Sveta laughed sincerely:
“Oh, I completely forgot! Well, of course, why not?”
“You won’t refuse?” Timur asked, looking her in the eyes intently.
Svetlana thought for just a second. Why refuse? Just because she hadn’t gone anywhere without her husband for a long time? No. Of course not. A restaurant is a restaurant!
On the way to “Volna,” Sveta tried several times to call Kostya. He didn’t answer. Not once. Timur silently watched her, barely holding back a smirk.
He knew everything. About Kostya. About his cowardice. About Rimma. And that he, Timur, was supposed to be the victim of someone else’s intrigue. But instead got the chance to set things straight.
When he found out in the morning that Rimma’s lover would be replaced by his wife, he just chuckled: “Let her try.” He thought Sveta would mess everything up on her own. That she’d sign a contract on terms that would ruin Konstantin. Wanted to break his reputation, leave him with nothing.
But everything went differently. Not at all as he planned.
Now he didn’t want Sveta to suffer. He saw in her not a victim, but a queen. Not the wife of a scoundrel circling around his wife, but his queen. His own.
Konstantin decided to call in the evening. Rimma sat nearby, carefully hiding from the camera. She was eager to see Sveta cry at home, picking apart the remnants of her dignity.
A video call. The answer came quickly.
Svetlana appeared on screen. She was stunningly beautiful. Smiling. Clearly not in her own apartment.
“Svet, how did the negotiations go?” Kostya asked cautiously.
“Wonderful!” her voice rang with joy. “We slightly adjusted the terms, but in the end, everyone is satisfied!”
“So… you signed the contract?”
“Did you doubt it?” she laughed. “When you sent me to ‘battle’ against your lover’s husband?”
Kostya was even confused. A new voice interrupted him:
“Oh, hi!” Timur entered the frame, smiling. “And where is my beloved Rimma?”
Rimma darted aside, hiding from her husband’s gaze.
“Don’t be afraid,” Timur smirked, “we won’t touch you. Unless you decide to come back yourselves. It all depends on you.”
He hugged Sveta by the waist and continued:
“Svetlana and I decided to give you a chance. She insisted. I might not have otherwise. But now I’m giving you the house. The very one you are in now. In a couple of hours my man will bring the documents. A gift. Advice and love. You can plant potatoes there, keep chickens. Live however you want.”
His voice suddenly turned cold. His eyes — steely.
“But remember one thing: I don’t want to know anything about you anymore. Ever. Because now I forget how you insulted me. But I can remember.”
The screen went dark. Rimma covered her face with her hands and moaned:
“Why did I get involved with you?!”
“I should be asking that!” Kostya roared, jumping up. “Why did I even ignore you?! He’ll kill us? Really kill us?!”
Rimma looked at him with empty eyes and answered briefly:
“Yes.”
And Svetlana twirled in a dance. In the arms of a strong, real man. She knew: if she asked, Timur would let her go back. But she didn’t want to. Never wanted to return to where she was considered weak.
And Timur thought about something else. About how he and Sveta would take their little girl to school. How they’d choose backpacks together, help with homework. How they’d sit at the same table, celebrate birthdays, argue about the music a teenager listens to.
He already saw this life. And really wanted it to become a reality.
