5- Milana

Milana

Fuck! I’m late. Very late and it’s all thanks to Maksim and my stupid car. Maksim insisted that I made him breakfast and when I tried explaining to him that I had to leave early, he slapped me.

Funny how he’s the one who puts me up to a task and he’s still the one delaying me. I’m supposed to be at the location by 8 and it’s already 8:30. The slap from Maksim this morning gave me enough reason to want to leave him.

I step out of my car breathlessly as I stand in front of the restaurant where Viktor is going to interview me. I’m cooked. I know it. The first thing I see are two SUVs parked in front of the building and I know that the cars are his.

I quickly run toward the building and I don’t even bother to knock before barging into the restaurant. The place is eerily quiet and there is no one around. No customers I mean, because I can see gruff-looking men standing and then my eyes land on him. He looks displeased and angry.

“You’re late.” He says coldly and I begin to pick my nails nervously while biting my lower lips. “This alone should give me enough reason to fire you.” it feels like my heart leaps out of my chest at that moment. Maksim will kill me if I don’t come back home with good news.

I slowly shake my head as fear radiates through me, I can’t let that happen. “Sir, I’m so sorry. I accept this is my fault. But it was not intentional. My car—“

“Keep quiet and sit down.” He shuts me up so coldly that I feel the chills from his voice. Gulping loudly, I walk over slowly to the chair in front of him and I carefully sit.

Viktor is handsome. Perfectly styled brown hair and grey eyes that seem to look right through me, the perfectly trimmed hair on his chin gives him a more subtle and mature look.

“What’s your name?” He asks, his eyes fixed on an iPad that he is swiping through.

I clear my throat as I straighten myself up, “Milana.” I reply and he suddenly lifts his eyes from his iPad to look at me, displeasure written in his taunting grey eyes.

“Your full name? Don’t you have a surname?! And is this how to answer a question? You’re giving me enough reasons not to give you this job, Milana.” he snaps at me and I quickly clear my throat, correcting myself.

“My name is Milana Morozova.”

“Age?”

“I’m 25 years old.” I got married to Maksim when I was 23. Initially, my mom borrowed money from him when I was twenty to pay my bills at college. She couldn’t pay up, so he kept adding interest to it. Interests that were so absurd. When we couldn’t pay, he threatened to lock mom up and the only way out was to marry him.

I had to agree. Maksim was quite good-looking and young. He is 28. I had hope for our relationship, but I was wrong as he turned me into a punching bag on the first day of our marriage.

“Educational level?”

“I graduated from finance with a Bachelor's Degree,” I reply softly.

“Then why do you want to work as a nanny? Why are you not working in a bank or other finance company?” Because Maksim asked me to quit. He said it would take my time and I would be hardly available at home to do the work, so I quit and was subjected to hard labour jobs instead.

I don’t tell Viktor that though, “It’s hard finding a job these days.” I utter, my voice soft and solemn.

“What’s your relationship status? Married? Single or dating?”

“Married,” I reply and Viktor’s eyes land on me. A look that I can’t quite fathom ghosts his face, and he’s quick to look away from me.

“Any children?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“My husband and I want to raise enough money first. So we can live comfortably. “ I lie through my teeth and he only nods his head.

“If you are going to be my daughter's nanny. I expect good behaviour. You should look neat all the time, not tacky. You will take very good care of Annika and make sure that all her needs are taken care of. Annika already likes you a lot and I seriously don’t know why.” He lets out a pained groan, as if the news of his daughter's interest in me is a bitter pill to swallow.

“Your attention should be on her all the time. If your marriage is going to distract you, quit.” I swallow, slowly shaking my head. From the way he’s talking, I think he’s going to give me the job.

“You are going to move into my house and only need to stay during the weekdays. You will leave on weekends and return on Monday. I hope your husband agrees with this.”

“You are to wake Annika up, make her breakfast, prepare and take her to school and you will bring her back home. You are not only her nanny but her teacher. You are educated, so I expect you to be smart. Put her through in her assignments and whatever else that needs to be done.” That should be easy.

“Do you know English?” I nod. I’m fluent in English.

“Good. You will give her English lessons.”

“Okay, sir.” I nod my head. I think he’s going to employ me.

“Your pay will be 150,000 RUB per month.” I feel my heart burst with excitement. I owe Maksim 600,000 RUB and I earn 40,000 RUB in my old job. I will be able to pay him his money if I can gather enough for four months. But he already put me up to something else, which is spying on Viktor.

“Thank you so much, sir.”

“You are to start work immediately. You’ve been employed as Annika’s nanny. Milana.”