I stare at him. “What sins?”
“The KGB files show that your father and mother had passed intelligence to the CIA. They were actually in the process of defecting to the US. The KGB could never allow that to happen.”
“So they stuck my brother and I in that hellhole just because they wanted to punish my father and mother?”
“I’m afraid so. You were both the innocent victims of the State’s revenge.’’
“Their bodies, what happened to them?”
“There is no way to locate their bodies. Traitors were often buried without any ceremony.”
“Now you have had your favor.’’ Viktor stands. “I must have mine.”
Any hope I had of finding my parents’ grave died in Victor’s cavernous library. I feel numb. There is no feeling in my heart. The next day I throw myself into the task of finding out where Viktor’s money is disappearing to. I start my investigation with Viktor’s business partners, in particular those who have been the longest with Viktor.
I find the culprit quickly, but I have to prove it, as he has been connected with Viktor’s family for twenty years, and Viktor’s not going to want to believe it.
I spend hours and hours collecting all the evidence I need, record upon record going back years, before I go to see Viktor. By the time Viktor’s rage subsides, we both know there is no doubt about his guilt. I get the authorization to pay the disloyal snake a visit.
When we sit down it’s obvious from his nervousness and body language that he knows the game is up. I calmly lay the evidence on the table before his eyes and wait for his response.
“What will Viktor do?” he asks.
“That depends on you being smart.”
Beads of sweat appear on his brow as he calculates. I let him sweat a little longer before I make him our offer. Fortunately, he chooses wisely.
A speedy and early retirement.
I have him sign all the paperwork I prepared so we can seize control of all the assets he bought with funds he embezzled from Viktor.
It’s only later that I find the hidden gem.
The embezzler had acquired a huge stock of privately held shares in multiple state controlled aluminum mines in Siberia, Krasnoyarsk and Bratsk. I see the opportunity instantly.
True luck is all about timing.
My timing was impeccable. Large private players with billions of funds at their disposal were seeking to monopolize the aluminum industry, buying all that they could get their hands on. We sold the embezzler’s stock for more than seven billion dollars.
My percentage meant I was suddenly a billionaire.
The celebration was to be short lived for Viktor. Things were changing fast in Russia. Viktor flew in his private jet to Switzerland to count his money. It was to be his last day of freedom. Interpol and Swiss Federal police storm his plane on the runway, seizing five million dollars in undeclared funds.
They charge him with racketeering, securities fraud, money laundering and tax evasion, stretching back some twenty years. We try to play hardball with all our contacts, but they are powerless to help him. Viktor is sent to jail for twenty years.
It is a pivotal moment for me.
For the first time, I take stock of my life. Effectively, I am the boss by default. Even Viktor wanted me to continue to run his empire, but I know the Russian authorities are clamping down on primitive organized crime, and you don’t need a crystal ball to tell my future. Either a rival’s bullet, a bomb in my car, or a lengthy jail sentence awaited me.
None of these options appeal so it is time to say goodbye to Russia.
I have more money than I ever imagined, and I know I have the ability to make much more. I just need a new home.
I decide on England. That would be the next chapter of my life.