Chapter 1

Ivan Timofeyevich Romanov — a mid-level businessman. Not an oligarch, but a fairly wealthy man. By the age of 40 he had the typical set of a successful man: a four-room apartment in downtown Moscow, a new Mercedes E-Class, a dacha on Novaya Riga, and two resort trips a year, in summer and during the New Year holidays. His wife Elena Petrovna was one year younger than him. She was a well-known and successful interior designer. They had two daughters, Dasha and Natasha, aged 14 and 11. The parents raised them strictly from childhood and tried not to spoil them. For example, the girls went to a state school rather than a private one; instead of the latest iPhones they had mid-range Androids, and their rooms were furnished with good-quality but not very expensive furniture and electronics. Though their clothes were renewed every year, they were bought in ordinary stores, not boutiques. At the same time, Ivan and Lena never used corporal punishment on their daughters. There was no need for it anyway, since the girls had no problems with their studies or behavior. But even if they had, the parents would hardly have spanked them, because they adored their daughters and would never have hurt them.

The girls did not resent their parents for limiting luxuries, since Ivan and Lena did not chase brands themselves either. The furniture and electronics throughout the house were mid-range, and the parents’ home clothes also came from ordinary stores. The couple bought status items only when it was needed for work.