The Russian Billionaire

I also notice the menus have no prices. I suppose I should have expected that, with it being a private club and everything. I stare at him, mesmerized by the fantasy of being able to afford absolutely anything you want in life.

I lean forward. “Not knowing the prices of what I’m ordering is killing me.”

He lifts a finger to summon a waiter. The speed with which the man arrives at his side is impressive. “Can I have a menu with prices for the lady, please?”

The waiter’s eyes almost drop out of his head. “Of course,” he mumbles, and scampers away. When he returns with a menu for me, his eyes are carefully blank.

I open the menu and learn that the price is fixed. It is £490.00 per head, which whoa, translates to $671.00. That’s our family food bill for two freaking weeks. I look up at Konstantin and find him watching me, a speculative expression in his eyes, and I realize paying this kind of money for a meal is nothing to him.

At that moment, I decide to stop obsessing about how much everything costs, and simply be grateful for this unexpectedly marvelous gift from the universe. Anyway, it’s only for a weekend and then it will all be over, but there will be no regrets, no hankering for more. I will happily go back to my usual life where every cent is carefully counted and hoarded away so Madison can have her operation.

Konstantin leans back in his armchair. “You said you were saving up for something important. If you don’t mind sharing, what is it?”

I take a deep breath. It is now or never. This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. “I’m saving up for my sister, Madison’s operation.”

He stares at me stoically. “What’s wrong with her?”

“She suffered several bouts of cancer, and now she needs to have a bone marrow transplant. The good news is I am a match and can make the donation which means the cost will be almost half. Mom and I have already saved $92,000 and we are working towards another $118,000 more.”

His eyes narrow. “Doesn’t a procedure like that cost a lot more than $200,000?”

“Yes, if it’s done in the States. I’ve found a reputable hospital in Brazil that will do it for that price. The real escalation in cost comes from the long stay, like two to three months, in hospital for her. That’s what makes it impossible for us to get it done in America. The plan is for the three of us to fly out to Brazil. I’ll make the donation. There will be side effects, nothing long lasting, but things like nausea, back and hip pain, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, muscle pain. It means I’ll need a few days to recover. Once I’m back to normal I’ll leave Mom to stay on and take care of Madison while I fly back and keep earning money to make sure all the bills are paid and—”

I stop abruptly because he is beaming at me. His face is filled with pure joy. It is as if I have told a homeless man that he has won the lottery and is now a multimillionaire.

Konstantin

I know I’m grinning like a fool, and this is not at all the reaction anyone would expect when they are telling you about their seriously ill sister, but I can’t help it. Something inside my chest is soaring. She’s not a honey pot! This is the reason why I kept getting weird vibes off her. That’s why she was still a virgin at her age. And that’s why alarm bells were going off in my head the whole time. But all she wants is to ask me for my help. Obviously, I’ll check out if her sick sister’s story is legit, but my intuition is good and I’m pretty sure just by looking at how cut up she is that her story is heartfelt.

I wipe the grin from my face. “I’ll pay for your sister’s procedure.”

Her eyes widen with shock. “What?”

“I’ll pay for it. Isn’t that what you wanted to ask from me?”

She recoils as if in horror. “No. Of course not. I honestly thought about asking you for a loan, which I will pay back in full as soon as possible, but I was never just going to ask you to pay for my sister’s medical bills.”

I shrug. “I am happy to pay for it on one condition.”

“What?” she whispers.

“The procedure must be performed by the best doctors in the best hospital in America.”

Her jaw drops. She snaps it shut, then opens it to say something, but nothing comes out, so she shuts it again. Suddenly, her eyes fill with tears, and she slaps her mouth with her hand. Tears start pouring down her face.

She jumps to her feet and looks around her wildly. “I’m sorry,” she mutters. “Please excuse me.” Then she turns and runs the way we came. I see her talk to a waiter who points her in the direction of the toilets.