1. Retrospect

"Bozhe!" Bozhe is ... bozhe. Gosh! It's a Russian language, by the way.

A noise from the family room woke up a 14-year-old boy who was sleeping. He opened his eyes wide, then sat hugging his knees on the bed. His blue eyes also hinted at fear.

Before the boy had time to calm himself, the noise came again with the voice of an elderly, who he believed was his grandfather.

"Chto proischodit?" It has the meaning, "What's going on?" It's also Russian language. Please don't get confused.

The boy lowered his voice. He tried to regulate the rhythm of his heart, which was beating faster and faster.

His body shook violently from the moment he heard the first noise.

"Isn't that Grandpa Vladimir's voice?! My room is so close to the family room that it often makes me suffer from hearing adults arguing!"

After exclaiming to himself, the boy got out of bed barefoot. He opened the wardrobe and looked for his coat while glancing at the clock on the wall, which never stopped ticking.

"It's 02.00 in the morning, and why isn't Grandpa asleep yet?! Then, who's quarreling with Grandpa?!"

After wearing a coat with the motif of his country's national football teamーRussia, he was shocked again. But this time, it wasn't because of the noise but because of the sound of the bedroom door being forced open by someone.

"Aaarrgghhh!"

The boy became hysteric. He directed his gaze at the adult man who opened the door and stepped back orderly.

"Hey, kid! Looks like you haven't slept yet!" The man shouted while grinning, making him scared until his face turned red.

"Hey, hurry up and put on your shoes!"

The burly man with a red dragon tattoo behind his neck shouted for the second time. But of course, the jet-black-haired teen didn't pay any attention to it.

"Alexei, didn't you find that boy?! What took you so long?!"

Another man's voice came from the doorway of the boy's bedroom. The man who had just arrived seemed reluctant to enter the bedroom. He chose to stay where he was.

'Hah?! Who else could he be?! And why are they looking for me?!' asked the boy in his heart.

With dim lighting, the manーAlexei, immediately stepped toward the corner of the bedroom where the boy was.

"Don't worry, Egory! I'm going after the boy, who is causing trouble to many people in the Romanov mansion right now."

Alexei's deep voice was heard and stored well in the boy's brain. He looked at Alexei questioningly.

'What will ... theyーAlexei and Egory, do to me? Will they take me? If so, where would they take me this late at night?'

The boy asked for the second time in his heart. Full of suspicion.

"Hey, Kid!"

Alexei shouted for the poor boy. And without realizing it, the man was in front of him. Alexei looked straight at the boy, then grabbed both shoulders.

"From now on, your name is Viktor Gusev. Remember that well! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

Alexei shook the shoulders of the boy, known as Viktor Gusev, then pulled his hand.

Bam!

Instead of taking him away from the bedroom, Alexei pushed Viktor until he fell on the floor.

A cynical smile spread across Alexei's lips.

"Arrgghh!"

Viktor was hysterical in pain. His eyes shed tears. Deep down in his heart, he wanted to forfeit from the current situation.

"What are you doing, Alexei?!"

Egory walked over to his friend, then knelt to check Viktor's condition, who was grimacing in pain.

"Do you remember what Mr. Lenin ordered usーAlexei and Egory?! Immediately take little Viktor away from this mansion without hurting him!"

'Little Viktor? Yes, this boy is the only son of Mr. Viktor Borya Romanov and Mrs. Yekaterina Lubov Romanova, who died at the hands of Mr. Lenin Vujovic Romanov 60 minutes ago. As news circulated widely among wealthy families, that Mr. Lenin was the half-brother of Mr. Viktor Borya Romanov.'

After playing with his mind, Egory stared at Viktor's pitiful face. He reached out to help Viktor.

"Stand up and put on your shoes! We're gonna get out of here soon."

Viktor opened his eyes wide at the person he was talking to.

"Nーno! IーI don't want to!"

Viktor didn't welcome Egory's helping hand. He hurried to his feet and distanced himself from the two adults while shouting against Egory's orders.

"IーI won't leave this mansion! And I won't change my name ever! I'll stay here with my parents and grandpa!"

Viktor tried to get himself together, even though it was difficult for a child his age.

"Hey, Kid! Who do you think you are?! You should know that both your parents are dead!"

Alexei shouted at Viktor until his face turned red. He gritted his teeth, trying to hold back the emotions for a long time.

“IーI … IーI didn't ….”

It felt like an arrow pierced through his heart. Viktor couldn't finish his sentence after hearing the sad news Alexei had just revealed.

"Let go! I beg you, let me go! You must be lying! I'll never believe what you say!"

***

"Viktor, wake up!"

A woman patted the cheek of the man sleeping next to her with both hands.

"Ah!"

Viktor opened his eyes. He sat up straight and then looked around. He couldn't find Alexei or Egory.

"Car?!"

Viktor glanced at the beautiful and elegant woman who was smiling at him. He just realized that he was now in a domestically-made luxury car.

"Yes. Don't you remember? We were about to enjoy the summer festival, Viktor. And, now we're here. Look!"

Viktor looked around again after his wife tried to remind him where he was.

'Damn it! It turned out to be the same nightmare!' Viktor cursed in his heart. 'By the god's sake, who the hell are Alexei and Egory? I don't know 'em at all,' he thought again.

Instead of looking at the scenery around him, Viktor recalled pieces of his memories that were always present in every dream he had.

"ZoーZoya, IーI ...."

Slap!

Someone threw an automotive magazine at Viktor, shocked him, and forced him to stop his sentence.

"Aaaarrggh!"

Viktor turned to the front of the car where his father-in-law was.

"If you're awake, you better get out of the car quickly!"

Galina demanded, curtly as she looked at Viktor, who was still shocked by her husband's actions earlier.

"Mom, there's no need to be rude to my husband!"

Xandrova tried to defend Viktor, then grabbed her husband's hand and held it tightly. Occasionally, Xandrova turned to her biological mother, who was sitting to her left.

"Xandrova Zoya Konstantina!"

Galana shouted the full name of her only daughter and the only granddaughter of the wealthy Konstantin family in St Petersburg, Russia.

"If you hadn't experienced the tragic incident a few months ago, maybe your dad and I wouldn't have had a useless son-in-law like Viktor! Isn't that right, Davidoff?!"

Galana turned to her husband, who was nodding. After mocking her son-in-law, the 45-year-old woman immediately opened the car door.

Bang!

"You two, get out of the car quickly!"

Before setting foot on the paved road, Galana turned to Viktor and Xandrova and shook her head.

"Viktor, take all the suitcases to the room that Konstantin's family has rented!"