𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭

𝐟 𝐢 𝐯 𝐞

"Do you know how long it takes to get here from the police station?" I sighed.

I was hungry, tired and lowkey scared of finding out the truth of what had actually happened.

"I apologise. Didn't have time to consider the convenience of your travels when you were about to get caught for murder. Anyways, come sit here and have a sandwich." He patted a spot on the bed.

I sat on the bed and took a bite of the sandwich he handed over to me. Wow! Ham, cheese, lettuce and cucumber melted into my mouth at once and it tasted like heaven.

"So, you're going to tell me about my parents?" I asked as I chewed on the sandwich.

Viktor stared at me for a few seconds and looked like he was going to say something but decided on saying another thing instead, "Yes, but it's more of the plane crash than about them. I never met them."

I nodded as I took another bite, at least I had food to comfort me if the truth was unbearable.

Viktor started talking, "Both your parents died in a plane crash explosion, as I told you last night."

He paused again to make sure I was still 'emotionally stable' to hear the rest of the story and continued, "It exploded when it was travelling back to Russia from Thailand. There were seven people on the plane―the pilot, co-pilot, two air stewardesses, your mother, your father and you. It was on 20 April 2002."

Wait a second. But he said he never met them. Then how did he know so much information about the day my parents died? Why was he so invested in my parents' death if he didn't know them personally?

"How do you know all this?" I questioned.

Viktor took in a deep breath before saying, "My brother was the pilot."

My mouth agape with astonishment.

Now that made sense. That was why finding out about what had happened was so important to him. It was to have the closure of his brother's death. And me being alive hopefully was one step closer to figuring out what had happened.

Viktor didn't talk for a few seconds to let me process the information.

"I've gone through every scenario in my mind, but it just doesn't fit. Your parents were wealthy and might have made some enemies along the way, so they must have checked thoroughly to make sure the plane was in working condition before boarding it."

Rich? To the extent of having a private jet? Kind of irony now that their daughter has lived in the streets for the past four years.

"Over the last seventeen years, I've checked on every possible enemy that your parents had. None of them checked out, a dead end. But you being alive changes everything. It completely crosses out every theory I've ever come up with."

I frowned. "What do you mean by enemies?"

"Oh, right, forgot to mention they own the Gloria hotel. It's established in four countries- three in Russia, one in Canada, two in Thailand and one in Spain. So naturally, they'll have a lot of competitors." He explained.

I nodded in understanding. "Oh...I see, who runs the hotel now?"

"By your birthright, it should be you. But since you were presumed dead for the past seventeen years, your parents' close friend, Anton now runs it. Unfortunately, it has not been doing well. Three of the hotels have closed down since the crash," Viktor explained.

It's crazy to think that just last night, I was worried that Zari and I might not make it through winter with only seventy-four Russian rubles to survive for the next week when I technically own four hotels.