As Tulli sat at the breakfast table in the kitchen, she couldn’t help but marvel at the quality of the kitchen units and all the appliances.
Her family had frequently lived in the accommodation provided by the employers her father had worked for. Mostly provided by colleges and other educational establishments, they had sometimes lived in apartments, and sometimes houses, but never anywhere where the furnishings could be described as anything more than ‘functional’.
She’d never really thought about it much before, always being happy to live somewhere clean and comfortable, but there hadn’t exactly been much in the way of luxury around her.
Funny, but it had taken just a few hours in Gregor’s beautiful home to make her see the reality of the way she’d been raised.
Yet, would she have been any happier being raised in this house, and wealthy?
Probably not.
The only benefit she could think of, was that when her mom had suffered a stroke, they could have hired a proper nurse to help take care of her, instead of Tulli having to give up any hope of a career in law.
Her thoughts drifted back to Mischa. It looked like Tulli was no closer to that career still, as instead of looking after their mother, she was going to be caring for her baby sister.
“Pancakes, Tulli?” She heard the amused voice of her host and glanced up, guessing that Gregor must have had to repeat himself, so lost had she been in her thoughts.
Gregor stood in front of her, holding a plate piled high with pancakes, a smile on his handsome face telling her that he knew she’d been daydreaming again.
“Please.” She smiled, her cheeks turning pink, watching him place two large pancakes on her plate.
“Sit down with Tulli, and stop pretending that you actually help around the kitchen.” A woman’s voice scolded Gregor, and Tulli grinned at the housekeeper, amazed that the older woman was comfortable enough around her employer as to tell him off in such a public way.
Gregor chuckled.
“Ok, I’ll sit.” He agreed affably. “Marcy’s right… I usually leave everything in the kitchen in her capable hands. I’m not exactly known for my culinary skills.”
“No?” Tulli tried to keep her face straight. “You surprise me. I thought you were one of those men who could turn their hand to anything.”
Marcy’s snort of laughter quickly turned into a fake cough.
“Sorry…” She muttered, scurrying back to the stove to grab one of the pans. “Bad chest!”
Tulli watched Gregor scowl at his housekeeper, as she plated the last of the bacon and eggs.
“I am, as Marcy will attest, a man of many talents.” Gregor glanced back at Tulli before breaking into a smile. “Sadly, few of them stretch outside of my office or boardroom.”
Tulli watched as Marcy brought the plate to the table and deposited it in the middle with some serving utensils.
She placed a hand on Gregor’s shoulder before turning away from the table.
“Don’t let him kid you, Tulli. Gregor has a great many talents.” Marcy looked down at her employer fondly. “The truth is he simply chooses not to use them outside his office or boardroom. Some of us live in anticipation of the day that he’ll meet someone who’ll convince him there’s more to life than work!”
Marcy turned and stepped towards the door, wandering out of the kitchen leaving Gregor with a look of shock on his face like she’d slapped him.
“I take it Marcy has never said anything like that to you before?” Tulli smiled at him as she cut her pancake into small pieces.
“Not quite so forcefully, or in front of company, no.” He admitted. “She has suggested to me privately that it might be nice, once in a while, if she got to cook an evening meal for two.”
“Are you sure she doesn’t want to join you for dinner?” Tulli teased.
“Umm, that would be an absolute no!” Gregor shook his head. “Marcy has been with me a long time, and I value her friendship as well as her skill in running my household. But she has her own family and a life beyond these four walls. And, thankfully, no interest in me that way, at all.”
“So, do you class all your employees as your friends?” Tulli asked, taking a bite of her dry pancake. “Marcy and the men who were with you yesterday? The helicopter pilot and his brother? Your chauffeur, Dmitri?”
“Firstly, Dmitri is my personal assistant. He just happened to be driving yesterday.” Gregor smiled. “And Kris and Yuri I’ve known for many years. Their family used to live next door to mine, and I used to babysit for them when I was around twelve or thirteen, for their mother to work in the evenings.”
Tulli sat back, her fork halfway to her mouth, and her jaw dropped open. She recovered herself quickly.
“I can’t imagine you as someone’s babysitter, somehow.” She shook her head.
“I did whatever I needed to do, even then, to make money. Any odd jobs or chores I could do in the neighbourhood, I did. I was an errand boy for several of the local merchants, making money for running deliveries to customers.” Gregor smiled at Tulli’s shock. “Did you think I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth?”
“I guess I didn’t think at all.” She admitted. “I confess, I’d never heard of you before, and it was only when I heard that doctor, Sara, I think her name was… when I heard her talking and she said you were on the board of the hospital, I guessed you must be rich. Marcy filled me in on a little more of your background, but honestly…? I still know little about you. Apart from the fact that you’re a kind and generous man, of course.”
She watched Gregor blush at her words with surprise. Rich, successful men weren’t prone to blushing, were they?
“I have a business empire which I started while I was still in university.” He acknowledged. “It turned out that I had something of a flare for finance and e-commerce, and I was also pretty good at playing the markets. As soon as I’d finished my studies, I started diversifying. I bought up some struggling companies, and managed to turn them around. I like to think I’m skilled at what I do, but as with most things, a lot of luck came into play, as well as hitting the different markets at the right time.”
“Right time… right place? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?” Tulli smiled. “I find that hard to believe, as I’m sure there were thousands, if not millions of others, all trying to strike it rich at the same time as you were. Something obviously helped set you apart from the crowd, wouldn’t you agree?”
Gregor tilted his head to one side and stared at her.
“Would you accept that sheer cussed obstinacy and damned hard work were the other major components?” He suggested.
“I don’t know…” She bit her lower lip, as though considering his point. “I guess I haven’t seen much of your obstinacy yet, so I’ll have to reserve judgement. Do you save that side of you for the boardroom?”
“Mostly.” Gregor grinned. “But then, as the boardroom has occupied virtually ninety-five percent of my waking life for the last five years, that means I’ve been almost permanently obstinate for way too long.”
“And the other five percent?” Tulli wondered what he might be like when he took time out. “What are you then?”
Gregor reached behind him for the coffee pot and refilled their mugs.
“Papa.” He smiled. “Pretty much the only time I take away from the business is the time I spend with my kids. Of course, Sophia, you know. But I also have a son, Serge. They’ve both been the light in the darkness these past five years… ever since my marriage ended.”
Tulli stared at Gregor, trying to detect the meaning behind his words. Did he still miss his wife?
“Does your ex-wife live close by?” She asked, watching his reaction.
“She’s married to a politician now, and yes, they live not too far from here. I moved to Philly to stay close to Sophia and Serge.” Gregor sipped his coffee, as though deep in thought.
“You sound as though you’re still saddened by your divorce.” She said softly. “Do you still miss your wife?”
Gregor glanced up from his mug and stared intently at Tulli, until she had to force herself to continue meeting his eye.
“If you’d asked me that a week ago, I’d have said I still struggled to adapt to a life without her.” He admitted, more candidly than she’d expected. “But this last week has made me see things more clearly than I ever imagined I could, and I’d have to say that I think I’ve finally managed to see my future without her.”
“Sophia’s ordeal was the catalyst for your change of heart?” She asked, not surprised that his outlook had been turned on its head.
“In part.” He admitted. “Seeing her mother happy with her new husband also made me realise that I’d been wallowing in self-pity. Feeling sorry for myself that I’d been left alone, while my family were getting on with life.”
“So, do you feel ready to ‘get on with life’ now, too?” Tulli asked, wondering what that might mean for a man with enough wealth to do whatever the hell he wanted.
Gregor nodded slowly, as if he’d only just started to think about it.
“You know, I actually think I am.” He smiled. “It’s as though by helping you all find your freedom, I’ve actually discovered my own. It’s quite invigorating, isn’t it?”
Tulli chuckled.
“I can’t say that I feel invigorated just yet.” She shook her head slowly. “I’m too tired, relieved, grateful and confused to feel much of anything uplifting. With time, I’m sure I’ll feel more positive, once my sisters are acting more like themselves.”
A buzzing sound came from Gregor’s pocket, and he excused the interruption, checking the screen.
“Well, it looks as though step one of that process is about to begin.” He grinned at Tulli as he stood up. “That was the gate to say that Dr Sara Adams is on her way up to see us. Let’s see what my newest employee can do to help your sisters on their way to recovery. You too, hmm?”
Tulli stood up and pushed her chair under the table, carrying her plate to the sink where she started to wash it.
“Tulli, just leave the plate in the sink, Ok?” Gregor placed his own dish on the counter. “Come on. Let’s go and see what Sara can do for Mischa, yes?”
Tulli quickly followed Gregor out to meet with the doctor.
She wasn’t entirely convinced that anything could be done for her sweet baby sister, but the thought that someone was going to try and help her, gave Tulli’s heart a little jolt.
Maybe she could feel a little invigorated, after all.