Though she was dragged to her bedroom last night before she could join certain festivities, Ludmila stayed up watching tapes until well past one in the morning. Woken up by her sister once in the early hours, she stubbornly refused to leave bed, especially with the sound of rain pattering against the window as an excuse to sleep longer. Finally, around noon, the door opened again, and her sister entered to wake her up. Only then did Ludmila Bessonoskova reluctantly stretch out lazily on the bed.
She even kicked the blanket off intentionally.
Her professionally maintained, slim model figure was on full display.
Sigh.
Too bad a certain someone couldn't see it.
Eve Bessonoskova brought over clothes and placed them in front of her sister, noticing she had no intention of getting up. The rainy weather in Rivne was a bit chilly, so she pulled the blanket back over Ludmila and sat on the bed, saying, "It's already noon. Aren't you hungry?"
Ludmila poked her head out and clung to her sister, playfully whining, "Not really, I think I have anorexia. A lot of supermodels suffer from it, you know."
Eve stroked her sister's hair and laughed, "Others might, but yours is definitely fake. Get up now, or all the good food will be gone."
Ludmila suddenly remembered the events of last night. "Right, twenty of them! So, Sis, how many do you think he got through last night?"
Eve's cheeks turned a little pink, with a hint of disappointment as she gently pinched her sister's ear, "Stop talking about that. Once we're done with lunch, I'll take you home. Mom called this morning asking why you hadn't been seen since returning from Milan. Dad's furious; I won't be able to shield you from his lecture tonight."
"Well… then I just won't go home. I'll fly straight back to Milan."
"How's that fair? Don't you miss Mom?"
"Of course, but you all just let Dad scold me whenever he wants."
"That's what you get for always being so disobedient," Eve said, tugging her sister to get her up. "No more lazing around. This isn't home, you know."
Ludmila grudgingly sat up and started getting dressed.
In truth, she had no desire to go home.
Even if the Bessonoskova family's circumstances had improved a lot, it was still far from the comfort of this luxurious spa estate.
After dressing and freshening up, she left the bedroom, curiously surveying her surroundings. The spacious country-style villa was quiet, with no sign of the crowd of girls inside. She wandered to the dining room, where she finally found a few girls eating.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
These were six familiar faces, the group she knew as Yekaterina's clique.
The girls sat in two distinct groups on either side of the long dining table, clearly divided.
Seeing Ludmila, Natalia Ludyayeva smirked, "The lazy bum finally got up."
Ludmila wasn't about to back down and took an empty seat, firing back with a jab, "You look pretty lively, so I bet you slept alone last night. Poor thing."
"No, I didn't," Ludyayeva tilted her chin slightly, without explaining further. Instead, she countered, "You, on the other hand, have no connection to this place, but cling to it like gum that won't come off."
"Why not? I'm staying in my brother-in-law's house. Got a problem with that?"
Eve entered at that moment carrying a tray. She shot her loose-lipped sister a disapproving look, considering taking her to a different dining room but realizing there were others there too. She set the lunch in front of Ludmila and said, "Eat up, and no fighting."
"She started it. She called me a lazy bum."
Eve handed Ludmila a fork. "Isn't that what you are?"
"Fine, then. I'm disowning you for taking her side."
Nearby, Evgenia Kolkoshko quipped, "Then you'd be losing a brother-in-law, too."
Eve felt her cheeks warming and threatened with feigned menace, "One more word and I'll really get mad."
With that, she made a hasty retreat from the room, the girls laughing at her retreating figure. Although Eve usually cared for them like a big sister, none of the girls were fond of Ludmila's presence.
Ignoring Yekaterina and her clique, Ludmila turned her attention to the three girls seated across from them. "Yulia, when do your classes start?"
Though Yulia Antonenko and her friends were less familiar with Ludmila, they were willing to speak since they shared a common 'enemy' in Yekaterina's clique. "In September. But we're planning to head back to London after a little more time here."
She threw a glance at the girls opposite her.
It was as if she were saying, "At least we aren't aimlessly hanging around here."
Yekaterina only glanced at Yulia briefly before lowering her head to eat. Hmph. If it weren't for Simon's pity back then, who knew where they'd be now? Traitors.
Yulia caught Yekaterina's silent glare but refrained from responding.
Ludmila noticed the sparks between them and smiled slyly, then asked Yulia, "By the way, how's he doing?"
The girls all knew who 'he' referred to.
"Simon left early for work, unlike you, getting up at noon," Yulia replied.
"Hey, I'm here to rest! You don't understand how busy I get; there are days I barely sleep four hours."
Natalia cut in sarcastically, "Some girls would give anything to be that busy. Count yourself lucky."
"I am lucky," Ludmila replied, sipping her soup. Finally, unable to hold back, she leaned in and asked Yulia, "So, last night… how many?"
The girls exchanged glances but didn't answer.
Ludmila wasn't disappointed. She simply cut a slice of lemon-scented sturgeon, took a few bites, and added, "Don't say I didn't warn you all; there are fourteen new girls this time. Before you know it, you'll be out of favor."
The comment hit home.
After a moment's silence, Natalia retorted, "What does it matter to you? You—"
She stopped herself, originally intending to tell her to worry about her sister, but considering how kind Eve was to them, she decided to hold back.
Evgenia interjected, "Just a bunch of clueless newbies. Simon ended up with us last night anyway."
Ludmila blinked her light-colored eyes, looking very curious. "And… 'ended up with' means?"
Evgenia rolled her eyes. "Why don't you go ask him yourself?"
"Simon's not here; how would I?"
"You wouldn't dare ask even if he were here."
"Forget it. Talking to you feels like bickering with a kid."
The girls stopped speaking to each other.
The group of six quickly finished lunch and left, while Ludmila lingered, slowly savoring her meal. She even asked her sister to bring her a second helping of grilled steak, planning to indulge while she could, now that her manager wasn't around.
She had always had a hearty appetite, being the biggest foodie in the family, though thankfully, she had never gained weight.
If she did, she could just work it off.
After finishing another steak and contemplating whether to order more, she heard sounds in the hallway outside the dining room. Curious, she went to take a look.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
It was the group of eight girls.
She joined them, falling easily into conversation.
The girls didn't know Ludmila's background, so they acted respectfully and cautiously. They even took her on a tour of their rooms on the second floor and, as they got to know her, inadvertently spilled quite a bit.
Last night, they started off by soaking in the hot springs with him.
Ludmila could tell that a few of the girls were walking somewhat stiffly.
Later on, they each went to bed separately. By piecing things together, it was pretty clear what had happened.
As for the six new girls, they hadn't been touched. In fact, they had been taken away by Ms. Miller's assistant early that morning. The girls whispered among themselves, and by connecting the dots, Ludmila could guess what awaited them.
At two in the afternoon, the eight girls gathered for lessons in an annex near the villa.
The first class was English.
Ludmila had no interest in school matters, but she joined them anyway, hoping to hear more gossip. The teacher, a poised woman in her thirties with gold-rimmed glasses, didn't seem to mind the extra student, though she did frown slightly at Ludmila's whispered conversations with the others. The girl being whispered to, however, looked a little nervous.
Luckily, Eve soon arrived.
Seeing her sister taking the initiative to join the class, Eve was pleased; a little extra learning couldn't hurt. The teachers hired by that man were top-notch, unlike the ones she'd had in school.
However, seeing her sister more interested in causing trouble, Eve pulled her out of class.
She wanted to send her back home.
But Ludmila stubbornly refused, saying she'd check in with her parents before she
left.
Eve was too soft-hearted to force her.
She hadn't even dared tell their parents that Ludmila was still hanging around.
As for her own situation, her family was well aware. Her father, brother, and later even her mother had all found work at the military-themed amusement park, with her father and brother managing logistics and her mother, a former nurse, overseeing the medical team. All of them held well-paid management positions.
If not for her influence, these roles would never have gone to her family members.
Now, the Bessonoskova family was frequently approached by people hoping for jobs at the amusement park—something that would have been unimaginable for an ordinary working-class family like theirs.
According to those around them, the logistics department her father and brother managed was one of the most lucrative areas in the amusement park. She couldn't help but worry, and had even had an open discussion with them. After all, the three girls from the villa on the south side were a clear warning; that man wasn't one to show mercy in such matters.
If her family ever did something wrong, they might escape punishment due to her connection, but the Bessonoskova family would surely fall back to its original state.
Fortunately, her father was strict and inflexible by nature. Initially, he had even hesitated to accept the job, and he worked diligently once he did. Her brother, who was similarly conscientious, followed his lead. Eve suspected that the man had chosen her family for these roles because of these qualities.
The rain outside varied between light and heavy throughout the day.
Summers in Rivne were mild, and with the rain, the air felt even cooler. By nightfall, the temperature had dropped to around ten degrees.
Simon didn't work late today, though he still returned only around nine in the evening.
Just seeing him filled Eve with a quiet sense of satisfaction. She personally brought a pot of coffee to the living room, where she found her sister already clinging to him. Ludmila, having borrowed a long, fitted pink knit sweater from another girl's wardrobe, straddled his lap, her long, pale legs stretching out from the hem, shoeless and carefree.
He had his arm around her waist, speaking softly.
Eve wanted to pull them apart, but ultimately left the coffee and quietly slipped out of the room.
"I got it, I got it," Ludmila said, snatching the coffee cup from Yekaterina, who had been sitting nearby. She tried to bring it to Simon's lips, but when he refused, she mischievously took a sip herself, then leaned closer.
Simon didn't indulge her, raising his hand to pinch her lips shut.
"Mmph, mmph…"
On either side of them, Yekaterina and Natalia sat with the other four girls nearby on sofas, all rolling their eyes.
The little minx wasn't even trying to hide her intentions now, and yet Eve had let her get away with it.
How could they get rid of her?
After a bit of playful banter, Ludmila sipped more coffee and brought up some local gossip. "Actually, Simon, you should look into how some tourists are luring employees away from the amusement park."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, visitors come here for fun, and some end up taking female employees with them when they leave."
Simon chuckled, "You're usually out of town. How do you know about this?"
Ludmila smugly lifted her chin. "I know plenty," she said, glancing at the other girls. "For example, I know exactly what kind of mischief they get up to."
Natalia immediately shot back, "And we know what kind of mischief you get up to."
"What do you mean?"
"Like stealing our clothes—case in point, that sweater."
"Simon bought these."
"For us!"
"Fine, you can have it back. I wasn't that attached to it anyway."
As she lifted the sweater's hem, Simon stopped her, "Alright, just keep it on."
With his approval, Ludmila cast the other girls a smug glance and leaned closer to Simon, whispering, "Simon, let's go to the hot springs—just us, no one else."
"It's still early; we'll see before bed."
That was practically a yes.
Ludmila's eyes sparkled as she planted a kiss on his cheek, casting the other girls a triumphant look.
The conversation quickly moved on.
Yet Simon didn't ignore the previous topic.
In fact, he was well aware of it.
Ultimately, Ukrainian women were indeed very desirable, and as the economy worsened, certain dynamics became inevitable.
Many of the female employees at the theme park, spa resort, and hunting lodge had been carefully recruited and trained, so losing them at random was unacceptable. To address the problem, the managers had recently strengthened the penalty clauses in employee contracts. The fine wasn't much—about $10,000—but in Ukraine, that was a significant amount, and few employees could afford to pay it.
If an outside visitor was willing to cover this amount, they would be allowed to leave. Ukraine didn't lack people, so replacing an employee was easy. The compensation would count toward revenue, becoming an extra source of income.
Some women, who were unofficially contracted to provide certain services, were excluded from this.
After all, certain activities weren't legal in Ukraine. Though these women had to pass strict vetting to enter the resort circles, they had no official connection to the company. If a visitor wanted to take one of them along, they would need to go through an entirely different network.
In fact, this route was even more difficult.
After all, the women selected to enter the resort were like gold mines for the local underground forces in Rivne, and they wouldn't easily let them go.
Moreover, no underground forces in Rivne operated outside the influence of the Westeros Group's network, though the complexities of those relationships weren't meant for outsiders to understand.
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