"We've secured a site on the west bank of the Dnieper River, about 30 kilometers north of Kyiv. It's a 50-square-kilometer plot, and the Prime Minister has even agreed to designate this new military theme park as a national support project, with the most favorable policy incentives. Alec, and Andrei, since you're both here, I'm inviting you to join us. If you come on board, along with generous salaries, I can offer you a stake in the venture. Together, we'll replicate a major entertainment center in Kyiv. You must understand, Kyiv offers opportunities that Rovno can't compete with."
Inside a private club room at the hot spring resort, Tymoshenko's smooth pitch was met with a brief exchange of glances between Andrei Volodymyrka and Alexander Nagiev. Nagiev then asked, "Yulia, I'm curious—where will your funding come from? Creating a theme park of this scale, more than twice the size of Rovno's, would need at least $50 million to start, and that's a conservative estimate."
With Ukraine's economic decline, the country's original currency issued in 1991 had become nearly worthless, and the Kyiv authorities were already preparing another currency reform, set to be issued later in the year. For many of Ukraine's elite, using dollars or pounds had become the norm in business.
The Rovno military theme park had required an investment of $30 million from Simon Westeros. Tymoshenko's plan to establish a park over twice as large near Kyiv, where expenses were considerably higher, would indeed conservatively require at least $50 million. Rumors circulated that, with Lazarenko's support, Tymoshenko controlled Ukraine's entire gas industry, supposedly amounting to one-fifth of the country's GDP. However, in reality, her cash flow was limited, and even gas imports from Russia were purchased on credit.
Tymoshenko's wealth had accumulated too quickly to be well-established. If she had ten or twenty years, she might have built a fortune of several billion, the upper limit of wealth in Ukraine. But for now, she was nowhere near even a billion; she was simply a middleman, buying gas wholesale from Russia and reselling it in Ukraine, unlike the Russian oligarchs who owned vast oil and gas fields.
This was also why Tymoshenko showed interest in a "small business" like a theme park.
But $50 million in cash? That was beyond her reach.
Tymoshenko's expression didn't falter as she replied, "I've been in touch with several foreign banks. Thanks to the success of the Rovno park, they're very interested in funding this project. Financing won't be an issue."
Andrei Volodymyrka asked, "Yulia, have you considered collaborating with Simon?"
At this question, a flicker of bitterness crossed Tymoshenko's face before she quickly regained her composure. She shook her head. "The Kyiv project would conflict with Mr. Westeros's plans. Besides, I'd rather do this myself."
In truth, she had indeed considered working with the Westeros network. Tymoshenko had even reached out to Simon's Ukraine representative, Celia Miller. Over the past two years, she had made multiple attempts to connect with the young billionaire, and the entire Lazarenko group had been eager to align with the Westeros organization. However, their advances had met only with indifference. Westeros seemed solely focused on deepening its hold in Rovno, maintaining contact only with Kuchma's faction in Kyiv.
Just as in Russia, where the Saint Petersburg group was not yet solidified, both President Leon Kuchma and Prime Minister Pavlo Lazarenko belonged to Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk faction, including Tymoshenko. Many Ukrainian political and business elites came from the eastern Dnipropetrovsk region.
But unlike Russia's Saint Petersburg faction, which would later be controlled by a single figure for decades, the Dnipropetrovsk group began fracturing shortly after Kuchma took office in 1994. Although Kuchma had appointed Lazarenko as Prime Minister the previous month, this was merely a result of various political compromises. Deep fissures already ran through the Dnipropetrovsk faction.
After this brief exchange, Andrei and Alexander had a pretty clear sense of the situation.
The Prime Minister's "confidante" had clearly tried to collaborate with the Westeros network and was turned down, leading her to quietly approach them to recruit talent. Beyond her ambitions, Tymoshenko's Kyiv project seemed to lack substance.
Initially, they'd only planned to humor her during this meeting; now, they had no interest in her proposal.
Building a theme park was no simple feat. Rovno's park, despite being fairly basic, had required careful planning, construction, marketing, and a complex series of steps in between. They'd drawn on decades of Hollywood theme park experience.
Even the three-part resort complex here was no easy task. Though a small player on the global stage, the resort was a miniature with all the necessary components.
Anyone who thought they could simply throw together a collection of planes and tanks or build some cabins to create a profitable theme park or resort was only setting themselves up for a financial disaster. Such "failed ventures" could be found worldwide, mostly created by people who oversimplified the process.
In Rovno, the Danilis Entertainment advisory team had helped them design immersive military experiences for guests rather than just static displays, carefully considering how to maximize visitor engagement, encourage repeat visits, and countless other details.
With the Westeros team's support, Rovno's park had achieved an impressive $2 million in monthly revenue during its trial phase.
All this convinced Andrei and Alexander to remain loyal to their young boss, knowing they could only reach greater heights within such an efficient and dynamic system.
Reflecting on this, Alexander didn't mince words and shook his head at Tymoshenko. "Sorry, Yulia, but I won't be accepting your offer."
Tymoshenko's eyes turned to Andrei Volodymyrka.
Andrei also shook his head.
Tymoshenko tried one more time. "There's no need to refuse so quickly. Take a few days to think about it and let me know."
"That won't be necessary," Alexander replied firmly. He rose, extending his hand in a gesture of farewell. "While you're here, Yulia, feel free to stay and enjoy Rovno for a few days. Although Andrei and I won't be switching sides, if you need any help, you can still reach out."
Seeing both men stand, Tymoshenko reluctantly rose from the couch as well. Unable to contain herself, she added, "Alec, Andrei, I hope you'll reconsider. This is Ukraine, after all. We're Ukrainians, aren't we?"
Both men paused, slightly taken aback by her words, unsure if she meant something more or was merely being naive.
After escorting Tymoshenko out, they returned to their seats in the private room.
Andrei poured two glasses of red wine, handing one to Alexander. "What did you make of that?"
Alexander took a sip and shook his head. "Not our concern. But I'll write a report for Celia."
Andrei nodded in agreement.
Even though they weren't part of the Westeros core team in Rovno, ensuring Simon's attention to their work and loyalty was essential. Reporting this incident promptly was one way to demonstrate both.
After a sip of wine, Alexander brought up another matter. "That guy Banshikov—he hasn't been causing any trouble, has he?"
"Not at all. He's been quite well-behaved."
Andrei's smile turned wry as he recalled the trouble they'd encountered.
They had selected a few girls for their boss, but soon learned that one of the girls, Galina Banshikova, had been beaten, along with her mother and sister, by her drunken father upon her return home. Domestic violence was one thing, but if Simon found out about this, he might see it as a failure on their part to manage details.
To resolve the situation, Andrei and Alexander brought in Banshikov, who was still half-drunk, and considered dealing with him permanently. Though Ukraine's chaotic state allowed for such drastic measures, killing someone was a last resort. Instead, they decided on a different approach. They forced Banshikov to sign divorce papers, broke his leg, and legally severed his ties to his wife and daughters. The affair ended with Banshikov's submission.
But this wasn't the end of the plan.
Banshikov was a low-level thug in Rivne, not even a true criminal, as Rovno's underground was tightly controlled by the Westeros network. To prevent any future incidents, Andrei and Alexander arranged for Banshikov to work at the hot spring resort, cleverly pulling in a few of his "friends" as well.
In Rovno, even the lowest connection to the Westeros network was highly coveted. For minor gangsters, merely working as errand boys at the renowned hot spring resort was prestigious enough, and Banshikov's group quickly pledged loyalty to Andrei.
Finally, they instructed this group to keep a close watch on Banshikov. If they succeeded, they could enjoy the perks of working there. If not, they could act preemptively to avoid collective punishment.
With this matter settled, Andrei and Alexander filed a report with Celia Miller, understanding the boss's attention to detail.
The boss's response arrived swiftly, praising their actions and advising them not to "overdo" it—a sentiment echoed by Komorov, one of Rovno's oldest Westeros associates
, hinting that their vigilance over other families was unnecessary.
In fact, the Banshikov family's fate now seemed unfortunate. If Banshikov hadn't overstepped, he might have benefited from his daughter's connection. But with his mistakes exposed early, he ended up under Andrei and Alexander's control, with no chance of advancement.
For those who benefited from Simon's connections, the rewards were generous. But there was little room for mistakes. Once a mistake was made, they were quickly abandoned—like three of the six original families associated with the Rovno girls. Although the other three girls' families were later resettled, those three families were now ordinary citizens in Rovno, their basic needs met, but no further opportunities for advancement.
In the end, Banshikov had squandered his only chance.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]