September 1907
Anna handed over the documents detailing the taverns' income for their first week, reports she had prepared earlier, the moment her master sat down opposite her. She already knew what he wanted as soon as he arrived. It had become his habit to simply ask about this and that, leaving the actual work to them.
She wasn't complaining, far from it. But she was tired. She hadn't had a single day of rest since construction on the taverns began. And now that they had been operating for a week, even more work kept piling onto her desk. Sometimes, she wondered if this would be her life from now on, buried in her office, surrounded by endless stacks of documents until the day she died.
For a brief moment, her thoughts drifted to the factory workers who had joined the revolutionaries, and she wondered if there might be a place for her among them. The thought vanished as quickly as it came. What a dangerous idea, especially in front of her master, who clearly despised the revolutionaries, judging by how he targeted them during these past few months.
Her master, in partnership with the Okhrana, had been hunting the revolutionaries, or those suspected of colluding with them within their territory. It had been a successful purge, and the Okhrana, for their part, had been so satisfied with the outcome that they granted another tavern permit as payment for all the information and assistance provided. Fortunately for her, her master had delayed the construction of another tavern, as their current territory was already crowded with them. Otherwise, she couldn't even bear the thought of it.
"Why are you looking at me blankly and frowning at the same time, Anna?" Alexei asked when he noticed Anna staring at him while he read through the reports.
Anna blinked and snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her master's voice. She cleared her throat and pretended to arrange the documents on the table before answering, "It's nothing… I suppose I'm just tired from all the work."
Alexei watched her as she finished arranging the papers, then nodded. "You're right. I've noticed you're always working in your office every time I visit." He paused for a moment before gesturing toward her. "And look at you, you look so haggard I would've thought you were my grandmother if I didn't know you, Anna."
Anna's eyes widened at his remark, and she quickly reached for the mirror on the far side of her desk. When she caught sight of her reflection, she hurriedly covered her face with her hand.
Alexei chuckled at her reaction. "Relax. It's not that bad, I was just joking. But seriously, you should take a break now that the taverns are finished and already operating. Let your secretaries handle the day-to-day work while you rest for a few weeks, perhaps?"
"Easy for you to say," Anna replied, still covering her face with her hand. "I still have to be in the office to supervise them if I want everything to stay in order. Otherwise…" She paused and shook her head. "Could you step out for a moment, please? I need to fix my face."
Alexei raised an eyebrow. "Seriously, Anna, there's nothing to fix. You just need sleep and rest, and you'll look young again."
Anna lowered her hand and glared at him. "So you're saying I look old now?"
"Oh, no, no," Alexei said quickly, shaking his head. "I mean, you just look tired and…."
Knock. Knock.
He didn't finish as the sound came from the door. He sighed in relief, grateful for the interruption, and hurriedly called out, "Come in."
The door opened, and one of Anna's secretaries, Alina, stepped inside. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but one of the minions came by and said everyone has arrived in the meeting room."
Alexei nodded. "Thank you, Alina. We'll be there shortly."
Alina smiled at him, then glanced at Anna, who gave a small nod. She then stepped out and closed the door behind her.
"Shall we?" Alexei said, rising to his feet and looking at Anna.
Anna shook her head. "You go ahead. I want to fix my hair before heading to the meeting room."
Alexei sighed but nodded. "Alright. But don't take too long. The minions still have work tonight after the meeting."
Anna rolled her eyes. "I know. Now please, go, and close the door behind you."
Alexei chuckled and left the room.
Alone at last, Anna let out a quiet sigh of relief and began fixing her appearance. As she did, she couldn't help but think about how her master had called her old earlier. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and couldn't help but feel that this was all his fault.
—--
Alexei took his seat at the head of the long table and nodded in greeting to his minions. It felt as though a long time had passed since he first gathered them. Once, they had been ignorant, dying and malnourished children, forgotten by the world. Now, as he looked at them, he could not help but feel a quiet sense of pride in what they had achieved together.
They might not be living honest or lawful lives like everyone else in the world, but they were living nonetheless, eating, earning, and standing on their own. They had carved out a place for themselves where, not long ago, they had been meant only to starve and be abandoned.
He smiled to himself behind his mask. This was the first organization he had built across his three lives, and he couldn't help but feel a quiet satisfaction that it had taken root and begun to grow. Now, he only had to ensure that it would continue to thrive, healthy and strong, throughout his lifetime, and perhaps even endure beyond his death.
When he finished savoring the moment, he turned to Ivan, who was seated in the first chair to his left, and asked, "I trust the people close to Rasputin have not suspected anything?"
It had been more than a week since he had done the deed. When he saw Marina and her mother during the ball, they were still visibly shaken that someone had died in their mansion, a holy man, no less. Marina in particular, whom he had spoken to at the time, remained quiet throughout the event, a stark contrast to her usual lively personality. Fortunately, he still managed to learn something from her. She said the man had died in his sleep, and the doctors they had summoned to examine him suspected a heart attack. The aristocrats and nobles had accepted that explanation without question.
Alexei had breathed a quiet sigh of relief then, knowing his objective had been achieved and that no one suspected anything. Still, what he had learned came only from the perspective of high society. He needed to know what the common people, who truly believed in Rasputin, thought of his death.
Ivan shook his head slightly as he replied, "Many attended his funeral, Master. But they seem to have accepted the 'natural' cause of his death, and most have already moved on from the event."
"That's good." Alexei exhaled slowly, relieved that the worst had not come. He had feared that the most devout followers of the man might stir trouble. The government, his father's government, already had a mountain of problems from the assassinations and robberies carried out by the revolutionaries over the past few months. And he had no intention of adding another to that burden.
Seeing that his master had fallen silent, Ivan voiced the question that had just crossed his mind. "What if another man appears, someone claiming to be a holy healer or mystic, Master? Should we eliminate them before they begin gaining influence, like Rasputin did?"
Alexei snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Ivan. He considered the question for a moment before answering, "We'll observe first before we act. Perhaps… just perhaps, one of them might truly possess something beyond the ordinary."
After all, if he himself could cultivate in this world and attain abilities beyond normal comprehension, it was not impossible that others might exist, among the billion people in this world. Of course, he hoped there were none.
Ivan studied his master for a moment before nodding and falling silent. He couldn't help but wonder if his master possessed such abilities himself. What their master had shown them over the years was already impressive enough to be called extraordinary. In fact, if Ivan hadn't been by his side all this time, he might have thought his master was not entirely human, but something beyond that.
Still, he kept those thoughts to himself. If his master truly was something more, perhaps even a mystic, then Ivan would be the first to know. He would make sure of that.
Alexei tapped his fingers slowly and was about to call out to Nikolai, who was speaking with Oskar in the middle of the table, when the door opened and Anna entered. He gestured for her to take a seat so the meeting could begin at once. And sat she did.
The minions in the room fell silent as soon as she sat down. They already knew that Anna could be more frightening than their master when she was angry, so they were careful around her. They had experienced it firsthand, how she withheld their wages for months or how she had Ivan and Nikolai pummel them in their butts until it hurt too much to sit, whenever she caught them slacking or failing to complete the tasks she had assigned. Some had even called her a witch, but of course, it was called out secretly. Or else….
When he saw that everyone had fallen silent and was waiting for someone to speak first, Alexei chuckled quietly. He already knew that some of them were more afraid of Anna than of him, and he couldn't entirely blame them. She truly was formidable when she was angry.
He cleared his throat and began, "First, I would like to congratulate Anna for the excellent work she has done with the taverns."
He clapped his hands, and the others soon followed.
Anna remained indifferent. She simply placed the documents she had brought onto the table and arranged them neatly in front of her.
Seeing this, Alexei stopped clapping. The others followed his lead as they noticed she hadn't even looked up from her documents.
Alexei scratched the back of his head and couldn't help but think, She must be in a bad mood and maybe, perhaps, in her period. I shouldn't have said she looked old earlier. He shook the thought away and cleared his throat again before deciding to start the meeting then and there.
"Now… let's begin the meeting. Anna?"
Anna finally lifted her gaze from the documents and gave a small nod toward him before sweeping her eyes across the minions in the room. "I won't beat around the bush, we're broke. Building all the taverns at once and stocking them with beer, vodka, and other spirits has nearly emptied our coffers." She paused, making sure everyone had heard her, before continuing. "We're still earning steady profits from our gambling dens and protection fees, but it will take months, perhaps even a year, before we can say we're wealthy again."
She then signaled Alina, who had come in with her, to distribute the documents for everyone to review.
Alexei looked at her, momentarily speechless. He knew they were not truly that broke, only their paper money and coins had been spent. Their reserves of gold and silver bars remained untouched, along with the jewelry they had kept from the gangs they had wiped out.
Still, he kept quiet about it and let her continue. They had not really revealed to the minions how much they truly possessed, and it was better for them to believe that their funds were limited. That way, they would work harder in the future. After all, who would want the goose that fed them to go bankrupt?
He knew that money would soon come pouring back into their coffers now that the taverns had begun operating. If everything ran smoothly for the next few months, or even years, it would not take long for them to surpass what they had before the construction of the taverns began. The gambling dens and pleasure houses operated by the people under them had also completed their expansion and had been operating steadily for months. With all that combined, he was not particularly concerned about their current financial state.
In fact, he was already thinking about how to spend the money they were going to earn, starting with cleaning up their territory. He wanted the areas controlled by the Jackals to be both safe and orderly. He knew that maintaining those conditions would allow their businesses, both legal and illegal, to continue flourishing.
Anna continued her report, breaking down their expenses during the first half of the year and explaining how Nikolai's Jackals remained one of their largest expenditures. There was little Alexei could do about that, as he had ordered the Jackals to expand their numbers after their territory grew following the takeover of the Ratcatchers' former domain. The manpower required to secure and maintain control of the area was substantial, and it came with ongoing costs, food, supplies, and upkeep.
Still, he knew the current situation could not continue indefinitely. The Jackals needed to become self-sufficient in the future. He had already begun considering a solution: restructuring them into something akin to a company, a security company, to be precise. Each of his establishments would pay the Jackals an agreed sum in exchange for protection. In truth, they were already operating in much the same way; all that remained was to formalize the system and make it sustainable.
Alexei noticed Nikolai glancing at him accusingly, as if blaming him for why they remained the largest expense. He simply met his gaze and silently reassured him that everything would be fine. He knew that it would not take long for Nikolai's Jackals to become profitable. After all, who knew? The establishments within their territory might soon begin hiring the Jackals as their security once they saw the newly formed company and how it operated. And as they expand, so their scope of influence and with it comes work.
By the time Anna finished, the room had fallen so silent that Alexei could hear their breathing. He knew he had to say something to lift their spirits, and he did. He clapped once to draw their attention and said, "Don't worry, everyone. The taverns are already turning a profit in their first week, and from here on, we'll only be filling our coffers further. This is only temporary. What we've done is an investment in our future." He then gestured to Nikolai to give his report next.
Nikolai nodded and began. He reported on everything the Jackals had done over the past few months, including several clashes along the borders of their territory with other gangs, conflicts that, in his opinion, could not be avoided.
Alexei nodded in agreement. Such encounters were inevitable, and he had no intention of stopping them. In fact, he welcomed them. They provided valuable, firsthand experience for the gang, keeping them sharp and ready, and helped maintain their fighting spirit for the time when they would move to conquer neighboring territories in the future.
When Nikolai finished his report, Alexei turned to Oskar, who immediately understood that it was his turn to speak.
Oskar spoke about how his newly formed internal security unit had taken shape and how they had already uncovered their first spy, someone within the Jackals who had been secretly counting their true numbers.
Alexei was satisfied with the progress. He had never expected them to root out every spy within the organization, nor was he particularly concerned about it. The true purpose of Oskar's team was not absolute control, but presence, to make it known that someone was always watching. Anyone who acted against the interests of the Jackals or the organization would be dealt with severely, and if necessary, the consequences would extend to their families as well.
He nodded to Oskar as he finished his report, then turned his gaze to Ivan, who met it in return. The true purpose of this meeting was to hear Ivan's report on what he had uncovered about the Street Knuckles, the largest gang in the city, over the past few months. They would not move against them just yet, as they had not finished consolidating their hold over their newly expanded territory, but it would not hurt to begin gathering intelligence on their next target.
Ivan met his master's gaze and gave a nod. "The Street Knuckles control the docks and essentially the entire western side beyond our borders. Every shipment, legal or contraband, that enters the city through the docks passes through their hands. I don't know why they haven't been targeted by the authorities, but I've seen them openly collecting tolls from merchants who want their goods brought into the city. I suspect they have connections within the authorities, likely the city government, or perhaps even someone higher. Otherwise, it would be impossible for them to operate so openly. I also believe they have ties with the politsiya, as every time one of their members is arrested, they're out of a cell the very next day."
Alexei nodded at that. He had already suspected that they had connections, or perhaps that those controlling them from behind the scenes were part of the government itself, with the gang merely serving as a front. The very thought brought a dull ache to his head. It would be difficult to identify who was truly behind them without infiltrating the gang's inner circle. He had already reviewed the files in the Okhrana, but everything there was superficial, information that barely scratched the surface of the organization.
"I already have someone from the Minions who has infiltrated their gang, but it will still take months, perhaps even years, for him to climb up the ranks. So we won't be able to learn much about them anytime soon, unless they somehow slip up and expose themselves," Ivan continued. "I also haven't seen anyone in their territory actively supporting the revolutionaries. Perhaps that's one of the reasons the authorities haven't raided them yet."
"It seems they know how to play the game," Anna said from the side, turning her gaze to Alexei as if accusing him as she continued. "If they've been doing this for a long time now before us, then we're copying them, not siding with or completely suppressing the revolutionaries in their territory in order to stay on the government's good side while also benefiting from it."
Alexei felt a faint bead of sweat form, though he gave no outward sign. It wasn't as if he had been copying their methods, it was merely a coincidence, purely coincidence. Still, he maintained a calm expression and steady posture as he shook his head slightly. "They're gaining far more by just suppressing the revolutionaries, control of the docks, toll collection, and even the drug trade. It's too much to ignore. Meanwhile, all we've gained from our partnership with the Okhrana are permits. So I believe the Street Knuckles have someone high up supporting them… or perhaps even owning them outright."
Anna studied him for a moment before giving a small shrug. Dealing with such matters was her master's responsibility, while she handled the administrative side of the organization. And in that, she trusted him completely.
Alexei let out a quiet sigh of relief when she did not pursue the topic further. It had stung his pride a little when she suggested he was copying the Street Knuckles' methods, when in truth it had been nothing more than coincidence.
Seeing that neither his sister nor his master had anything more to add, Ivan continued his report, sharing more of what he knew about the Street Knuckles and what he had gathered about the other gangs surrounding them. However, all of it remained superficial, as they had yet to place any informants in positions of real influence within those groups.
By the time they had finished, it was already nearing midnight.
Alexei glanced at the time and dismissed the minions, knowing that some of them still had duties to attend to that night. However, he motioned for Anna to remain.
When only the two of them were left, Alexei spoke. "I want you to take a break from work for a while."
Anna's eyes widened, and she couldn't help but ask quietly, "Why?"
"You look worn out." Alexei narrowed his eyes at her, his presence sharpening just enough to make it clear he was serious. "I want you to rest and take care of your health for a few weeks." He raised a hand to stop her from interrupting. "This is not a request, Anna. This is an order. I trust you still understand the difference. Leave your work to your secretaries for now. I'm certain they can manage. We're not undertaking anything major at the moment, just maintaining operations and overseeing the taverns."
He paused before asking, more firmly, "Do you understand?"
Anna breathed a sigh of relief that he hadn't ordered her to step down from her duties entirely. Still, she hesitated for a moment before finally relenting. "I understand. But please give me until tomorrow to leave instructions for my secretaries."
Alexei nodded. "Of course. I'll check on you the day after, just to make sure you're not working." He paused, then added more gently, "Please rest and take care of your health, Anna. I don't want you to get sick. I need you."
He stood up, walked over, and gave her shoulder a brief pat before leaving the room.
Anna watched the door close, the words I need you echoing in her mind again and again. After a few moments, she snapped out of it and shook her head.
Wake up, Anna.
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Advance chapters on my P tr n. Your supports are deeply appreciated.