He had no idea the woman tidying the office was his own sister… and the talks with the partners were, in fact, an elaborate ambush

He didn’t know that the woman cleaning the office was his sister… And the negotiations with the partners turned out to be a carefully planned trap.

Andrey dreamed again that nightmare: his father was kicking his pregnant mother out of the house, shouting in her face:

“Just die, Verka, but I won’t raise someone else’s child!”

Little Andrey grabbed his father’s sleeve, crying, begging him to stop. His mother called him, stretched out her arms, but the blizzard drowned out her voice. The boy decisively broke free and shouted:

“I’m with Mom!” — and tried to run outside. But a powerful hand grabbed him by the collar and threw him to the floor like a rag doll. And immediately — darkness…

Waking up, Andrey lay drenched in sweat. The worst part was that it wasn’t just a dream — it really had happened. His real father died that same summer, drowning while drunk. And the fear and pain of the past squeezed his throat again. No one in the village ever found out where his mother disappeared to. Could it be that somewhere out there lived his real brother or sister? Maybe even now?

He loved his foster parents — kind, simple people. They gave him a home, care, and education. Andrey expanded their business and became successful, but his heart was restless. He wanted to know the truth.

When he returned to his native village, an old neighbor said:

“Sokolik, your mother is not to blame for anything. She didn’t cheat on your foolish father. She gave birth to a little sister — named her Zhenya. I won’t say more — I’ve already said too much. I see your soul is troubled; that’s why you keep coming back here again and again.”

She said this only after he had come here about thirty times. Then the woman closed off; no money or requests helped. Andrey even began to suspect it was all made up to calm him. But when he came again, Antonovna was no longer alive. The last link to the past was gone.

With time, hope to find the truth faded. Only a photo of his mother remained. Although his father destroyed all her things, the morning after that terrible night, little Andrey found a locket with his mother’s portrait hanging on an apple tree. He wanted to believe — she left it intentionally.

The tall brunette with brown eyes had nothing in common with the blonde beauty with sad gray eyes. Andrey took after his father and hated himself for it. Even looking in the mirror was painful — he saw a man who had ruined life for himself and his mother.

“Son, you woke up early today,” said his foster father.

Now he was the only close relative left — his wife, who raised Andrey, had died two years ago, drowning during a trip south. Andrey would never abandon the one who gave him warmth and family. For him, a “real” father was the one who raised him. And the man from the nightmare was simply a tragic mistake of fate.

“Dad, I dreamed that dream again… Something worrying, I can’t figure it out myself.”

Indeed, the dream came at moments when danger threatened.

“I also think you trust new partners too much. Let them place big orders, but think it through yourself…”

His father had long suspected Georgiy, the new partner. Especially strange was the coincidence: his wife had worked as an accountant at Andrey’s company for three years — exactly since they began cooperating.

“I know you want me to fire her. But my heart says — she’s not dangerous. And the deal terms are really profitable. Imagine: our products in the largest chains. We could raise salaries, develop production.”

“Think again. In business, you can’t be too kind. You’re responsible for those working beside you.”

His father said this many times. Seeing his son irritated, he added:

“Alright, make your mistakes. You’re young. By the way… Hire a girl. Daughter of my acquaintance. Evgenia, I think. Mute. It’s hard for her to get a job — she has education, finance background. They recently returned to the village.”

“Dad, we don’t have vacancies,” sighed Andrey.

“At least as a cleaner. I’ll help with housing — the village is far to commute.”

“Okay, let her come. Our contract with the firm ends this month.”

He felt his father was right about Georgiy and his wife, but the offer was tempting. He didn’t want to change his mind.

A couple of days later the secretary informed:

“Andrey Pavlovich, your father came with a young woman. Invite them in?”

“Dad here?” Andrey was surprised.

After his mother’s death, his father never came to the office. He himself ran out to the reception. Before him stood his father and a lovely blonde with delicate skin, curly hair, fragile. She was silent, but there was something important in her gaze.

“I told you — temporarily she doesn’t speak, but she’s smart and hardworking. She will work for you.”

“Of course, come in. You, as I understand, have financial education? When a vacancy opens, we’ll help with your career. For now — just cleaner position.”

Andrey was glad his father was back in the world. He would have agreed to even more. They had a cleaning company, but he could afford to make an exception.

The girl nodded. Andrey asked the secretary to show her the inventory and warn all employees — the new colleague doesn’t speak.

But soon a scandal erupted.

“That Evgenia was snooping in my documents!” claimed the accountant, demanding dismissal.

“Marina, you’re imagining things. Zhenya is one of us, not a spy,” Andrey defended the girl.

“If this village mute is more important than money, I’ll tell my husband right now how you value us!” she shouted.

And added defiantly:

“Or did you hire her to spy on me?”

At these words, Marina’s eye twitched — as if she had something to fear.

“I won’t fire Zhenya. And if you insult her like that again — you can leave. By the way, I’ve wanted to ask for a long time: Georgiy is well-off, why do you work? Our salary is low.”

Andrey had wanted to ask this question for a long time, and now, angered, he dared.

“So you think I’m not capable of more? That I should sit at home and serve my husband?” Marina started hysterics. “I like the team, and I’m offended that I’m suspected because of some new cleaner.”

“Okay, I heard you. Just don’t insult Evgenia anymore,” said Andrey, realizing his father was right.

He decided to sign a contract with Georgiy in a week, then find a replacement for Marina. She was too closely linked with the partner.

When the workday ended, Zhenya quietly left the utility room. Today she found an important clue in the accountant’s papers. For several days she watched Marina. Since she accidentally overheard her conversation in the women’s restroom:

“Zhorik, can we speed up the contract? I’m trying to make the conditions look profitable, but what if they catch me?” said the woman in the silver suit.

Zhenya heard no answer, but Marina assured her husband that she was falsifying documents and evading taxes.

“Then we can pressure Andrey if he becomes uncooperative.”

The rest she didn’t hear — someone entered the restroom. Zhenya was grateful to God that there was a separate cleaning closet — that’s where she hid.

Her mother worried that Zhenya worked as a cleaner. But her financial education came in handy. Nothing happens in life without reason.

Evgenia remembered losing her voice several years ago — burglars broke into their apartment. She and her mother lived on the second floor, windows without bars. The crooks set up a ladder. Her mother, having taken sleeping pills, slept deeply. If Zhenya ran to wake her — it would be too late. So first she called the police, then opened the window and screamed at the top of her lungs:

“Get out of here! Our house is on fire! They’re setting us on fire!”

She knew: if she shouted about robbery or murder, no one would come. But a fire alarm would cause more reaction — people wouldn’t remain indifferent.

The masked man got furious. He hit her head so hard that Zhenya briefly lost consciousness, then tried to drag her by the hair out the window. After that, she forever gave up long hairstyles and cut her hair short.

Doctors diagnosed a mild concussion, but her voice never returned. That night, robbers took away her future and the chance to live a normal life.

Her mother woke when it was all over — neighbors subdued the criminals. She found her daughter unconscious on the floor and immediately called an ambulance. Since then, not a day passed without the woman blaming herself.

They sold the apartment. Then her mother said:

“Zhenya, you can’t run from the past. Let’s trade the city apartment for a house in the village, save some money, and I’ll do everything I can to help you speak again.”

Zhenya knew her mother had many connections. Earlier she worked as a doctor in a neighboring village, so everyone respected her. And when her father, in a white-hot frenzy, decided that her mother came to see a patient for other reasons, it was there that Pavel Ignatyevich and his wife took her in. They also adopted Zhenya’s brother after their father drowned.

Moreover, there was even consideration for adopting Zhenya herself. But then, on that fateful night, her mother, poorly dressed, was walking to the highway, froze, and suffered serious frostbite on her legs. No one in the village dared help her — everyone feared her husband, who used to be the right hand of a dangerous man. However, justice prevailed: that very criminal authority was punished that summer, and his accomplices mysteriously disappeared.

“Mom, why didn’t you take Andrey when you were able to start a new life?” Zhenya asked, grown-up.

“He already called another woman ‘mom,’ and was afraid of me. I understood — it was better for him to stay where he was.”

Her mother’s heart broke at the thought. But it wasn’t just that. Former rivals of her husband’s gang were searching for a large sum of money missing for many years. If she appeared, it could bring dangerous people to her son.

As for the case with the bandits who somehow found them — the only person who knew their whereabouts was old Antonovna. And she definitely wouldn’t have betrayed them…

Zhenya once asked why her mother got involved with such a man. She sighed and replied:

“Do you think he was like that from the start? I always believed he would change soon.”

After that, Zhenya didn’t ask anything else. They communicated through notes or a computer voice synthesizer — it was easier than sign language, although they learned that too.

Thus, Evgenia began checking the documents. She often spent the night at work, setting up a cot in the utility room to get everything done.

It hurt her that her brother grew up with other people, even if kind ones. She felt guilty since she grew up close to her mother.

In fact, forging papers was easy — Marina was confident and careless. Swapping reports was no trouble.

And Marina’s anger lay elsewhere. At the first meeting, Georgiy, seeing Zhenya, said:

“We should have someone like her in the office!”

He didn’t know his wife was watching him. Then he added:

“Aren’t you charming yourself? This cleaner doesn’t interest me at all.”

Marina kept silent but hated Zhenya from that moment.

The day of negotiations came. Georgiy came in an expensive suit, confident of success.

“We’ll sign,” he declared, unaware of what was happening.

Marina, present as an “independent expert,” proudly declared:

“I prepared evidence of the deal’s profitability.”

She showed reports on the screen. Everyone froze. The numbers clearly showed: Georgiy’s terms were deliberately unprofitable for Andrey. The fine print revealed the partner’s true intentions.

“What is she doing?! Why was she paid so much?” the staff wondered.

Andrey would not cooperate with them!

Marina turned pale. Georgiy stood up:

“Okay, there’s one more thing. Hand over the controlling stake, or everyone will learn about your tax problems!”

He nodded to his wife, who brought a red folder with forged documents allegedly proving that Andrey hid income.

But as soon as Georgiy began reviewing them, his face twisted. He grabbed his wife:

“What are you doing, idiot?! Are you sleeping with this Andrey?”

He threw the papers on the table. Andrey examined them carefully and understood: the evidence was aimed against Marina herself.

At that moment, Zhenya entered. She held stacks of documents. Next to her stood a woman strikingly resembling the one whose photo was in Andrey’s locket.

Only now did he understand why Zhenya seemed so familiar — she was the spitting image of his mother!

“Is this what you’re looking for?” the woman asked. “Looks like my daughter didn’t come here to work in vain.”

Vera approached and hugged her son. Andrey couldn’t utter a word — he just sank onto the sofa as the meeting room gradually emptied.

“Zhenya, why didn’t you say so right away?” he finally said.

“Dad asked me to help you. He was worried about Georgiy and Marina. And it was a good way to meet,” his sister wrote.

And their mother just cried, endlessly asking for forgiveness.

At the family dinner, the father said:

“I made an appointment for Zhenya with the best doctor. Her voice is partially returning. But the main thing — she has won my heart. Now I will do everything possible for her recovery.”

“Well, discussing a grown woman’s personal life is somehow inappropriate,” Zhenya said through the computer, then, gathering strength, added in her own voice, with difficulty but sincerely:

“Forgive me…”

“Since we’re on the topic, I’ll say: I decided to marry Polina, Antonovna’s great-granddaughter. She helped me when I was left alone with the monster I can’t call father. We always kept in touch. Now we love each other.”

“Wow! That’s the same Polya who launched the cheese factory in the village? Couldn’t have chosen better!” Andrey’s father rejoiced.

Andrey added that the reason for the wedding was also that Zhenya would soon have a nephew — the couple is expecting a child.

“No, I don’t deserve forgiveness… I’ll leave so as not to bother anyone,” Vera continued to sob.

“Mom, enough! I never thought badly of you. Besides, Zhenya loves you very much. You even look alike, like two drops of water,” Andrey was touched.

“I love you too… Very much,” finally said Zhenya, no longer needing notes or the computer.

Those were the longest words she managed to say since the treatment began.