Chapter TWENTY-THREE

MARAT

I hated this. I hated pompous galas of any kind. Awards dinners filled with dishonorable dickheads pretending to be better than they were, patting themselves on the back for accomplishments not of their own making.

It was ludicrous. It was grotesque. But it was business.

Sometimes I wondered if we had remained on the path Adrik first took, pursuing criminal endeavors instead of legitimate ones, if things would have been any different. Really, the more I became involved with the company, the more I saw how difficult Adrik’s struggle to keep us legit really was.

The line between the business world and the underworld was truly fine. So damn thin it was impossible to see in certain places.

Volkov Industries had several divisions. I was currently working on a plan to decrease our carbon footprint overseas, to make our mines green, safer for the environment and for our employees. It was a huge undertaking, but one Adrik approved of.