“I don’t get what you do at all,” Nina grumbled, wrapped in a cozy grey blanket with Andrei as they watched a series on his old laptop.

“I’ve told you, I’m a sysadmin,” Andrei replied with a smile.

“To me, a sysadmin is someone who fixes printers,” Nina insisted.

“No, printers aren’t my thing, but if there’s an issue with the internet, I’m your guy. Shall we continue watching?” he said, trying to avoid a more direct explanation.

“Wait! Do you fix computers?” she asked, still curious.

Andrei grinned mischievously, reaching out to tickle her, but in the process, he knocked a mug off the armrest. Tea splashed over the laptop on the floor.

“Andrei! How are you going to manage without a computer now?” Nina asked, her concern more evident than his.

“It’s fine,” he waved off her concern. “I’ll deal with it tomorrow. But, just to remind you, I’m a sysadmin, not a programmer.”

Nina chuckled softly. “Alright, alright. But how are you going to manage without a computer?”

“You know what, you’re right!” he said, half-joking. “But not about the laptop—about moving in with me.”

“I’m in agreement, but one condition—we split rent equally. I don’t want you spending your whole salary on rent.”

Nina had noticed that the apartment needed some work, and Andrei was driving an old car, but none of that bothered her.

Later that evening, the couple moved Nina’s belongings into Andrei’s apartment.

Though Nina felt comfortable with him, there was always something about Andrei that made her uneasy. It wasn’t anything overt, but the way he handled money was peculiar. People who weren’t wealthy didn’t act like that—he was too carefree with his finances.

That evening, Andrei came home, cheerful and carrying a flat box. When Nina saw what was inside, she gasped.

“A MacBook! Andrei, this costs as much as a car!”

“Relax, Nin. It’s nothing,” he laughed. “Remember that contest I mentioned?”

She shook her head. “What contest?”

“The ‘Sysadmin of the Year’ contest. I applied ages ago and forgot about it. I answered some simple questions and today they called me in to pick up my prize. So, everything’s free.”

The next time, Nina noticed Andrei holding a new, expensive phone instead of his old “Samsung.”

“Andrei, where did this come from?” she asked, feeling uneasy.

Again, Andrei dismissed it lightly. “Oh, nothing. I broke my old one, so I grabbed the first phone I found.”

“That’s not just ‘any’ phone, Andrei. It’s pricey.”

“Nin, stop worrying. It’s only twenty thousand. It’s a great phone, look here,” he said, showing off its features enthusiastically.

Nina, who always stuck to budget phones, listened distractedly, her thoughts drifting. Something doesn’t add up here. We can’t afford such expensive purchases. Andrei’s hiding something.

A few days later, as Nina admired the sunset from the balcony, she noticed a luxury foreign car pulling into the courtyard. An older woman was driving, and through the reflection of the setting sun, Nina could make out Andrei in the passenger seat. The realization hit her like a wave. That was where the expensive purchases were coming from. The carefree attitude towards money… It all makes sense now.

Nina had heard of older women helping out younger men, giving them gifts, and providing financial support. She had thought Andrei was different, but now, seeing him with that woman, everything seemed to fall into place. Andrei, with an older woman?

Although the woman was clearly much older, Nina had planned to confront Andrei, but she held herself back. First, she needed more information. Maybe it wasn’t what she thought.

“Hi Andrei,” Nina greeted him when he came home. “How’s your day been?”

“Great, babe,” he hugged her, but she pulled away. “How about you?”

“It was fine. Until I saw that woman drop you off,” Nina said, trying to hide her frustration.

Andrei’s expression faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered. “Oh, that’s Alla Sergeyevna. A regular client. She gave me a ride after I worked at her company today.”

“A client?” Nina’s eyebrow raised. “And do you kiss all your clients on the cheek?”

Andrei stared at her, shocked by her question, before bursting into laughter. “Is that what this is about? Are you jealous? Nina, Alla Sergeyevna is like a second mother to me.”

Nina felt a wave of relief, but there was still something gnawing at her. Despite Andrei’s reassurance, she wasn’t entirely convinced.

Then, she remembered a man from her old neighborhood, nicknamed “Vaska-the-Reference.” He was known for finding information for a small fee.

Nina decided to find out the truth.

The next morning, she approached the group of men and asked for Vasily. She laid out her request, asking if he could help her investigate Andrei.

Vasily agreed and spent the next week following Andrei, doing everything discreetly. But one evening, Andrei confronted him at a café.

“You’ve been trailing me for a week, and you think I didn’t notice?” Andrei said, looking at Vasily. “Did Nina ask you to follow me?”

Vasily hesitated but didn’t answer. Andrei continued, “Let’s talk, man to man.”

In the café, over some food, Andrei explained everything. He and his mother had opened a business together years ago, which had unexpectedly grown. He’d kept his wealth hidden, not wanting to seem like he was only after money. Andrei admitted that his mother had pushed him to test Nina, to see if she would love him for who he was, not for his money. He now wanted to marry Nina, but first, he needed her to understand.

At that moment, Vasily entered Nina’s apartment with bad news. He had been unable to find anything on Andrei, but he handed her some of the money he had received as an advance.

“I couldn’t find anything on Andrei, but I found you easily,” Vasily said, leaving her with the money.

Feeling betrayed, Nina made up her mind. It was clear now—Alla Sergeyevna had bought him off. She was involved with Andrei, and he was hiding the truth from me.

When Andrei came home, she was already packing her things.

“Are you packing?” he asked, surprised.

“We’re moving tomorrow, but not now. Get dressed, we’re going to a restaurant.”

Nina, determined to confront him, followed Andrei. At the restaurant, they joined a couple already seated at a table. Andrei introduced them.

“Nina, this is my mom and dad.”

Nina froze. His mom and dad?

Andrei, seeing her confusion, began explaining that he worked with his mother, and they had a successful business. He had kept his wealth hidden, testing Nina’s loyalty. Now, he wanted to marry her, and he asked for her hand.

As Andrei kneeled, Vasily entered, joking, “Can we congratulate the young couple now?”

A month later, they were married, and soon after, their daughter Sonya was born. But Nina knew that Andrei had finally shown his true colors, and she had made the right choice.