Yan Xiaojun and Ying Yue were so mesmerized by Vladimir's story they felt emotionally stirred. Yan Xiaojun extended his support and said, "In case I will ever find Wenqian or Lina, I will contact you."
Ying Yue nodded her head as if saying she would do that too.
Vladimir thanked them and asked, "When are you leaving the country?"
"We will go the day after," replied Yan Xiaojun.
"Oh, in that case, please pack up your bags from here and come and stay in my humble abode for a day. It will give me immense pleasure," requested Vladimir.
His offer startled them but eventually agreed after Vladimir pestered them a little.
As soon as they accepted his request, within an hour his men did their entire packing and they were on road to Sofia. The guesthouse owner bade them a warm farewell and warned them, "Vladimir is a very dangerous man. If he has his mind set on something, he ensures that he gets it. He is notoriously known to topple governments of small countries overnight. You can say he is a kingmaker. So be wary of him and don't annoy him. Just be his guest and don't show aggression."
Both looked at the owner with wide eyes wondering if they are falling in a trap or is their end nearing!
Before leaving Yan Xiaojun looked around to find Rosa but she was gone…
When they reached the parking area of the guesthouse, they saw that there were ten black cars and the numerous bodyguards that had spread all around the guesthouse were now marching towards the cars and sitting in each of them quickly. The car in which Vladimir was sitting was in the center. The driver, yet again another man in black with high definition gears on his body jumped out of the car and opened the door for him. Vladimir asked them to sit in the car with him.
Although it looked like any other sedan from outside, Vladimir's car was plush from inside! There was a bar, and the seats were facing each other.
The caravan of ten cars drove for about two hours before they reached his mansion in Sofia. Five cars stopped at the main gate of the mansion while the other five drove inside. They must have driven for fifteen minutes before reaching the palace like the mansion of Vladimir Yankov.
Ying Yue and Yan Xiaojun were amazed at its sheer elegance. The mansion was an old country building that had been extended on all the sides exquisitely. Walking inside one could see the opulence. There were four sides around a central quadrangle and there were over a hundred rooms. There was a small army of servants that were hired to upkeep such a huge mansion. The rooms were hardly ever used. Vladimir stayed in only one corner of the floor and he rarely ever went to any other room. But his mansion was a status symbol. It set him above his people. After all, Vladimir was the kingmaker of Bulgaria.
They made the walls of the mansion from a white stone that glistened when the sun shone on them. There were huge chandeliers dangling from the ceiling of the main hall. It was surrounded by huge green meadows and kitchen gardens, which were bordered by jungles on the eastern and the southern sides. There was a herd of deer galloping away towards the jungles. A small lake filled with fish was glistening in sun at the backside of the mansion. There was a designated area for the helipad a few hundred meters away on the west side of the mansion. The periphery was built from a stone wall that was topped with iron spikes.
They guarded the mansion day and night. So they interspersed the army of servants with an army of men in black!
Ying Yue and Yan Xiaojun had seen nothing like it. While they were gawking at the opulence, Vladimir gave instructions to the servants to take their luggage in the guest room. Then he turned towards them and asked them to rest. He said he would meet them for dinner as he had an urgent work to take care of now.
As the evening approached, Ying Yue wondered how unlucky Wenqian must be to leave a passionate and loyal man like Vladimir. And is Lina alive?
Vladimir interrupted her thoughts when she was seated in the dining hall. Yan Xiaojun was busy on his phone so he wasn't paying attention to them.
"Did you like my mansion?" asked Vlad.
"It's beautiful," said Ying Yue.
"It lacks an heir…" said Vlad. "The day I find Lina, I think I can live in peace," he added.
Yan Xiaojun finished his phone call and joined the conversation. He reassured Vladimir that if he ever finds any clue about Wenqian or Lina, he would inform him the soonest.
"I have everything in my life, but my heart still longs for Wenqian. I don't know what all she must have suffered in her life because of me. I forbade her to abort our only child. She was only eighteen, and I was twenty-four when she became pregnant. She was just too young…" he said with a touch of sadness.
"I can't enter your country as there is a ban on me for entering several countries. Hahaha," he added with a menacing laugh.
They served the dinner in silver cutlery and there were countless dishes. Post dinner they went to his living room. A lady was playing the piano for them. They listened to the classical music of Mozart and Chopin. It was like royalty.
Ying Yue and Yan Xiaojun had to leave next day by 11 am flight for which they had to reach the airport by 9 am for international check-ins. They excused themselves after thanking Vladimir for his courtesy. Vladimir waved them goodbye. They got up to leave but Vladimir was still listening to the music. They left quietly. It was a day to remember for their lives.
Next day both of them left Bulgaria never to return.