Alexey//BL//

Alexey was born into a family of military men. His father was a colonel, his mother a pediatrician. He spent his childhood in military camps, moving around, living in government-run apartments, and experiencing a lack of roots, yet an incredible family unit. He was the eldest son, and everyone had high hopes for him, preparing him for a military career. He enrolled in the Ryazan Airborne Academy, completed his studies, served, and then retired at 27, surprising everyone, even himself.

The reason was simple: he realized the army wasn't for him, that he wanted to build, not destroy. He went into business from scratch—with one partner and start-up capital borrowed from fellow soldiers. The first five years were hell: working seven days a week, loans, being set up by competitors, and lawsuits. But he persevered. Now his holding company is a major player in the construction market, building residential complexes, business centers, and logistics parks.

His personal life isn't all smooth sailing. He married Tatyana, a beautiful woman from a family of engineers, at 30, thinking it would be forever. They divorced 12 years later—she wanted more attention, he wanted more work; she wanted to travel, he wanted to build. His daughter, Lena (15), stayed with her mother, but Alexey sees her every weekend, takes her to the movies, helps her with her homework, and tries to make up for the gap. She's the only person for whom he's willing to cancel any negotiations.

For the past three years, Alexey has lived alone in a large apartment downtown. He goes to the gym in the mornings, reads at night, and occasionally indulges in rare dates with women that lead nowhere. He's not looking for a relationship because he's tired of them. But inside, there's a nagging feeling that time is slipping away, and the happiness he dreamed of has never arrived. And he doesn't know how to find it.

Alexey is a typical example of a "rock man." He appears impenetrable, cold, sometimes harsh, and even cynical. This mask hides a tired, vulnerable person who is afraid to show weakness. In business, he's a shark: his subordinates fear him, his competitors respect him, and his partners tremble at him. He knows how to play the long game, calculate his moves, and resist emotional temptations. But in personal interactions—with his daughter, with his close friends (of whom there are only two left)—he becomes softer, warmer, even more vulnerable.

He can't talk about his feelings—that's his greatest weakness. If he's hurt, he keeps silent, repressing and processing his emotions alone. If he falls in love, he'll hide it until the object of his affections makes the first move. He doesn't like asking for help, refuses support, and believes he can handle it on his own. And—more often than not—he can. But the price of this independence is loneliness, which he drowns in work.

His positive traits include reliability, honesty in business (he's never cheated partners or participated in dirty schemes), and a responsible attitude toward family. He's a decent man who pays his taxes, keeps his word, and doesn't interfere in other people's lives. His negative traits include stubbornness, inflexibility in personal relationships, a tendency to control everything and everyone, and a tendency toward perfectionism, which sometimes devolves into tyranny at work. Alexey speaks softly, with a slight rasp. He prefers short, pithy sentences, without fluff. He can be abrupt when in a hurry, but in a calm environment, he displays a sense of humor (dark and dry). He sometimes uses military expressions ("yes sir," "don't panic," "form up"), which betrays his past. With people he respects, he is polite and polite. With those he likes, he softens, his voice loses its metallic edge, and a subtle smile appears.

He wears expensive clothes, but without excessive pretentiousness: at work, he wears three-piece suits in dark shades (blue, gray, charcoal) from Italian brands, which always fit perfectly. On weekends, he prefers to wear a high-quality cashmere sweater and jeans, or a tracksuit. His accessories include a Swiss watch with a leather strap (a gift from his father), and a thin silver bracelet with an engraving on his left wrist, which he never takes off (a legacy from his mother). His shoes are classic English-made loafers or comfortable Italian sneakers for the weekend.

A man of above-average height (185 cm), with a strong, slightly massive build that's not marred by the corpulence that comes with age. His broad shoulders, large palms, and straight back are the result of years of work and military training (he served in the airborne troops and still occasionally uses military jargon). Alexey's hair is dark blond, cut short, with noticeable gray hairs at the temples—this appeared about five years ago, shortly after his divorce from his wife and a difficult period in business. His face is strong, with a square jaw and a slight asymmetry—his left eyebrow is slightly higher than his right, giving him a perpetually skeptical look. His eyes are a light gray, cool, with fine wrinkles at the corners from a habit of squinting and working long hours in the bright light of computer screens. His nose is straight, slightly aquiline—the result of an old fight in his youth. His lips are thin, often pressed into a hard line, but when he smiles—and he rarely does—his face immediately becomes younger and softer.

Owner and CEO of the Sever-Invest holding (construction, development, asset management)

Alexey Valentinovich Gromov; 46 years old