“But that bright red screams power,” the makeup artist said.
Petrov pointed at her face. “I don’t need anything but my mouth to put people under my thumb. It’s not what I look like, but what I do.”
The artist shrunk back before rushing to finish the job. She slipped out of the room without speaking another word.
“Are we ready?” asked Janet Hubbard, as she poked her head in the door. “Interview is set to go live in five minutes. Tut, tut.”
Hubbard, the vivacious host for Good Day, Britain, winked at Petrov and exited the room. Petrov agreed to appear on the show with Hubbard, who was famous worldwide, though Petrov assumed Hubbard’s popularity had more to do with her bust size than her journalistic prowess. Petrov had watched more than a dozen episodes of Hubbard’s favorable handling of her guests. Hubbard’s easy questions accompanied by plenty of slack-jawed expressions and effusive praises made Petrov comfortable about sitting across from her.
Petrov walked into The Chamber’s makeshift offices and took a seat in the director’s style chair opposite Hubbard. Surveying the surroundings, Petrov smiled. She’d managed to secure the offices a week before the interview in order to give The Chamber a more legitimate presence. Her underground operation hidden well out of sight from the people of Istanbul and guarded night and day would’ve sent a chilling message, along with creating plenty of other questions. They were questions even Hubbard would’ve felt compelled to ask.
The corporate feel to the temporary offices ensured that everyone involved on the production team would feel safe and welcome. Carpeted floors, big windows, plush furniture, modern light fixtures, soothing music piped into the lobby—everything anyone would’ve expected in a serious business environment.
“Nice digs,” Hubbard said as she glanced around the room. “I love how you designed your logo with the T and the C. They go together so effortlessly. It’s incredibly thoughtful, like you, I suppose.”
Petrov smiled, reaching deep to turn on the charm. She had it when she wanted it. Her KGB training had taught her that much.
“You’re very kind,” Petrov said. “But I’m just trying to do my part and help the world get along. I’ve been fortunate enough to get into a position where I can influence change. And that’s what I want to do.”
“On that note, let’s jump right into the questions I have for you regarding history of The Chamber and what your role is here and what you see this organization doing in the future.”
“I guess I could talk for half an hour on those topics, so stop me if I’m getting long or veering off topic, will you?”
“Of course, of course,” Hubbard said, tilting her head and smiling. “By all means, continue.”
“Well, The Chamber has an interesting history, one that I wasn’t a part of when it originally was founded,” Petrov began. “Initially it was created as a charity, designed to help those in floundering countries, mostly poor people who were destined to die far before their time. The Chamber’s founder, Lord Byron Cornwall, had that in mind when he started. And initially that’s all The Chamber did—deliver food to the poor in developing nations through many different technological means. The organization also founded medical clinics, providing health care to those who’d never even seen a doctor, much less been to one.”
Hubbard put her hand out, signifying her desire to speak. Petrov had seen enough of Hubbard’s interviews to know what she meant. “But why the change in recent years? Can you tell us about what prompted all that?”
“About seven years ago, The Chamber had an identity crisis. We didn’t know if we wanted to be a charity or something more. In many of the different governments, we identified rampant corruption, which we determined was one of the main factors that people in those countries couldn’t escape cycles of poverty. The idea that we could help them seemed like a daunting one at first. I mean, really, what could we do about it? But that’s when we took our relationships with the common people—the people we were helping—to a deeper level. Instead of just helping them, we sought to understand what was causing all these problems.”
“And what did you find?”
“Exactly what I mentioned before—government corruption. Once we realized that, we understood that we’d be doing the same thing in a hundred years that we’re doing now. It’d be a constant refrain of helping people live hand to mouth. And that was never the vision for The Chamber. So, we sought ways that we could more seriously effect change.”
“What specific ways do you now plan to address this issue?”
Petrov looked pensively at her interviewer before answering.
“That, of course, was the million dollar question—or in today’s environment, the billion dollar question,” Petrov said with a hint of a smile. “Overcoming corruption isn’t something you can merely do by snapping your fingers and bobbing your head like you’re Mary Poppins. And honestly, corruption is part of human nature. Rooting out such systemic depraved behavior would take several generations, if it was even attainable at all. That’s why we realized the only way to put a dent in this behavior is to remove the human gatekeepers that make this possible.”
“And based on some comments you’ve made in the media, you believe economic bodies in various countries to be the people you’re referring to. Am I right in making such an assumption?”
Petrov nodded vigorously. “Absolutely, Janet. These people are the ones doing favors for the banking industry titans. All the while—to borrow the vernacular of our American friends—the little man is getting screwed.”
Janet narrowed her gaze as curious lines flashed across her brow.
“But haven’t you befriended bankers? How is what you’re doing different?”
“That is a good question, Janet. And the truth is, I’ve vetted and targeted only bankers I deemed to be honest ones. In my dealings with them, I’ve only tried to persuade them that this will be best for everyone, even if their
