Headquarters of ACH Entertainment, Nashville
Two Years Ago
Dmitri Churpov was not a man to suffer fools. In fact, his unwavering approach to discipline in his organization was to make fools suffer. If he suspected that anyone had lied to him, cheated him, or even evaded one of his pointed questions, the consequences would be quick and severe. Churpov never wanted to know the details of how his retributions were delivered. It sufficed for him to be sure that a crippling punishment had been meted out. But essential to organizational discipline would be the resulting swarm of unsubstantiated but plausible rumor: For example, the music critic’s review of the performer had been not only disappointing but potentially damaging to a multimillion-dollar world tour. Some would say the pinkie finge
