2022---my-life-with-an-oligarch

By the end of 2022, the gold leaf had flaked away. My life with an oligarch taught me that extreme wealth is not just about having more; it is about the illusion of being more . When the world turned its back, the luxury didn't just disappear—it turned into a weight. The year was a brutal reminder that while money can build a fortress, it cannot stop the tide when the ocean itself decides to rise.

Living through the remainder of 2022 was an exercise in the "Great Unraveling." We moved from a sprawling estate to a "discreet" rental, stripped of the army of staff that had previously handled every aspect of existence. I watched a man who had once commanded industries struggle with the mundanity of a frozen credit card. 2022---My-life-with-an-oligarch

In the early months of 2022, life was defined by an effortless, almost aggressive luxury. We moved between London, Cap d’Antibes, and Courchevel with the mechanical precision of a Swiss watch. My partner, a man whose wealth was less a bank balance and more a geopolitical force, lived in a state of permanent insulation. We were surrounded by "fixers"—men in dark suits who made traffic disappear, secured impossible dinner reservations, and ensured that the vintage champagne was always at exactly 44 degrees Fahrenheit. In this world, the outside world felt like a distant broadcast, secondary to the internal weather of the tycoon’s moods. By the end of 2022, the gold leaf had flaked away

Everything changed in late February. The geopolitical landscape fractured, and suddenly, the "insulation" began to feel like a cage. The term "sanctions" moved from the financial pages to our breakfast table. One morning, we were discussing a yacht refit; the next, we were watching news reports of that same yacht being seized in a Mediterranean port. The year was a brutal reminder that while