The Unexpected Heir

Chapter 8: The Company

❤ Nathalie’s POV ❤

I barely saw Joemar in his first week of stay in the mansion. He barely stayed inside and always came home late. The mansion workers have been telling me that he comes home late at night, always drunk.

I've completed my midterms with flying colors, and I have a week off from school after the exams. I decided to relax and go for a night's swim in the pool. In the eight months that I have stayed in the mansion, I have learned to swim. The pool is free to use for all the mansion workers, including the nurses. We even had a pool party once on Don Miguel's birthday, and everyone had a great time.

It still pains me that Don Miguel is no longer around. He would have wanted to know how my midterms went. He would have been proud to know that I did well.

I am a dean's lister in class, and I'm set to graduate with Latin honors if I keep up with my current progress. Don Miguel even said that he'd love to attend my graduation. It excited me to know that someone would be there to cheer for me on my graduation.

I put on my one-piece swimsuit and wrapped a towel around my body. If it was morning, I would have been conscious of wearing a bikini, but since it was nighttime, I didn't mind. No one comes to the pool area at this time.

I dipped a foot in the water first before jumping in. The water was not too cold, and I was able to swim a few laps. After about twenty minutes, I decided to take some rest and sit on the lounge chair.

I had just laid in the chair and had my eyes closed when I heard a man say "You know what I like more than night swimming? Skinny dipping."

I gasped and pulled the towel on top of me as I turned toward the person who just talked. It was Joemar. He was getting out of the hot tub and walking towards me. I didn't even notice him when I got into the pool. Maybe it's because it was dark.

He sat on the lounge chair next to mine and pulled the towel from me. I wasn't able to stop him, and I covered my body with my hands. Joemar looked at me and chuckled.

Joemar: "What are you doing? I already saw your body earlier. You're barely hiding anything with those small hands. Nice bo0bs, by the way."

I stood up and pulled the towel from Joemar before running towards the inside of the house. I made sure to wipe off the excess water from my body before going inside. I didn't want to give the helpers to have to dry off the water that I would be tracking inside.

I would usually dry off first before going inside, but I didn't want to be near Joemar any longer than I had to.

When I got to my room, I locked the door and went to the bathroom immediately to take a shower.

When I was done, I put on my pajamas and went to bed. My plan was to have dinner after swimming, but I was afraid I'd run into Joemar again. I decided to go to bed and just come down a little later to eat. It's not the first time I'm going to sleep on an empty stomach.

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The next day, I was scheduled to visit Escudero Holdings with Atty. Geronimo. He was going to introduce me to the board of directors, and give me an idea of how the company operates. I was extremely nervous but realized that I shouldn't let it show. I got dressed as business-like as I could.

I put on a white button-up shirt and a pencil skirt and paired the look with high-heeled shoes. I braided my long hair to keep it neat. I would have worn a blazer but thought it would be too much. I put on some powder and lip tint since I don't put makeup on anyway.

As Atty. Geronimo and I drove toward the office. I was fidgeting. I put my hands on my lap to try to keep myself steady.

Atty. Geronimo: "Relax, you'll be fine."

Nathalie: "I don't have to say anything, do I?"

Atty. Geronimo: "No, you don't."

Nathalie: "Okay, good."

We arrived at the Escudero Holdings office in less than an hour. Atty. Geronimo mentioned that the entire building was owned by Don Miguel, and five subsidiaries under the parent company are housed in the building. Don Miguel also owns buildings in other locations in the country, but this is where the center of operation is being run.

I got more nervous as we got into the elevator. It took a few minutes before we got to our destination, and Marie was waiting for us. She immediately blurted out "Good morning." She then pulled my hand and asked me to go with her. I looked at Atty. Geronimo and he just nodded and smiled.

I was surprised when Marie took me to the bathroom. She pulled out some makeup from her bag and said "You have nice skin. It would be a nice canvas."

Nathalie: "Huh? What do you?"

Marie: "Relax and trust me."

I relaxed and decided to just trust Marie. She started applying makeup on me, which made me realize that she wanted me to look presentable to the board.

When Marie was done with my face, I looked in the mirror and said "Wow. Is that me?"

Marie: "Yep. You're very pretty. Even more so with makeup."

Nathalie: "Thank you. You're really good."

Marie smiled before saying "Your hair looks fine, let me just fix it up a little."

Atty. Geronimo seemed pleased with how I looked when he saw me. He looked at Marie and asked, "Is everything set?"

Marie: "Yes. They are waiting in the conference room."

Atty: Geronimo looked at me and said "Let's go."

I could feel my heart beating faster as we walked toward the conference room. I didn't know what to expect. All I can do right now is to pray and hope that things will turn out well.