The Unexpected Heir

Chapter 9: The Unexpected Heir

❤ Nathalie’s POV ❤

AS soon as we stepped into the conference room, everyone went quiet and I saw a bunch of men and women sitting at a long conference table wearing suits turn to look at us.

I saw everyone focus on me, which made me conscious. I was about to bow my head when Atty. Geronimo whispered "Don't look down. Don't make them think you're scared."

I nodded and forced myself to look up. I didn't want to make eye contact with anyone, so I focused my eyes on the plant at the back corner of the room.

Marie led us to the empty seats at the head of the table. Once we'd taken our seats, Atty. Geronimo looked around the table before he started talking.

Atty. Geronimo: "Good morning, everyone. For those of you who don't know who I am, I am Menardo Geronimo. I am Don Miguel Escudero's estate lawyer. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us this morning."

Everyone kept their eyes on Atty. Geronimo as he kept talking.

Atty. Geronimo: "I am here today with Miss Nathalie Manansala. She's taking over Don Miguel Escudero's position in the company."

I heard murmurs around the room. After a few seconds, the old man at the other end of the table said "Who is this girl? Doesn't Miguel have a son? Why is she taking over the company?"

The old man talked as if I wasn't even there. I am probably young enough to be the man's granddaughter, but being referred to as a girl made me feel more insignificant.

Atty. Geronimo: "Miss Manansala is Don Miguel's named heir. It doesn't matter who she is."

The old man sniggered and said "Do you really expect us to take orders from this girl? Is she even eighteen yet?"

Somehow, being called out for being young makes me feel insulted, and I felt the need to defend myself. I looked at Atty. Geronimo, and I could tell that he was thinking of how to respond.

I don't know what came over me when I stood up. All eyes went to me, and I closed my eyes momentarily to gather some courage. When I opened my eyes, I looked at the old man who had been calling me a girl and then at everyone before saying "Good morning, everyone. Let me introduce myself. I am Nathalie Manansala. Most of you would consider me a girl, but I assure you, I am not a minor. In fact, I am turning 20 in a month. I am a nursing student at UP Manila. I worked for Don Miguel as his caregiver until he passed away."

Everyone kept their eyes on me and no one talked. I let out a deep breath before continuing.

Nathalie: "I'm sure you're all wondering why Don Miguel left me his fortune. Believe me, you're not the only one. Up until now, I'm still wondering if I'm dreaming."

I chuckled, but no one seemed amused. The old man even looked annoyed. I cleared my throat to regain my bearing before continuing.

Nathalie: "I loved Don Miguel like a father, and I know that he trusted all of you to run the company. I intend to honor his legacy by keeping things as they are. I know how you all respect him, and you are all doing a good job. Nothing is changing in terms of how the company is operating now. I may be a young girl, but I know that the best thing for the company is to keep the status quo."

I could see everyone looking at each other. Some are nodding, but no one is talking.

Nathalie: "Thank you all for your time."

With that, I took my seat and took a sip at the glass of water in front of me. I don't even know if I'm allowed to drink it, but somehow, I felt parched after talking.

Atty. Geronimo looked at me and smiled. He nodded at me as if he was saying 'Good job.'

Atty. Geronimo: "As Miss Manansala said, nothing is changing in terms of how the company is operating at the moment. If you have any questions, feel free to let Marie know."

He then stood up, and I stood up with him. Before leaving, I made eye contact with the old man and nodded my head in respect. He nodded back, which made me smile.

Atty. Geronimo and I walked out of the conference room and didn't talk until we were at the elevators. I let out a huge breath and Atty. Geronimo said "You did a good job. Miguel has been telling me how smart you are, and he's right."

Nathalie: "Thank you. I don't know what came over me, but getting called a girl multiple times somehow made me feel insulted."

Atty. Geronimo chuckled and said "I understand. That's Mr. Dela Cruz. He's the Chief Operating Officer of the company. I think your presence made him feel threatened."

Nathalie: "He's got nothing to worry about. Right now, all I'm thinking about is getting through the semester."

Atty. Geronimo: "You're a good kid. I'm sure you'll do just fine."

Nathalie: "Thank you."

Atty. Geronimo got in a different car and headed to his office, as Mang Poldo drove me home. We got home in an hour and I headed to the kitchen to have lunch before heading to my room.

I decided to do some advanced reading. I still have a few days before classes resume, but I always wanted to be prepared for my classes. Some of my classmates have taken a vacation during the break, but I think it's just a waste of time.

It's not that I don't have any friends, but I don't really spend time with them outside of school. My mom has always been my best friend, which made losing her harder.

I decided to go to the pool house. There was no one there, so I dipped my feet in the pool. The water felt so good and I almost wanted to jump.

I got up and when I turned around, I felt myself getting pushed into the pool. I screamed as I hit the water.