Matilda- The Missing Billionaire's Heir

CHAPTER ONE "You are not one of us and you should never come back here. You can go look for your father in all the filthy ghettos." Lady Nancy mocked Matilda at the top of her voice puffing at a cigar like she owned the world. Matilda let a sea of tests roll down her cheeks knowing this would be the last time she would be welcome to this very place she has known to be home all her life. She never chanced to see her mother alive who died in child labour. Mr Jones then brought her up in this house just like his own daughter. It wasn't until he was on his deathbed that Matilda learned he was only her benefactor who took her in following her mother's unfortunate demise. Since then, Mr Jones had made every effort to make Matilda feel she belonged just like his own children. In his will, Mr Jones named Matilda a beneficiary of his enormous estate but Lady Nancy, the deceased's widow and Annamarie her half-sister bitterly resisted the decision, instead insisting on throwing her out immediately after Mr Jone's burial. She made no effort to resist, packing her bags one by one into a waiting taxi, an indication it was a journey of no return. "Oh, it can't be! Where is it, where are you?" She cried out while panting as she shuffled through one bag she had just dropped into the cab. She flipped one bag after another, throwing all the contents in there on the ground that one would believe she was possessed. " Where do you think you are going? Did you not hear what Mom just told you?" Annamarie interjected as she desperately tried to push her way back to the house one last time to search for something that seemed so important to her that her life depended on it so much. Annamarie grabbed her by the neck before she was joined by Lady Nancy who stepped on her left foot, sending her to the ground in an instant. " Auchii, I am not a robber to deserve this from you, my family, I only want to pick something dearest to me, please, let me go and get it and I won't return no matter what." Matilda pleaded with his captors but in vain. " Can you hear yourself? Did you just say you are not a robber? Then what are you, you cheat? You cheated your way into our high-end life instead of the filth ghettos you rightfully belong to, then robbed my children of the love of their father who always gave you more attention than them." Lady Nancy coldly retorted as she stared at Matilda groaning I'm pain. "She is lying. She wants to steal something from us, maybe our expensive jewellery so she can sell it off to escape the life she rightfully belongs to in the ghettos, let's kick her out once and for all." Annamarie mockingly fired. " Mom! What are you doing? Don't you people have any shame left? For heaven's sake, why would you treat someone like this however much you hate them? Can't you at least treat her well this last time for the sake of my father?" Patrice Jones rebuked her mother and sister as she bent down to tend to his half-sister Matilda who was subdued by the humiliation. He was the youngest and only son of the Jones family and he had just graduated from North City University of Science and Technology with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering. Despite the sharp disparity in age between him and Matilda, they were very close and he often called her " elder" sister. Besides, Matilda was a very intelligent girl in school and immensely helped Patrice Jones, especially with physics and mathematics. " I am embarrassed, sister. I even feel ashamed of myself, what will I tell Dad when I meet him again on the other side of life," Patrice tried to repent on behalf of the Jones family while trying to sound as apologetic as possible. His eyes welled up unconsciously and Matilda dried it up with the edge of her palm. " It's not your fault young brother I am overly grateful to you, to everyone in this family for bringing me up. I will never forget that," she explained, trying to rid the young Jones of the gilt that was written all over his face. I only demand to pick one important item from the house and I give you my word that I will never look back after I move out of this home." Matilda pleaded as she wiped the tears that had contaminated her elegant but saddened face. Patrice looked at this human being and couldn't comprehend her humility. Despite all the embarrassment she has endured at the hands of this shameless family, she still held them dear and talked good of them. How wondered how she could still be praising their kindness even after getting ripped off of her identity and dragged out of the family she had grown up knowing she belonged to! " Okay, fine, you can go in but you have only five minutes within which to search for what you want and leave us once and for all," Lady Nancy shouted with a thunderous voice that made Matilda tremble. She went inside the house as Patrice and Annamarie followed behind while Lady Nancy precipitously waited outside. Matilda picked a small handbag from her room and hastily emptied it on the table before picking an old green pendant jade that instantly sparkled after she laid her hands on it. She sighed in relief as she wore it around her neck before hugging Patrice one last time. " Hope you didn't let her steal our jewellery, I am trusting you, Annamarie, that you watched that robber," Lady Nancy demeaningly trolled Matilda who said nothing but glared as she made her way to the waiting van. Seeing her sympathetic sister crawling before his inconsiderate mother and sister, Patrice Jones Jr couldn't help but remember his late father's top-kept secret about Matilda that only he knew in this house, not even Matilda herself. Before he died, Patrice Jones Sr had urgently called for Jones Jr from school for he had very much information he had to pass on to him that couldn't wait. Despite being in the middle of his final semester examinations, Jones Jr hurriedly got onto a train and arrived at the Malcolm Care Hospital at a quarter to midnight. " I called you because I have a secret I want to pass on only to someone I know I can trust. It's about your sister, Matilda is my daughter, and that won't ever change," Jones Sr lectured his son, visibly struggling to breathe. He wondered why Mr Jones was telling him all this. Not that she did not grow under the same roof as them, not that we didn't know her as their sister. It was beginning to confuse him. " Me and her mother were in a hot romantic relationship which her parents didn't approve of. They arranged for her to marry the wealthiest man in this country at the time. She, however, kept her word to the very last minute when she escaped from the forced marriage and returned to me. Unfortunately, she was carrying a child in her womb. We agreed to raise the baby and keep it a top secret between us. Unfortunately, she didn't make it through labour. As the angel of death drained the life out of her beautiful body, holding my hand tighter than I had ever known, she asked me to promise that I would look after our child and love him or her with all my heart. I don't think that was even necessary since I could have done nothing less. There was something more she made me profess about that has proved a thorn in my flesh for all these years." he posed for a moment, trying to walk back in the years he was who's events he was narrating to his son before continuing. She asked me to name the baby Matilda if it were a girl or Jones for a boy. She also begged me to give her back to her father. Even if she said I was only obliged to fulfil this wish when she turned twenty-five years old, it was the hardest pledge for me to fulfil. All these years, I have lived in panic dreading the day my Matilda would be taken away from me. I wasn't gonna allow that to happen and I am guilty to the marrow." He was visibly exhausted and anyone could have seen it that he was fighting his final fight. He was gasping for air, shaking uncontrollably while she painfully tried to finish this discourse with his son lest he took it to the grave with him. " That jade pendant she has was given to me by her mother as she crossed to the other side of life, let her treasure it and guard it for, all the answers to her troubled life are in there," he issued out these last instructions with a lot of difficulty that one would need extreme attention to capture what he said. He handed Jr a small key to a secret room in the house which had a briefcase whose belongings should only be handed to Matilda when she turns twenty-five. Patrice who had all along been writing down his father's unending instructions was concerned after there was a longer silence than the usual ones after every pause. " Father, are you done, is that enough for today?" "It's alright, we can start from there tomorrow. I am here for the whole weekend, after all."Jr called out relentlessly but received zero response every time. He drew closer to his father and he was cold and silent. He was lifeless. That's how Mr Jones died, with regrets about the promise about Matilda to her deceased wife he didn't fulfil. CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER TWO "Miss, we are already at Cebalelo Villa," The taxi driver announced as the car pulled over in front of a large luxurious complex, prompting Matilda to her deep slumber. This exquisite spectacle was like a crown jewel of high-end life in this thought-after part of the country. From its luxury all-inclusive amenities to its world-class spa, fine dining experience and beachfront location, this place offered an unforgettable escape from the ordinary. Matilda was greeted by a unique ambience that reflected the refinement of a modern resort home in the heart of the city. The traditional yet modern architectural elements created an atmosphere that was both timeless and contemporary. This place was one she had never been to, let alone dreamed of living in. " Could this be Mr Jones, I have been instructed to lead you inside, Master has been waiting for you for way too long now." A bald middle-aged man, probably in his late thirties interrupted Matilda's deep thinking as she bowed before her in respect. Anyone could have easily guessed he was a gateman or security or bodyguard going by his impressive built physique that he could only have acquired after years of hard work at the gym. He led straight to the taxi and helped to unload the mistress' luggage before another man- same age, same stature, joined and partnered to carry the things inside the house. " Miss Jones. Right?" Yes. " Alright, here we go. At last." The wonderfully crafted young man who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties said almost. "Could this be the Master I am here to serve? It can not be. Maybe he is his Assistant or something like that." Matilda thought to herself. " Hold on a little, Miss, Mummy should be here in a few minutes. She should have been the one to welcome you to Cebalelos after all," the mysterious man said as he darted upstairs. Matilda combed every corner of this magnificent house and got drunk from its glamour. From the intricately carved wooden doors imported from Spain to the uniquely hand-painted tiles that adorn the walls, every corner reveals a new vignette of luxury interior design and expert craftsmanship. Matilda was anxious to find out whether the man she had just been talking with was indeed Master Marcos Souza of the powerful Souza family. Everyone in the country knew the Souza family, especially Marcos Souzza following his wife's tragic death in a plane crash two years ago. The stinkingly rich couple had just had a glamorous wedding in Mexico before the tragedy hit them according to what was written in the News Papers. Master Marcos was only lucky not to be on the same plane with his newly wedded wife after she was asked to run home and cut a mega real estate deal in America as her husband stayed in Mexico for an important annual family meeting. Mariah, the couple's two-year-old daughter could have died with her mother had she not insisted on staying with her father in Mexico, especially with Aunt Anastasia for whom she had an unusual fondness. Marcus is the CEO of the Rhine Group of Companies which is ranked among the top 100 multinationals in the US. Because of his young age, he has been a point of reference in business classes throughout the country to inspire the young generation. He has also appeared in various TV shows, telling his unique story of his journey to the canopy of the economic class and he had become a celebrity of some sort. After she was thrown out by the Jones, she found herself looking for a place to stay and a man to support herself. A friend whom she was at college with had connected her to a nanny job at the billionaire widower's house and she got there. All she knew was that she was meant to take care of Marcus' four-year-old daughter, the rest of the details she eagerly waited to find out. She was still mesmerised by the golden wall clock that sparkled with a ray of evening sunlight shooting through a half-open window in the sitting room when a beautiful lovable young girl, exactly the age she knew Master's daughter to be. " I am glad you finally came. Dad has been telling me you are coming for a week now and you never came. I was sad thinking you would never come," she said, her eyes welling up as she mounted onto Matilda's lap that you would think we have known each other for ages. " I have been bored to death after Aunt Annah left me. Dad is always busy with his work and he stays on his computer even when he comes back without speaking to me." She spoke as she embraced Matilda in a tight hug, watching her father from the corners of her wet eyes masked with her tiny palm. Marcus was astonished as his daughter poured out her heart to this stranger. He wondered how desperate she must have been all along for someone to vent out her frustrations to. He knew exactly how her wife's death had devastated Naira even though she was just 2 years and a half. Just as she was beginning to move on with the love of her Aunt, Anastasia, she again found herself deserted when the former left to get married in the family's native Mexico. Naira had become despondent following her Aunt's departure that Marcus was forced to suspend going to work to tend to her. " Will you stay here with me and never leave me like anyone, like my mother left me, and Aunt Annah also?" Naira asked. After feeling convinced that she could finally find someone to stay by her side through thin and thick, never to let go no matter what, it was time to address her father's loneliness. It had also bothered her. " Will you also be my mother so my King will stop sleeping alone in his bed? My King has been sad and lonely also. I asked Aunt Carol to come and stay in my father's bed every night but she also doesn't want. It seems like nobody wants to stay with me and my King." Naira's face was covered in an unquantifiable sadness. Matilda was at a loss of words to console this grieving soul. She knew the girl desperately needed her and vowed in her heart to dedicate her life to her. "My Princess, who is she? Do you like her?" Marcas interrogated her daughter in awe at the way she bonded with the new keeper in an instant. " Yes, my King, she is Aunt Matilda, my new keeper. I am also going to be calling her Mom because I want her to be friends with me and you, " Matilda looked at the girl on her lap and then down, trying her best to avoid eye contact with Marcus. While Naira cuddled with Matilda, Marcus was surprised at the affection he saw developing between the two yet relieved at the same time. It had been almost three years since the death of his wife- Naira's mother but the girl had never fully recovered from the aftershock. Despite her natural bond between her and his Sister, Annah, Naira still looked like a shell of her old self, and this worried Marcus. He always wondered if his daughter would ever return to her normal self. What he was witnessing now, however, offered him a ray of hope. It was a Saturday, and Marcus' weekends were always special days to casually interact with his business peers. Ever since Annah left his house, he had missed most of these gatherings to tend to his "Princess." " I need to go out now, my princess, stay here with Aunt and be a good girl, do you get it?" "Yes, my King. Promise that you won't stay there for long. That you will be back in time so we can have supper together." She demanded this commitment from her father while looking him straight in the eyes so she would be sure he meant what he pledged. CHAPTER THREE