Matilda- The Billionaire's Missing Daughter

"You are not one of us and you should never come back here. You can go look for your blood relations 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 tears 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 during labour. 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 think she was possessed. " Where do you think you are going? Did you not hear what Mom just told you?" Annamarie interjected as Matilda desperately tried to push her way back into 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 in 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 pleaded with her mother. "Stop it you heartless beings!" Came a man's strong voice that proved a relief to Matilda. "Mom! What are you doing? Don't you people have any shame left? For heaven's sake, why would you treat her like this however much you hate her? 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, and 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. He 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 the bedroom she had occupied since she was in grade three and hastily emptied it on the reading 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 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 exploding with happiness. "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 with her eyes and got drunk from its glamour. From the intricately carved wooden doors which seemed to have been 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 Marcus 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 Marcus 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. Nana, 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 of whom she was unusually fond. Marcus is the CEO of the Rhine Group of Companies which is ranked among the top 100 multinationals in the US. He comes from the powerful Souza family whose drug business made them a fortune. Unlike Marcus' elder brother Lucus Souza who opted to follow in his family's footsteps in the drug world, the former has succeeded in establishing himself as one of the top names in the country's real estate world. He has won partnerships with some of the most sought-after conglomerates including the country's wealthiest family - the Lincolns, which has in turn improved the ranking of his Rhyne Group among the wealthy of the country. Because of his unique intelligence at such a relatively young age, Marcus has been a point of reference in business and self-improvement classes throughout the United States to inspire the young generation. He has also appeared in various TV shows, telling his unique story of an unusual journey to the canopy of the economic class and he had become a celebrity of some sort. Matilda was still immersed in thoughts recalling how the situation had led her to this place. 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?" Nana asked to be assured. 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 to. It seems like nobody wants to stay with me and my King." Nana's face was covered in an unquantifiable sadness. Matilda was at a loss of words to console this grieving soul. She knew exactly how it felt to be on your own at a tender age. Despite the attention she received from Mr Jones as a child, the rejection she got from Lady Nancy was more revealing than not. To make matters worse, Mr Jones rarely stayed home, leaving his hateful wife every opportunity to maltreat Matilda. She missed something all her childhood and it's now that she understood what it was. Love. Inside her heart, she promised to love and cherish Nana at last for the time she would spend with her in this house. Marcus had some important business to attend to in town. It had been a while since he last joined his friends for the routine weekend business discussions ever since Annah left leaving him with no one to watch over his daughter. " Watch Nana as I go to attend an important meeting in town. I will be back before 10 pm," he announced as he bid farewell to Nana with a peck on the cheek. Matilda watched him as he got into a luxurious limousine and joined with five men, all in navy blue suits. They looked like his bodyguards. About two minutes later, another one who was dressed differently from the first group joined them. He was the official driver as she would learn later. Marcus was silent all the way but his mind was somewhere else. He couldn't comprehend how captivating this new maid was. How the hell was she managing to pull him towards her like a magnet? He also wondered how she had been able to specially bond with his daughter, Nana who is known for being picky. " Will you stay with us and never leave us like everybody else has been doing?" Nana's innocent words thundered in his head like a bomb blast. He had made a vow to himself that he would not get entangled with any women after the death of his wife. Not that Matilda was somebody to whom one would easily say no but he was prepared to fulfil the promise he made to himself, at least for the sake of his deceased wife. Nana was even making it more complicated. He was determined to make her happy at whatever cost even when it went against his principles. " No, I am not going to give in to this devil," he said to himself before storming out of the car to advance to where he was to meet waiting business colleagues. CHAPTER THREE That night, he returned home past midnight and Nana was already asleep. As was the norm, he went to bid his daughter goodnight in her bedroom. This time, she knocked on the door but there was no response for a while, suggesting Nana was already asleep perhaps. He pushed the door but to his surprise, the bed was empty. Nana was not there. Where could she be? He proceeded to the servant room which had been assigned to the new maidservant and as his intuition had told him. He gently pulled the door by its handle to open it. Nana - the most precious treasure in his life, was there, lying beside Matilda - and they both looked fine, amazing. He pushed back the door and rested his back on it, his hands crossed on his chest and watched the two like he wasn't gonna stop. He stepped forward to peck Nana as was always the norm whenever he returned home late and found her asleep. He felt an incomprehensible urge to touch Matilda as he came closer to her. She was sleeping and didn't realise he was there. He mechanically lifted his hand and caressed her hair, down to her cheek. She mumbled some words he could not comprehend and it frightened him. He was trembling and profusely sweating. He never wanted to get romantically engaged with any woman, let alone this lowly nanny. Matilda was a perfect beauty. Her late father, Jones used to refer to her as " the creator's most perfect piece of art" because of her exquisite beauty. Her hazel eyes and blonde hair illuminated his well-built tender body and it was almost impossible for any man to resist her. Marcus composed himself and left, wishing that whatever had just happened evaporated in the air never to return. In his bed, he kept turning from side to side, barely sleeping as he could not stop thinking about the strange feeling he was getting about Matilda. " Devil, you are a liar, shame upon you, I am not going to fall in love with a maid. Never." He encouraged himself without pronouncing the words and fell asleep. The following day was a Sunday and Matilda, as a rule, had to go to church. The Catholic church. Even though Marcus always had a cross on his neck wherever he went, he rarely went to church, save when there was an important function like weddings of close friends or relatives, or a vigil. He had last attended church during the requiem mass for his late wife. " My King, Aunt Mat, is going to church. You and I should go with her." Nana addressed her father who was scrolling through his phone to respond to the messages he had missed the previous night. Marcus rested the phone on the table and turned in the direction of his daughter. The expression on her face, coupled with the tone used to relay her messages confirmed that it wasn't a request or suggestion but a directive. "Oh, No. I wish I could go with you, Mummy! I have a very important party to attend." he apologetically explained to Nana, crouching down to her level. " I knew you wouldn't come. You haven't been going to church since Mom went to heaven. It means you don't miss her, you are bad, my King." Nana's pain was visible in her eyes as she said these words. Marcus felt embarrassed, judging himself for not interceding for his wife's forgiveness in heaven if at all it's there as he had heard people claim. Which type of husband was he? " Well, I am coming with you. Cheer up, my Girl, for, Daddy is coming with you." Nana jumped from the grip of his father and ran to break the good news to Matilda. " My King is coming with us," she announced. "He has not been going to church since Mom went to heaven. I and Aunt Annah would go alone and when she left too, I stopped going also." Her eyes were welling up at the mention of her mother. Matilda crouched to her level and wiped her tears, tapping on her shoulder before embracing her in a tight embrace. " Aunt Annah told me that whenever I want to talk to her, I should go to church and ask her anything I want. Now I want to ask her to tell God that my King is lonely and sad. I want Mother to ask God to give me another mother such that I and my King will never be lonely again." Matilda could only listen to Nana speaking without interrupting. In any case, she was also surprised by the little girl's intelligence, for her submissions were only comparable to those of smart adults. " Don't ever worry about your mother because she is in the safest place in heaven. As for your King, he can never be sad for as long as he has you by his side." Matilda tried to comfort her but she shook her head instead to indicate that she wasn't convinced. On the way to church, Marcus opted against going with his driver and instead drove himself. " I want to sit with Aunt Mat in the front seat with you, my King, or else I am not going," Nana shouted. The front seat was always reserved for Marcus' wife as she passed on. Ever since then, only Nana sat there whenever he drove himself, and with his family. Even when he travelled with Anastasia, she would carry Nana from the behind seat and the latter never complained. Why now! " Mummy, you are being picky. You can sit in front of me if you want, please, but let Aunt sit behind where she will be more comfortable. Isn't it so, Annah?" Marcus asked with ripples on his face to indicate he was growing irritated. Nana shook his head vigorously and moved away, forcing Marcus to move from the steering wheel to meet her out and make peace. He returned carrying Nana shoulder high and directed Matilda to shift from the behind seat and join them in front. And they departed in a very cordial mood. After the service, Marcus dropped Nana and Matilda home and proceeded to the party he was scheduled to attend at Lord Williams. Lord Williams is arguably the richest man alive in the United States of America. All Billionaires fear him and bow before even his lowest servant. He has unrivalled wealth that multinational businesses from across the globe run to him for bailouts in times of trouble. He also has enough that the government has often sought sanctuary from his never-drying purse. Unfortunately, Lord William's has no known heir. There was a rumour known in the circles of the wealthy that he begat a child but its mother died during childbirth and never heard from him or her. The family has been searching for the only offspring of God's most blessed man but with no progress. Williams had sent out word that there was a very important update he wanted to celebrate regarding his missing heir. All the richest families and businessmen strove to attend since they expected the heir of the richest man in the land to be unveiled that day. As for Marcus, his presence at this important banquet meant a lot more than just finding out the Williams' heir. His Rhyne Group Real Estate Company has been pushing to get into collaboration with the Williams on the new Eastern City Grand master planning project where he seeks to build 5000 modern housing units in the new Railroad Estate. If the deal succeeds, he would be 50 billion dollars richer which would duly elevate his status into the very top echelons of the wealthiest company owners in the city. His proposal before the Works and Transport Department doesn't only lack in profile but also the capital to embark on such an ambitious project. Not only does he seek collaboration to beef up Rhyne Group's profile but also guarantees its financial muscle. As such, there was no way he was gonna miss this one regardless of what would have happened. He brushed the collar of his dark blue cardigan as if he sensed some dust on it, and adjusted his long, black hair before getting out of the car to join the team of guests for the eagerly anticipated event. The place is arranged to symbolise grandeur and class. A step through to the entrance into the Magnificent Ballroom that glimmers with modern decor style. Over the years of the Williams at the top of the business game, this ballroom has played host to the biggest events in this City, ranging from high-end weddings, state banquets, and other magnificent balls organised by some of the country's most respected and richest citizens. Retracing along the lines of the Ballroom's roaring ancient but still eye-catching design, the restoration unexpectedly unearths an authentic three-tiered ceiling, concealing soft lighting that washes gently across the fully packed room. Chandeliers and handcrafted mirrors reflect the grandeur of the Williams family and the significance of the day's event. Columns and pilasters have been re-gilded in delicate palladian leaf while striking art decor motifs return to carpets and curtains. The 200-capacity room on the mansion's ground floor is almost filled as there are about 160 to 180 guests in attendance. The personal events management team is there to ensure the guests are well attended to and all their needs are catered for. Marcus finds himself lost in the grandeur of the room before a member of the events team courteously leads him to a lone unoccupied seat on the second row on the left-hand side of the ballroom, adjacent to the high table. The composition and status of the guests made Marcus feel useless, insignificant and misplaced. The richest businessmen he had only heard or read about in the news, top politicians, celebrities, to name but a few. " I am called Annarrie from the Jones family of East Coast City introduced herself.