Author: @yowsapsap
Prompt: hostile takeover + Chinese takeout + Jane Austen
Prompter: @LeyaLaFea
"...and to my one and only beloved daughter, Nicomaine Dei Mendoza, I hereby bequeath all of my property and estate, of whatever nature and wherever situated, including all fifty-one percent of stocks and company shares at Nova Cosmetics..."
/
She wakes up drenched in sweat, her body shaking. Her room is cold, submerged in total darkness; the only source of light comes from the constant flicker of her digital alarm clock. 2:24 AM, it reads. A few minutes more and then it will come.
She clutches the blanket close to her chest, her eyes wide with fear. She holds her breath, afraid that even the slightest sound of her breathing would give her away.
And then she hears it, right on time.
Footsteps.
Thump, thump, thump.
The asshole does not even bother to make an effort to walk lightly.
Thump, thump, thump.
Close.
Thump, thump.
Really close—and then it stops.
Maine squeezes her eyes shut. She bites her forearm to prevent herself from screaming, not realizing she has been biting very hard until she tasted blood. She does not want them to know she's afraid, even if every fiber of her being is begging her to run away.
A silent tear escapes from her left eye. It seems that for the past weeks, she has been doing nothing else but cry.
How can she not? She just lost her mother.
And someone out there wants to kill her, too.
/
A sleek silver Jaguar XF stops in front of Nova Cosmetic's office building. People stopped to stare. Maine steps out of the car and smoothens out the invisible creases on her clothes. She wants to look good even if she's a complete mess on the inside.
Today, she's wearing a white Chanel blazer over a fiery red button down blouse tucked into a white fitted knee-length skirt, emphasizing her curves. Five-inch red stilettos complete her killer look. She strides purposefully across the lobby, the picture of a confident woman. What onlookers do not know is the fact that she's chanting these lines in her head:
Okay lang ako. Putangina, okay lang ako.
Barely six months after graduating from university, Maine is now the major stockholder of her mother's company. At 21, she is the youngest person to sit on the board. Her mother's share gave her a right to vote and she chose to be a part of the Board of Directors. After all, Nova Cosmetics is her mother's legacy—literally, a product of blood, sweat, and tears.
Mary Anne Mendoza was 18 years old when she found out she was pregnant. Her boyfriend refused to take responsibility. As a result, Mary Anne was shunned by her family. With no other choice left, her circumstances forced her to quit school and take up odd jobs just to get by.
After giving birth, she grabbed the opportunity to work in China, taking her daughter along with her. There, she started working in a cosmetics company known for making all-natural skin care and cosmetic products. She climbed her way from being a regular slave worker to a top position as Head of the Research and Development Division.
