Don Federico Delgado Mendoza knew his granddaughter by heart. If her attitude during the board meeting was any indication, he knew that he was in for a heated tirade about his newly appointed COO.
A small smile escaped his lips when he heard Maine slam his door open and stomp her way over to his desk. Her face was contorted with anger and she looked about ready to burst with whatever was bothering her.
"Calm down, Nicomaine.", he said to her tersely before she could open her mouth to speak.
"Why was the appointment of COO rushed? What are you up to, LoloDad?", she stood in front of his desk, her arms crossed over her chest.
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"I'm not up to anything, iha.", he answered her calmly. "The appointment had to be done. Since Vicente retired as COO three months ago, you knew I was already in the market for a replacement."
"But I thought you were going to prepare a shortlist of candidates for the Board and get inputs on the new COO before making a decision. That's how it's always been done. Why change the process now?", she looked at him questioningly.
"There is no better candidate, Nicomaine. I had to make an exception in Richard's case. That young man has outstanding business sense and he has great potential to help grow our companies."
Maine did not look convinced. It was so unlike her grandfather to make rash business decisions or to give exceptions to anyone.
"Where even did you meet Mr. Faulkerson, LoloDad? I don't believe he's worked anywhere in this country or I'd have heard about how "brilliant" he is. He's a total nobody, as far as I'm concerned."
"Language please, Nicomaine.", was her grandfather's reprimand. "Are you saying you doubt my decision?"
That effectively shut Maine up. FDM was a genius in business and was known for his keen sense of judgment.
Truth be told, she's aware of who Richard Faulkerson, Jr. was and his reputation in the business world. But she won't admit that to her grandfather. The man whom she met in college, one fateful night in her freshman year, has evidently gone on to conquer the world.
But he is still an asshole apparently.
Getting hold of her emotions, she sat down in front of her grandfather and tried once more to understand this new COO thing, "You didn't even give me a heads-up, LoloDad. I'm seriously bothered by that.", she said to him, a pout forming on her lips.
Her grandfather laughed, amused by her antics. "Iha, there wasn't any time. We have a new project to be launched this week and I needed all-hands on deck immediately. So when Richard graciously accepted the position, I thought the board meeting was as good a time as any to introduce him to everyone."
Maine looked thoughtfully at her grandfather. As the only granddaughter to this man, she knew he wasn't being entirely honest with her. Something was afoot and she'll figure it out eventually.
For now, another question was nagging at her and she couldn't help but blurt it out, "Why him?"
Now we get to the crux of the matter..., her grandfather thought.
"If you must know, Nicomaine, Richard is an established and well-respected businessman throughout the region. Their family doesn't have a lot of Philippine investments but they own a multitude of companies, all of which he manages from their Singapore head office."
"He and his older brother, Franco, co-manage their businesses. I'm a close friend to the Faulkersons and I'm well aware of their successful careers and those of the two sons as well. Magagaling na mga bata", his grandfather recounts to her.
"COO na naman pala sya, LoloDad eh. Child-of-owner. So what business does he have in wanting to be COO of our company?", Maine queried.
"That's a fair question.", her grandfather replied. "When I offered the position to him, I knew he could possibly decline it because, as you said, he is already his own boss. But when he accepted, he told me that this was a challenge he wanted to take on. Their business was thriving and his brother has everything well under control. Plus, he wanted to learn the ropes of doing business in Manila. That's what he told me when he accepted the post."
"I don't like him, LoloDad. He seems arrogant and callous. Walang manners. This was his first board meeting, tapos late pa. And he had the gall to insult me.", she complained to the old man.
"His late appearance earlier couldn't be helped, iha. I'm afraid I caused it. I asked him to jump on a conference call with one of our suppliers in China. He had to do some trouble shooting."
That still doesn't excuse his rude comment to me. Antipatiko!, Maine's irritation at Richard resurfaced and she declared emphatically, "Basta I don't like him! Keep him away from me, LoloDad."
"You don't need to like him, Nicomaine. You just need to deal with him professionally and work well together. I don't care that you two hate each other, but in this office, you and Richard are a team. You are my top two executives and I expect nothing but the best results from the two of you. So deal with it.", his grandfather's voice had grown stern.
Maine saw how serious his grandfather was with that instruction. And as someone who prides her commitment to work, she understood the sentiment. So despite her reservations, she nodded to her grandfather and said, "I'll make it work, LoloDad. You can count on me."
Of course, she'll find a way to work effectively with that horrible man, even if it killed her. She won't let him get under her skin.
But I'll make sure to get under his. Maine smiled mischievously at this thought.
Ang pikon, talo! Question is, who will this turn out to be?
