Mommy for Billionaire's Baby
Chapter 27 b

"Sure," Nadine replied with a thin smile. She reached for her handbag, which was on the chair next to her. She placed a small flash drive on the table. "I don't want to explain too much to you and Mrs. Tasya. I've made copies of what I know. Mrs. Tasya can check it."

Nathan furrowed his brow, but then he pulled the corners of his lips up cheerfully. "May I study it first?"

"Of course, Mr. Nathan."

Not long after, a restaurant waiter arrived with menus. Tasya helped choose the lunch options for today. Most of the menu items offered were seafood, which Nathan liked. Fortunately, Nadine didn't have too many preferences regarding the menu. She remained mostly quiet and responded with awkward smiles. If Tasya could express her opinion, it would be reasonable for Nadine to be overcome with worry.

Tasya had heard the truth from Nadine, where the woman had felt pressured. But she couldn't just back down because she knew what had happened.

"But after everything's studied, please, I don't want to be involved any further," Nadine requested.

"Are you in danger?" Nathan asked. He stared intently at Nadine, who looked startled. She quickly hid the worry that had been on her face just a moment ago. Unfortunately, Nathan caught it too soon. "Please don't worry. I'll make sure you're safe."

"How?" Tasya didn't really understand this.

Nathan explained his plan at length as a form of gratitude because Nadine had been willing to help. He quickly studied the files on the flash drive. The big question marks that had been bothering him were now answered. Nathan had only briefly looked at them, but he was already frustrated with each report. That's why he wanted to provide protection for Nadine, to ensure that nothing bad happened.

At first, Nadine resisted, but the reasons Nathan presented were quite reasonable. She agreed to Nathan's form of protection until she felt safe. And she had to be sure that Nadine wasn't involved in any way in the money laundering activities conducted by Faldom a few years ago. It was during the first year of Nathan's tenure. That's what almost brought Faldom to its knees.

Many should have praised Nathan's performance as he worked hard to make Faldom succeed. Unfortunately, the praise only went so far. Nathan was aware of it. That's why he didn't like it when someone disrupted his work. He listened to many suggestions but didn't necessarily follow them. Nathan preferred consulting with experts and often took extreme measures, which yielded results that were not to be taken lightly, rather than following the orders of Faldom's top brass. "Tasya," Nathan called out as all the menus had been served. "You like shrimp, right?"

"Yeah, I ordered the seafood tomyam," Tasya blinked in surprise. She still couldn't enjoy her meal. She had to make sure that there was nothing missing for Nathan. Plus, she had to entertain Nadine very well because she understood that Nadine was the key to what her boss was aiming for.

"Wow, it looks delicious, Mrs. Tasya."

"It seems so," Tasya laughed. "But I have to commend you for the menu you brought yesterday. Mr. Nathan finished it all." Nadine smiled broadly. "Thank goodness. I feel so guilty for avoiding you both all this time. I shouldn't have done that." Tasya nodded in full understanding. "Now, let's just eat, okay?"

Nathan, who had been observing the two of them since the beginning, initially wanted to tease Tasya about the menu she ordered, but he decided against it. Instead, he surreptitiously placed some grilled shrimp onto Tasya's plate. He had also secretly ordered a special dessert for Tasya.

"Enjoy your meal, Mrs. Tasya, Mr. Nathan," Nadine felt much more relieved now.

There was really nothing to fear, right? Nathan guaranteed her safety. His seriousness was immediately evident to Nadine. He had contacted his connections to constantly monitor Nadine from a distance. While Nathan was revealing the case, which would undoubtedly involve legal matters, Nadine had her own concerns. As the only finance manager who didn't want to enjoy anything offered, she didn't want to take that risk. The evidence now spoke for itself. "Bon appétit, Mrs. Tasya," Tasya replied with an equally broad smile. But when her eyes returned to her plate, she said, "Huh? This grilled shrimp is yours, isn't it, Mr. Nathan? Why is it on my plate?"

"I've had enough of the fish soup," Nathan took a big spoonful of the bowl containing chunks of fish and broth, along with fresh slices of scallion. "Here, it's recommended for seafood dishes."

"Yes, Mr. Nathan," Nadine tried to keep up with the conversation. Her sense of embarrassment had started to fade, replaced by a lot of random talk, especially about work. Nadine's peripheral vision couldn't be fooled about the interaction between Nathan and his assistant; it looked different.

"Are Mr. Nathan and Mrs. Tasya... a couple?" Nadine asked.

"Yeah?" Tasya was taken aback. "No, we're not, Ma'am." She quickly shook her head. That's when Nathan suddenly acted! Oh God! Please wake him up so he won't embarrass her! He even shifted his hand as if to embrace Tasya, but not really. His arm touched the back of the chair Tasya was sitting in, but it clearly didn't look that way, right?

"Tasya's embarrassed to admit that I'm her boyfriend," Nathan said.

Tasya stared in disbelief. Nathan, on the other hand, gave her a mischievous glance. Oh my God! Tasya hadn't forgotten what she told Nathan last night. She asked him to prove his seriousness. She was already filled with doubt earlier, why was she being treated like this now?

What does Raptor want, anyway?

***

Tasya double-checked the collected results and matched them with the data Nadine provided. Nothing was overlooked, and all the question marks were answered. She was trembling as she entered the amount of money spent on this project. The project had yielded absolutely nothing. Not a single thing.

Even when she asked for clarification, no one could provide valid data.

"How's it going, Tasya?" Nathan asked while carrying his work tablet. "I've also obtained the partnership contract."

"Yeah, Mr. Nathan," Tasya took off her glasses. She let out a soft sigh of disbelief at what she was facing on her work screen. "I'm really shocked."

"I've asked someone to monitor the Purchasing and Finance Managers. Make sure they attend the board meeting."

"Mr. Farhan?"

Nathan fell silent for a moment. He gently placed the tablet he was holding on Tasya's desk. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Yes, that's right. I didn't expect Farhan to be so reckless."

Tasya shared the same sentiment. Farhan, one of the commissioners and a shareholder whose voice carried weight in every annual decision made by Faldom. He had a clear familial relationship with the late brother-in-law of Nathan's sister-in- law, Janet Sinclair. Janet was Alexa's sister. Nathan showed respect and caution and thought carefully before responding because Farhan was the one who had opposed Nathan when his name emerged as the temporary holder of power at Faldom.

All the questions Nathan had raised during his time working under Faldom were now answered. Collecting this evidence was also crucial to silence those who had placed unwarranted doubts on Nathan's working methods. They had questioned how he did things as they pleased, without considering the fact that Faldom was being eroded from within.

"But you've already asked for help in checking his bank accounts, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Nathan," Tasya took out a neatly kept document from her desk. "But most of the funds have been diverted to the Foundation managed by Mrs. Gema."

"The Love and Charity Foundation?"

"Yeah, Mr. Nathan."

Nathan nodded slowly. "Is there time for us to visit?"

"Are you sure about visiting now?" Tasya looked at Nathan intently. "It's dangerous, Mr. Nathan."

"You're right." Nathan immediately leaned back. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples tiredly. "So, what are we going to do?"

"In my opinion, this is more than enough to make a report to the police. Have Mr. Nathan's lawyers been contacted?"

"I just had a meeting, remember?" Nathan chuckled. "Forgot?"

There was no way Tasya could have ignored Nathan's meeting in the late afternoon. She had been kept busy by the unexpected guest but was still asked to ensure her work was completed. Tasya could imagine how challenging it had been to keep up with Nathan, who moved about half-running.

"Are we going home now?" Nathan asked as he picked up his tablet again. "I'm done, actually. Or do you want to do something else?"

"No, everything's finished."

"Let's go home then."

"What for? I need to rest, Mr. Nathan."

"Resting in my room is fine too, Tasya."

Tasya sighed. "Naina doesn't have any assignments today. She messaged earlier. But she has to make a world map tomorrow."

"That's perfect; you can do it. Your drawings are good."

This compliment earned Nathan a frustrated glare from Tasya.

"I'm serious, Tasya." Nathan propped his chin up with both hands, his eyes locked on Tasya, who was organizing her files. She neatly filed them away and locked the cabinet containing important documents. She also packed her work laptop, which Nathan knew was filled with company data.

Once again, Tasya remained unfazed by his intense gaze. It seemed to have become a part of her daily routine, being stared at by Nathan.

"Just keep improving your drawing skills."

Nathan's comment made Tasya pause in her task of checking her bag's contents.

"You can't keep working here forever, right? Your skills could take you around the world, Tasya. I'm sure of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Can we talk on the way home? Um... and make some tea like yesterday, Tasya. It was good. I liked it."

Tasya was still processing her boss's words.

"Come on, Tasya. Time keeps ticking. Make some tea not too long. You have that small thermos, right? Not too hot. Not too sweet either. There are croissants at the bakery downstairs, right? Buy some so we can have them in the car. We'll have dinner at home. Merry's cooking chicken soup."

Raptor can be quite the talker, huh?