Beauty & The Business Man

Chapter One:

Helen McCoy took a deep, clarifying breath as she walked through Central Park, licking her ice cream as it threatened to melt onto her blush pink linen pants. She dodged tourists and a pair of joggers on her meandering path. She had come to the park to get away from the noise of the office and the demands and the pressure to woo the latest start up into selling. She had a headache from the florescent lights and the gossip and the constant hum of a thousand computers. Out here with the sun on her face and the ambient noise of people was enough to calm her nerves.

While she enjoyed working for her father's company and she was proud of her work, she often wondered what she would have done with her life if she hadn't always been destined take over her father's company when he finally decided to retire. She thought she might have been a painter or an interior decorator if her life hadn't been planned out for her since she was born. It was times like these, when the stress drove her outside, into nature, that she wondered about that alternate universe where she could relax and didn't dream about business.

And lately, business had been tough. Her father had been more stressed and anxiety driven over the last couple of weeks. He'd been holed up in his office until late at night, fielding calls from investors and board members. Helen had gotten some of those follow-up calls herself. She didn't have an answer for her father's odd behavior as of late, but she was worried that the all mighty Theodore "Zeus" McCoy was not on solid footing.

Her father had made a name for himself in the early years of McCoy Enterprises. Using the money from his trust fund, he'd dedicated himself to building a lasting company. He'd been whipsmart and driven, but his presence had always allowed him to command a room. Helen attributed a lot of his success to the fact that he charm any woman and intimidate any man. Ted had been given the nickname "Zeus" as a young man due to his ability to strike with lighting speed and precision at all the right deals before anyone else could. His broad shoulders and six foot three frame had also contributed to that power. Now, at 60, his hair was shock white rather than the honey blonde he'd passed on to Helen.

While she was also tall, standing at just a hair under six feet without shoes, Helen's features were strong with high cheek bones, a straight nose and an oval face. Her father was all square with a hooked nose that dominated his face. From what she had been told, Helen took after her mother, not only in looks, but also in spirit.

Helen only had one photo of her mother. It was a grainy poloroid taken in a dimly lit bar. The photo had been taken the night her parents had met, and hooked up. Her father had always told her that Lydia, her mother, had been flirty and happy, ready to take on whatever was thrown at her. They'd met at a college bar while Ted was trying to close his first big deal, the deal that made McCoy Enterprises a reality. It had always seemed so romantic to Helen, they had met, and, according to Ted, they had fallen in love. But the morning after their one-night stand, her father had woken up to a cold bed and no note. 9 months later he'd received a call from a hospital nurse who explained that he was listed as the father of a brand new baby girl.

Ted had gone to the hospital when he'd figured out who the mother was. By the time he arrived, Lydia had abandoned the hospital and simply disappeared. While many of his friends and associates had questioned the decision, Ted had taken the baby home with him and raised her as best he could, including marrying her first nanny.

None of his marriages lasted very long and Helen was used to her father's marriages and divorces. While he was currently single, he had been married and divorced nine times before she turned 25. It had been his complete lack of reverence for the act of marriage that had ruined it for Helen altogether. She had secretly promised herself that she would never marry anyone. Not that I have time for romance. She thought blithely.