Balotelli-Bale Series Book#1: HELENA'S CONTRACT

Chapter 1: The Fisherman

Helena's POV
"You wouldn't still be single if you smiled more."

I balled my fist and tried not to respond. If I had a penny for every time she has said this to me, I'll be rolling in a pile of pennies. She simply does not understand that not everyone is high on sunshine. Some of us actually reserve the smiles for when we really mean it. I want to say I loathe this woman but that's too harsh even for me. My mother and I have a stormy relationship. We are rarely on each other's good side. We step on each other's toes, we take low jabs at each other and when we get fed up we can go weeks on end without speaking. She thinks she knows everything by virtue of being 'mother'. Whoever said mother knows best, hasn't meet mine.

Gertrude Bale only cares about what is good for her. If it makes her look good, she's in. If she's the center of attention, then why not? She's a peacock. She likes to be seen. She knows what is best for her and will manipulate any situation to work for her. Her biggest ambition is my marriage. It will never happen! I'm never getting married! It's overrated! It irritates her that I don't make an effort to settle down. While women my age are making it a priority to fiercely hunt for men who smell like bank vaults, I'm focusing on my career determined to make my name and sit among the chauvinistic men who believe a woman's place is in the background without a voice. There's no room for marriage or even a man.

"I smile at my pleasure mother, not for anyone's entertainment." I smirked with a taunting gaze when I finally settled on a response that won't start a war. "Aren't you too tired and old for these soirees?" I took a jab at her. "Or are you looking for a replacement for father?"

Her offense is evident in the sharp green eyes. She twirled a lock of her curly ginger hair around her finger. My father has been ill for a while. What started as simple forgetting has turned into him not even knowing who we are. He calls my mother a different name every day probably after one of his many affairs through the course of their marriage. It's things like this that make marriage overrated. Why should I commit myself to a man who will lie, betray me and break my heart? My parents' marriage was a train wreck before the man lost his senses. Why would she push me towards an arrangement with a high probability of failure?

"I love him."

I rolled my eyes. She shouldn't love him. She should put him in a facility and move on. I own everything he has after a brutal confrontation with my uncles. They didn't think I can manage a big company like Bale Industries. According to them, I will be too distracted with child rearing to do what they can do. Seriously, how do they come up with this crap? I am aware that society has certain rules that women should play the supportive role but for how long should a woman be number two? I'm the only child my father has. I'm his only heir and I do not consider my gender to be a hindrance. I won that vicious battle and became the sole heir of everything Jonathan Bale has ever owned. At least he was sensible enough to blame me his heir.

I can take care of my mother if she chooses to ditch the cheater. She's too sentimental to do it. But then again, the wearer of the shoe knows where it pinches.

"Don't offend me."

I looked at her for a moment. "No one would blame you." I softened my tone. "Even on his good days he doesn't know who you are. What do you have to lose?"

She looked at me. Something about her gaze concerned me. "Helena dear, if you have never experienced love then you wouldn't understand. When you love someone, you don't abandon them." She's wrong. I have experienced love at it's peak and unfortunately at it's lowest point. My heart still aches over an ordeal not even Gertrude Bale knows about. I resolved never to love again. It's not worth it. "What do you suggest? That i stay home and do nothing all night?"