Balotelli Bale Series Book #5: The Other Man Part 2

Chapter 14: See Me?

Nick's POV
Of all the women I have dated, five of them are significant.

Katerina Romanov, my first love was as dangerous as playing Russian roulette. She was devastatingly beautiful and was dear to my heart. The problem with Katerina was a lack of commitment. She was always in one foot. The other foot was wherever her father pointed.

I was never in love with Coleen Harrington. She was curious about sex and I was a horny teenager. It doesn't take a genius to know what we shared. But unlike several of my flings, she was a constant. Leen is cutthroat. She doesn't play games. She asks for what she wants and plays to win. She's also the coolest of my lovers.  I can he e a drink with Leen without anything getting emotionally messy.

Naila Bellingerre didn't just have me by my balls. The playful flirtatious English beauty almost owned my heart. Naila was addictive and she made it impossible to keep it in my pants. I wanted her so badly I proposed. She said no. And she said no a second time. Her rejection pushed me into the arms of the next woman...

...Margaux Deveraux. She played me to the moment she took everything and left me damaged.

Keira Charlotte Ballard is not someone I ever expected to be with. Keira happened when I was swearing off women and she took my heart by storm. Of all the five, she's the one who truly owned my heart. She's also the sweetest.

The only one I'm still talking to as of now is Coleen Harrington. I'm not fond of being friends with my ex girlfriends but Leen is different. She's almost like one of the guys.

"So what are you up to?" I asked as we received our dessert.

The gelato here isn't bad, but not nearly as good as the  one in Italy.

"Just a change of a scenery. I ditched daddy."

"I heard about that. What happened?"

It's like we all suffered great changes careerwise. Cole suddenly left the Harrington Hotels. Tony got a promotion to be the CEO of BC. Ferrer is the Chief of Surgery and his pharmaceutical company is fairing well. Coleen quit the Harrington Hotels. I was disinherited and fired from two companies. Keira is now a CEO and she's doing quite well.

"Let me ask you something." She licked her fingers. "Hypothetically, if you were still the CEO of Bale Industries and your only child Maddie who happens to be a girl comes of age, would you let her be the CEO?"

"I inherited Bale Industries from a woman. I'm not biased about sex and inheritance."

"Say your second born is a son. Who takes over Bale Industries?"

I see where she's going with this. With Leen, I keep it honest. We don't lie to each other and this is why we get along great.

"My son."

"Why? What changed?"

"At the risk of sounding sexist and you possibly punching me in the face, it's because Maddie is a girl and the second born is a boy. Hear me out. Just hear me out. From my observation, about 90% of women would prefer to settle down and start a family. When they do, thru give most of their attention to the family. Being a CEO requires sacrifice and commitment. That is the 10% like you and Helena. You are the kind who would miss football games and birthdays without batting an eyelash. It's not because you don't love your kids but because you are focused and set on career success. You cannot have it all, that's the truth. Something always suffers. If Maddie will be in the 90%, I'll give it to my hypothetical son."

"If I'm 10% then why haven't I ever been a CEO?"

"Because your father is traditional." I answered.

"It doesn't matter anyway because I'm going to be a CEO." She shrugged.