THE FIGHT FOR LOVE

The feel of the light weight cotton pressed against her sweaty palms as she tightened her hold on the handkerchief, threatening to squeeze life out of it ,did very little to gain her attention .

She stared at the glass portrait frame of the famous Billionaire Antonio Resmella hanging at the wall just close to his office,her heart rate tripled in speed as she watched every tick of her clock go by .

"Irene Martinez!" she heard a cracking voice inside the room where all her attention was buried into

"Irene, you got this , just be the natural you have always been, babe" Mabel said, trying all she could to get Irene in the right mood for her interview. Their both hands were intertwined together

Mabel has been friends with Irene since they were four , Irene and Mabel's mom worked together as chefs at the Baga restaurant there in Spain ,a small restaurant but very popular for the delicious recipes they produced. Irene's dad died of a heart attack only when she was fifteen, Irene's mom Julia had to become a chef to cater for Irene and her younger brother Alan. Even though Irene hardly showed it but she loved Mabel so much.

"I love you Mabel"Irene said looking into Mabel's brown eye ,her legs trembeling as she stood up .

"Stop the drama already Irene ,you got this' Mabel hugged her as she went In .

"Irene Martinez" a woman sitted on a desk chair, looking straight into her eyes ,she stood up ,her long legs about 6 ft tall with her pair of heels overshadowed Irene's small statue.

"Good morning ma'am", am here for the position of the house keeper, here are my qualifications, Irene said leaning a file to the the lady standing in front of her

Looking at the files with keen interest Mrs Sofia asked, " how old are you Miss Irene"

"23 ma'am" Irene said with a cracking voice

"Follow me"Mrs Sofia said as she made her way to the door opposite her office, with the bold inscription of the word DIRECTOR on the door ,Irene just knew that has got to be Antonio Resmella's office the owner of the Rashertg multi billionaire company. She was trembling

Within her.

"Wait here Miss Irene"Opening the door by herself and letting herself in Mrs Sofia shuted the door behind her .

Irene wasn't the sacred type of person especially since her Dad died of a heart attack she wasn't as scared of anything as that, having to see her own pa die slowly on her mom's hands was all she has been scared of since,she did everything she could to see that her family was always happy, especially her mom who was getting older every day and couldn't continue with the stress of working as a chef in a restaurant, She needed a job .

"Come in"Sofia said opening the door to let Irene in , Irene walked into the office with a pounding heart that she taught Sofia heard it .Sofia handed Irene's files to Antonio ,who was seated in a wild desk furnished with an expensive taste , just at the right hand side of Antonio was a portrait picture of Mrs Lucia, Antonio's late wife ,the floor of the office was made of natural stone tiles coloured creamy white, boldly inscribed on his desk was his full name Antonio Resmella. Was she really one on one with the CEO of Rashertg or was it a dream ,all she knew was that she wouldn't want to get out of this dream anytime soon.

"Miss Irene,do you have any working experiences as a housekeeper", Antonio's deep masculine voice said like that of an Alpha. His face looking into the files placed before him as he flipped the pages of files.

"Yes sir , over the years I worked as a babysitter for 2 different homes here in Spain",Irene said with her hand's clawed tightly to a handkerchief

"Two?,What made you leave the other one as of the Ist time Miss Irene ?.

"I wasn't paid fully as of when due ,I needed the money so I had to seek for another Job Sir.

Antonio was no stranger to attractions, he had many dalliances in his teen,had been well know for it ,it had been all to easy, with his black hair, powerful physique, and of course wealth to match, women flocked Antonio,for years there had rarely been magazine published without his picture on the front cover, some carefully selected woman clinging to his arm.

Antonio shuddered. The women had served there purpose.he has used them and they had used him,There were only so many two dimensional relationships a man would suffer through before even they become cumbersome.

Yet even now Antonio thought there was something turely beautiful about a woman when she was nervous ,When she thought no one was watching. It was the only time a woman was unguarded _no posturing,no preening to get his attention.it was something which stirred the most proximal part of his being.

"Sofia , please excuse us",

"Alright boss"Sofia said as she walked out of the large office, shutting the door behind her.

"Sit, please", Antonio said leaning a hand towards a comfortable sofa, Antonio stood up fully on his feet.

"Since it's not your first time as a housekeeper, I am certain to some extent that you Miss Irene can handle a home very well then", he stated, taking a small amount of pleasure when the woman gasped at the sight of him and spun to face him.

In her haste to turn the blonde's feet tripped over Antonio's Tom Ford custom shoes ,she tripped over him and landed herself on Antonio's broad shoulder Navy suit.Under his gaze her alabaster white skin quickly turned a shade of red.

Antonio in the middle of his frustration shifted backwards, Irene falling down straight to the floor ,she was frozen ,she couldn't move an inch.

"Miss Irene , what was that for,am I some joke to you,where you sent here,"Antonio shouted angrily looking down at Irene who just laid on the floor

"Am_ s sorry sir,I tripped mistakenly. I will take my leave now. Irene said as she used her hands as a support to get up from where she laid ,she already made up her mind that she wasn't going anywhere close to getting this job ,not after her short embarrassing drama,she just wished the ground would open up and swallow her up. She was about drawing the handle of the door when Antoino's hand drew her closer towards him .

He stared at her eyes for several long seconds.

"Am not done with you Miss Irene",his eyes piercing deep into hers. Irene removed her gaze from the imposing figure in front of her ,she looked down at the floor, her heart pounding fast as Antonio's hands let go of her dress. Irene's face reddened as she looked up at Antonio , Never has she been made to feel so small, a difficult feat when she was little over five foot two.

Antonio almost smiled at her bravado when she tilted her chin up and met his gaze stare for stare, Irene offered a grim smile.

"Why do you need this Job Miss Irene", Antiono said heading towards his desk , leaning on this desk with his forearm crossed he looked towards the delicate figure standing before him .

"I need to support my mom in catering for my family, the little she earns isn't enough to feed us for the time being so I decided to apply for the job". She gulped loudly,her eyes shimmering with the barest hint of tears "I don't want my Ma suffering as a chef anymore".

They stood silence

Antiono pressed his lip together, taking in a deep breath to steady himself before he could find his voice .

"Sofia" he spoke softly into the phone while looking down at the petite blonde before him.

"They are here already!, okay give me a minute". Antiono said, packing a few documents on his desk.his face ,he sure appeared calm and unemotional to his audience but inside he was in turmoil. Antiono hated the sensation_ it was a sign of weakness.

He examined the woman before him.

"Am going to give you a chance Irene, I actually need a housekeeper especially for my kids,don't thank me for that".he barked when Irene attempted to open her mouth.

Irene quickly snapped her mouth closed ,her eyes were training firmly on his, blinking rapidly to clear the tears which had started forming , Antoino winced but continued to meet her stare .

"But on one condition , It's only going to last for a short period of time,I have business matters to attend to so am actually in need of your service. I would draw up a full employment contract for you to review later. "I would call my driver to take you to my home since it's still early in the morning, you could get to know my pumpkins better, alright then." he said as he walked away leading Irene out of the huge office.

Irene didn't know if she should laugh or cry, just a few minutes ago this man was about to dismiss her and now he's telling her to stay, she wanted to give Sofia a hug to distract him.

Irene got into the Rolls-Royce Sweptail , she knew Mabel had her work in mind so she didn't bother looking for Mabel . It was all happening so fast, she was getting the job many young women of her age would sacrifice a lot for.

Just a few drives away from the company,they arrived at the large mansion,Irene mistook the large building for another of Antoino's companies. With her eyeball widely opened ,her mouth fully opened she gazed at the mansion in front of her.

"We are here Miss", I would head back to the office now. Irene alighted from the car,She headed towards the building,the security staff led her into the building.

Everything was tastefully decorated,yet homely , the furniture were tastefully crafted ,the fancy fans hanging on the ceiling of each floor ,the portrait frame of the whole family hanging on the wall close to the large wall clock in the living room.

"Twins", Irene said slowly as she gazed at the family portrait. Antiono Resmella was more complex than she imagined , an intimidating businessman and a devoted family man? somehow she could hardly believe it was the same man.

Just a few moments later, Antonio was back in his house,he rushed in just to see Irene gazing around everywhere she would place herself. Just as he had thought she would be , right there.

"Miss Irene, I would introduce you to the children now and Mrs Helen would explain your duties here to you", Antoino said making no attempts to look at the figure he was talking to,he headed straight upwards through the stairs he disappeared to thin air, sounds from his shoes could be heard all across the room .

Irene wondered why he was being mean, especially when he had such a lovely family like the one she saw on the portrait frame, could it be that he was always like that.

"Daddy!!", a scream as loud as a whistle snort was heard upstairs, Irene immediately guessed who it was, his daughter. She waited patiently for them to come down, Mrs Helen, an old woman around her early 50 appeared into the living room,her face was pale and in the lines of her face tiredness was plain to see.

Trying not to frown, Irene offered a smile.

"Hi ,I am Irene, the new housekeeper."

Mrs Helen smiled back ,weariness evident in the slump of her shoulder , and the way she clung to the staircase for support .

"I'm Helen".

"It's nice to meet you Helen", Irene said bowing her head down .

"Let me finish with what I was doing. I would be with you shortly dear".the white haired woman said as she headed back to the kitchen . Irene, without being asked, followed her into the kitchen.

Irene closed her eyes and opened it again,she wasn't dreaming was she.it was all real .

The kitchen was beautiful, the floor coated with marble countertops, eggshells crunched underfoot and batter covered every available surface , brightly colored lamps bulbs on the ceiling, it was just amazing to behold.

Antiono stepped into the kitchen behind Irene,his body so close to her she would feel the heat of his body radiating from his skin , she rubbed her hands up and down to get rid of the goosebumps which had appeared.

Just behind him were the twins ,as adorable as they would ever be,the girl child was obviously taller than the boy. Her long curly black hair, sparkling brown eye, and pointed nose was just a feminine reflection of Antonio,she clung firmly to her Dad ,who was now carrying the boy close to his chest.

"Okay , Isabella, Thomas, this is Miss Irene,she would be staying with us for the main time,she would also be assisting Aunty with the chores here , okay". Antoine said patting Tommy on his back,he was the last of the twins.

Although Isabella was just Six she already knew how to make eye contact with a stranger with such boldness as her dad, Irene could already see the striking resemblance between father and daughter.

Giving the kids a warm smile,Irene offered a hand to Isabella who's attention was no longer in the figure standing before her,she quickly ran over towards Helen , lifted the plastic plate that was close to the floor,on an attempt to get a cookie from the plate she slipped the cracked egg yolks on the floor .

"Isabella!. Antiono yelled out as he pointed at the mess she just caused

"How many times do I have to tell you to ask before you take anything from the kitchen, now look what mess you made.

Irene's attention was deeply rooted at Antonio's voice, the way he pointed at his daughter's mess and the way he just handled everything, sending triggering sensations to her, wasn't he just the perfect dad. She brushed her fingers on her nose as she made an attempt to wade off the feeling bubbling within her.

Few moments later, Antonio was headed back to the office,he called Irene who was now busy cleaning up Isabella. Everything about Irene, from the way she walked up to him threw him off balance,he held the door handle trying to maintain his composure, what was she doing to him.

"Am leaving now,I will probably be back late tonight,I have a tight schedule at work." Antoino said as he stared consciously at Irene ,he walked back to the kitchen,he quickly gave Helen a peck on the cheek as he left the building.

Straightening her spine, Irene sought her strength . Everything rode on this Job and two children definitely wouldn't be her downfall. She headed back where she left Isabella,who was now nowhere to be found. She didn't know the kids would be this lively. On an attempt to move out of Isabella's room, Tommy made a clicking sound, immediately followed by a smack on his back. Irene decided to play dumb by ignoring the sound she heard,she shut the door behind her , immediately the kids jumped out of the closet,they gave a loud yell when they saw Irene standing in front of them .

"Ghost!!!!",they shouted as they ran around the room finally falling on each other . With a loud laugh Irene lifted Tommy up and gave him a pat at his back.

"Am not a ghost Tommy, I just fooled you both". Tommy smiled back as he pointed at Isabella who was now feeling neglected.

"She caused it , she ran away and hid there." Tommy said pointing at Isabella who was now crying out loudly she ran towards her large teddy and cuddled him.

"No no no no babyyyyy!!!!, don't cry , you would make Tommy cry too . Alright let's play some more hide and seek, how about you hide and we seek".

With a tilted face, Isabella gave out a mischievous smile as she ran away from the room, Tommy gave out a loud shout

"One,Two,Three,Six,am coming Issa".he ran towards the hallway,Irene running after him. Just as she was about entering the room she heard Tommy laughing as he cut a hint of Isabella's black hair under the bed.

"Where could she be Tommy", Irene said looking over at Tommy who was now red in his attempt to control his laughter.

"Isabella!!,ooh she's so smart,we can't even find her ,Ahh maybe we should go out then". Tommy, not willing to play along with Irene, gave out a loud yell.

"She's right there!!!". Isabella came out Jumping, screaming and laughing at the same time, Tommy hugging her and laughing too was just an amazing sight for Irene alone ,she gave out both of her arms as the two adorable kids flew towards her.

"Time for a bath guys, let's go". she said as she carried Isabella close to get chest, Tommy ran past them as he removed his pants and shirt .

Antiono flipping through the pages of files kept in front of him, tried not to groan aloud at the pains throbbing through his head.

He has been at his desk for hours ,his gaze fixed to the gold watch attached to his wrist .Six hours to be exact .Yet even as he sat facing the man who held the company's annual profit firmly within his grasp , Antiono couldn't stop his thought from wandering to the petite blonde who was in his house.

What was she doing? how was she coping with the twins? Antonio almost cursed out loud, how could he have left his kids with a complete stranger he didn't know.

Even as the thought passed through his mind, Antiono kept his face placid and calm.His guest didn't even appear to notice his distractions . Instead he carried on talking .

"Antonio the company's sales are at a higher chance of increasing here ,if we invest with these Nitel brothers , I know you are new to this whole contract,but trust me, you're still young, you don't know how these things work, it's not personal, it's just business". Adan explained ,his hands waving through the air as he spoke .

Antonio leaned forward and levelled his penetrating stare on the greying man before him. The man standing before him was one of the people Antonio found it difficult working with,not that he wasn't approachable ,Adan was one of the men that liked seeing things going their own way , irrespective of other people's opinions, especially those he considered young to the game.

At the age of forty two Adan was one of the wealthiest people in the world , not that he looked the part of a billionaire -if there was ever a look like that. Adan was dressed in a black knee length jean, white T-shirt and a pair of flip flops.He looked like he was going to spend the day at the beach rather than an office.

"If it wasn't personal Mr Adan ,you won't be quoting my age back at me , I might be new to this Nitel brothers,but that doesn't mean I don't know what they do ,we all know that the Nitel brothers are already in collaboration with twelve different top companies across the world,so what makes you think we would get a good deal out of that -they cut too many corners when it comes to deals like this ,at the end you would be the one paying for the shortcomings". Antiono said as he looked into Adans eyes. "If you were thinking like a businessman , you would be the one waving off the contract .

Adan was silent for several long seconds before he leant back to his seat,his whole body shaking with the force of his laughter, "I knew there was a reason I liked you".

Antonio said nothing ,he just watched and waited.

"Alright then Mr Antiono, I would call the deal off but on one condition,you need to come up with a suitable deal,our company needs deals and we can't do that since we are already in collaboration with your company". Adan said, leaning his elbows on the arms of his chair so he could rest his chin on his hands. "Antiono,I haven't told you about the company's conference organized by my board ,that could even be your opportunity to call yourself a deal, they are older and more conservative men appearing in the conference from different companies.there must be no more of these women.

"Antonio, I am sure you know what I mean by that",if you're going to a function like this don't go alone, at least turn up with a woman . Half of business is keeping up with appearances- something I thought you understood already".

Antonio opened his mouth to defend himself,but he found himself pinned in place by the older man's hard stare.

"Don't even dare argue with me Antonio, that's the way the world works and so far you have done a good job at navigating things. To be taken seriously by my board you need to be taken seriously as a man".with his wisdom imparted and with a last wave of his arm ,the older man got up from his seat. "Now if you don't have anything else to say ,I would be headed home now ,I have a wife waiting for me at home, Good night Antonio".

Nodding his head,Nick offered a swift farewell ,when the door finally closed behind the other man ,he heaved a deep sign of relief .

Pushing back from his desk ,he spun his chair around to face the floor to ceiling windows,which offered him a clearer view of Spain. He could make out of the light in Spain Eye like stars In darkness,that was what he worked so hard for .

Getting up from his seat , Antonio slipped his hands into the pocket of his trousers, letting out his phone. He stared at it for several long moments and finally pressed the call.

"Hello, Antonio is that you ?", an old feminine voice croaked down the phone line .

"Yes , it's me Helen",he replied after a long moment.

"How's the kids doing".he asked, waiting earnestly for the answer he had been expecting.

"Doing fine,the new housekeeper is a God sent ,she handles the kids with so much ease .

"Really". Antonio said, jerking up from his chair.

"The kids are watching TV now ,I won't want to bother them".

"Alright then,take care of yourself Helen".

"Umm Antonio", Helen said from the other end lowering her voice.

"Is there a problem Helen?".

"Let this one stay this time,I know how difficult it may seem, considering all that has happened,but I know a good one when I see one".Helen said with a lot of affection in her tone.

There was a long period of silence.

"We will talk about it later okay ,bye Helen". He hung up and heaved a deep sigh of relief.

As hours went by Antoino was completely lost in his thought,he thought about different things, especially his late wife Elena who died of a lung disease,he spent all his time and affection on Elena, she was all he could ever want in his life,then his twins came along,they were so precious to him , sometimes he thought of giving up everything he owned just to spend more time with them. Elena died when the twins were just two years old. It felt as duo Antoino's world was all falling apart, it all felt like a bad dream. Helen Elena's Aunt came to leave with them,she was the main reason Antoino hadn't given up on life. She took the twins as her own children, breastfed them and did all she could to make them happy. Many attempts were made over the years to introduce Someone else to Antonio,but it all proved futile .At some point Helen gave up on that thought,she knew she wasn't going to be able to care for the kids for so long .She always prayed for a girl like her Elena to come there way. Irene was just a perfect answer to her prayers.