Falling For My Playboy Boss
Chapter 68

Cora's

POV

It is the day of our show during Milano Fashion Week. I am super excited about it, and especially that today we will get all the horrible things that Maddie said cleared up during our live interviews that Mateo set up after the show. He told me to stay in the last outfit and come out and sit with him and Ella as we got all the incorrect accusations set straight. We would be interviewed with the stage behind us as the backdrop and I would still be in full makeup and hair, and Mateo said he and Ella would get this straightened out and I believed him.

I arrived even earlier than usual because Thomas didn't want to take any chances, so I rode in with him so Ava could come in at noon for the show.

"Are you nervous going up today?" Thomas asked me as he drove his SUV to the venue.

"No, the only real-time I was nervous was at the very first show, and when I had to wear a bikini in the last show, the day I got assaulted. I had gained 5 lbs. and didn't know why, but I saw pictures of myself, and I looked OK. Plus, I have only gained 16 in total, so I am doing pretty good, and I know Mateo, he is a really good designer. He was going to just make dresses for me and Ella, and not really pants for us, at least for this show, so you may not even be able to tell I am pregnant, like with my leggings and hoodie. You can't tell now. I am just trying to keep it from being known as long as I can. I am sure Maddie will have a problem with it, and probably Collin too. I don't know. I haven't spoken with him since the business trip in September. I will take care of this on my own. I have handled my bills and even helped take care of mom and dad. I can do this, I don't need Collin to get me through this" I told Thomas, and in a way, I was also talking to myself too.

"Do you know the s*x of your baby, if you don't mind me asking?" Thomas asked me.

"I don't mind at all I am having a boy and a girl," I told him.

"Twins, well congratulations, I didn't know you were having twins. I just know I am supposed to protect you until this thing with Maddie gets handled and I will. I will stay backstage and watch you on the runway. I feel like I should be in the back. I also feel that you are safer without Maddie knowing either. I don't like or trust her", Thomas tells me, and I nod in agreement. "Me either, Thomas, me either," I told him.

Franco and Eric have just gotten set up and no one else is there yet. I greet and hug them both and go to check out my clothes because I have plenty of extra time on my hands. Thomas sits by my area and keeps his eyes on me, and I wander around talking to people. At noon, I go hop in Eric's chair and let him make me beautiful. At 1230, I was in Franco's chair as someone was already there earlier needing their hair done. I go hang out in my area, as we still have over an hour to go and play on my phone. At 150, Livi shows up and moves my screen, so Thomas doesn't get a show with me changing and he smiles at her and moves further away from my area to give me more privacy as I am about to have to get changed. I run over to the restroom, and with the babies being on my bladder, I have to go more often. I am back in my area and ready to go at 5 minutes until the show starts, so I go ahead and get changed. My first outfit is a navy fit and flare that goes right above my knees. The top is built with a round neck and with the A-line skirt, you cannot tell that I am pregnant. I come out and point to my baby bump and Thomas nods in agreement that I am not obviously pregnant in this outfit, and I go get in line. I wait for my cue and head on down the runway. I enjoy it out here and I hear the murmurs of the crowd. I hit my pose and head back in. I hurried across and got into my second outfit, which seemed like a long shirt on the hanger. It is a beautiful soft yellow color like the sun coming up in the early morning and it has a V neck and is also a high-waisted dress. It has a tie at the bottom of the V neckline, and the wide ribbons from the tie flutter down to almost the end of the dress. The dress skims the bottom of my thighs and was flared out and fluttery, so again there was no visible baby bump. I like how it moves on my legs as I walk and I decided that I will wear it all through my pregnancy with some shorts or leggings to keep them modest, but I will be wearing this a lot during my pregnancy as it has a lot of room to grow with me, as I know I will be expanding soon. I go up to Iris and she gives me a thumbs-up, she likes it and I wait for my cue to head out. I walk down the runway and the dress is moving and with the color, I just feel happy in it, but I remember I cannot smile, so I just keep my regular expression on my face and hit my poses and return up the walkway. I hurried across the backstage area and heard Eric call out to me to remember to stop by him on the next go-round. Livi helped me into my third dress, which was a tan knee-length dress. It had a modest V in the front and on the back and a silk string that laced through the top parts of the front and back and then tied behind my neck. I stepped up to Iris and waited for her to send me out. The skirt was asymmetrical and moved very well down the runway with me and I loved how nice this dress was, as you could dress it up or down. I hit my poses, and with this one being higher up my frame with an empire waist, my baby bump was again covered. My fourth outfit was a sheer baby blue colored dress with a n**e-colored liner underneath the sheer blue color. So, it looked like you could see right through it, but all you were really seeing was the n**e-colored liner underneath. The dress was a beautiful color and had a slit up to my thigh on the left leg, the long sheer sleeves came down to flair out into a little bell cuff just below my wrist. It was cute and with the empire waist that flared out, people still didn't realize I was working with two babies on board as well. I loved how I felt heading down the runway with my left leg almost totally showing as I strode down the runway and back. My last outfit was gorgeous and bold, a black strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline, with attached sleeves so it gave a unified look of being straight across my body except at the little dip in the sweetheart neckline. It had an empire waist too and it also had a slit on each leg, up to my thighs. I had heard murmurs coming from the crowd about the last dress, but this one was going to knock their socks off when they saw it. I cannot believe that Mateo was such a great talent that I, at five months pregnant with twins, would be able to look this great on a runway. It is a real testimony to what a great designer he was. I walked up to Iris and smiled when she did a double-take. I held my arms out at the elbows like I was saying "I know right" and smiled at her, and she smiled at me. She sent me the cue to go out and I put my head up and shoulders back and headed down the runway. I feel fierce in this dress and kind of like a badass. I know why he wanted me to stay in this dress, he wanted me to be shown in a position of power and authority when we were interviewed. I do feel like a badass in this dress and I know it looks good on me because Livi told me that as soon as she zipped me up and Thomas did a double-take when he saw me come out from behind the curtain. So, I was actually aware that I looked pretty good in it as I hit my poses. I stood there looking right into the cameras in front of me and waited as the girls filed back out onto the stage. I listened for Mateo's footsteps as he came out onto the stage, and this time he had a microphone with him. The music was turned down and when he got to me, he motioned for everyone to quiet.

"I know this has been a wonderful week of fashion, and that is always exciting, but I wanted to announce a new line that I am starting, which will carry at least ten pieces in it to start. We now have a pregnancy line that I am doing. Ella, honey, can you come up here? This ladies and gentlemen is my Fiancé, Ella Adams, and we will be getting married in April" Loud claps erupted in the venue and I was getting a little nervous, but I held my pose and kept my expression fierce as he continued to speak to the crowd "Ella is four months pregnant and the line is inspired by a good friend of ours who found out that she was pregnant about a month before we found out about our precious baby. So, we are both proud and excited to start this beautiful new pregnancy line in both their honor. Thank you so much for coming today", Mateo told them, and then took each of our arms in his and walked back up the runway, escorting us both to the back. I have Livi take my picture with my phone as I want to be able to remember this first fashion show where I actually knew that I was pregnant. I headed over and got Thomas to come out with me for the interview. He was just going to come to sit nearby us to watch.

I went out and hugged Dalton and then Nicolas, who both noticed my little baby bump when I hugged them. Dalton put his hand out like he was going to touch my stomach when I heard Thomas clear his throat behind me, and Dalton drew his hand away without touching me.

Dalton and Nicolas looked at each other and then back at me and I nodded at them and then said, "Do NOT tell Collin. I will eventually tell him, but he has made his choice. I will take care of my babies by myself".

"Did you just say, babies?" Nicolas asked me.

"I did," I told him and Livi walked up next to me.

"I will be helping her when the time comes for Collin to sign away his rights. We will not let Maddie be anywhere near these infants, as she has shown what kind of person she was when she had Cora attacked. And just so you know, when Cora was attacked, she was pregnant. I have already had Maddie served at two pm when the show started. We are about to sue her for slander and assault. I will take any funds that Maddie personally has. If you are smart, you will tell Collin to leave it alone because I will personally guarantee that he will end up looking really bad supporting the woman who had the mother of his children attacked in her own home", Livi told them, and then after giving Nicolas a hard look, we moved over to the press conference that had been set up forty feet away and was ready to go.

I looked back at Nicolas and Dalton and they both had a stunned expression on their faces like they had both been slapped. I saw them look at each other, still stunned, and I remember when I felt like that too. I hold up a finger to my mouth when they both look back at me with their mouths still open before I get into my chair, and we start this press conference.