Falling For My Playboy Boss
Chapter 78

Collin's

POV

I headed to lunch with Maddie hot on my heels. I cannot wait for the day I no longer have her in my life. She is the worst kind of person and I truly see what a depraved kind of lifestyle I have been living for the last 5 years. With having money, and a lot of it, women flocked to me on the daily. I was listed on the most handsome lists every single time here in New York, and people always fawned over me because of my looks and my success in life. I always thought I was happy, but it was only after I had been with Cora and gotten to get a great night's sleep and woke up with her in my arms did I understand what happiness truly was. My happiness is Cora, in my life, in my arms, and in my bed. Nothing else will do for me.

I do not know why my parents all of a sudden showed up at the office. At 1210, I heard a knock on the door and after I called "Come in", I saw my mother come through the door and look over at my couch to see Maddie sitting there doing her nails. My mother simply entered and came to me at my desk and gave me a big hug and a kiss on my cheek and asked me how I was. I just shrugged and looked over at Maddie on the couch, who was not looking so happy anymore about being there. I wish for the 1000th time that she wasn't here. The only good thing in my life was that Maddie had pushed the wedding back to June, and I knew that she was planning on making another run at Mateo to try to force him into making her the wedding dress that she wanted him to make, but I knew he wasn't going to do it. He doesn't like her and told her to replace someone else. Even at the press conference, that is what he told her. I don't know what world she is living in, she must be trying to go with diminished capacity if she gets caught with what she is doing by blackmailing me. But I have recorded conversations where I can prove that it is all an act. She is fine one minute and then if I push her buttons, she swings into it. She is probably bipolar, but a lot of people deal with that. She chooses to act badly to people like no one has value, like she does. I again ask myself why I ever dated her, and the unfortunate short answer was I was thinking with my d**k, and I got burned because of it.

We went to a nice Italian restaurant for lunch, where Maddie proceeded to complain about the menu, wanted something special made for her when it wasn't even an option, and was rude to our waitress. I wished I were anywhere but here, as when I smiled at the waitress, and she smiled back gently at me like "I am so sorry your girlfriend is a b***h", Maddie started yelling at her for flirting with me. My lunch was terrible because of Maddie. The food was good, the company was terrible.

While I eat, I tune Maddie out as I wonder how Cora is doing. I saw her in two pictures in the fashion section of the paper and in one she looked very pregnant in a black lace evening dress, but in the other, you wouldn't have known she was pregnant until she turned to the side. She looked gorgeous in both, but Maddie tore up the fashion section of the paper when she woke up yesterday and saw Cora in the paper. She didn't even realize that Cora was pregnant yet, so that is actually a good thing. The longer Cora is pregnant, the better for our babies. I miss Cora so much. I wonder if she has found out I paid off her student loans yet. I wanted to do something that would help her out and student loans are hard to pay down, especially since she has to take care of the babies now. Regardless, it will be good for her to have some wiggle room once the babies get here. But I plan on helping her out with the children. They will want for nothing. I will help Cora in every way that I can.

I picked up my phone and started checking my social media accounts as it is better than listening to Maddie complain and saw that Adam, who flies on my Jet, had updated his Instagram and, on it was a picture of him hugging Cora. He just updated it yesterday and I went through and checked all 5 of his pictures. He was obviously there after the fashion show with several of his friends. In one of the pictures, I see one of the guys clearly checking Cora out. He isn't trying to hide it at all. Who checks out a pregnant woman? Can that guy not tell that she is clearly taken? Because she is pregnant, so she has a man. Then I glanced across the table at Maddie who was still complaining about whatever, and I realized that my mom was right. Someone will sn atch her up. I need to get with Nicolas and Jack from the FBI to see where we are and make sure that this will be over soon. I can't lose her over me being stupid and making a bad choice. I love her and will do whatever it takes to make her mine. I see it all over that guy's face that he is very interested in Cora, and I will not allow him to come in and scoop her up. I will step it up as soon as I get Maddie gone. That needs to get done right now because I will not let Cora leave me. I love her, I need her, and I want her. I want to help her raise our children, not some random man. She is everything to me and I won't allow my stupid actions to ruin the very best thing that has ever happened to me.

I sent a text to mom, "Please help me get Cora back mom. I can't live without her, and I love her so much. Please tell me what I need to do to get her back".

"I will speak with Cora about it. We will be together for the next two weeks, so I will see what it will take to make that happen. She loves you, son. But you screwed up, big time. I don't know if I could come back from being told what you told her. It was a bad idea to tell her what you did. I know you knew she was upset before you started to talk. But you should have left it at "I made a huge mistake sleeping with Maddie after I broke it off" rather than telling her that you were so worked up after seeing her, that you had to sleep with Maddie", mom texted me back, and I winced because she was right. I was an i***t, and Cora may not forgive me. But I have to try, I cannot leave this to chance. I need to prove to her that I am a changed man and that I will never make a mistake like that again. I have not slept with anyone since we came back from Paris. I will not be sleeping with anyone until Cora lets me back into her bed. I heard Maddie's voice get louder and realized that she was speaking to me and getting madder because I hadn't replied back to her. "What did you say, Maddie," I asked her.

"I asked you when you were going to contact Mateo and see if he can do my dress now that we moved the wedding date back to June?" Maddie asked me.

"You heard him at the press conference, he didn't want to do your dress," I told her.

"That was because of his wedding and because Cora told him not to Collin. He can do it. You just need to make it worth his while" Maddie told me.

"No, he said he wasn't going to do it. Plus, if memory served, he said that his baby was coming at the end of June, so he wouldn't be doing it then either". I told her and tried to keep my anger in check. Maddie always tries to blame Cora for it, but Maddie is a piece of work, and he doesn't like her. She had no curves and his whole line shows that he loves to design for women with curves. Plus, Cora went to get him but didn't know what Maddie wanted him for. Mateo decided on his own not to do it. I watched the whole press conference several times because Cora looked beautiful sitting there in that gown. Mateo detests Maddie and will not do the dress she wants so much from him. I think Maddie just wants to be in one of his beautiful designs, not realizing that she has a good figure, but she doesn't have the lush curves that Mateo likes to design for.

We arrive back at my work and head back up to my office. I feel drained as being around Maddie does that to you. The elevator door opens and I go to step out and see Cora, and then I see Thomas almost totally blocking my view of Cora. Then I saw Gabriel step forward and cover my view totally. What the hell is going on here? What was Gabriel doing here? I saw my parents and Jerry standing there as well. What the f**k? Don't I run this company? Why was I not included in this meeting? I hear Maddie's annoying voice behind me and snap out of it to ask Gabriel what he is doing here, and I don't like his answer. So, I childishly answer that I am in charge and don't approve of it, as I know it is clearly Cora he is after. I knew he was interested in her in Paris, as I saw him getting a little possessive over her after they danced, and that he wanted her number the day we got back from Paris. I didn't give it to him.

Maddie promptly starts up when she sees Cora. She is so jealous of her. Cora fires back and I know that this is about to go south really quickly. When Maddie threatens Cora's job, I go to tell her she has lost her mind, when I hear Gabriel tell me "I would hire her on the spot if you did fire her". I narrow my eyes at him and go to respond when Jerry fires off at Maddie but is looking at me. He doesn't know what is going on and that Maddie will be doing no such thing, but Jerry fires off in protection of Cora, and then it really goes south when Maddie opens her mouth and lies about Cora again. I tried to take the wheel again and told her to stay out of it. Maddie moves to the side and finally gets a good view of Cora. Now Maddie realizes that Cora is pregnant and starts yelling out vile things about Cora. Cora corrects Maddie and does it in a nice way until the end, and then Maddie goes in for an attack to hit Cora. I cannot allow that to happen, so I quickly grab Maddie's wrist in my hand as Gabriel and Thomas back Cora up from Maddie. I led Maddie to my office with her yelling and screaming back at Cora. I think Maddie now knows who got Cora pregnant as Maddie yells at me for the next hour. She is about to blow a fuse and when she finally stops yelling, I go to use the restroom and take my phone to call Nicolas to tell him to give Jack a heads up because Maddie will be trying something soon. I guess it is a good thing that Cora will be in Paris for the next two weeks, because she might not be safe staying here. Maddie is madder than I have ever seen her, and I know she is going to do something stupid.