Falling For My Playboy Boss
Chapter 79

Cora's

POV

I had gone home and packed really quickly. I didn't have a lot of maternity clothes, but I really am glad about the new pants designed for me. I have a few pieces and I can grab a few more while I am there as I have got a little extra cash flow with what Gabriel is paying me to come and train. I am going to pick up two pairs of shoes for me to wear later on when my feet get back to normal. My ankles and feet are a little swollen right now and I made a mental note to tell Mateo to keep my heels lower for the next show, just in case. I will be towards the end of my pregnancy then and I don't want to trip and fall. That is always my biggest fear on the runway. I am glad I got some low wedges last week as I can work in them at Eurazeo. Marlowe had come and sat with me on the plane and showed me what Collin had said to her via text. I love him too, but I don't know if I can let him have my heart again. He has failed twice now, and admittedly it stems from the same mistake, but that still doesn't take the sting away from when my heart broke thinking that he played me, just to sleep with me. Then he went back with Maddie because that is what it felt like he had done to me.

I know Marlowe wants us back together, but I am not the one preventing it. I cannot be around Maddie and until they get her taken care of, I will not put myself or the lives of our babies at risk. I lean my head back and go to shut my eyes for a little while, and then the next thing I know, we are landing. Gabriel had his driver drop us off at the apartment and Thomas decided that he would sleep on the pull-out couch at the apartment, to stay close to me, just in case, so Marlowe canceled his room reservation.

I roll my luggage into the apartment and am again thankful that my phone knows what time it is and had already set my alarm for the morning. I rolled my luggage over to my old room and stopped. I hadn't thought about returning here, to the apartment, what it would do to me. I remember Collin coming and lying down with me when I was crying over Michael, him being so sweet to me when he didn't even know why I was upset. I can feel the tears coming out and I head to the bathroom to cry in the shower, so I don't upset Marlowe and Alderidge. The emotions hit me hard, and I just stood in the shower and bawled my eyes out. I cry for the time we lost with what Maddie has done and that everything would have been totally different if Maddie hadn't pulled this. Collin and I could be living together or married right now if she hadn't done this. Don't get me wrong, I am furious with Collin as well. His d**k got us into this, and the blame lies at his feet, but she knew he had cut her loose and she did what she felt she had to because she had no real talent. I have probably started that ball rolling now that I am thinking about it, telling her at the restaurant that she has 5 years left with her looks. That she needed to go to college to learn a skill probably wasn't my best idea, but who would have known that she was crazy enough to do this? Maybe it wasn't all Collin's fault, she was probably working him all the way to her place, because that was her plan all along, she needed him to have s*x with her to catch him. Regardless, this is where we are now, and we are all going to have to deal with it.

Collin was so handsome at the office. He looked thinner, but he was still just as gorgeous as he usually is. His eyes. I miss him looking into my eyes and feeling that connection that we have. I just miss him all the way around. I wish that we could be together again. I hope this situation gets worked out soon so I can give serious thought to letting Collin fully back into my heart. I get dried off and get into bed. I was all cried out now with dry burning eyes, as I fell asleep slowly.

I get up at 7 and grab a quick shower, brush my teeth, and get ready to go. I am a little nervous about trying to teach others how to do my job. What I mainly do is, I actually care, I care about their money performing for them, in their investments growing, and what they actually want to invest in. I listen to them and by method of deduction, I get them to where they want to be, through questioning what they actually want to do. But I have a feeling that this may not go well, let alone if I was brought in from America to teach them. They may not be receptive to my instruction, so hopefully, the bulk of them will get it and the people who don't want to learn, won't. It is really that simple. I headed into the kitchen to get some coffee and smell food when I got there. Marlowe had made a large breakfast: eggs, sausage, toast, and coffee.

"Marlowe, you didn't have to do this, but I appreciate the breakfast," I told her.

"Yes, thank you, Marlowe, I appreciate it as well", said Thomas from his bar stool.

I got on my barstool, and she put a plate down in front of me. The eggs had cheese in them and were delicious, "These are delicious Marlowe", I told her.

"Thank you, honey, I cooked for all my children, now it is just me and Alderidge, so I don't cook as much. But now I have grandchildren that will be coming over and I will be getting to cook again, and I am very happy about that", Marlowe told us.

"I am so glad that you are here. I have never taught anyone before, and I am a little nervous. My face looks young and that is why Collin thought I had lied about my MBA and being third in my class. I don't know if they are going to listen to me or not. I don't want Gabriel to be disappointed in me if they don't all "get it". He has faith in me, and I want him to still have faith in me at the end of this training as well", I told Marlowe.

"You will do fine honey, just teach them correctly and what they choose to do with it. Well, that is up to them. Each one of us has to take what we know and apply it correctly. Just remember it is not your job for them to do their job. It is your job to teach them, but you can't force them to do their job correctly. That will always be on them. So don't sweat it. Gabriel came to you because you do care, and he can see that in you, but you cannot teach other people to care about their job. Only they can make themselves do that. So just teach them, and let it go. Not every one of them will get it, and if you have any women in your class those will be your problem children", Alderidge said as he arrived in the kitchen for breakfast.

"| I agree, and Alderidge is very good at his job because he cares, so he understands. It is the old saying "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink" and it works perfectly in this. You can teach them all day long, but you can't make them take your advice. That will always be on them", Marlowe told me.

"Don't sweat it, Cora, Gabriel wouldn't have flown 6 hours one way to try to convince you to come to train his people if he didn't have faith in you. If they don't get it, he will know why. I am almost positive that you will be seeing him at some point every single day we are here, well, at least work days. He may not be able to come up with an excuse for the weekends", Thomas tells me and then winks at me, and I blush.

"Gabriel isn't interested in me like that", I told him.

"Yes, he is, honey. He wanted you to train, but seeing you pregnant, that caught him by surprise. I am glad Marlowe is here with you as she, and Alderidge, will probably be able to keep him at bay if he comes up with any "Let's go out to dinner to discuss" meetings. Which I would bet my whole month's pay is coming. Either this Friday or Saturday, he is going to have to move fast as Collin will be chomping at the bit to get you back to New York. I will also bet my paycheck that Collin will be here the following Saturday morning under the guise of coming to get you all when he could just send the jet to pick you up" Thomas takes his plate to the sink and washes it off before putting it in the dishwasher and going to the living room.

Marlowe started laughing and said, "I will take neither of those bets because Thomas is correct. I predict both those things happening as well. Only a fool would take that bet".

"Well, I am going to take a bet, I bet Thomas is right about Gabriel, as he was disappointed when he saw Cora was pregnant, but he got over it quickly, as you do when you like someone enough that you can get past them having another man's children. BUT I bet that Collin is here on Friday night before we are supposed to leave. Ready to spend the night and get Cora wrapped up and get to spend some time with her on the way back to New York", Alderidge tells us before he laughs and starts to eat his breakfast. Marlowe smiled at him and said, "Alderidge is right. I feel it. I remember Collin telling me that he wanted to take Cora on the sightseeing boat ride that they took in the daytime, but this time at night. He was planning on doing that for their honeymoon after he shakes that worthless woman off of him. I remember because it made me smile that he would be that romantic for Cora. Collin has never been romantic. He has never had to work to "get the girl" before and I think it is high time that he had to do it, Cora. So, that is what we are going to make him do. It will do him good. He is willing to do anything to get you back, so let's take the next week to think of some things that he can do to get you back, honey."

I smiled thinking that Marlowe was going to spend the better part of a week trying to get Collin a little payback for how I was treated. She makes me laugh and I am so glad that she and Alderidge came with me on this trip. Marlowe for comfort and Alderidge for expert advice for my training if it doesn't go well.