A Billionaire's Obsession 3 (BWWM Interracial Romance): Claiming Her Heart (5 page)

Colin jumps into the driver's seat of his
sports car. Inspired by his mother's
words, He speeds off to his home, sits in the kitchen, and pens an elaborate
note to Renee.

Dear
Renee,

I know
that I am the last person
that you want to hear from. Still, it is very necessary that I compose this
note to you.

I have been an absolute jerk, for many, many years of my
life. I allowed one hurtful situation to crush my spirit, and alter my
personality
.

I have not always been a playboy. I was very much in love
once. I believed in a young woman who was charismatic, and full of life, and
made my heart sing. However, she was also selfish. She broke my heart. She
betrayed me. Since that day, I swore I woul
dn't be
hurt like that again, and chose to be selfish just like her. Being selfish, and
carefree - not being concerned with how one's actions affected others appeared
to give her freedom, and I wanted to be free, just like that.

Therefore, I turned into a
raging
monster, but Renee, I don't want to be that monster anymore.

I want to prove to you that I can be worthy of you.

Please forgive me Renee! Please forgive me for taking
advantage of you. Please forgive for not listening to you...truly listening to
you
.

I want to do better. I want to be better. Will you please
help me? Will you please show me how to be a better man?

I miss you terribly. There is not one night that I don't
see you in my dreams.

I can change. Will you help me?

Truly
yours,

Colin
Winston.

Colin places his pen down on to his steel kitchen
countertop. He re-reads the note, and takes a deep breath. He then carefully
folds it, and hastens to his office, in his expansive, and contemporary
designed penthouse apartment. He searches
for the
right envelope, and seals the note inside it. Colin carefully addresses the
envelope to Renee Wainwright, and dashes out of his apartment.

Colin hastily pulls up to his regular flower
service shop. He orders two bouquets.
One to be delivered to h
er job right away, with the
elaborate note, and another to be delivered later to her home, with a brief
note that insists she reads the more elaborate one. Once Colin is satisfied
that his instructions are understood, he leaves the rest in the capable hand
s of his trusted flower service.

Dressed more casually than usual for the office in a navy
blue blazer, khaki pants, and a white tee, Colin races off to BYWINSTON. Upon
arrival, he immediately locates Nicholas Holland.

"Hey Nick, how's it going? Can we c
hat for a bit?" Colin says.

"Um, sure." Nicholas replies startled. He was
intently focused on his video editing project when the company's founder
bursted into the soundproof edit suite.

"Sorry to interrupt your work. That looks phenomenal.
As a matter of
fact, you have been doing great work
here Nick. I know I showed my appreciation by expanding the video department
and having you head it up, but with your permission, I would like to take
things a step further." Colin is on a roll "What do you say to me m
entoring you? I mean really taking you under my wing, and
guide you toward building your own empire, if you'd like to." Colin is
sincere. His mother's words ignited something in him. It helped him to remember
who he once was, and winning Renee's heart has
inspired
him to wanting to be that guy again.

Nicholas is surprised by the proposal. There was a time
when Colin was not approachable in the least, then he created a new opportunity
for him, and now he wants to help him attain to the same level of success
? It is all mind blowing?

"Um...I...I think that would be awesome. Thank you
sir...I mean Colin." Nick says somewhat shaken. Colin laughs.

"Well great!" Colin replies right away. "Why
don't we start by spending some time with one another this weekend. Wha
t sports are you into?" Colin, and Nick coordinate
their schedules, and Colin begins to detail how the "mentorship
program" will unfold. Nick is very excited. He imagines what his life
would be like if he were a replica of Colin Winston. He envisions wealt
h, property, and gadgets. Not to mention, learning how to
become more attractive to the opposite sex.

Colin concludes his introductory session with Nicholas and
leaves, walking tall, and proud. Colin decides to head over to Melaine's
office. Prior to ente
ring, he actually speaks to
Marina.

"Good afternoon Marina.
Is Melaine in?" He says. Mariana is
alarmed. She has grown accustomed to Colin just walking directly in without
acknowledging her.

"Um...yes Mr. Winston, she is." Marina responds
nervously.

"Th
anks Marina, and
please...please call me Colin." He says smiling sweetly.

"Yes sir...I mean...yes Colin." Marina stumbles.
Colin chuckles. He raps on Melaine's door twice.

"Come in!" Melaine declares. Colin enters.

"Hey Cuz!" Colin says energetically th
en walks directly up to Melaine, and plants a kiss on her
cheek.

Melaine is confused. "What is up with you? You have
been moping around, and dragging your feet. All of a sudden, you have a pep in
your step? What's happened?" Melaine asks dying of curiosit
y.

"Well, you know that saying, 'Mother Knows Best' will
I think it is actually on target. I ha
d a great chat with my mother today. I
don't know how she suspected about Renee...anyway, I digress...but she helped
me to see that I have to openly become a be
tter
person so that Renee believes, I can be. So, I sent Renee a very transparent
note. She should be receiving it now." Colin unfolds rapidly. Melaine is
nodding as she listens.

"So you think that this 'transparent note' will win
Renee over?" Melaine ask
s gesturing with
quotation marks.

"Well, it may...or it may not, but I need to change. I
allowed one woman to ruin me, perhaps Renee is meant to be that one woman to
turn me around again." Colin explains.

"Just, maybe." Melaine realizes that Colin is on
a
high. She considers sharing with him, what she
learned about one man also ruining Renee in the past. She decides to keep it to
herself for the moment. "Well, okay then. Good Luck! I truly do hope that
you can change Colin. You can't hurt Renee, because I
will
certainly hurt you, if you do." Melaine says with sass.

"Got it! Message received, 10-4." Colin says
playfully at first then finally sits amidst all his excitement. "I
endeavor never to hurt Renee. I will make it my job." Colin assures
Melaine.

"Good! I am so very glad to hear it!" Melaine
replies.

Meanwhile...

Renee holds the envelope she has been given, with the
flowers, in her hand for several seconds, just staring at it. The hand writing
is different. She thinks. She has never seen Colin'
s h
andwriting
before. However, she does notice that this handwriting is different from the
hand writing she had read on cards which were attached to the flowers she had
gotten in the past. Colin had dictated the notes to be written on those cards.
This time,
he wrote the note himself.

She continues to stare at the envelope, while sitting at
her desk. Eventually she hears her office mate, "Aren't you going to open
it?" Natalia asks. Something churns in Renee's stomach. She has no idea
what to expect from the t
he contents of the envelope.
She nervously, and slowly begins to tear the envelope open.

Renee unfolds the letter on to her desk, and begins to
read. She carefully absorbs each word. She then gasps loudly when she reads
that Colin has also experienced bet
rayal, and it is
the reason why he became the sort of character that he had become. Renee reads
on to where Colin asks for forgiveness, and her help to be 'a better man'. A
variety of emotions flood her mind. She is angry that he's tried to reach out
to he
r again, when she asked him months ago to leave
her alone. She also feel
s empathic toward him, because he had
been cheated on in the past as well. Finally, she is surprised, and amazed that
he would ask her to help him be a better person. Renee most certai
nly did not think that she possessed that power.

Renee folds the letter again, and returns it to the
envelope. She sits back in her chair, and thinks for a short while. Her
thoughts are with Colin now.
His words appear honest...sincere.
Perhaps, he is truly not 'a monster' at the core. Perhaps
his pain turned him into someone else. Oh my goodness! I am beginning to feel
sorry for him!

Renee excuses herself, and runs out of the building. She
stands in the parking lot taking deep breaths.
Natalia,
who grew rather concerned, and eventually follows her officemate out.

"Renee, can I call someone for you?" Natalia
asks.

In between breaths Renee says, "No". Then
suddenly she turns to Natalia. "Can please excuse me? I need to go
somewhere for a
while." Renee requests.

"Certainly! If Beverly asks, I will tell her you had
an emergency." Natalia kindly offers.

"Thanks so much Natalia! I truly appreciate it!"
Renee quickly
runs back into her office, grabs her tote bag, and runs
back out to jump in
to her old silver sedan, then
speeds off. She has an urge to see Colin right away, and hear these words
directly from his lips, and not just read them on a piece of paper. She needs
to look into his eyes.

Renee parks in the BYWINSTON garage, and hustles i
n her form fitted navy blue dress, trimmed with red,
complemented with red pumps. She
politely greets familiar faces, and heads straight for Colin's office. On the
way up, the elevator stops at her old floor. Colin had just left Melaine's
office and is get
ting on. His mouth gaps open when he
sees Renee.

"Renee! You're here! Did you get my letter?"

"That's why I'm here. Can we talk in your
office?" Renee asks promptly. She is not in the mood for a repeat 'kissing
encounter' in the elevator.

"Of course!" C
olin
immediately presses the button for his floor, and they ride the elevator in
silence, standing apart, on
separate sides of the elevator.

When they arrive on Colin's floor, he politely gestures to
Renee to walk ahead of him. He doesn't take his eye off
of her for one second. She is wearing her hair blown out,
and in a ponytail, in a similar fashion as on the night they became intimate.
Colin shakes his head to snap out of it.
Renee is hear to talk...just talk
. He takes a deep breath. If he is
honest wit
h himself. Renee stimulates him beyond just
his mind...every time.

Colin opens the door to his office, and an extremely
nervous Renee walks in ahead of him. Colin begins to observe that her hands are
shaking.

"Would you like some water, Renee." He asks wa
lking over to his mini fridge which is camouflaged as
one of wooden storage cabinets along one
wall of his office.

"No, thank you." Renee says stiff, and
emotionless. Colin grows nervous. He can't imagine what Renee is about to
say to him.

"Um, would you
like a
seat?" He offers, extending his arms to the couches
against the opposite wall in his office.

"No, thank you. I read your letter." Renee
begins. "You said, you've been betrayed by someone you loved once?"
Renee proposes. "Please explain."

"Sure." Co
lin replies.
He opens up and tells Renee about who he was a very long time ago. He informs
her that he was an avid sports fan, and decent player too. He also talks about
his love for books as a child, and that while under the desk in his father's
study, he
observed him closely at every business
deal, and wanted to be just like him. Colin explains that he had always
concocted a businesses or sales idea from a very young age. - Whether it was a
lemonade stand at five, or baseball cards at ten, and so on.