Page 89 of Man Vs. Woman
Serena
“How do you do it all?”
The perfectly rehearsed questions hangs in the air, and it’s one that I’ve been expecting right from the start of this interview. It’s a question that every single reporter insists on asking me—everyone’s baffled at how a woman as young as me juggles a multimillion-dollar business and the perfect marriage—but the answer remains the same.
“I don’t do it all,” I smile politely, looking the young enthusiastic reporter in the eyes. “But I dohaveit all. I’m a lucky woman.”
“I guess all our readers would agree with that,” she smiles back, trailing after me as we head out of the GymSpaSium’s spa department. She has been shadowing me for the past hour, exploring the whole place, but her fascination with me seems to have overtaken her fascination with the place.
No wonder, though.
The audience is always more interested in the people behind the story, than in the story itself. And, really, if we look back in time, to when this whole thing started, I’d share that feeling.
Seriously, wouldn’t you be curious to hear the story of a 29-year-old that triumphed against all odds, opened a spa and a gym right at Clarendon Tower, and got one of the most eligible bachelors in New York to become her husband? I know I would. But you already know the story behind it, don’t you? You’re here from the very start.
There are just a few things I still haven’t told you.
“Are the rumors true?” The reporter asks me as we make our way toward the main floor of the gym. I don’t even have to ask her what rumors she’s talking about. The tabloids have been going crazy with it these past few weeks, and the paparazzi try to take pictures of me whenever they have a chance. Oh, yes, there are paparazzi after me all the time now.
Serena James is a famous woman.
“Well…” I start to say, but I don’t get to finish my sentence.
“They’re the absolute truth,” Colt tells her, cutting me short as he appears right behind me and drapes one arm over my shoulders. Pulling me close, he lays a kiss on my cheek as the photographer snaps a few pictures in quick succession, the sound of the shutter making a few heads turn our way.
“That’s right,” I agree. I guess its time we let the cat out of the bag. “We’re going to have a baby.”
Yup, that’s right. I’m four months pregnant now. Kinda crazy, if you think about it, huh? Just one year ago I was on the verge of losing everything I had, not to mention that the man I had shared my life with, Hoyt, had just cheated on me.
I was broken and lost.
And now, just a few months later, I’m back with a vengeance.
Rich, married, and pregnant. The three things you need to have a proper happy ending, right?
Not everything was easy, though. Opening a place like GymSpaSium wasn’t an easy task, and even Daphne and Dominic had to pitch and help with all the legalese and whatnot. But, in the end, it all worked out. We got the funds we needed, built the whole thing from scratch, and recouped most of the investment in just three months.
We were just trying to become the most successful lifestyle center in the state but, in the process, we ended up becoming the best one in the whole country. Which, of course, means that the money pours in daily.
And that there are reporters on our tail on a daily basis.
Yeah, move aside, Elon Musk...a new breed of rockstar entrepreneurs has just arrived.
But let’s forget about the money, shall we? Truth be told, I no longer care that much about it. I know, I know...easy for me to say it when I’m rolling in it, but just listen to me, will you? We’re stable, Colt and I, and that’s an important thing. But what really matters, and it’s something I’m going to believe in until the day I day, is that Colt and I have found each other.
I’ve never been one to believe in soulmates, but...
Oh, right, and the wedding! I wish you could’ve been there for that. We considered marrying in NYC for a short bit, but then we ended up exchanging vows in Italy, in one of Malcolm Push’s seaside estates, and flew out every single one of our friends.
God, I can’t help but smile like an idiot whenever I think of it—the villa was so beautiful, and the surroundings were dotted with vineyards that seemed to stretch forever. No wonder Malcolm Push and his wife insist on splitting their time between Europe and the states—the old continent is something that has to be experienced.
As for me, I was just happy to be given the chance to marry in such a beautiful place...and with the man of my dreams.
When I was a little girl, I had always envisioned my wedding as a magical event that would be unlike anything else. I pictured myself slowly walking down the aisle, the tail of my gown trailing after me, and I pictured the man of my dreams smiling at me as he slid the ring into my finger. I imagined how it’d feel to kiss him, and how it’d feel to know that I’d share the rest of my life with him.
Well, I’m happy to say that everything I ever imagined...paled in comparison to how good reality was.
And, just a few months later, I found out I was going to be a mother. Now that was the icing on top of the cake, let me tell you. I never really envisioned myself as a mother—nor Colt ever thought of himself as a father—but the moment we found out we were going to be parents...things just clicked into place.
