Fenella’s POV
Two years later…
I held Laird’s hand, squeezing the palm that felt damp with sweat. A smile appeared on my lips as I tried to calm the nervousness he had felt since we left the house. This was the first award ceremony for him, Dave, and Rowan. They couldn’t sit still in their seats either.
I couldn’t deny that I felt the same. My heart raced, even as the host made jokes that had the audience laughing. Still, I tried to remain calm because I didn’t want to make him more anxious than he already was.
“The winner of the Best Mobile Game of the Year is…” The music stopped, the announcer paused, tension built, “My Supermodel!”
“Oh! Thank God!” I exclaimed behind my hands that covered my open mouth.
“Congratulations, honey!”
I immediately stood up and hugged Laird tightly beside me. I cupped his face in my hands and kissed his lips strong and quick. He smiled broadly and whispered for a moment, “I love you, baby. Thank you.”
“Congratulations!” I shook hands with Dave and Rowan, who were also standing a bit away from me.
The three of them hurriedly walked up to the stage. Truly, they looked like a trio of celebrities. Laird and Dave wore dark gray suits, while Rowan wore a knee-length orange dress and black ankle boots. Of course, I had chosen all their outfits.
Laird smiled wide as he received the award trophy in his hands. He examined it, kissed it briefly, before handing it to Dave and Rowan to take turns holding the golden trophy.
“Hi, everybody. We never expected to win this award. Thank you so much for the support and love you have given to My Supermodel. Thanks to the most beautiful supermodel ever to exist in the world, my wife, Fenella.” Everyone in the room applauded enthusiastically.
“Aww, Laird…” I whispered to myself, cupping my hands in front of my mouth.
He then mentioned everyone who had supported them-investors, family, friends, even Bravo the sugar glider. After the three of them finished their acceptance speech, they disappeared behind the stage.
After some time passed, they returned to their seats beside me. Laird immediately hugged me and kissed my cheeks and lips. He repeatedly whispered words of thanks to me. Then he kneeled down to my protruding belly and kissed it.
His hands rubbed my belly and waist as he whispered to our baby, “Thank you, baby. I love you. This is for you. Come out and get it.” He grinned while showing the trophy in front of my belly.
I laughed for a moment at Laird’s words. Then he hugged me tightly again.
***
“How are you, Fenella?” the journalist asked.
“Great! Thank you.” My eyes sparkled with a wide smile at her.
“How’s the baby coming? Have you had a baby shower and gender reveal event yet?”
“The baby is fine and healthy. The baby shower will be held in the eighth month, together with the gender reveal event. I was just about to invite you,” I exclaimed excitedly with a giggle.
“Oh! I would love to come!”
Our light conversation, recorded in the podcast studio, was warm and lively. We laughed a lot and discussed various topics related to fashion and entertainment.
“Tell me how it feels to be the inspiration for the best mobile game of the year. Seven awards at once! You broke a record! How did it all start?” The broadcaster exclaimed, breathless in astonishment at Laird’s mobile game achievement.
“Honestly, I can’t believe it! Laird and I visited the Rackers Bite office, which was in the family room of a small house. At first, I just wanted to get to know and see the small business he was building. Then suddenly Dave came in after buying cigarettes and asked about my profession.”
“Came back from buying cigarettes?”
“Yes! He parked his roaring motorcycle, brrrm. Then he suddenly entered through the back door of the kitchen and immediately saw me. He greeted me with, ‘Hey, what’s up, dude.'” We burst into laughter at the oddity of the moment.
“After that, he asked about my profession, what I did, and various other things about the fashion world. Then suddenly he went into a trance state! He just ignored me after that.” We giggled again, along with the crew behind the camera, including Jessy, who was also chuckling.
“Right after that mobile game became a hit among kids, teens, and women, you built your own modeling agency. Doesn’t that feel like achieving the ultimate goal in a game that became reality? Holding the title of supermodel and a successful business owner.”
“Uh, actually it was just a coincidence that everything happened at the same time. The game itself had been in development for more than two years. Meanwhile, my agency only really started operating fully a year ago. Though I believe the title of Supermodel is all thanks to that game.” I chuckled with a bright smile.
“How could it not? You became an inspiration for women from all walks of life to dare to dream through that game.” The broadcaster praised with a small round of applause.
“Thank you.” I could only smile with my cheeks warming up.
“Was it hard to build your agency from scratch? Was it as smooth as in the game?”
“Yes, it was quite difficult in the early years. In the game, you know the various checklists and things you need to do to complete the missions. In reality, I didn’t even know what to do! It was all a mess!” We laughed again as my hands opened wide to the sides of my head.
“Yes, I heard about the case that’s still dragging your old agency. Did that hinder you in building the business?”
“Oh, yes, for sure. I built my agency to help friends who suddenly lost their jobs because of Gene.” I sighed weakly, remembering the gloomy faces after Gene’s office closed.
“Honestly, I felt like I didn’t have enough capacity to be a CEO, plus the case that tarnished my name made it excruciatingly hard for us to build Everdream Model Management. I wouldn’t have reached here without my husband and my BFF slash agent slash COO, Jessy Ronald!”
“Is he here? Is that him?” The broadcaster pointed at Jessy, who was giggling behind the cameraman.
“Yes! Come up here, Jessy! You deserve some spotlight!” I waved my hand and invited him to sit beside me, as did the broadcaster, who excitedly urged the crew to push Jessy forward.
“Oh, I’m an introvert. It’s wrecking my nerves to come up here.” Jessy shrugged, his eyes wide, feigning a nervous smile.
We all burst into laughter again. The conversation felt even more lively and exciting with Jessy’s various quips that made the atmosphere more vibrant. After an hour of chatting, we finally reached the end of the show.
“What are your plans after this, Fenella?” the broadcaster asked seriously again.
“My first priority right now is to give birth to my child and shower him or her with all the love they deserve. Just like my mother fought for me, I will fight for them.”
“Must be exciting to have a small family with your husband, right?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
“Will the company be run by Jessy while you’re on maternity leave?”
“Um, not entirely. That’s the challenge of being a CEO. You can’t just let go of all of responsibility at any time. Jessy will take over most of the company’s operations during my leave, while I still have to make decisions that need to be made.”
“Jessy will help take care of the baby while you work, right?”
“Of course! I will be the best nanny in the world for my godchild.”
We all laughed again at Jessy’s enthusiastic comment.