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“No, I don’t,” I finally answered. “It’s not the same as before. It’s better. We know each other deeper now. We’ve been through too much for this to feel like just some cycle we’re repeating. We know exactly what we want this time.”

“And what’s that?” Arielle asked, watching me closely.

I exhaled, gripping my glass tighter.

“Forever,” I said. “For real, this time.”

The table exploded with excitement.

Arielle reached across the table, gripping my hand. “I am so happy for you, Tootie. Seriously.”

Egypt nodded, smirking. “Finally. Took you long enough.”

Averi sighed dreamily. “Ugh, I love this for you. The real-life fairytale.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Y’all are so dramatic.”

“Not as dramatic as you, Mrs. Langston.” Arielle grinned.

I rolled my eyes playfully. “Okay, enough about me. Can we talk about how sick Jailah has been about this. Bitch ain’t kept our names out of her mouth since the news broke.”

Egypt cackled. “Oh, I just know her soul left her body as soon as she saw that shit. Funky bitch.”

Arielle sucked her teeth. “Girl, she knew deep down there is no competing with you when it comes to Creed.”

I shrugged. “None because one thing me and Creed gon’ be is obsessed with each other.”

Averi smirked. “And now, here you are. Married.”

“To Serenity finally getting her man back!” Egypt cheered.

We all clinked our glasses, celebrating Creed refusing to set me free.

I wasbeyond irritated when I walked into the boardroom of my management’s office in downtown L.A. They had called an emergency meeting, and I was already over it. The moment I stepped through the doors, the energy shifted.

Every member of my team—my manager, my publicist, my brand strategist, my agent, and even my stylist—all sat tightly wound around the long conference table. Some of them were scrolling their phones with tight lips, others were already shaking their heads before I could even sit down.

My publicist, Deanna, was the first to speak, setting her phone down with a hard sigh. "Serenity. You want to tell us why we’re just now finding out you got married at the same time as the rest of the world?"

I exhaled, taking a seat at the head of the table and crossing my legs. "Because it wasn’t y’all’s business," I answered, matter-of-factly, before reaching for the iced matcha latte my assistant Maryann had left for me.

"Not our business?" Anthony, my manager, nearly choked on his coffee. "Not our business? Serenity, you are a multi-million-dollar brand. You are an award-winning actress, a rising star in this industry—do you understand how reckless it looks to just spring a whole-ass secret marriage on the world?"

I smirked, sipping my latte. "Last I checked, I was a grown-ass woman who could do what she wanted. My personal life is not for sale."

"But it is, Serenity," Laurie, my brand strategist, cut in, flipping through her iPad. "You didn’t just marry anyone. You married Creed Langston. An NBA star with a… let’s just say, a complicated reputation in and out of the league. You didn’t think this would require some damage control?"

I laughed, leaning back in my chair. "Damage control? For what? I married my man. That’s not a scandal. Creed and I have been dealing with one another for years, we have a child together for God’s sake."

Deanna sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Serenity, listen, we’re not saying you did anything wrong. But people have their opinions, and a lot of them aren’t gonna be in your favor. We should’ve gotten ahead of this."

I set my latte down, fully looking at the people around me; a group of beautifully melanated people. "So, what y’all really saying is, this don’t look good for me?"

A few of them shifted uncomfortably.

Anthony, who had been with me since my first audition, was the only one brave enough to answer. "We’re saying we could’ve controlled the narrative."

I tilted my head, amused. "And what exactly is the narrative, Anthony?"