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Milaine Van Boven grew up as the quiet kid. She never spoke until she was spoken to and rarely interacted with anyone except her parents. Being an only child, the only other people she was around besides her parents were the people from her primary school. Let's just say she never got along with anyone there. The little girl felt like she could never fit in. It wasn't that she was a bad kid or intimidating—she was an adorable little girl with dirty blonde hair often styled in two pigtails, which were awkwardly done by her father. She was quite pale and skinny but not petite. Everyone knew she would grow up to be a tall young woman.
Her mother, Lucie Durand, often told Milaine that she should follow in her footsteps and become a model when she came of age. Her father, Johan Van Boven, however, always disagreed. He never wanted his little girl to live the same life as her mother. Don't get him wrong; he was not against modeling in general, but he knew that environment could be toxic, and he would never want his daughter to live a life she did not actually enjoy. So, he chose to raise her away from both his and her mother's careers so she would not feel pressured to be like either of them.
Her mother was the literal definition of a supermodel, attending fashion weeks constantly and walking in as many runways as she could. She took a long break when she married Johan and gave birth to Milaine but couldn't stay away from the world of fashion. When Milaine was five years old, Lucie and Johan divorced, and the model returned to her career. Milaine stayed with her father in their home country, the Netherlands, and was quite happy with him. You could say he was her favorite parent, not that Lucie was a bad mother, but their personalities never aligned.
Her father, on the other hand, also had an illustrious career as a former F1 driver. He debuted in Formula One in 1998 and peaked with McLaren, winning two consecutive driver and constructor championships in 2004 and 2005. [Sorry Schumacher and Alonso, it's for the plot.]
He retired right after that to focus more on Milaine, since Lucie had left to continue her modeling career. Even when his career in F1 as a driver ended, it had just begun as a key figure at McLaren. After his retirement, he invested a significant portion of his fortune into McLaren, acquiring a notable stake and becoming a senior advisor. His influence shaped the team's direction and solidified his legacy both on and off the track.
Johan could never find the right words to describe how happy he was when five-year-old Milaine started to develop an immense love and passion for something other than modeling or racing—it was tennis.
She spent hours watching Serena Williams and Roger Federer play, mesmerized by their prowess on the court. Recognizing her love for the sport, Johan hired a coach to nurture her budding talent and supported her wholeheartedly as long as she was happy.
The little girl took it very seriously. At a young age, she was already training and competing in tournaments with kids older than her. Johan had never been prouder than when he watched his eight-year-old daughter beat both boys and girls older than twelve in tournaments. That was when he knew she was a prodigy and couldn't wait to see her win Grand Slams as he watched her from the crowd.
