Skin

Part II - Serena

My name is Serena Emerson, but if you want to get technical it's Serena Elena Emerson. For the kid of two multimillionaire parents, I'd like to think of myself as a pretty humble person. I also don't eat off of the success of my parents. Ever since I was little I've had my own agenda on how my life is going to pan out. A job by sixteen, out of the house by eighteen, earn a degree by twenty-one, finishing med school around twenty-five, married by thirty, and kids any time after that. All of which, I'd like to achieve by myself. Although my family and I have had the luxuries of a wealthy life, we don't let it go to our heads because it's not where our roots are from.

My grandfather, Lucio, came to America from Italy when my father was just a baby. They lived in New York City, the Bronx, and my grandfather worked day and night to provide for his family. It's because of his hard work that my father was able to chase after his dreams of becoming the CEO of a major company. He worked hard academically to get into Columbia University and applied for many scholarships and took on part-time jobs to help his dad with the financial side of it. Meanwhile, his mother started working as a caretaker to chip in as well. In time, my dad achieved his goals and met my mom along the way.

They're a perfect, match made in heaven and compliment each other in so many ways. Where one lacks, the other fills in. It's inspired me to hopefully find a love like there's. It would be a blessing to have what they've worked so hard for and created. Anyway, once my dad's career took off, he helped my mom set up her own business. She's an interior designer and designs for many of the elite in NYC.

My parents raised my brother, Lucas (after my grandfather) and I in the suburbs instead of the city. Although, they did invest in a penthouse in Manhattan. That way they'd have a place to stay when doing major business deals in the city. Ever since we were little they instilled many values in my brother and me. They've also sent us to many boarding schools in hope that we will also be as successful as them in the future.

Lucas is four years older than me and he was enrolled at Princeton as a business and marketing major. I had two more years of high school to go before my world was flipped upside down. Like my father, I had (as I still do) my eyes set on Columbia. I wanted to be a pediatrician and move to North Carolina in the future to run my own practice.

Everything was going as planned until Drew came into my life. I had gotten as far into my plan as getting a job at sixteen before he took over my mind...and my heart.