I smiled at the journalist, who I knew. Cheryl Winton was one of the hungrier ones who liked to be as controversial as she could. The eyes and cameras were on me.
“First of all, I’d like to state that the media has blown this well out of proportion. Yes, I did employ the professional Ms. Lewis as my nanny. We have been branded as ‘sleeping together,’ but I would like to say, for the record, that we have actually found love with one another. The fact that it has been cheapened into a bed-notch story is a real shame for your profession. Neither of us was searching for a partner, but we have definitely found one in each other. The fact that she is employed by me is just coincidental. I would’ve fallen in love with her regardless of our contract for her childcare services.”
I felt good as I told them my truth. I knew Karly felt the same way, and I could sense that her recent distance had been a result of the media frenzy and her angry ex’s behavior.
“Mr. Jacobs, is it true that you had an altercation with a man who is Ms. Lewis’s ex-boyfriend? The video of this has been rife on social media.”
“Yes, it is true. Mr. Swifton was stalking her. I had no choice but to defend myself because he would not calm himself that particular day. I am not a physical person, but when a guy like that won’t listen to reason, then it becomes necessary. And I would do anything and everything in my power to stop him from harming Ms. Lewis, myself, or any of my friends or family.”
“Is it true that there is a restraining order in place on Mr. Swifton?”
“Yes, absolutely. He is not to come near me, my family, or Ms. Lewis. It was issued immediately after the altercation.”
A new reporter asked the next question. “Is it true that Mr. Swifton has been violent in the past?”
I was unsure about the facts here, so I answered truthfully. “That’s a question for law enforcement to answer. The reason for my restraining order against him is his actions toward me and Ms. Lewis. As for his past actions, I really am not aware of them. I have yet to tell Ms. Lewis about this order, but I know she’ll be delighted. It is not all right to be threatened or bullied by anyone. Unfortunately, Mr. Swifton needed the law to become involved in this instance.”
“Mr. Jacobs, does your daughter approve of Ms. Lewis? If not, why is that?”
I couldn’t believe they were being such assholes, trying to delve into my six-year-old daughter’s mind. It was callous and unrelenting.
“I’m going to ignore that question. A minor is none of your concern, and I think your duty of care is in question when you relish in becoming that personal. Let’s move on.”
“Are you planning to tie the knot with your lover?” That was the next scandalous question from Cheryl Winton.
I stayed on course despite my anger at the way the question had been worded. “Ms. Lewis is not my lover. She is my daughter’s nanny, and we have both decided to begin a real, meaningful relationship with one another that is separate from that fact. Please do not make this out to be a scandal. Ms. Lewis and I are in love with one another; our feelings are very real and should not be ransacked by misconstrued wording and/or sensationalized headlines to sell newspapers or TV stories.”
The pack of wolves quietened down a bit. It was as if they finally realized they had been wrong and that the scandal they thought they had witnessed was actually a beautiful love story, a story that could be a fairy tale rather than a misconstrued headline set to put us in a world of shame.
“What are your intentions with Ms. Lewis?” asked Roley Jefferson, a journalist who had more morals than most.
“My intentions with her are to build a long-lasting relationship, to stay in love and to build on the love we already share.”
The press went silent until Terry Danielson chirped in, obviously realizing this story could go from scandal to fairy tale in a matter of moments. “Do you think wedding bells are in the cards anytime soon?”
I smiled. “In the future, for sure. But Ms. Lewis’s feelings for me and my daughter’s feelings are first and foremost. We will decide these things together as a family. These things take time.”
I wondered what else they could possibly ask, but then the time was up. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Jacobs. We would welcome any future press conferences to celebrate further milestones on this subject.”
I smiled. “Thank you for your time. I must go inside. After all, I have a large company to run. We’re delighted to see so many new investors since Mr. Tommy Chan came on board. Actually, I have investors waiting for me right now. We’re having a huge conference this morning.”