Chapter 417 - A Big Surprise

Albert stepped out of the driver's seat, ran around the front, and opened the door.

Immediately the reporters on the side began to flash their cameras.

Halia looked at Emerson and Avaleigh in both confusion and nervousness. "What's happening?" she asked.

Avaleigh grabbed Halia's hand and said reassuringly, "Just follow our lead."

Halia wasn't used to being in the public eye. Although her husband was one of the richest men in Hong Kong, he always kept a low profile, so reporters barely ever followed them. Avaleigh, on the other hand, was a celebrity, and Emerson now owned the agency that she worked for, so this was a familiar scene for them.

Emerson stepped out confidently first and waved at the reporters. After that, Avaleigh stepped out while holding onto Halia's hand.

A reporter immediately screamed, "Surprise, Mrs. Wu! What do you think about the new casino that your husband built you?"

Halia looked at the reporter and was at a loss for words. Surprise? Were the reporters in on this? How did they know it was a surprise?

Avaleigh laughed and said on Halia's behalf, "I think Mrs. Wu is still trying to process everything. Give her some time, we can hold a press conference after she has a look inside."

Avaleigh then snuck a wink at the reporters and they immediately nodded their heads and backed away.

Halia looked at Emerson and Avaleigh and asked, "Did you guys plan all this?"

Emerson laughed, "We have a pretty good relationship with the media..."

"How else could we have kept an entire casino a secret from you?" Avaleigh added.

A year ago, when Jackson first told them about his plan, Avaleigh and Emerson immediately sat down with Marissa, Danson, and Steven, and they drafted a confidentiality agreement with the media. The media were allowed to mention that a new casino was being built in Macau, and take photos of its initial progress, but they weren't allowed to mention who was building it, why they were building it, and they weren't allowed to mention the name of the casino. Above all, they couldn't take any photos as soon as it began to come into shape. In exchange, they were given the opportunity to partake in one of the biggest surprises of the 21st century. In a world ruled by technology, and social media, where nothing seemed like a secret anymore, this was a statement to the world that the Hong Kong media weren't as ruthless as they seemed. That they could work together to help a man show his love for his wife.

When they saw the surprised look on Halia's face, they knew they had succeeded. The world was going to hear about this story tomorrow, and they were going to be amazed!

Emerson and Avaleigh led Halia to the entrance of the casino. As soon as the door opened, the grand foyer of the casino came into view. Golden accents, crystal chandeliers, designer furnishings... The place was beautiful and opulent, but it wasn't open to the public yet, so there was no one in sight.

Right in front of her, Halia saw a grand double staircase that curved and met on the first floor where there was a big beautiful archway with an exquisite art nouveau door.

Avaleigh saw Halia looking at the door and said, "That's the ballroom. Everyone's waiting for you inside." She then grabbed her hand and dragged her up the right flight of stairs.

Halia looked around as she held her dress up a little and walked up the stairs. This place was spectacular and reminded her of some of the places that she and Jackson had traveled to. Was this where Jackson was holding Laurie's first birthday? Were all the guests inside already? 

As she reached the door, she tried to look inside, but all she saw were rough silhouettes. There seemed to be a lot of people inside. Did Jackson really do all this for their daughter?

She took a deep breath and got ready to step inside, but just before she did, she suddenly heard a familiar voice behind her. "Halia," a male voice said.

Halia turned around and saw her father approaching her. She wasn't too surprised to see him since she knew he was coming to attend his granddaughter's birthday, but she was surprised by the tuxedo he was wearing. Like Emerson and Avaleigh, he was wearing a vest with the same shade of champagne underneath his black tuxedo. Halia raised an eyebrow. Did she not get the memo? Was the theme for the party meant to be this champagne color? But...why did Jackson pick out a white dress for her?

Suddenly, she felt a sense of deja vu. A year and a half ago, something similar had happened...

Before she could react, she noticed her father was holding something white that was folded up in his hands. With a smile, he shook it loose, threw it around her shoulders, and buttoned it around her neck. Halia gasped in surprise as she ran her fingers through the intricate veil-like cape. Diamonds studded the area around her shoulders and neck and the sheer material hung low against her back, dragging across the floor to form a long train. Her simple white dress was immediately transformed!

Not giving his daughter a chance to ask any questions, Father Feng hooked his daughter's arm around his arm and the grand doors swung open from the inside.

A long red carpet stretched from the doorway to the other end of the ballroom. The venue was huge and the place was packed with guests all standing and clapping as they stood around circular tables decorated elegantly with white, champagne, and pastel pink flowers. From the roof hung a row of intricate chandeliers and the rest of the roof was covered in hanging white and pastel pink wisteria flowers. The room was dimly lit and smoke billowed from the sides to create a magical atmosphere. Halia had never seen anything so beautiful in her life.

Halia bit her lower lip and her lips curved upwards slightly. This was definitely not a first birthday party...

As she thought this, a spotlight lit up and two small figures waddled towards her. Halia focused her eyes and saw a little girl in a white dress with a flower crown on her head, holding onto the hand of a little boy who was dressed smartly in a tuxedo and holding onto a basket of petals.

Laurie slowly waddled down the carpet to her mother. At first, she looked a little scared by all the a.d.u.l.ts around her, but when she saw her mother, a big smile appeared on her face. Next to her, Pumpkin held onto her hand and made sure she didn't fall over. Laurie had just learned how to walk a few weeks ago and she was still a little unsteady on her feet, so he was given this important task as an older brother to make sure she didn't get hurt.

As Laurie reached Halia, she giggled and said with outstretched hands, "Mama."

Halia leaned over and lifted her little girl in her arms. Just as she did this, the other end of the red carpet lit up and music started playing.

Halia had her suspicions about this event as soon as her father threw the cape around her shoulders, but now that she heard the music, she knew her suspicions were correct.

Halia held onto her daughter and slowly stepped forward.

The familiar melody of the 'wedding march' echoed through the ballroom and Halia smiled.

This was, indeed, not a first birthday party...

This was a wedding...