Chapter 419 - No

At the end of the aisle, a man in a champagne-colored tuxedo stood with his back to Halia. Halia scanned her eyes to the left and saw Avaleigh, Natalie, Lily, and Amelie dressed in similar dresses in the same shade of champagne. In each of their hands, they held a delicate little bouquet with soft shades of pink, white, and champagne. Halia's eyes lit up in surprise when she saw Avaleigh. She didn't even notice when she had disappeared from her side and made her way to the front of the ballroom. This cheeky woman and Emerson had teamed up with her husband to plan all this.

She then looked to the right where Emerson, Max, Kevin, and Rowan stood smartly in their champagne-colored vests. The men looked at her and smiled smugly like children. She was tempted to twist their ears to teach them a lesson for lying to her, but before she managed to react, her husband turned around to finally look at her. The love in his eyes made every little trace of blame disappear from her mind. 

He stretched out his hand and she naturally held onto it. The warmth from his palm traveled straight to her heart and a sweet smile appeared on her face.

"2 years ago, I promised you a grand and luxurious wedding. I'm sorry it took so long..." Jackson said softly as his wife stood in front of him.

Halia looked into his eyes and couldn't help but let out a laugh. When they got married 2 years ago, he had apologized for rushing their marriage and promised to make up for it with a grand and luxurious wedding. At that time, she had told him it didn't matter, so she thought he had dismissed the thought, especially after their daughter was born and their lives became busy with work. Who knew he had been doing all this without her knowing...

"I know that we are already married and our marriage has been official for 2 years, but I have never loved you any less than the day that we first signed our papers. I would like to take this opportunity to reassure you of my love by renewing our vows in front of all our family and friends. Would you be willing to do this with me?" Jackson asked.

Halia handed Laurie to Avaleigh and nodded her head. 

Jackson then held onto a microphone and said as he held her hands, "Marriage is an interesting thing. Some people get married out of impulse, and some get married due to pressure. But I can confidently say, without a doubt, that marrying you was the best decision I ever made. 2 years have passed since we vowed to love each other for better or worse, in sickness and health, for richer or poorer, as long as we both shall live. Today, as we stand here in front of all our family and friends, I am 100% certain that that vow still stands true. So, I would like to ask you, Mrs. Wu, are you still willing to be my wife?"

Halia took a deep breath and took the microphone from Jackson. She looked deep into his loving eyes, but...the smile on her face slowly faded. Then, with a serious expression on her face, she replied, "No."

This one word echoed through the ballroom, casting an icy aura through the crowd.

The guests fell silent and everyone looked at each other with curiosity and awkwardness.

"What's happening?" a few guests whispered.

"Are we witnessing a divorce?" someone asked quietly.

Jackson gripped onto Halia's hands tightly as pain slowly appeared in his eyes. He thought their relationship was doing well, but had he been mistaken? Was he not attentive enough to notice that his wife wasn't happy? Was she about to leave him?

But he couldn't bear to let her go...

However, just as he was about to ask her why, Halia continued to speak, "I don't want to be just your wife. I also want to be your best friend, your soul mate, your confidant, and the mother of your child. When you are sick, I want to be your nurse. When you are hungry, I want to be your chef. When work gets tough, I want to be your secretary. I want to be there for you through thick and thin, and I don't want to ever leave your side. Can you accept that you're getting a lot more than you asked for, Mr. Wu?"

Jackson's eyes slowly lit up and the room slowly warmed back up.

With a nod, he laughed, "I'm a businessman, how could I say no to such a great deal!" He then whispered in a voice that only they could hear, "You tricked me!"

Halia leaned forward and stuck out her tongue, "Now we're even!"

Seeing the cheeky expression on his wife's face, Jackson wrapped his arms around her waist drew her close to his body, and kissed her passionately. He didn't care that everyone was watching; this woman was impossible to resist.

But, of course, the guests didn't mind this public display of affection. After all, they were at a wedding, they didn't expect anything less. So, they looked at the couple happily and clapped and cheered. Single people watched in admiration, unmarried couples felt inspired, and married couples reminisced on their own love stories.

After the couple pulled away from each other and went to sit at their table at the front of the ballroom, some of the guests began to mingle. 

"Jack! Long time no see!" a middle-aged man smiled as he stretched out his hand and shook Father Wu's hand. He then glanced at Aunt Lily and Jaclyn. "Lily, your daughter has grown into a fine young lady. Time certainly flies..."

Jack laughed, "Jaclyn, come greet Uncle Robert, he is a property developer that I've been working with for years. You met him when you were young."

Jaclyn looked at the man, left Mia with Cleo, and walked over to her father's side. He had a warm smile but she didn't remember him at all. "Hi, Uncle Robert," she said politely.

The man smiled with satisfaction. "When you were little, you used to run around the garden with my son. Do you remember him?"

He then waved at a young man that looked around Jaclyn's age.

The young man walked over and stretched out his hand, "Miss Jaclyn, it's nice to see you again."

Jaclyn smiled awkwardly. She didn't remember this young man either. She stretched out her hand to shake his hand politely, but to her surprise, he lifted her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of it.

"I noticed you as soon as you walked through the door. You're beautiful. May I ask if you have a boyfriend?" he asked straightforwardly.