Chapter 424 - The Glass Elevator

Screens lined the walls, monitoring different things around the world, including the latest news, and most up-to-date information from Interpol. Right near the entrance, there was a command center that looked into the children's play area; clearly, this was designed specifically for Halia. And, spread across the headquarters were desks with the fastest and most efficient computers.

Halia looked at Jackson in amazement. "You actually built a headquarters in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the casino?!"

She then noticed some rooms on the left side. This was another similarity with the casino in the Philippines, except, these rooms were not used for illegal transactions. Instead, they were labs and surgery rooms. "Dr. Li, Dr. Ren, and their team will be moving here as well. It's much safer than the lab in the police department. Plus, they will be able to work closely with the BTAs," Jackson explained.

However, Halia started to feel a little confused. Didn't Jackson say that she wasn't working too far from home? From their apartment in Hong Kong to this casino, it took roughly an hour! This was even further than the Interpol headquarters...

"But...this isn't close to home," Halia said questioningly.

Without saying anything, Jackson smiled at his wife, grabbed her hand, and pulled her into the command center. She couldn't see if from the outside, but as soon as Halia walked into the command center, she noticed a circular mirrored column at the back of the room that was beautifully designed but looked a little out-of-place and unnecessary. At first, she thought it was a support column that was needed for foundation, but then she noticed a touchpad beside it. "What's that?" Halia asked with curiosity.

Jackson turned to Trisha and said, "We'll be right back," and Trisha nodded in understanding.

After that, he pulled Halia over to the column and placed his hand on the touchpad beside it. A moment later, the column opened up, revealing a space that fit 1-2 people. That was when Halia realized it wasn't just a column, but an elevator. "This is a private elevator that's built exclusively for you and me. It can only be operated by our handprints and it only goes between two places..."

Halia looked at her husband in awe as they stepped inside and the doors closed. Like the headquarters, the walls of this elevator were made with two-way glass. They could see out, but people couldn't see in!

As the elevator started to move up, Halia looked out of the elevator and realized this glass column ran straight through the building. On the ground floor, they passed through the casino, then it passed through the ballroom where their guests were still mingling, and finally, it passed through the lobby of the hotel before a warm light lit up and they entered a dark tunnel surrounded by walls.

"Where is this going?" Halia asked curiously as the elevator continued to move upwards.

Without answering, Jackson replied with a mysterious smile, "You'll see very soon."

A moment later, the lights in the elevator turned off and natural light from the outside streamed in. Halia looked around her and covered her mouth in amazement. 

"Welcome home..." Jackson said as the doors slid open.

They were inside the penthouse of the building...

"This is where we will be living from now on."

Halia wandered through the open-plan living area. Floor-to-ceiling windows covered most of the walls, allowing natural light to stream in and providing a beautiful view over the city. Against one of the walls, there was a fireplace for the cold winters, and in the ceilings, there was a ducted air-conditioning system. Connected to the living area was a big kitchen with a butler's pantry, and beside the kitchen was a long dining table that could easily seat 12 people. This place was perfect for entertaining and Halia could already imagine the family dinners they would share there.

Jackson then led her down a small corridor where the bedrooms were located. The master bedroom had a plush king-size bed, there was an ensuite bathroom, and there was also a walk-in wardrobe! Apart from the master bedroom, there were five other bedrooms. "Two rooms are for our guests, and the other three are for our children," Jackson grinned.

Halia looked at her husband and pinched him on the arm playfully, "Who said we're having three children?"

Jackson chuckled and wrapped his arms around his wife. "If we don't, I can always turn the spare bedroom into a 'dungeon'," he said seductively beside her ear.

Halia blushed and ignored him. "Show me the bathroom," she said as she walked out.

With a laugh, Jackson led her to the big spacious bathroom. Like the other rooms in the penthouse, this room also had floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out on the city. Right next to the window was a luxurious freestanding bathtub and not too far from it was a standing shower with water jets on the wall to provide extra comfort after a long day of work. Along one of the walls was a long vanity with two sinks, a long mirror, and two seats, perfect for getting ready in the morning, and beside the door was a nappy change table as well as a baby bathing station for Laurie and their future children.

Everything about this penthouse was perfect. 

"Remember when we were looking at houses in Guiyang City?" Jackson suddenly asked. "I built this place based on what we described as our dream home." 

Halia thought back and smiled. Back then, she had said, "I want a big kitchen so I can prepare good food for my husband, I want a comfortable bathtub so we can relax after a days work, I want a fireplace so we can huddle up in winter, and I want big windows so we can see the flowers bloom in summer."

With a challenging smile, she said cheekily, "You're missing one thing, Mr. Wu. I wanted to see flowers bloom in the summer."

Jackson laughed and shook his head, "No, I didn't. Follow me."