[Jay's POV]
The massive oak doors of the Pavilion stood between me and the rest of my life. Outside, I could hear the faint, soaring melody of a string quartet—a composition Keifer had commissioned specifically for this second.
Kuya Angelo stood beside me, looking sharper than I'd ever seen him. He reached over, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear, his hand surprisingly steady.
"You ready, Jay-Jay?" he whispered, his eyes soft with that protective 'Kuya' light. "Just remember, if you change your mind, I've got the car running. But looking at you... I think you're exactly where you're supposed to be."
"I'm ready, Kuya," I breathed, clutching my bouquet of white orchids. "100%."
The Grand Entrance
The doors groaned open.
The light from the glass ceiling was blinding for a split second, and then the world snapped into high-definition. Hundreds of people—the elite, the Board, the family—stood up in a synchronized wave. But I didn't see them. The faces of Freya, Mica, and Lia were a blur of tears and smiles in my peripheral vision.
I only saw him.
Keifer was standing at the end of the aisle, framed by a literal wall of white flowers. He looked like a god carved from obsidian in his black-on-black tuxedo. But it was his face that destroyed me. The "Cold Prince" was gone. His jaw was tight, his chest was heaving, and his eyes... they were fixed on me with an intensity so raw it felt like he was reaching out and touching me from fifty feet away.
As I started to walk, the "Glow" wasn't just a feeling; it felt like it was illuminating the entire hall.
The Walk
Every step felt like a calibration.
David, Calix, and Ci N were standing behind Keifer, and even from here, I could see Calix wiping his eyes. Mamma Serina and Pappa Keizer were in the front row, looking at us like we were the greatest achievement of their lives.
But as I got closer, I realized Keifer was shaking. Just a micro-tremor in his hands. The man who could negotiate billion-dollar deals without blinking was vibrating with the sheer force of seeing me in the empress gown
When we reached the altar, Angelo took my hand and placed it into Keifer's. The moment our skin touched, a literal spark of static electricity jumped between us. Keifer's fingers clamped onto mine, his grip possessive and desperate, as if he were afraid I'd evaporate if he let go.
"You..." he started, his voice a broken, low rasp that only I could hear. "Jay... the data didn't prepare me for this. You aren't just a constant. You're the whole system."
The Vows
We turned to the priest, but we never broke eye contact. The world around us—the cameras, the flowers, the whispering guests—ceased to exist.
"I, Keifer Watson," he began, his voice regaining that deep, authoritative power, but with an edge of emotion that made my heart ache. "Take you, Jay, to be my Empress. I vow to protect your frequency, to prioritize your heart over every decimal point, and to ensure that our 'Constant' remains unbreakable, through every glitch and every upgrade. 100%. Forever."
I felt my own voice tremble, but I didn't look away. "I, Jay, take you, Keifer... to be my Husband. I vow to be the 'Glow' in your shadows, to keep your heart online when the world gets too loud, and to love you with a logic that defies every calculation. You are my system, Keif. Always."
The priest smiled, the atmosphere in the room so heavy with love it felt like we were standing in the center of a star.
"By the power vested in me, and by the strength of the bond you have proven... I now pronounce you Husband and Wife."
Keifer didn't wait. He didn't even listen to the rest of the sentence. He stepped forward, his hands framing my face, his eyes searching mine as if he were memorizing every pixel of my soul.