Golden Melody (Editing)

Chapter 99

Chapter 99- Parental Frequencies

Miexha spent the whole day with Zatariel.

He brought her to the newly revamped Central Park, where the grass glowed faintly beneath their feet and floating bench-pods hovered over flowerbeds that pulsed gently to ambient music.

No wheeled cars. No horns. Just box-shaped transport units gliding silently above magnetic tracks like obedient clouds.

“Are those... boxes?” she asked, pointing as one hovered by.

“Transport pods,” Zatariel replied, casually biting into a caramel-fried mochi.
“No wheels. Wheels are so last century.”

They strolled deeper into the park, passing kids flying kites made of refracted light, dogs wearing translator collars, and street vendors selling neon snacks beside anti-gravity benches.

Miexha took cautious bites of glowing fruit pops and blinked at a squirrel wearing a vest labeled: "Animal Emotional Support."

Then came InterMall—now officially under Zatariel’s name. Every storefront window chirped out a greeting as they passed:

“Welcome, Director Wov.”

Even the mannequins in the windows seemed to strike new poses when he walked by.

He pulled her into a boutique with glittering holo-glass walls.

A few swipes and spins later, Miexha was twirling in a flowing pastel dress, her hair softly curled, her shoes adjusting their height with every step she took.

Zatariel, ever the perfectionist, circled her with a finger pressed to his chin.

“Still your best stylist,” he declared, flicking a soft scarf around her neck like a final flourish.

She giggled—silly, pretty... and a little too warm inside.

BEEP.

Every time her heart skipped—when he adjusted her collar with that intense, unreadable stare, or when he complimented her with his usual offbeat charm—her smartwatch buzzed.

“Warning: You are married and have children. Control your heart rate.”
Signed: Pinky, the AI conscience you didn’t ask for.

Miexha groaned. “My own tech is ratting me out.”

Later, they sat beneath the open sky at the mall’s rooftop restaurant.

“Riel... your cooking’s still better than anything five-star,” she admitted between bites.

Zatariel leaned in, his eyes warm.
“I know. You fell in love with my pork adobo back in Green Garden.”

He leaned closer. “Come here—”

ZZZAP.

Sparks crackled between them as he jerked back.

“OW! What the—” He glared at the blue current dancing across his fingers.
“Is this Jayson’s doing?! He coded jealousy into the air now?!”

Miexha burst out laughing. “You got zapped by jealousy-coded nano fields?”

She reached out and patted his head.

No shock.

He pouted.
“So I can’t hug you, but you can treat me like a golden retriever?”

“Yup,” she grinned.
“Balance in the universe.”

That afternoon, they returned to Domus to pick up the kids.

Leon walked out first—red handprint on his cheek.
“Ow.”