A Dream Come True

Edward Yu wasn’t used to taking vacations.

Not because he didn’t want to — he did — but because when you’re the CFO of one of the fastest-growing tech companies in America, vacations tended to look like missed opportunities, lost momentum, or worse, slipping behind.

He lived in numbers, schedules, charts, and margins. His family, on the other hand, lived in hope.

For months, Stephen (15), Scarlett (13), Esther (10), and little Edmund (8) had begged for one thing if they aced their finals: a trip to Disneyland.

They hadn’t just aced their finals — they crushed them.

And when Juliet looked Edward squarely in the eye and said, "You promised," well...

Now Edward Yu stood blinking in the Southern California sunshine, briefcase abandoned in the hotel, surrounded by four children bubbling over with energy as they stared wide-eyed at the gates of The Happiest Place on Earth.

A part of him — a deeply buried, long-forgotten part — felt a little like a kid again too.

"Come on, Dad!" Scarlett tugged at his arm, dragging him toward the security line. "You're slower than Edmund!"

"I'm just... taking it all in," Edward said, laughing despite himself.

He slipped an arm around Juliet, who wore her Mickey ears proudly atop her perfectly combed hair.

She smiled up at him — the same smile he fell in love with back at Stanford — and for once, the gnawing feeling of urgency in his chest began to soften.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle stood in the distance, glittering like something out of a fairytale. Esther and Scarlett gasped as soon as it came into view.

"There it is! Aurora’s castle!" Esther squealed, jumping up and down.

"It’s even prettier in real life," Scarlett breathed.

They darted ahead to get closer, leaving Juliet and Edward to herd Stephen and Edmund.

"Stephen, buddy, slow down a bit with Edmund," Juliet called.

Stephen, already several inches taller than Juliet, rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Come on, squirt," he said, ruffling Edmund’s hair. "We’ll race you to the castle!"

Edmund whooped and sprinted, his little legs pumping as fast as they could go.

Edward chuckled, jogging to keep up. "I don't think we're going to be setting the pace today," he told Juliet.

"Good," she said. "Maybe you'll finally learn to slow down."

Main Street, U.S.A. was everything Edward had heard and more: bustling with people, filled with the scent of popcorn and fresh-baked churros, barbershop quartets harmonizing in the background. The sun warmed the colorful flags fluttering above the shops. Every corner seemed to sparkle.

Scarlett and Esther wanted pictures immediately, posing dramatically in front of the castle while Juliet played photographer.

"Okay, now one with Dad!" Juliet insisted.

Edward tried to refuse — he hated being in pictures — but the girls wouldn’t hear of it. They practically dragged him in front of the camera.

He was still stiff and awkward when Esther looped her arm through his and beamed up at him.

Somewhere deep inside, a crack formed in the hard shell of the CFO.

This, he realized, was why he worked so hard.

This was the stuff you couldn’t buy back once it was gone.

Their first ride was Peter Pan’s Flight — Scarlett’s idea.

The line was long, but the kids were too excited to mind.

Edward fidgeted.

"It’s not a meeting, Ed," Juliet said lightly, bumping his arm.

"I know, I know," he said, smiling sheepishly. "Just...not used to waiting."

"Good thing for you, you married someone with infinite patience," Juliet teased.

When they finally boarded their little flying ship, Edward sat with Edmund, who clutched his arm as the ride soared over miniature London.

"This is amazing," Edmund whispered, eyes huge.

Edward looked down at the tiny city lights twinkling below them. For the first time in a long time, he wasn't thinking about spreadsheets or investor calls.

He was thinking about wonder. About magic. About what it meant to dream.

They spent the morning in Fantasyland:

Scarlett and Esther wanted to ride the carousel ("It's classic, Dad!")

Edmund dragged Stephen onto Dumbo ("We can fly, Stephen!")

Juliet insisted they all take a spin on the Teacups ("No spinning it crazy fast!" she warned).

Edward laughed so hard on the Teacups — thanks to Stephen’s mischievous grin and relentless spinning — that he felt like he hadn’t laughed in years.

His sides hurt. In the best way.

Around noon, they stopped for corn dogs and churros by the castle.

The kids sat cross-legged on the curb, munching happily while watching the passing parade of princesses, pirates, and stormtroopers.

"You know," Edward said thoughtfully between bites, "I always thought Disneyland was just about standing in lines."

Juliet nudged him playfully. "And?"

"And... it's kind of... perfect," he admitted.

Juliet smiled. "You needed this as much as they did."

Edward looked over at his kids — Stephen tossing popcorn to Edmund like a basketball shot, Scarlett and Esther giggling at something on Esther’s phone — and knew she was right.

The numbers, the meetings, the reports — none of that could replace this.

The afternoon was a whirl of magic.

They met Aurora in person.

Esther could barely breathe she was so excited.

"She’s real," Esther whispered after their photo op, clutching Edward’s hand tight.

Later, they all roared their way through Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, screamed on Space Mountain ("NEVER AGAIN," Juliet said, clutching her heart), and floated peacefully through It’s a Small World — which, despite himself, Edward found strangely moving.

"Look, Daddy! The Asia section!" Edmund cried excitedly as they sailed past.

Edward pointed out the Philippines, Japan, China — smiling as his children marveled at the vibrant little dolls.

"I always knew the world was big," Scarlett said thoughtfully, "but seeing it like this... it's kinda awesome."

Edward kissed her forehead. "It really is."

Evening fell, and the castle lit up like a dream.

They grabbed a spot near Main Street for the nighttime fireworks, sitting in a haphazard pile — Juliet leaning against Edward, Edmund curled up in Stephen’s lap, Esther and Scarlett side by side sharing a giant pretzel.

Edward felt the weight of his son against him, felt Juliet’s head on his shoulder, and watched the sky bloom into gold, silver, and sapphire above Aurora’s castle.

The music swelled — "When you wish upon a star..." — and Edward, the hard-nosed CFO who hadn’t believed in magic for years, found himself blinking back tears.

He thought about the promises he made to himself once, when he was a young man:

To build a life worth living.

To love without regret.

To chase dreams, not just deadlines.

Tonight, under the California sky, surrounded by his family, he realized he hadn’t lost those dreams after all.

They’d just been waiting for him to catch up.

Later, back at the hotel, after four exhausted children had collapsed into bed (Scarlett still wearing her Minnie Mouse ears), Edward and Juliet sat out on the balcony with a couple of sodas, watching the distant lights of Disneyland glow against the night.

"I don't think I've seen you this relaxed in years," Juliet said, smiling into her drink.

Edward chuckled. "It feels...good. Strange. But good."

Juliet reached over and took his hand. "Maybe we should make this a tradition."

"You mean Disneyland every year?"

"Why not?" she teased. "They’ll grow up faster than you can imagine. Trust me."

He squeezed her hand gently.

"I don't want to miss a second," Edward said. And he meant it.

Maybe, he thought, some investments were worth more than others.

Maybe the best investments weren’t in stocks or startups — but in castles, flying ships, spinning teacups, and the wide-eyed wonder of your children.

In magic.

In memories.

In love.

Edward Yu smiled up at the stars and made himself a new promise:

The happiest place on earth wasn’t just Disneyland.

It was wherever they were — together.