"Nat! Jamie!" Alice called out to her son and granddaughter as she spotted them from the arrival hall.

"Grandma!" Jamie dashed out of the hall and straight into her grandma's embrace.

"I'm nervous..." Aika felt her heart race as she realised that she was about to meet her future mother-in-law.

"Don't worry, they'll love you. Everyone does. Plus, I'm here." Nat smiled as he held Aika's hand and headed towards Alice and Jamie.

"Hi Mum, I missed you." Nat gave Alice a hug.

"I miss you too, son..." Alice patted Nat's back.

"Mum, Aika came with us too..." Nat introduced Aika to Alice.

"Nice to meet you, Ma'am. I'm Aika. Sorry to turn up unannounced..." Aika bowed slightly to Alice.

"No worries at all! I'm so glad you could make it! The family would love to have you!" Alice gave Aika a friendly hug.

"You, why didn't you tell me that Aika was coming along!" Alice smacked Nat on the arm.

"It's not Nat's fault, Ma'am. I surprised him this morning too." Aika stood up for Nat.

"Be lucky that your girlfriend is such a sweetheart and standing up for you..." Alice gave Nat a glare as Aika and Jamie laughed.

"Come on, I prepared lots of food for lunch at home! Nat, get the luggage." Alice held Aika and Jamie by the arm, leaving Nat alone with the cart of luggage.

"Mum, this is so unfair!" Nat called out as he struggled to catch up. Although he loved that Alice was already liking Aika.

"Aika, this isn't your first time in Singapore I suppose?" Alice turned from the passenger seat to face Aika and Jamie.

"No Ma'am. I visited with my family before but that was a while back..." Aika smiled, remembering the trip the family of 5 had.

"Great! I'll get this boy to show you around, a lot has changed! Anyways, drop the Ma'am and call me Auntie...We're all family!" Alice nodded happily as Aika called her by the new address.

"Home sweet home, my darlings!" Alice exclaimed as the gates to the Lee Residence opened.

"Wait, you didn't tell me that your family was this..." Aika whispered to Nat.

"The money isn't mine. It's my dad's..." Nat whispered back as he opened the trunk of the car to grab their luggage.

"Sir, let me help you with it." An older man approached Nat and Aika hurriedly.

"I got it, no worries. Great to see you again, Uncle Yap. It's only been 10 months since I've seen you and now I'm Sir instead of Nat?" Nat gave a friendly hug to the older man.

"Right, my bad, Sir Nat." The older man teased Nat.

"Right, this is Uncle Yap. He's been family even before I was born. Uncle Yap, meet Aika, my girlfriend." Nat introduced Aika to the man.

"Pleasure to meet you, Ma'am Aika. It's the first time I've seen this boy bring someone special home." Uncle Yap shook Aika's hand.

"Really? That's surprising? By the way, call me Aika, Mr Yap." Aika eyed Nat suspiciously. At Uncle Yap's insistence, Nat left the luggage with him and brought Aika into the house.

"Long time no see, yaya Agnes!" A lady in her late 50s headed straight to Nat the moment he entered the door. Nat wrapped his yaya in a big hug.

"I missed you, Natty boy." Yaya Agnes called Nat by the nickname only she had for him. She had been caring for Nat ever since he was a child.

"Yaya, stop calling me Natty boy, it's embarrassing!" Nat blushed as he saw Aika chuckle behind him.

"Is she your girlfriend, Natty boy? Filipino ka, tama ba?" Agnes pushed Nat aside and looked at Aika, who had a smile on her face.

"Yes po. Nice to meet you po, ako po si Aika, Natty boy's girlfriend." Aika held the older lady's hand and brought it to her forehead as she bowed.

"Yaya, now Aika's going to tease me non-stop about being Natty boy!" Nat protested.

"You think it's going to end there, Natty boy? I haven't even started yet...Aika, I have lots to tell you about him." Agnes winked as Aika nodded excitedly, much to Nat's horror.

"I'm sorry yaya, but I'm going to have to pull Aika away from you for now...Mum is calling us for lunch!" Nat hurriedly ushered Aika away before Agnes spilt any of his childhood stories.

"Come, I prepared lots of food...we have Hainanese chicken, satay, char kway teow and everything else I thought you would miss!" Alice had an entire spread in front of her.

"Mum, did you buy the entire hawker centre?" Nat chuckled as he looked at the food.

"If you're going to eat, don't complain. Aika, dig in! Don't be shy!" Alice pushed the food towards Aika, who smiled in gratitude.

"Ninang, try some of this chicken! It's my favourite!" Jamie pointed to the plate of Hainanese chicken in front of her.

"Really? Come, let's share!" Aika reached out and placed two piece on Jamie's plate before grabbing two for herself.

"Mmm, this tastes great! What else do you like?" Aika gave Jamie a thumbs up as the girl pointed at another plate of food. Like before, Aika placed some on Jamie's plate before getting her share.

"Son, I think I love her already. She's so sweet and respectful!" Alice whispered to Nat.

"I told you so." Nat beamed with pride.

"NAT! JAMIE! I AM BACK!" A boisterous voice reverberated across the house. Nat broke into a smile after recognising the voice.

"How many times have I told you not to scream like that, Ms Karine Lee?" Nat got up and opened his arms.

"Oh god, shut up..." Karine rolled her eyes and gave her brother a huge hug. She really missed him and Jamie.

"Ok, move aside, I want to see my...wait..." Karine pushed Nat aside and turned to Jamie but stopped in her tracks when she spotted Aika next to Jamie. Karine gasped and looked at Nat

"Say hi to my girlfriend?" Nat stiffled a laugh.

"Hello, you must be Karine? Nice to meet you, I'm Aika." Aika reached her hand out towards Karine.

"Hi da sao, really glad you could make it!" Karine gathered herself and shook Aika's hand.

"Da...Sao? What does that mean?" Aika was confused.

"Oh sorry, my bad. It means sister-in-law in Chinese!" Karine explained as she gave Jamie a huge bear hug.

"Karine...aren't you jumping the gun? You're gonna pressure Aika!" Nat choked on his water as he heard the address.

"Oops sorry...I didn't mean too. Forgive me?" Karine gave Aika an apologetic smile.

"It's okay, you can call me that if you like...unless your brother has other plans?" Aika turned the tables on Nat, making him choke a second time.

"No...I don't! I mean..." Nat waved his hands profusely in protest. Aika and Karine exchanged looks and laughed. It was the first time they've met had already hit off.

"Please become my da sao and take him away? He's such a bother!" Karine dissed her older brother as she ate her lunch.

"I haven't seen you for 11 months and this is how to greet me? I thought you said that you wanted to see us?" Nat scowled.

"I meant my little cutie niece and da sao, you weren't part of the us. Da sao, how do you put up with his huge ego?" Karine retorted.

"Lucky for me, his muscles are slightly bigger than his ego, so things aren't that bad." Aika joked in reply.

"I second that, Aika. His muscles are unnecessarily big." Alice jumped in.

"Great, so now it's 1 vs 4? God have mercy..." Nat raised the white flag.

~

"Son, why don't you give Aika a tour of the house? I'll put Jamie down for her afternoon nap and join you later." Nat nodded at Alice's suggestion.

"See you later, ninang..." Jamie opened her arms for a hug like she always did.

"Have a good nap and I'll see you later, sweetie." Aika bent down and gave Jamie a kiss on the forehead. Karine gave her brother a knowing look as she looked on.

"Welcome to the maze, as Karine likes to call it." Nat and Aika had started from the entrance way of the house.

Nat guided Aika through the sprawling 4 story house, including the pool and gym, before heading to their last stop. Nat's bedroom.

"Welcome to my humble abode." Nat grinned as he opened the door.

"It's very...you." Aika thought out loud as she walked around the room.

"I feel like this is deja vu of the time I first saw your room..." Nat chuckled, remembering how he had called her room toasty.

"It's slightly different from your room back in Philippines. It's very... comforting. It gives off a comfortable vibe." Aika struggled to put her feelings into words.

"We could change it if you don't like it?" Nat caught Aika by surprise with his comment.

"Change it? Why would you change it to what I like?" Aika was confused.

"I thought you were going to marry me? If we get married, I'll let you do anything to this room." Nat winked.

"Hold up, where did the confidence come from?" Aika rolled her eyes.

"You were the one that allowed Karine to call you da sao? You can't just change your mind and abandon me like this..." Nat wrapped his arms around Aika and whined.

"Hmm, I don't like the black, I think your closet is unnecessarily big and you need to stop placing your weights in the room..." Aika walked around the room and pointed out the things she 'didn't like', with Nat still hugging her from behind.

"We can change everything. No big issue. By the way, what about the bed?" Nat used his weight to direct Aika to his King-sized bed.

"What about it?" Aika teased.

"You need to try it to know whether you like it or not?" With a swift motion, Nat pulled Aika onto the bed and perched himself on top of her, holding himself up with his arms.

"What if your mum walks in on us...or worse, Karine?" Aika stared at the door anxiously.

"I promise they won't..." Nat leaned closer without putting his weight on Aika.

"Didn't get a chance to say this earlier but thank you for coming with us. I really don't know what else to say other than thank you. It really means a lot to me." Nat pressed a kiss to Aika's forehead.

"You're welcome, muscles. I wanted to be here too." Aika cupped Nat's cheeks and pulled him in for another kiss, a longer one.

Nat let his weight rest on Aika as he found his hands running along her body, from her hands to her hips. Not wanting to squish Aika, Nat rolled over so Aika was the one lying on him instead. Since Aika had been wearing a top with a flared bottom, Nat felt his hands run across her exposed skin. Aika also found herself attracted to the warmth of Nat's bare skin under his shirt.

"We have to stop..." Aika whispered after a good 2 minutes of making out. Nat let out a groan of disappointment before unwillingly pulling back.

"I like the bed though. It's soft enough." Aika looked at Nat and arranged his hair, which she had conveniently messed up earlier.

"Really? I'm glad you got a good experience of it..." Nat tucked a stray strand of hair behind Aika's ear. Both of them broke into a laugh at how brazen they had been a minute ago.

"I think we should go meet Auntie, or she might really storm the room..." Aika got up from the bed.

~

"Dad!" The adults and Jamie were having a chat while waiting for the head of the family to return. Karine dashed to her father the second he returned.

"Hey, you look happy...what's the..." Kevin was surprised to see his daughter so chirpy until he realised the reason why.

"Dad...we're back." Nat stood up and called.

"GRANDPA! I MISSED YOU!" Jamie ran to Kevin, prompting him to pick her up.

"Hello, my little princess. Grandpa missed you too. Did your daddy take good care of you over there?" Kevin changed his tone to one that was reserved specially for Jamie.

"Uh huh! We were waiting for you to have dinner!" Jamie nodded as Kevin let her down.

"See me for a while." Kevin looked at his son. Nat obediently followed his dad to the study.

"Da sao, relax...Dad's bark is louder than his bite." Karine whispered to Aika. Aika nodded but couldn't help but feel worried.

"What a surprise to see you back." Kevin said as Nat closed the door behind him.

"Sorry Dad. I know it was rash of me to disappear like this." Nat apologised. He braced himself for a lashing.

"So why did you come back?" Kevin's voice was still surprisingly calm.

"The last 11 months taught me a lot. It taught me what I really wanted in life." Nat replied earnestly.

"And what is it you want? To cut ties with us?" Kevin questioned.

"No. In fact, it's the opposite. I realised how important family was to me. I know you were angry with me but you still allowed me to work for the company. That's why I worked extra hard to prove that I could do it. I wanted to come back proudly as your son." Nat looked at his dad.

"I've looked at the numbers, don't need to spell it out. Not that I expected any less. Also, is she the lady that your mother and sister have been whispering about?" Kevin was referring to Aika.

"Aika? Yes, she's the one. She was the one that encouraged me to face my past and overcome it. That's why I want to make things right between us. I know everything about the Philippines reminds you of mama but there's so much beyond that past, Dad. Can we give this a shot, please?" Nat begged his father. He and Aika had a long talk about making things right with his dad during this trip and he was determined to do so.

"Let's have dinner. It's been a while since we had dinner as a family." Kevin spoke up after a minute of silence. Nat held back a smile, knowing that he got through to his dad.

"The dinner table has never felt so lively in such a long time!" Alice exclaimed as the family were gathered in the living room after dinner.

"Ms Robredo? Mind if I see you for a while?" Kevin looked at Aika.

"Dad..." Nat was about to protest when Aika held his hand.

"Sure, Mr Lee." Aika smiled and got up.

"Should we eavesdrop?" Karine looked at her mother and brother.

"Stay put." Alice warned her daughter.

~

"I heard you are Jesse's eldest daughter?" Kevin looked at Aika.

"You know my papa, Mr Lee?" Aika was surprised.

"I do. In fact, I know him well. Jesse and I were close friends until he passed in 2012. We've known each other since he was the mayor of Naga. He was a wonderful and treasured friend of mine." Kevin revealed.

"Sorry for asking but have we met before?" Aika was still shocked.

"I believe we met for a brief second during your father's funeral. But I wouldn't expect you to remember amidst all the things you and your family had to go through." Kevin gave Aika an assuring smile.

"You came for the funeral? Nat said that you never set foot on the Philippines after his mama passed away..." Aika blurted before she could catch herself.

"I told myself I wouldn't, but I couldn't bear to not see your father off. He had been there for me when Nat's mother passed. Of course, your mother was a great help as well." Kevin replied.

"Thank you for telling me this, Mr Lee... it means a lot to me." Aika was glad to talk about her papa anytime.

"As for your relationship with Nat...are you sure about this? With your mother running for President and all the media scrutiny you and your sisters have faced growing up..." Kevin looked straight at Aika.

"Yes, I'm sure. To be honest, I had the same reservations before we got together, but I've never been more sure. I love Nat for who he is, as a person, a son and as a father." Aika was never more confident.

"I knew Jesse and Leni raised their girls right. As a father myself, I'm sorry but as a good friend of your father, I'm immensely proud of you. I know your father would be really proud of you as well." Kevin patted Aika on the shoulder.

"Thank you for being with my boy. I've overheard Alice and Karine talking about how much he and Jamie have changed after meeting you and your family. It was my fault for whatever he had experienced during his childhood. I shouldn't have let it fester." Kevin smiled as he remembered overhearing the excited chatter the duo shared. Beneath his cold exterior was deep concern for Nat.

"I know it's not my position to speak up but Nat doesn't blame you. He understands. He knows you did it to protect him...but..." Aika pointed out.

"But it's now time for us to move forward?" Kevin finished Aika's sentence.

"I believe that's what Nat thinks." Aika nodded. Kevin fell silent for a minute.

"Anyways, you call Alice, Auntie so I should be Uncle, right?" Kevin broke into a chuckle after the stifling silence

"Yes, Uncle." Aika heaved a sigh of relief.

~

"No need to look so uptight, I wouldn't do anything to my future daughter-in-law." Kevin deadpanned to Nat, Alice and Karine as he and Aika returned to the living room.

"Did Dad just say daughter-in-law?" Karine couldn't believe her ears.

"What, if you're calling Aika da sao, why can't I call her my daughter-in-law? Unless you are going to be irresponsible and not marry Aika?" Kevin narrowed his eyes and glared at his son.

"Why is everyone like this to me?!?!?! I am going to marry Aika, I promise!" Nat was exasperated.

"Cross your heart. And say it properly." Karine dared Nat.

"Fine. I, Nathaniel Luca Torres-Lee Kai Wen, promise to marry Jessica Marie Gerona Robredo." Nat placed his hand on his heart and recited as the rest looked on in amusement.

"If this boy makes you cry, let us know and we'll be on your side. All three of us." Alice placed her hand on Aika's.

"Me too!" Jamie added in.

"You heard that?" Aika joked as she looked at Nat, who nodded obediently.

~

"Aika...about what I said tonight...that I would marry you?" Nat and Aika were lying on his bed after washing up.

"Hmm...what about it? Are you regretting your words?" Aika raised an eyebrow.

"No! Never in a lifetime will I regret saying that. But I realised that I never asked you what your thoughts were. I know everyone was talking about it like it was natural, but I wanted to know what you really think..." Nat explained. He didn't want Aika to feel pressurised.

"You know me, I don't say things that I don't mean." Aika loved that about Nat. The way he always considered her feelings and never pushed his opinions on her. He respected her decisions all the time.

"Really? You will marry me?" Nat's eyes widened.

"Yes, muscle boy." Aika cupped Nat's cheeks and looked at him.

"AHHH!" Nat let out a little yelp of excitement and kicked the blanket.

"But not now." Aika punctuated.

"I know and I'm not going to ask you to marry me right away. We can wait until a better time when everything has settled down..." Nat nodded, understanding Aika's concerns.

"Why are you so sweet?" Aika smiled as she gave Nat a peck.

"I think you are the sweeter one. In fact, I always think that I'm the luckiest guy on earth...thanks to a certain Jessica Marie." Nat grinned.

"Oh really? I wonder who this Jessica Marie is..." Aika joked.

"Girl, you're missing out if you don't know..." Nat played along.

"Really, tell me more?" Aika laughed.

"You sure you wanna listen? It's going to take me days. First, everything about her is beautiful, especially her heart. Second, she's the best sister, daughter, ninang and girlfriend. Third, she's smart, considerate, respectful and humble. Fourth, she's a great cook. Fifth..." Nat was busy listing everything he loved about Aika.

"Okay, okay, I believe you!" Aika stopped Nat halfway.