"Daddy!" Jamie woke up to no one beside her.
"Morning, Princess...Aren't you going to give Daddy a hug?" Nat extended his arms.
"You're awake!" Jamie gave Nat a gentle hug, not wanting to hurt him.
"Of course I am. How could I leave my precious little Princess alone?" Nat held Jamie close. If anything, knowing that Jamie was waiting for him was a good enough reason to wake up.
"You're naughty, Daddy. You made Grandpa, Karine and me cry! You even made ninang cry in the corner because she was so worried!" Jamie pouted. She'd seen Aika shedding tears silently so as not to worry the others.
"Daddy's so sorry...I promise not to do that again." Nat assured Jamie. A stab to the lower abdomen was more than enough for one lifetime.
"NATHANIEL LUCA TORES LEE KAI WEN!" Karine's voice boomed throughout the ward.
"Your brother got injured in the abdomen, his hearing is fine." Alice chided her daughter.
"Wow someone grew taller since the last time I saw her...I missed you so much." Nat chuckled as he gave Karine a hug. Karine may be a 1.7m tall 16 year old but in front of her older brother, she was still a child.
"You know how worried Dad, Mum and I were? Especially Dad?" Karine looked at her parents.
"Sorry for making you worried...But at least I made Dad come?" Nat joked.
"Nonsense. Just get better quickly." Kevin was embarrassed at Karine telling on him.
"Your Dad almost tripped over his own feet when he heard you were injured." Alice added.
"I didn't come here just for you. I...I have...business to do here..." Kevin stuttered.
"Oh really? What business?" Karine played along.
"Uh...remember that CSR project you were telling me about? About the homes for the lower income families...I thought I could talk to Leni about it!" Kevin turned to Atty Leni. It may have been an 'excuse' but Kevin did have plans in mind.
"You want to work with Angat Buhay?" Atty Leni was surprised at the sudden offer.
"I believe the morals and values of our company align with Angat Buhay so why look any further?" Kevin smiled.
"Yes, tita...We've been looking for a partner for a while and trust me, we picked Angat Buhay for its stellar track record and the values it stands for." Nat assured Atty Leni.
"Great! I'll link you up with our Director of Partnerships!" Atty Leni was excited.
"Does that mean we'll be staying in the Philippines for a while? Are we?" Karine looked at her Dad.
"I'm...I'm not sure..." Kevin hesitated.
"I'm not chasing you home but don't you have school, Ms Lee?" Nat questioned.
"Your brother is right, you have school and your national exams are in 3 months, my dear." Alice reminded Karine about the major national exam she had in November.
"But...one week of online lessons won't hurt!" Karine protested.
"You be a good girl and I promise I'll fly you over here for a holiday after your exams." Nat offered.
"Really?" Karine's eyes sparkled.
"Have I ever lied to you?" Nat laughed.
"Deal!" Karine took Nat's hand and shook it.
"How about I fly back with Karine first and you can stay a while longer here? You haven't been to the Philippines HQ, have you? Take this chance to go around..." Alice suggested to Kevin. It had been 10 years since he last came.
YOU ARE READING
Beneath The Surface
RomanceAika Robredo was a poster child: with a Masters from Harvard, a respectable career trajectory and dependable eldest daughter of the Robredo family. Everyone was telling Aika that all she had left to do was finding her 'dream guy' to settle down with...
