He Married the Stripper.

Meeting the Devil's Clan.

---EMILY---
Iba't-ibang scenario ang umiikot sa utak ko. Hindi ako mapakali bakit kasi biglaan tong party na to? Hindi pa ko mentally prepared sa kung anong mangyayari. I mean nerve-wracking na yung ipapakilala ka sa buong pamilya pero yun pang binitiwan niyang title nila as the 'Devil Clan'. Juicecolored! Anong ibig sabihin non?

Is it gonna be like every other teleserye kung saan hindi nila ako gusto and aaway-awayin dahil sa poor background ko? Sa dami ng mga teleseryeng napanood ko, it's almost always like that. Aalipustahin yung poor S/O ng rich relatives, minsan nga may sampalan pa nagaganap e. 

Mygod! What did I get myself into?

"Pwede ba tayong mag-cancel? Sabihin mo may sakit ako or something." Sabi ko kay Alex as we entered the main house's driveway.

"Are you dumb. They're having a 'party' so they can meet you." Sagot naman niya habang nag-ppark.

"E bakit ba kasi biglaan naman?"

"So you won't be able to make up an excuse not to come."

"Parang masusuka ako." Sabi ko sa kanya nang bumaba kami sa kotse niya.

"Don't be dramatic."

"Pero pano kung hindi nila ko ma-gustuhan?" Nag-smirk siya.

"Of course they wont."

"What?! Hindi agad nila ko magugustuhan e ni hindi pa nga nila ako nakikilala."

"They don't have to know who you are. Asawa kita so they'll just automatically hate you. And I'm pretty sure they know who you are by now because just like the old man, one or even all of them had you investigated already." Napanga-nga ako. Just because asawa nya ko, ayaw na nila sakin? Teka, ano bang pamilya meron tong mga to? Hate agad? Then naalala ko yung secret life ko, alam ni Lolo Al yung tungkol dun, does that mean...

Napatigil ako sa pag-lalakad, tumingin sakin si Alex naka-kunot yung noo.

"What now?"

"Paano pag nalaman nila yung..."

"Lolo wont let that happen, he'd cover everything up even his involvement with you. Coz once they find out he's the one who set all this up you're gonna be a bigger target than me." Kampante niyang sagot. I really hope so, I mean I've read and watched enough dramas to know if they find out about that part of my life, they will not just hate me because I'm his wife.

---ALEX---
I knew we were going  back to the main house to visit the old man as soon as we got back from the 'honeymoon' what I didn't count on happening is that we have to meet the whole 'family' as well. I knew they're gonna want to meet her what I didn't expect was that they're gonna do it altogether and to think that they're gonna put up such a fuss just to scrutinize us but what else can I expect from the devil's clan? They think they have strength in numbers that they can always push me down when they're all together. How many years has it been since they started doing it to me? And I'm still here, crushing all of them. 

Tiningnan ko si Emily na kanina lang ay nagco-complain, bakas sa mukha niya ang kaba. I wish I could tell her not to worry but I know as soon as we step outside the garden that's not gonna be true. I took her hand and she looked up at me.

"Remember, we're married." Bulong ko sa kanya. Tumango siya.

Here we go, welcome to hell on earth.

---NARRATOR---
Nang lumabas sa garden sina Alex at Emily, ibinaling agad ng mga tao ang pansin sa kanilang dalawa. Hinigpitan ni Emily ang hawak sa kamay ni Alex. Sa itsura ng ilan sa mga taong nakatingin sa kanila, hindi aakalain ni Emily na kamag-anak ni Alex ang mga ito because the way they look at both of them, she can feel that they are not welcome.

"Alex, nandito na pala kayo." Bati ng isang babae, agad itong lumapit sa mag-asawa.

"Hello, you must be Emily. Kamustang byahe niyo? Pasensya na biglaan yung invitation ng pamilya." Sabi nito. Sa mahigit 20 tao sa garden, tanging siya lang ang bumati sa kanilang dalawa. Nagpa-kilala ang babae as Carol, asawa ng bunsong anak ni Lolo Al na si Adrian who sadly died almost 10 years ago.

Sa tulong ni Carol, gumaan ang pakiramdam ni Emily. She showed them were the refreshments were and made small talk. Tahimik lang si Alex, nakatingin sa cellphone at nagbabasa ng mga e-mails when his aunt and uncle approached them.

"Hindi mo man lang ba kami ipapakilala sa asawa mo, Alexander?" Tanong ng isang lalaki, matangkad ito at malaki ang pagkaka-hawig kay Lolo Al. Siya si Alonso Altamerana, pangalawang anak ni Lolo Al. Siya at ang tatay ni Alex ang namamahala sa foreign affairs ng kumpanya.

"You shouldn't really be surprised, Kuya. What would you expect from him?" Sabi naman ni Amelia Altamerana Reyes, pang-apat na anak ni Lolo Al. Her husband had a failed business venture so now she works at the company together with him.

Carol tried to say something to his in-laws but they just waved them away, told her to make herself useful and find her missing kid. Carol looked at Emily as if apologizing and left. Kung buhay pa siguro ang asawa niya baka may magawa siya to at least make them stop but seeing as she's not really part of the family she couldn't do anything.

"Marrying a girl you barely know and not even telling your family about it, that's just downright rude." Dagdag ni Alonso as he looked at Emily.

"Maybe it was a rude thing to do to family but I don't know how it would be for you since we're not exactly family." Sagot ni Alex without batting an eye.

"Alam mo naman palang hindi ka parte ng pamilyang to, so what are you still doing here? Clinging to Dad like a parasite." Sabi naman ni Amelia.

"I may be a parasite but at least I'm useful. Unlike you and your family. You cling to him and leech off him. What has your dumb excuse for a husband been doing lately? Still fucking up every deal I throw his way?" 

"You little..." Namumula ang mukhang sabi ni Amelia, she was about to slap Alex but Alicia came to stop them.

"Dad's coming." Was all she said, barely looking at any of them.

---EMILY---
Tumingin ako kay Alex the whole time his relatives were there I was looking down at my feet. Was this what he meant by the Devil's clan? Was this what he meant when he said they're gonna hate me? Coz they hate him too? Nang marinig ko yung galit sa boses nung babae I immediately looked up sasampalin niya si Alex pero buti na lang may biglang dumating at sinabing nadito na si Lolo Al and just like that they left us alone. Napatingin ako kay Alex, hindi ko mabasang expression niya as per usual. 

"Okay ka lang ba?" Tanong ko.

"Yeah."

"Why... I mean... how..." Hindi ako makapag-form ng maayos na sentence dahil sa totoo lang hindi ko alam kung anong sasabihin ko. Akala ko sa teleserye lang may ganitong eksena. Who knew I'll witness something like this in real life.

"I'm fine. This is normal. Masanay ka na coz you'll be seeing this a whole lot."

"She was gonna slap you." 

"That's her usual greeting."

"But..."

"Like I said... they hate me. As for you just keep a low profile, don't talk to them especially if you're alone. They won't hurt you as long as you don't bother them."

Hindi naman sa natatakot akong saktan nila, sa totoo lang hindi naman ako natatakot na masampal. What I'm worried about is him. Sa buong pamilya ba nila walang nagta-tanggol sa kanya kundi si Lolo Al? Kasi at least sa pamilya ko si Tita Aura lang ang madalas galit sakin and most of the time pinag-tatanggol ako ni Tito Fred at Gelo. Paano siya? Wala man lang ba siyang kakampi? What about his Dad?

Nung simula akala ko ako yung aapihin ng mga kamag-anak niya. That I would be the outcast but turns out, he's more of the outcast than me. Siya yung inaalipusta at sinasaktan coz of his background. 

He's the one who's been living in a generic teleserye.