Aurora City, present time...

Ross held his head and kneaded both his temples with force. He got drunk last night, and now the hangover is killing him. After the dinner party, he returned to his condo not to sleep but resumed drinking until he passed out on the sofa and woke up with a splitting head.

On occasions when his unofficial future in-laws were present, he would control himself from filling his glass nonstop since he had no reason to kill himself through alcohol.

However, his thoughts became chaotic after meeting with his girlfriend's family, the renowned Villegas family, who migrated to the US decades ago and started a conglomerate in San Francisco.

"Damn it! Why is this happening to me?" Ross pulled his hair, hoping it would reduce his headache, but to no avail.

His grandfather informed him two years ago that he had chosen his fiance. After finally meeting her a couple of months ago, he dated Shenna Villegas to live peacefully without the elders' nags.

However, beyond unforeseen circumstances, last night's dinner party helped him discern his true feelings for Sheena and left him internally wrecked.

Therefore, at this moment, he felt like he was squeezed between two giant rocks and couldn't decide which one to pursue. Must he settle on what's the right thing to do? Or choose what his heart desires?

"Ugh..." Ross let out a frustrated groan.

The memory was etched in his mind, impossible to erase. It haunted him day and night, a constant reminder of his recent dreams. He longed to bury them in the back of his mind, but it seemed impossible when he closed his eyes; he was haunted by it. Therefore, he thought of breaking up with Shenna and leaving the country to find peace of mind and conscience before he made a mistake and hurt his family and Shenna.

Hence, he mulled over things thoroughly all night—the reason he was suffering from a terrible headache, not because of his hangover.

Ross searched for his phone and dialed a particular contact. After giving instructions, he forced himself to get off the sofa.

When he succeeded, he headed to his bedroom, took a cold shower, then went to his kitchen and brewed a pot of black coffee for which he needed another to sober completely.

Ross actually wants another bottle of liquor to be drowned in. But his extreme headache reminds him that it's a bad idea, a sign that he cannot escape reality.

Could he?

~ ~ ~

The day before...

"Shenna, where is my excellent son? He's not picking up my call or replying to my texts! What's wrong with him?"

Kiera Varga was losing patience with her eldest son, Ross Michael; hence, she made an effort to save face on his behalf by entertaining their guests.

The Villegas family arrived an hour ago, but her wonderful son was still missing. She reminded Ross to postpone his appointment today, but he promised her he wouldn't be late and would be at the reception before everyone arrived.

Yet, even his shadow was nowhere to be found, which upset Keira. She didn't want the Villegas family to think Ross had neglected his girlfriend.

"That son of mine will receive a piece of my mind later!"

Shenna strode toward the lady and sat down next to her. "Do not worry, Aunt Kiera. Ross had already informed me he had an important deal to sign today. Thus, he will be a little late."

"Important? Is it more crucial than you? I'll absolutely reprimand him when his ass appears here!"

Shenna giggled, grateful that her boyfriend's mother cared for her. This is evidence of how upset she was with his own son when he was the person who was late to greet his unofficial in-laws.

"I'm fine with it, Aunt Keira. Ross is working hard to expand the company. I believe he was thinking of the future and the people who will benefit from this." Keira had only given subtle context not to assume that Ross would walk her to the altar, for which she had hope in her heart.

"Tsk. Still, he must learn how to balance his time. He should prioritize not only his work but also his family when he starts one on his own," said Keira.

Shenna smiled admiringly at the kind lady. She knew her words had significant meaning.

The elders wish for her and Ross to get married as soon as possible since they were unofficially engaged two years ago.

She likes Ross, which is why she isn't against the arranged marriage. He is gentlemanly and polite. Anyway, they were still at the stage of getting to know each other, and she had no rush either—only the elders were impatient for the families to unite.

"Ross is a good man; I could perceive that, Aunt Keira."

Listening to Shenna praise her son, she beamed and stared at the former earnestly. She held her hand and said, "Dear Shenna, when you and Ross tie the knot, let me know if that son of mine neglects you; you can always count on me. I'll scold him on your behalf."

Shenna blushed at the lady's statement. She was grateful that Ross's mother approved of her and cared for her so much. She knew several women who had mother-in-law issues, and the marriage turned downhill because of that.

Fortunately, once she married Ross, she would have no problem getting along with her future husband's family. She would have kind in-laws, and Keira is a gift from heaven for how wonderful she was. Now, she looks forward to calling her mom soon!

"I have noticed how Uncle Brandon cared for you. He isn't just a great dad, but a husband material that anyone couldn't ask for more," she commented, brightening the older lady's lovely face.

Keira could see the admiration exhibited in Shenna's eyes; thus, she didn't hold back from sharing her love story.

"Well, we shared several shortcomings in our first year of marriage. Probably because we both are stubborn, being the eldest granddaughter and him being the eldest grandson of the Varga family, we were trained to become leaders."

Shenna smiled and contemplated as she listened to Keira further.

The Varga family were foreign investors who settled in the country. Then, the third generation, Brandon Varga, met Keira Zobel, who came from a family of successful businessmen. Immediately, he was head over heels—not because of her family's wealth, but because of her beauty.

"Eventually, he grasped the true significance of family. Therefore, our marriage sailed smoothly." Keira added proudly. Then she went on, "My son is obedient. He cared for his younger brother greatly. So, I know he will be a wonderful father to his own family."

~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, squeezing the traffic, Ross maneuvered his BMW HP5 race bike. He was looking for an alley he would take as a shortcut.

To no avail, he peeked at his Ballon Bleu de Cartier watch, a gift from Shenna on his 26th birthday last month, to check the time. He groans out of frustration that he is already an hour late!

Besides his dilemma, his phone has been vibrating nonstop. Shenna is not a clingy woman; hence, he guesses that his beloved mother calls his number nonstop.

Tonight was the most important of all the dinners he had to attend. His girlfriend's family, the Villegas, were specially invited to this special occasion. His family specifically hosted a homecoming party for them.

However, he had an important business deal scheduled for tonight, which he could not postpone because the investor was leaving the country for a month-long honeymoon vacation. Fortunately, both were delayed because of the same unforeseen circumstances.

Hence, they only have the choice to reschedule the meeting after discovering from the news that an old Skyway collapsed, resulting in multiple fatalities.

It took Ross another half hour to escape from the traffic jam, where he could not curse at his situation after people had lost their lives but pray for their souls to obtain eternal rest.

Thinking of his grandfather, Marco Varga, the patriarch has been anxious about this dinner party as his best friend Arthuro Villegas, whom he hasn't seen for a long time, has finally visited his homeland and plans to settle in the country for good.

It is also the 24th wedding anniversary of his unofficial in-laws, and the third reason for this exclusive grand occasion is the 16th birthday of his unofficial fiancée's sister, whom he has never met in person. Though he saw a photo of her, she was entirely disguised, as she loves doing cosplay, wearing wigs, or dyeing rainbow-colored hair. At first, he thought she was weird, so he was relieved that his grandfather chose Shenna as his fiancee.

Therefore, they called it a triple celebration.

Long ago, the elders made promises when they were teenagers to unite the family through their children.

Since neither had daughters but only sons, why did not their grandchildren continue the family line and fulfill the promise?

Moreover, as the eldest grandson, he was expected to get married soon. His parents have been asking him when he will introduce someone as his girlfriend. Hence, Marco suggested meeting the granddaughter of the Villegas family.

Therefore, upon being introduced to Shenna, he willingly agreed to date her and evaluate the potential of their relationship. Hence, he makes plans with Shenna whenever she's free or when they both have a day off.

Seeing them at several functions, everyone thought they were a match made in heaven, and wedding bells soon rang.

Indeed, Shenna Villegas, a 23-year-old intern doctor who has joined countless medical missions throughout the country, isn't just stunning and charming; her intelligence is remarkable.

Similarly, what catches his attention is the nature of her work, which he greatly admires.

Ross considered taking medicine when he was about to graduate from senior high school, but his family needed someone to step up when his grandfather and father retired soon.

Though he remains unsure about his feelings towards Shenna, listening to her share about her work is never dull during their dates. Soon, he must make a final decision about whether he wants to engage with her officially.

However, recently, he had those weird dreams that troubled him. He wanted to bury them in the back of his mind, but he was being haunted, rather.

He could wake up in the middle of the night bathing in cold sweat and having a "hard-on his thing" after his dreams became explicit.

Now, it would include holding, touching, kissing, and engaging in sexual activity with her.

It would be nothing wrong; however, this girl's features—especially her body proportions—differ from Shenna's. Thus, he assumed it wasn't her.

What shocks him the most is that the face happens to be his potential future mother-in-law!

Shenna is a spitting image of her dad—almost none she took from her mom.

Then, does it mean he'll have a relationship with his girlfriend's mom in the future?

Although he and Shenna haven't taken the arranged marriage seriously, his dream is an absolute nightmare.

Seeing her tonight caused discomfort in his heart, and he knew he couldn't face her, especially to look her in the eyes.

'God help me,' Ross murmured nervously as he maneuvered his big bike to the parking lot and parked it next to his parents' Rolls Royce. He was reluctant to enter the elevator.