It was in this area that Assunta and Jules had their engagement dinner. The award-winning actress recalls that she got the surprise of her life when 800 volunteers showed up by the lagoon to take part in Jules's proposal.

"Parang Cecil B. de Mille ýong production ko!" Jules laughs, referring to teh Hollywood director known for lavish movie productions like The Ten Commandments. As part of his special production, Jules also got a children's choir to sing "The Hills are Alive"—the theme song of the musical The Sound of Music—while Jules's kids, Christina and Carlo, proposed on his behalf.

Assunta is the picture of marital bliss. "Siguro and pinakamagandang description ng pagiging asawa ni Jules, ikaw ýong tao na kasunod sa Diyos," she says.

"You are the center of his universe. Sa ýo lang umiikot ang mundo niya. You're treated like a priceless diamond na talagang trine-treasure. But hindi naman ýong tipong sobrang sheltered na talagang wala nang puwedeng humawak. "

It can be said that the Ledesma family in San Carlos rose to its present status—thanks to Jules Ledesma's ancestor, Don Julio Villalobos Ledesma, who decided to invest in farming in San Carlos in 1911, almost a century ago. By 1936, Don Julio had become the biggest individual sugar planter in the Philippines.

The bar has ice boxes designed as beer barrels. The wine-glass cabinet is encrusted with a unique glass mosaic design. This is where the Ledesmas often entertain guests.

Assunta says, "Noong congressman pa siya, dito pupunta ýong vice mayor, mga kapartido niya. So, kadalasan, dito kami sa place na ito. 'Pag may bisita, dito namin sila hino-host. In fact, last elections, pumunta dito sina FPJ no'ng nag-campaign sila dito. We hosted breakfast for them."

"I want to get pregnant middle of 2006," Assunta says in typically fortright fashion. "Parang 'pag nanganak ako, twenty-four na ako. Kasi my husband told me that it's the best age for childbearing." She adds that she'd like a boy or fraternal twins for her first-born. She's also inspired by Hollywood actress Catherine Zeta-Jones's remarkably unchanged figure even after two childbirths.

"Hindi ko siya paborito, pero gustong-gusto ko ýong mukha niya. Habang nanganganak, lalong gumaganda!"

The half-Italian Assunta says she got her optimism from her parents, Nenita and Luigi Schiavone: "Parang ýong pinaka-worst na sitwasyon, meron pa kaming nahuhugot na maganda, nagagawa pa naming tawanan. Parang at the end of the day, maiisip mo talaga na life is beautiful, di ba?"

The living room on the second floor of the Executive House has warmer colors, compared with the formal and subdued tone of the ancestral home. Rattan furniture, with floral fabrics, plus the painting of the birds on the wall, add to the room's tropical feel.

The living room echoes the dining room's color combinations, with white fabric cover on the sofa set and white lace curtains contrasting with deep-brown wooden floors. A billiard table in one corner provides recreation for guests.

The rich wooden tone in the formal dining room is softened by the white lace curtains and by the white tablecloth covering the 12-seater dining table. The solid wooden archway that separates the dining room from the foyer adds elegance to the area.

In the foyer, a grand staircase—with geometrically designed railings in the style of art nouveau—welcomed guests to the Ledesma family's ancestral home.

A clover-shaped fountain in the courtyard add charm to the property, while verdant trees and sprawling grass add color.

Bulit before World War II, the Ledesma ancestral house at the Hacienda La Fortuna has been beautifully preserved. Remarkably, the house escaped the wrath of Japanese troops during the war, much to the relief and puzzlement of its owners. "The spirits of the house must have spooked them," Jules says in a phone interview. Today, the salmon-pink and yellow shades of the Moorish-Antillan-style facade give the house a fresh new look.