His Knees, His Pleas, But Our Son's in Peace

Chapter 71

I hesitated for a moment, but the challenge in his tone made me grin. "Sure, why not?"

We positioned ourselves at the edge of the pool, and as soon as Carlos gave the word, we took off. I wasn't a bad swimmer myself, but it quickly became clear that Carlos had the advantage. His movements were swift and effortless, while I struggled to keep up. By the time we reached the other side, I was panting, and Carlos barely seemed winded.

"You win," I said, laughing as I caught my breath. "I'll admit it, you're a better swimmer."

Carlos chuckled, pulling himself out of the water. "Don't feel bad. I've had a lot of practice."

We swam a few more laps, the playful competition easing the stress of the day. Eventually, though, we both grew tired and decided to call it a night.

"Let's grab a drink at the bar," Carlos suggested as we dried off.

I hesitated. "I'm not the best drinker, to be honest."

Carlos raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. "I know. That's why I'm warning you not to overdo it."

I felt a mix of embarrassment and defiance rise up. "I'm not that bad," I muttered, though I knew it wasn't entirely true.

the hotel bar, where I nursed a single drink, determined

09:36 O Chapter 71

energized than I had in a while. The exhibition was buzzing with excitement as investors swarmed the event, and to my surprise, I seemed to be at the center

cards and made notes of potential follow-ups. It seemed like all the hard work was paying off. As soon as I had a moment to myself, I called Blair. "You won't

me everything,"

of cooperation all day," I said. "Investors are coming out

I could practically hear his grin through the phone. "That's fantastic! I'll head over and help you sort through it all. We need to make sure

had a pile of letters in hand, and together, we worked through the details, strategizing for follow-up meetings. It was

came to pick me up. I could see the familiar

to head back to the hotel?"

yet. I need to pick up Blair and meet with the

simply nodded and waited for me to gather Blair

09:36 C

Chapter 71

partners went well, and by the time we finished dinner, I was a little tipsy. Blair helped me back

to Blair and walked over to Carlos. "How's your evening?" I asked, still feeling the

looked up at me, his expression thoughtful. "Things went well for you today, I

nodded eagerly.