Talia and Christian''s date was going splendidly. The restaurant buzzed around them, but they were in their own little world,ughing at something silly Christian had just said. Their tes of tiramisu were nearly empty, with just a few bites left as they savored the sweet,


    creamy


    dessert.


    Christian leaned back in his chair, grinning. "So, Talia, which tiramisu do you like more? This one or the one you had in Italy?"


    Talia chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh,e on, Christian. You know Italy is known for its tiramisu it was obviously better. That tiramisu was like a cloud! But," she added quickly, not wanting to hurt his feelings, "this one''s pretty good too. I mean, it''s not every day you get decent tiramisu outside of Italy, right?"


    Christianughed. "Yeah, I guess you''re right. It''s hard topete with Italian tiramisu." He paused for a moment, his eyes locking with hers. "Are you enjoying the date?"


    Talia made a show of pretending to think it over, tapping her chin and making a silly face. "Hmm, let me see... good food, greatpany... yeah, I''d say I''m enjoying it," she said with a teasing smile.


    Christianughed, feeling a warm, fuzzy feeling spread through his chest. He loved seeing her like this-happy, carefree, and joking around. They finished their dessert, chatting about everything and nothing, and then finally got up to leave.


    As they stepped outside, the cool night air greeted them, and Christian was about to lead the way to his car when he felt a gentle tug on his hand. He turned to see Talia looking up at him, her cheeks slightly pink, a shy look on her face. "Christian," she started, her voice a little hesitant. "There''s something I want to tell you. It''s about this n ire and Adrian made."


    Christian raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You mean the n you said was confidential? You didn''t have to tell me about it."


    Talia nodded, biting her lip nervously. "Yeah, that one. But... I want you to know about it. I want you toe."


    Christian''s eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Are you sure?" he asked, trying to read her expression. "You don''t have to tell me if it''s a secret. I don''t want you to feel pressured."


    Talia gazed into his eyes, sincerity shining through. "I''m sure. I trust you, Christian. And... I want you there. With me." Her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red as she looked away, embarrassed by her own boldness.


    Christian couldn''t help but smile. He reached out and gently lifted her chin, so she was looking at him again. "In that case, I''d love toe," he said softly. "You can count me in."


    A huge smile broke out on Talia''s face, and before she could stop herself, she threw her arms around him in a big hug. She quickly realized what she''d done and stepped back, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, fumbling with her fingers. "Thank you, Christian. Really."


    Christian chuckled, finding her nervousness endearing. "You''re wee, Talia. Anytime." He slipped an arm around her waist as they headed toward his car. "So, tell me all about this n," he said, steering the conversation back to a morefortable topic. Meanwhile, back at the Harris family banquet, ire was in a conversation with Alex''s parents. She was doing her best to keep the small talk going, despite how much she wanted to escape. Joan Harris was all smiles, looking every bit the elegant socialite. She turned to ire with a friendly, concerned expression.


    "ire, darling, how are you? You look wonderful, but I hope you''re not overworking yourself," Joan said, her eyes sweeping over ire with motherly concern.


    ire returned Joan''s smile with one of her own, although hers was a bit more restrained. "I''m fine, really. Just busy, as usual," she said, keeping her tone light. She didn''t want to get into any heavy topics tonight.


    Joan tilted her head, looking at ire a bit more closely. "You''ve lost some weight, haven''t you? Are you taking care of yourself, dear?"


    ire shook her head, quicklying up with an excuse. "Oh, it''s just a new exercise program I''ve been trying out," she lied smoothly. She didn''t want to get into the real reasons behind her weight loss-too much stress, too little sleep. Better to keep things simple. "Well, just make sure you''re eating enough," Joan said with a slight frown. "We don''t want you overdoing it."


    "Of course," ire agreed, nodding. She was d to see Joan smile again, her concern easing.


    Michael Harris, Alex''s father, took this opportunity to join the conversation. "So, ire," he began, his tone casual but curious, "how''s the project going with Alex? He doesn''t tell me much, says he''s too busy to talk about work."


    ire kept her face neutral, though


    she had to fight back a wry smile. Alex was always too busy for his father, it seemed. "The project is, going well," she said simply. She wasn''t about to spill any details, especially not about the robot. That was still confidential, and she


    intended to keep it that way.


    Michael nodded but didn''t seempletely satisfied with her answer. "If you need any help, and my son isn''t being helpful, you can alwayse to me," he offered, half-jokingly.


    Joan gave him a light p on the arm. "Oh, Michael, don''t be silly. Alex is a professional, and I''m sure he knows how to keep work and personal affairs separate."


    ire just smiled, not saying a word. If only Joan knew how Alex really behaved-how he sometimes let personal matters bleed into business. But it wasn''t her ce to say, and she had no intention of causing a stir.


    Joan scanned the crowded ballroom, her eyes darting from one group of people to another. "ire, have you seen Alex anywhere?" she asked,


    ire shook her head. "No, I haven''t seen him since the speech earlier," she replied, trying to keep her tone light. She had hoped to avoid any mention of Alexander tonight, but clearly, the universe had other ns. "Would you mind checking on him, ire?"


    ire inwardly groaned. Thest thing she wanted to do was babysit Alex, especially at an event like this. But Joan was always so sweet to her, and ire didn''t want to offend her. "Sure, Joan. I''ll go find him," ire said, forcing a smile. Michael, Joan''s husband, gave ire a sympathetic look. "Don''t bother ire with Alex, Joan. He''s a grown man. He can take care of himself," he said, trying to steer his wife away from worrying.


    ire waved it off, still smiling. "It''s fine, really. I don''t mind checking on him," she said. Better to just get it over with.


    She excused herself from the couple


    and began weaving her way through the crowd, making her way toward the bar. It didn''t take her long to figure out where Alex was. His loud, boisterousughter was a dead giveaway. ire rolled her eyes as she approached the sound, spotting him standing with a group of people, all of themughing at something he''d just said.


    ire frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched Alex. He was in the middle of telling some story, gesturing wildly with his hands, and the people around him were eating it up,ughing at his every word. This was odd, ire thought. Alex wasn''t the type to tell jokes in front of strangers. Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Sarcasticments, sure. But full-on jokes? That was out of character.


    "Alexander," ire called out, her tone professional as she stepped up beside him.


    Alex turned to her, his eyes lighting up in recognition. "ire!" he said cheerfully, slinging an arm around her shoulders. The gesture caught her off guard, and she stiffened, but she managed to keep her smile in ce. "Alexander," ire replied, trying to sound pleasant despite the annoyance bubbling up inside her. The smell of alcohol was strong, and she could tell just by looking at him that he was more than a little tipsy.


    Of course, Alexander must get drunk in an event like this, ire thought to herself.


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