At the baby shower, a big deal for sure, Herman and Anastasia made sure to invite Jason. Since splitting with Monica, Jason hadn''t reached out, but he kept an eye on her through Facebook, staying in the loop about her life. When their eyes met, it was all kinds of awkward. You could tell they both wanted to be close but were scared to make the first move.


    "Hey Anastasia, this is for the little one," Jason said, handing over the gift he''d brought. "I''ve got workter, so I can''t stick around too long."


    "Thanks," Anastasia replied with a smile as she epted it. "Stay as long as you can. I''ll go grab the baby so you can see. Meanwhile, you two have a chat."


    Anastasia made her exit, giving them some space to talk.


    Once she left, Jason sat across from Monica on the couch, hesitating a bit before asking, "So, how have you been?"


    "I''ve been good," Monica said, tucking her hair behind her ear and forcing a smile. "How about you? How''s everything with Alisa? Any wedding ns?"


    "Work''s been crazy," Jason replied, dodging the Alisa topic.


    "Oh." Monica nodded, not sure what else to say. She called over a waiter for a ss of wine and offered Jason a juice, knowing he had things to doter. "Fruit juice for you, then?" "Sure."


    Their small talk was awkward, and Anastasia, watching from a distance, was getting a bit anxious about theirck of progress.


    "What are you staring at?" Herman suddenly appeared behind Anastasia, giving her a start.


    She turned to re at him, ready to give him a piece of her mind, but her frustration faded when she saw his handsome face.


    "Guess it helps having a good-looking husband," she teased. "One look at that face, and my anger just disappears."


    Herman chuckled, touching his face. "Lucky me, saved by my looks again."


    "Vain," Anastasia shot back yfully. "Anyway, where did your mom take the baby? Haven''t seen them in ages."


    "She''s showing off the baby to her friends," Herman said. "She used to envy others who had grandkids. Now it''s her turn to brag."


    Anastasia then spotted Sandy chatting up the CEO of an electronicspany.


    "Sandy never misses a chance to expand her business," Anastasia observed.


    "Yeah, I overheard her getting a verbal agreement with CEO Cai for a live shopping deal," Herman added. "These gatherings always turn intoworking events, especially with the Salstrom family''s reputation." Anastasia grimaced a bit. "Kinda starting to regret inviting her. The baby shower''s turned into Sandy''sworking gig."


    Sandy had introduced herself as an heiress of the Morton Group, leaning on her connection with Katelyn to gain business advantages.


    "Sandy''s got her game n," Herman said with augh. "The Morton Group''s all about social media these days, low costs, high profits. They need more connections, and I knew what she was up to the minute she walked in." Anastasia gave him a look. "And you just let her use the event like that."


    Herman smirked. "Do you really think deals get sealed here? Sandy''s charming, sure, but these corporate folks are cautious. They y it safe. Especially the old brands; they often see live shopping as beneath them. It''s not as easy as Sandy thinks."