Page 59 of Triplet Babies for my Ex's Best Friend

He thinks about this. “Can we go again?”

I smile. “Almost definitely.”

“And can we have pancakes tomorrow?”

I look down at him.

Then laugh.

“Oh, sweetheart,” I say. “You really do know how to negotiate.”

CHAPTER TEN

Ethan

By the timethe Zurich review is behind us, the rest of my afternoon has already been allocated elsewhere.

Sara is already moving us toward the next issue.

The gala.

It exists, nominally, to celebrate innovation, partnerships, and the usual collection of self-congratulatory phrases wealthy people use when they want to drink champagne beneath chandeliers and pretend that ambition is a communal virtue. In practice, it's a market signal. An opportunity for investors to be seen backing the right companies, for competitors to assess what threatens them, and for the press to circle anything that could be momentum.

For Strong AeroTech, it matters.

That’s the only reason I tolerate it.

The event's a little under three months away, which in practical terms means it's already close enough to be irritating. Sara has been preparing for it with the precision of someone planning a military campaign. Jeffrey, by contrast, appears to believe the entire thing can still be held together with charm and a clean suit.

He’s wrong.

Sara taps the screen, and the current event plan expands across the wall. “We need to finalize the sequence for the demo. Lakeview Terrace has confirmed final ballroom access for setup the day before. We’ll have the central stage, the side display zones, and the east terrace for the private investor reception. Press access remains limited to the opening presentation and post-demo statement. Security has approved our revised perimeter plan.”

I skim the outline. “Attendance?”

“Higher than last year. We’ve had additional confirmations from Zurich, the Munich delegation, the Gulf charter group, and two federal transportation liaisons.”

That last one isn't unexpected, though it does make the evening even less appealing.

“Competitors?” I ask.

Jeffrey opens one of the folders. “Aerosynth is sending their usual group. Halden Aviation as well. There’s talk that Veyr might try to announce their own safety platform preview, but if they do, it’ll be more theater than substance.”

“It usually is,” I say.

Jeffrey smiles faintly. “Glad we agree.”

Sara slides a second set of notes toward me. “The larger issue is positioning. This year can’t just be another appearance. The AI stabilization system has to land properly.”

Land.

I ignore the phrasing.

Strong AeroTech’s new safety architecture is the most important deployment we’ve prepared in years. The predictive layer alone would be enough to draw attention. Combined with the fault detection logic, the adaptive response modeling, and the live correction sequence, it becomes harder to dismiss.

A step forward.

Which means the gala cannot be treated as a social obligation. It has to serve the product.