Leonardo Salazar, who originally planned to visit his parents out of state, changed his flight specifically for this gathering.
Slade Thorne, all the way in River City, happily made the trip.
Michael Perez, Declan Fulton, and Corbin Shaw also hurried over to join the fun.
Meeting up during the New Year naturally meant exchanging gifts.
None of them lacked money, so every single one of them was incredibly generous.
Before Maeve could even hand out her own gifts, several gift boxes had already been shoved into her hands.
When it came to gift-giving, Benjamin Bright was the most straightforward.
He handed over two sets of Solid Gold Baby Accessories, exquisitely crafted and uniquely designed.
Maeve weighed the heavy gold jewelry in her hand and shot Benjamin an exasperated look.
"After all these years, your taste in gifts hasn't changed a bit. It's never just tacky; it's always phenomenally tacky."
Benjamin burst into booming laughter.
"I had these two sets custom-designed for my future niece and nephew. Just tell me you love them!"
Andres coughed, reminding Benjamin.
"They're not due for another eight months. And aren't these kinds of things usually given at the one-month baby shower?"
Benjamin clapped Andres on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. I guarantee I'll bring an even bigger gift for the baby shower."
Andres deadpanned, "I am so very grateful."
Benjamin waved it off. "We're all family. No need to be so polite."
Andres fell silent.
Despite the absurdity, Benjamin wasn't exactly wrong.
In a sense, he and Benjamin really could be considered family.
Everyone invited was perceptive and sharp.
Slade rolled his eyes at him. "What did I ever do to you?"
Andres retorted, "I'm wondering the same thing. Maeve is pregnant right now. How can you comfortably bring up such a gruesome topic?"
Taking the hint, Slade made a zipping motion over his lips, which drew a round of laughter from the group.
Once the laughter died down, Maeve continued, "Now that the apology is out of the way, I hope you'll accept my compensation."
She gestured toward Murray.
Only then did everyone notice a neat row of Red Gift Bags lined up in the VIP room.
The top left corner of each bag bore a different signature.
This meant the gifts weren't just a generic bulk purchase.
Following her command, Murray handed the corresponding bags to each person based on the names.
Leonardo Salazar, the first to receive his gift, asked curiously, "Can I open it right now?"

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