Phew, what a day!

Deborah calmly read the information written on those sheets. At no point did she feel any emotional connection to the information she saw about her son or her grandson; they were merely strangers to her.

She felt it was a great annoyance to have to get close to them. As for Nicole, she thought that removing her from the picture would save them a lot of trouble. She considered her such an insignificant girl.

In the Hamptons, Bruno's parents had prepared a luau-style evening for their guests. The boys wore shorts and shirts with floral patterns, while the girls donned cropped tops and long hula skirts. Bruno didn't like that Nicole had her belly exposed, even though she looked great and there was no evidence that she had ever been pregnant.

"You should cover up. It's a bit windy, and you might catch a cold," Bruno approached her, offering a small blanket.

"I don't think so, but thanks for caring," Nicole replied, moving away from him to join Máx, Sophie, and Dante, who were engaged in a lively conversation. She knew Bruno didn't genuinely care about her health; he was just acting out of jealousy.

Alizza kept drinking one glass after another. Her father had left in the morning for a commitment, and Bruno's parents insisted that she stay, as they would drop her off at her house later.

Someone played upbeat music, and Nicole and Sophie suggested dancing the limbo. Everyone laughed when Santi also wanted to participate, but Bruno preferred to observe.

Alizza approached him and took his hand.

"Come on, boss, let's dance," she said, already quite intoxicated, caring little about her actions.

Seeing everyone staring at them, Bruno couldn't refuse. The girl started moving her body sensually, not caring that they were being watched. Alcohol gave her the courage to do things she wouldn't do when sober. She pressed herself against him and began rubbing her body against his. Bruno had had enough and tried to pull away. Alizza took his face in her hands and attempted to kiss him. It was more than he could handle, so he pushed her away forcefully, causing her to fall onto a couch. She immediately started crying.

Bruno's mother approached her and tried to console her. Alizza sobbed, crying with deep emotion.

"Come on, dear, you're a bit dizzy. I'll take you to your room. You need to rest," Bruno's mother said. Alizza obeyed, leaving while still crying.

Bruno was extremely annoyed. He would have to set things straight with that girl. He didn't want any problems with Nicole, although it seemed like she didn't care.

Nicole, on the other hand, managed to control herself. When she saw that girl attempting to kiss him, she was on the verge of stepping in and putting her in her place. She had to take deep breaths to resist doing so.

"Wow, little brother, you're quite the heartbreaker," Dante found the scene amusing and wanted to tease his brother with it.

"Don't joke about that, Dante. She's just a young girl who's confused. I'll talk to her to avoid any problems. I don't want her getting false hopes with me," Bruno replied, irritated.

Dante walked away. Lately, Bruno had been quite grumpy. The blond boy approached Sophie, wrapping his arm around her waist and leading her to the center of the room.

"Family, I have something very important to announce. This beautiful woman and I are soon getting married," Dante said, placing his hand on Sophie's belly. "In a few months, we'll become parents."

Sophie blushed as red as a tomato. Dante's parents remained motionless, not reacting. Sophie grew nervous, thinking they didn't like the news. After a moment, René managed to react.

"I can't believe it! Pinch me, someone. I think I'm dreaming. Son, I'm so happy to know that you've fallen in love," his mother said, approaching and hugging him, then hugging Sophie. She had thought that her son would never fall in love again, that the blonde girl would be just another conquest, but now he was even going to give her a grandchild.

"Really, guys, you've made me so happy with this news," Mara said, on the verge of tears. Another grandchild was on the way.

Taking advantage of everyone's attention being on the couple, Amadeus approached Max.

"Are you interested in Nicole?" he asked.

"Why do you care?" Max rudely replied.

"Just curious," Amadeus said.

"Do you know what it means to be nosy?"

"No."

"It means someone who tries to find out things that shouldn't matter to them."

"Haha, so I'm nosy?"

Amadeus found it amusing rather than offensive.

Max looked at him strangely. Did he really find it funny to be called nosy?

Noah approached them, carrying his grandson in his arms.

"Uncle Max, do you want to play?" Noah asked.

"Of course."

"I'll hide, and you'll look for me."

"That sounds good. I'll cover my eyes and count to ten slowly. You can't go too far or go up the stairs. You'll have to hide only in this area."

"Okay, Uncle."

The little boy quickly ran off, not seeing many places to hide. He thought that inside the pool, Max wouldn't find him. He was very good at holding his breath underwater, so he was sure to win the game that way.

All the adults were distracted as they conversed. Max, with his eyes closed, continued counting. Santi entered the pool, remembering that his mother had told him it was very deep and that he should only go into the shallow end. But Max would find him quickly there.

He went down the pool stairs, slowly making his way to the tip-toe position. He took a breath and submerged his head, standing at the edge where it became deeper.

He moved a bit, his feet slipped, and he fell into the deep end. He tried to float up but couldn't.

Max finished counting and began searching for him but couldn't find him. Suddenly, a scream echoed, and Emma saw the child floating in the pool.

Bruno jumped into the water, grabbed his son, and pulled him out of the pool. Nicole ran to where her son was, but she couldn't move or speak. Her body didn't react. The little boy wasn't breathing anymore, and his skin was pale.

Bruno immediately laid his son on a flat surface, placed his palm slightly below the chest, and started performing rapid compressions. He tilted his neck back a bit and began giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After a few seconds, the child started breathing, coughing, and expelling water from his mouth.

Nicole, who had remained immobile, fainted at that moment. The sight of her son in that condition was too much for her to handle.

Amadeus held her to prevent her from falling and carried her to her room. Bruno did the same with his son, placing him next to Nicole. He then called a doctor. The guests bid their farewells after learning that it had been just a scare. They knew the family needed privacy at that moment.

The doctor examined them and advised them to rest. They should be kept under observation, and further tests would be necessary if any symptoms appeared later on.

When Nicole woke up, she hugged her son tightly, knowing he was fine, but she couldn't stop crying.

Everyone left the room, unable to find the right words after such a fright. Only Bruno stayed with them, lying down next to Santi and embracing him. The three of them stayed like that, locked in an embrace. Nicole gazed at her little son, unable to contain her tears when thinking about what had happened.

Max couldn't face Nicole; he had been entrusted with the child for a while and failed to take care of him. He cried, thinking about what could have happened.

Amadeus approached, wanting to say something comforting.

"I'm so sorry for what happened. Fortunately, they're okay."

"If something had happened to Santi, I wouldn't have forgiven myself."

"It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known what would happen. Until now, playing hide-and-seek wasn't considered dangerous." He extended his hand, offering a cigarette.

"Thanks, but I don't smoke."

"Take it, just this once. It will help you calm down." Max took it, and Amadeus lit the cigarette. Being close to that guy felt pleasant. They remained silent for a while.

Nicole's parents and Bruno's parents couldn't believe they had come close to losing their grandchild. They felt guilty, especially Noah, as Nicole had trusted him to take care of Santi.

"Phew, what a day. Fortunately, it didn't turn out worse," exclaimed René.

"I can't help but feel guilty. I feel terrible, like I'm a lousy grandfather," said Noah.

"I feel the same," confessed René.

"It's useless to project blame. They're fine, and that's what matters," exclaimed Rina.

She poured some rum and offered them a drink, hoping it would help them calm their nerves.

Bruno left the room a little later. Nicole was sleeping with their son in her arms, and his phone kept ringing persistently. He stepped out to take the call and not wake them.

"Hello."

On the other end, he could only hear the sound of breathing.

"Hello, who is this?" he asked, puzzled.

"Son." A shiver ran through his body upon hearing that word.

"Who is this? I think you've got the wrong person."

"Bruno, my son, it's Deborah."

"My mother's name isn't Deborah. I think you've got the wrong person." He hung up, feeling his body go cold, despite the sweat.

He sent a message to his father; he needed to talk to him. He headed towards the study to wait for him.

"Is something wrong, son? You look pale."

"She called, after all this time, she called. I don't know what she wants by doing this."

"Son, you're scaring me. Who called you?"

"Deborah."

René was surprised. He didn't expect this. What did that woman want after all these years? For a moment, he felt like his legs couldn't hold him up, and Bruno helped him sit down.

"Something is up with that woman. You have to be very careful, son. I know her very well."

"That woman is not my mother. I don't understand what she's trying to achieve by reaching out to me." René understood perfectly.

Alizza was still feeling dizzy. She woke up at that moment, unaware of what had happened. Vague memories of her trying to kiss Bruno came to her mind. She left her room and ran into Bruno's mother in the hallway.

"Mrs. Leone, I apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I need to apologize to Mr. Bruno for my actions."

"I agree that you should, but now is not the time. Our grandson had an accident, but fortunately, he's okay. I don't think Bruno is in the mood to talk right now."

"I'll do it another time. I'm glad your grandson is fine." Inside, she cursed. It would have been perfect to wake up and find out that she wouldn't have that nuisance anymore. She could give Bruno a beautiful, perfect child.