By the time Izana and Dante returned to the hotel, the city outside had gone quiet.
Not asleep.
Just slower.
The traffic beneath the hotel windows had thinned into scattered headlights moving through the streets below while cold silver light reflected across the glass walls of the suite.
Dante dropped several folders onto the table near the sitting area with visible exhaustion.
"…I'm beginning to miss the days when people simply tried to kill us instead of lying about inventory reports."
Izana removed his gloves calmly.
"…You complain constantly."
"Because people are incompetent constantly."
Izana ignored him and sat down near the table while Dante opened one of the folders again.
The atmosphere returned immediately to business.
Cold.
Professional.
Numbers.
Shipments.
Replacement schedules.
Dante flipped through pages while speaking.
"The replacement crates should arrive tomorrow afternoon."
Izana nodded once.
"The dealer?"
"Terrified."
"…Good."
Dante leaned back slightly in his chair.
"I still can't believe you let him walk away."
Izana glanced toward the paperwork again.
"…The shipment will be corrected faster this way."
"That's not why."
Silence.
Dante smirked faintly.
"…See? You didn't even deny it."
Izana continued reading.
"…Continue."
Dante sighed dramatically before flipping another page.
"Security for tomorrow's transfer route has already been doubled. I also had the warehouse inspected independently."
Izana nodded absentmindedly.
Then his eyes shifted briefly toward the clock near the wall.
8:47 PM.
Dante noticed immediately.
But continued anyway.
"The southern contact is also requesting another meeting before the week ends."
No response.
Izana's attention shifted toward the clock again a minute later.
Dante slowly lowered the paperwork.
"…Izana."
Izana finally looked at him.
"…What?"
Dante leaned back in the chair slightly.
"…It's nighttime back home."
Silence.
That was answer enough.
Dante stared at him for a second.
Then laughed quietly under his breath.
"…Unbelievable."
Izana closed the folder in front of him calmly.
"…We'll continue tomorrow."
Dante blinked.
"…Excuse me?"
"We're done for tonight."
"…You're ending work early."
No response.
Dante stared harder now.
"…You are literally ending mafia business early to call your family."
Izana looked unimpressed.
"…Leave."
"That is the most domestic thing you've ever done."
"…Dante."
Dante stood slowly, still laughing slightly while gathering the paperwork together.
"…You know if someone told me two years ago that you'd eventually become the type of man who checks time zones to call home, I would've assumed they had a death wish."
Izana's expression stayed flat.
"…And yet."
"…And yet here we are."
Dante placed the folders back into order before heading toward the door.
Just before leaving, he looked back once.
"…Try smiling less on the call. It's unsettling."
"…Get out."
Dante grinned slightly.
Then left.
The suite became silent immediately after the door closed.
Only the distant sound of traffic remained beyond the windows.
Izana sat there for a moment without moving.
The room felt too large again.
Too empty.
His eyes shifted toward the clock once more.
Nearly 9 PM now back at the mansion.
Zarek would usually be fed around this time before bed.
Leah too.
Izana exhaled quietly before reaching for his phone.
A small hesitation.
Then he called.
The phone rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
Izana's expression remained calm, but his thumb shifted slightly against the edge of the phone.
Four rings.
Five.
His gaze lowered briefly.
They were probably asleep already.
Leah must've finally managed to settle Zarek down.
Izana almost ended the call.
Then—
the screen lit up.
Leah appeared.
Warm lighting surrounded her immediately.
Soft yellow light.
Blonde hair slightly messy.
Tired eyes.
Home.
Izana's entire expression softened instantly.
Automatic.
Leah smiled faintly the second she saw him.
"…Sorry," she murmured softly.
"…I was feeding him."
Izana leaned back slightly against the headboard behind him.
"…It's fine."
Leah adjusted the phone slightly.
"…You called at the perfect time actually."
Then she tilted the phone downward.
And there was Zarek.
Curled comfortably in her arms beneath a blanket while drinking from his bottle sleepily.
The lion plush rested beside him against Leah's arm.
Izana's smile widened immediately.
Real.
Small.
But completely genuine.
Leah noticed it instantly.
Of course she did.
"…There you are," she whispered softly to Zarek.
"…Look who's here."
She shifted the phone slightly closer toward him.
"…It's daddy."
The second Izana spoke—
"…Hey."
Zarek froze.
Completely.
His eyes widened slightly before he immediately stopped drinking.
The bottle slipped slightly from his mouth.
Then he started making small excited noises while trying to grab the phone with both hands.
Leah laughed softly in surprise.
"…Oh my god."
Zarek reached harder toward the screen.
Tiny hands opening and closing while he squirmed excitedly in her arms.
Izana stared at him silently for a moment.
Then smiled again.
Softer this time.
Warmer.
"…You remember me."
Zarek made another happy sound immediately at his voice.
Leah shook her head slightly, smiling.
"…He didn't even react like this when Elias walked in earlier."
"…Good."
"That's not fair."
Izana's eyes remained fixed completely on Zarek.
Watching every movement.
Every sound.
Every tiny reaction.
And slowly—
the tension from earlier finally started leaving his shoulders.
Leah noticed that too.
"…Rough day?"
Izana leaned his head slightly back against the wall.
"…Annoying."
"That bad?"
"…People are incompetent."
Leah laughed quietly.
"…You sound tired."
"I know."
"You should sleep."
"So should you."
Leah smiled faintly.
"…I was trying until someone called."
Izana's gaze lifted back toward her face finally.
"…You answered."
"Obviously."
Silence settled softly between them after that.
Comfortable.
Easy.
Zarek had finally calmed again now, though he kept staring at the screen while slowly drinking from the bottle once more.
Every time Izana spoke quietly, Zarek reacted instantly.
Like he was making sure the voice stayed there.
Leah adjusted him slightly against her chest.
"…He missed you today."
Izana's expression shifted subtly.
"…Did he cry?"
"A little."
His jaw tightened faintly.
Leah noticed immediately.
"But he settled after a while," she reassured softly.
"…Don't look like that."
Izana looked away briefly toward the city outside the hotel windows.
"…I should've brought him."
Leah blinked once.
Then laughed quietly.
"You absolutely should not bring a baby to mafia deals regularly."
"He behaved last time."
"That somehow makes it worse."
A faint smirk appeared briefly on Izana's face.
Then Zarek yawned.
Tiny.
Sleepy.
His grip on the bottle weakened slightly afterward.
Leah's expression softened immediately.
"…There it is."
Izana's voice lowered instinctively.
"…Tired?"
Zarek blinked slowly toward the phone.
Then made a tiny sound before relaxing more heavily against Leah's chest.
Leah gently rubbed his back.
"…He was waiting to see you first."
Izana went quiet at that.
Completely quiet.
The kind that meant the words affected him more than he'd admit.
Slowly, Zarek's eyes started slipping shut.
Still listening.
Still calm.
Leah adjusted the blanket around him carefully.
"He's falling asleep."
Izana nodded once.
But didn't end the call.
Didn't look away either.
He simply stayed there watching quietly while Zarek slowly drifted off against Leah.
Tiny breaths.
Relaxed face.
One small hand still resting near the phone.
Eventually, completely asleep.
Leah lowered her voice automatically.
"…You can hang up now."
Izana looked at the screen silently for another moment.
"…Not yet."
Leah's expression softened immediately.
She didn't argue.
Instead, she shifted slightly against the pillows while keeping the phone angled toward Zarek.
And for several quiet minutes—
Izana simply watched his son sleep.
The cold hotel room no longer felt quite as empty.
Then suddenly—
a knock sounded at the hotel suite door.
Leah looked up slightly.
Izana's eyes narrowed faintly.
The knock came again.
"…Boss?" Dante's voice called from outside.
"…I forgot the warehouse documents."
Leah immediately smiled knowingly.
"…Open the door."
"No."
Another knock.
"…I know you're still awake."
Izana sighed quietly before standing and opening the door slightly.
Dante stepped inside—
then stopped immediately.
Because Izana was still holding the phone.
And smiling.
Dante stared at him in complete silence.
Then slowly looked at the screen.
Leah waved slightly.
"…Hi Dante."
Dante looked deeply disturbed.
"…I walked into emotional vulnerability."
Izana's expression flattened instantly again.
"…Take the documents and leave."
Dante grabbed the folder from the table without taking his eyes off Izana.
"…You smiled."
"…Leave."
"You looked happy."
"…Dante."
Dante backed toward the door slowly.
"…This is horrifying for me personally."
Leah laughed quietly through the phone.
Izana shut the door directly in Dante's face.
Then returned to the bed.
And despite everything—
the faint warmth in his expression hadn't disappeared completely yet.