The medical room was quiet in a way that didn't feel natural for a mansion like this.
Soft overhead lighting spread evenly across the white surfaces, reflecting faintly off the polished equipment and clean metal trays.
Everything smelled faintly sterile, like antiseptic and fresh linen.
Zarek lay in the small medical crib-bed, wrapped in a thin blanket the nurse had adjusted earlier.
His cheeks were still flushed, his breathing a little uneven, but he was calmer now—sleeping in short, fragile intervals that didn't quite look restful.
Leah stayed right beside him.
One hand rested lightly over his tiny fingers, as if she was afraid that if she let go, he would slip further away from her attention.
Her other hand occasionally smoothed the edge of his blanket without thinking.
The doctor stood nearby, tablet in hand, reviewing the final readings.
"He has influenza," he said again, voice steady and calm.
"A common viral infection. Nothing serious."
Leah exhaled shakily, as if she had been holding her breath since the moment Zarek first coughed.
"…So he's going to be okay?"
The doctor nodded.
"Yes. At his age, it looks worse than it is. Fever, coughing, fatigue. It usually peaks quickly, then improves with rest and fluids."
Leah's gaze stayed fixed on Zarek's face.
"…He looks so small," she whispered.
The doctor softened slightly at that.
"He is small. That's why we monitor carefully."
Leah nodded slowly, though her fingers tightened slightly around Zarek's hand again.
After a moment, the doctor added, "I would like to keep him overnight for observation."
That made her still.
"…Overnight?"
"Yes. Just as a precaution. If his temperature spikes again or his breathing changes, we'll be here immediately."
Leah looked down at Zarek for a long moment.
He made a small sound in his sleep, shifting slightly closer to her hand.
It wasn't dramatic.
But it still made something twist in her chest.
"…Okay," she said quietly.
"If it keeps him safe, then okay."
The doctor gave a small nod of approval.
"I'll have him transferred to a monitored room shortly. It's more comfortable than this space."
He gestured toward the door.
"If you'd like to follow me, I'll show you where he'll stay."
Leah hesitated only a second before standing.
Her hand brushed over Zarek's forehead again, like she needed to confirm for herself that he was still warm, still there, still real.
Then she leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his head.
"I'll be right there," she murmured, more to him than anyone else.
Elias, who had been standing quietly near the wall, stepped forward.
"You're not alone in this," he said simply.
Leah nodded once, grateful but too focused to respond properly.
They followed the doctor out of the room.
Leah walked slowly, like she didn't trust herself to move faster without losing sight of what mattered most.
At the same time, miles away, the hotel suite felt like an entirely different world.
It was structured, controlled, and sharp in contrast.
Papers were neatly arranged across the table, maps and shipping routes layered with calculated precision.
The kind of order that usually grounded Dante.
But today, even he seemed slightly off.
"Once we confirm the third transfer point," Dante was saying, tapping the map with his pen, "we can bypass the inspection route entirely. It reduces risk and cuts down the delay by at least two days."
Izana sat opposite him.
He was listening.
Technically.
But Dante noticed the subtle shift in his attention—the slight pause between responses, the way his gaze flicked to his phone on the table more than once.
"…You're distracted," Dante said flatly.
"I'm not."
"You are staring at your phone like it's going to explode."
Izana didn't respond.
Dante sighed under his breath.
"If this is about Leah or Zarek—."
The phone rang.
The sound cut cleanly through the room.
Izana moved instantly.
No hesitation. No delay.
He picked it up and answered before the second ring finished.
"…Li."
Dante stopped talking immediately.
Izana's tone changed only slightly—still controlled, but sharper in focus now.
Leah's voice came through the speaker.
"…He's okay."
Izana's posture shifted almost imperceptibly.
"…Explain."
Leah inhaled softly on the other end.
"The doctor said it's influenza. Just a flu. It looks worse than it is, but it's not serious."
A pause.
Izana didn't speak, but Dante saw his hand tighten slightly around the edge of the phone.
Leah continued, a little steadier now that she was explaining it out loud.
"They want to keep him overnight for observation, just in case his fever spikes again. He's asleep now."
Izana's gaze lowered slightly.
"…He's stable."
"Yes," Leah said quickly.
"He is. He's resting. They're just being careful."
Another silence followed.
Dante had fully stopped pretending to read the documents now.
He leaned back in his chair slightly, watching Izana carefully.
Leah's voice softened.
"I'm here with him. Elias is here too. He's okay, Iz."
Izana closed his eyes briefly for half a second, like he was processing the words without letting them interrupt his control.
"…He's staying there," he said finally.
"Yes. Just overnight."
Leah hesitated before adding gently, "You don't need to come. It's just a flu. Really."
That was when the shift happened.
Izana stood slightly from his chair.
Not aggressively.
Not suddenly.
But with absolute certainty.
"…I'm coming."
Leah went quiet for a second.
"Iz—."
"I'm coming."
His voice didn't rise.
It didn't need to.
It was final.
Leah tried again, softer this time, almost pleading in a quiet way.
"You're in the middle of a deal. You've been working on this for weeks."
"I know."
"He's asleep. You'll be travelling for nothing if you come now."
There was a pause.
Izana's expression didn't change, but his voice dropped slightly.
"…I don't care."
Silence.
Leah didn't argue immediately after that.
Instead, she exhaled slowly, accepting what she already knew about him.
"…Okay," she said softly.
"Just… be careful. The doctor said he's fine. He really is."
"I want to see him."
Another pause.
Leah nodded even though he couldn't see it.
"…Alright. We'll wait for you."
Izana's eyes softened just slightly at that.
"…Stay with him," he said quietly.
"I am."
A beat.
"…Call me if anything changes."
"I will."
There was a faint rustle on the other end, like Leah shifting closer to Zarek again.
"…He'll be happy to see you," she added gently.
Izana's voice lowered.
"…Good."
Then the call ended.
For a few seconds, the hotel suite stayed completely silent.
The city outside continued moving as if nothing had changed, cars passing below, distant horns, life continuing normally.
Dante leaned forward slowly.
"…You're leaving?"
"Yes."
Dante let out a breath through his nose, somewhere between resignation and mild disbelief.
"…This deal isn't finished."
"I know."
"And you're just going to walk away from it."
Izana set the phone down carefully on the table.
"…You can finish it."
Dante blinked.
"…Me."
"Yes."
A pause.
Dante studied him for a long moment.
Then, instead of arguing again, he exhaled and reached for the documents.
"I could stay," Dante said after a moment.
"Handle the remainder of it properly. You go."
Izana looked at him.
There was a brief silence between them.
"…You will handle it."
Dante gave a short, tired smile.
"I always do."
That answer, at least, seemed to satisfy him.
Dante gathered the files into a neat stack.
"…You realise you're setting a precedent," he muttered.
"Every time something happens, you're going to leave everything behind now."
Izana picked up his coat from the back of the chair.
"…If necessary."
Dante sighed.
"That's not how organisations like ours are supposed to function."
Izana paused at the door.
"…It will function."
Dante glanced up.
"…Because you say so."
Izana didn't answer immediately.
Then, quietly:
"…Because it has to."
A brief silence followed that.
Dante looked at him for a moment longer, then shook his head slightly.
"…Jet in thirty minutes," he said.
"I'll make sure everything is secured here."
Izana nodded once.
"…Don't let it collapse."
Dante gave a faint smirk without looking up from the documents.
"…I'm offended you think I would."
A pause.
Then, more seriously:
"It'll be ready when you get back."
Izana held his gaze for a moment.
Then turned toward the door.
"…Dante."
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
Dante blinked slightly, clearly not expecting that.
Then he waved a hand vaguely without looking up.
"…Don't make it weird."
Izana left the room.
In the corridor, the air felt colder than it had before.
Or maybe it was just him noticing it differently now.
Izana walked without hesitation, coat already in his hand, phone still in his pocket.
His pace was steady, controlled, the same as always.
But something had shifted.
Not in his expression.
Not in his posture.
In direction.
Because for the first time that day, nothing in his mind was pulling him toward the deal.
Everything was pulling him home.