The mansion was quiet.
Not the usual daytime quiet filled with distant conversations and footsteps.
This was the kind of silence that only existed late at night.
Most of the staff had long since finished their duties.
The lights in the hallways had been dimmed.
Even the wind outside seemed calmer.
For once, there were no meetings.
No reports.
No phone calls demanding Izana's attention.
Just peace.
In their bedroom, Leah lay comfortably against Izana's chest beneath the blankets.
One of his arms rested around her waist while the other was tucked beneath his head.
The bedside lamp cast a warm glow across the room.
Neither of them seemed particularly tired yet.
So they talked.
It had become one of Leah's favorite parts of the day.
These quiet moments when the world wasn't demanding anything from them.
When it was just the two of them.
Leah smiled against his chest.
"I still can't believe Clara encouraged him."
Izana looked down at her.
"She encourages most of his ideas."
Leah laughed.
"That's true."
A pause.
Then she added:
"He told her he was the Little Boss."
Izana remained silent.
Leah immediately knew that meant he remembered.
"And she took him seriously."
"He was serious."
Leah laughed harder.
"He is two years old."
"He was still serious."
That was unfortunately true.
Zarek took his title very seriously.
Leah shook her head.
"Dante looked like he was suffering."
"He was."
That answer came so quickly that Leah burst out laughing.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The room settled into comfortable silence.
Leah listened to the steady rhythm of Izana's heartbeat beneath her ear.
Then she felt his hand move slightly against her back.
A small gesture.
Gentle.
Familiar.
And then he spoke.
"He's still talking about it."
Leah frowned slightly.
"Talking about what?"
Izana looked down at her.
"The baby sister."
Leah immediately groaned.
"Oh no."
A faint hint of amusement appeared in his eyes.
"He asked Elias again this morning."
Leah covered her face.
"You're joking."
"I'm not."
"What did he ask?"
Izana's expression remained perfectly calm.
"'When baby sister comes?'"
Leah buried her face against his chest.
"No."
"He was very serious."
"Please tell me Elias didn't answer."
"He tried."
"Tried?"
Izana almost smiled.
"He failed."
Leah laughed despite herself.
That sounded exactly like Elias.
She could practically imagine the conversation.
Zarek standing there with complete confidence.
Elias trying to explain something.
And then immediately realizing he was losing the battle.
Leah sighed.
"I think he genuinely believes she's arriving soon."
"He probably does."
That answer only made her laugh again.
A two-year-old's understanding of the world was sometimes terrifying.
There was a brief silence.
Then Leah remembered something.
Something she hadn't told him yet.
Her smile returned immediately.
"I forgot to tell you something."
Izana raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Leah looked up at him.
"After I put him to bed yesterday, I heard him talking."
"Talking?"
"To his plushies."
A dangerous look entered her eyes.
The kind that warned Izana she was trying not to laugh.
"What did he say?"
Leah pressed her lips together.
Trying to keep a straight face.
And failing.
"'Baby sister soon.'"
A pause.
Then:
"'Maybe baby brother.'"
Another pause.
"'Otay.'"
For a second, Izana simply stared at her.
Then—
he laughed.
A genuine laugh.
Not a smirk.
Not amusement hidden behind a mask.
An actual laugh.
Quiet.
Brief.
But real.
Leah immediately smiled.
Because she knew how rare that was.
"There it is."
Izana shook his head.
"He's already accepted both possibilities."
"Apparently."
Leah laughed.
"He settled the entire debate by himself."
That only seemed to amuse him more.
For a while they simply lay there.
Enjoying the moment.
The laughter gradually faded.
The room became quiet again.
Comfortable.
Warm.
Then Leah found herself thinking about something.
Something Zarek had said earlier.
Something that had stayed with her all day.
She traced a small pattern against Izana's shirt.
Then quietly asked:
"Do you think he'd be a good big brother?"
The question hung between them.
Izana didn't answer immediately.
Not because he was unsure.
Because he was thinking.
A few moments later he said:
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No doubt.
Just certainty.
Leah tilted her head slightly.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"What makes you so sure?"
Izana looked toward the ceiling for a moment.
Then answered.
"He's protective."
Leah smiled softly.
That was true.
Even now.
At only two years old.
Zarek hated seeing people upset.
If Leah looked tired, he would bring her one of his plushies.
If Izana looked busy, he would try to help.
Even if his version of helping usually created more work.
And if someone he loved was hurt?
The entire mansion would hear about it.
"He cares about people."
Izana continued.
"He notices things."
Leah listened quietly.
"He tries to make people happy."
Her smile widened.
That was probably Zarek's strongest trait.
He genuinely liked seeing people smile.
"He'd be a good brother."
Leah rested her head against his chest again.
She could hear the certainty in his voice.
And somehow that made her heart ache in the best possible way.
Several minutes passed.
Neither of them spoke.
Then Leah asked another question.
A quieter one.
One that felt different.
"Would you want another child?"
The room became still.
Not uncomfortable.
Just serious.
Because this wasn't really about Zarek anymore.
Not completely.
Leah found herself waiting for his answer.
Not nervously.
Just curiously.
Izana was quiet for several seconds.
Long enough that she wondered what he was thinking.
Finally, he spoke.
"When I was younger..."
His voice was calm.
Steady.
"I never planned for any of this."
Leah looked up.
He wasn't looking at her.
His gaze remained fixed on the ceiling.
As if he were remembering something.
"I never planned for a family."
The words were simple.
But Leah understood them.
Because she knew who he had been.
The life he had lived.
The person he had become because of it.
A family had never been part of his future.
Not back then.
"I never imagined this."
His arm tightened slightly around her waist.
"Not you."
Leah's chest tightened.
"Not Zarek."
A pause.
Then:
"Not a home."
Leah didn't say anything.
She simply listened.
Because she knew how much honesty was hidden inside those few words.
Another silence settled between them.
Then he finally looked down at her.
And said quietly:
"If it was with you..."
Leah felt her breath catch.
"...yes."
Just one word.
Yes.
Nothing complicated.
Nothing dramatic.
Just honesty.
And somehow that made it mean even more.
Leah smiled.
A small, soft smile.
Then leaned closer and pressed a kiss against his chest.
Izana's hand moved gently through her hair.
For a while neither of them spoke.
There wasn't really anything left to say.
The conversation had already said enough.
Eventually the exhaustion of the day began catching up to them.
Leah's eyes grew heavier.
The room seemed warmer.
Softer.
Sleepier.
Just before she drifted off, she mumbled:
"Imagine if it's another little boss."
Izana stared at the ceiling.
Immediately imagining a second Zarek.
Another tiny child asking endless questions.
Stealing paperwork.
Making declarations.
Giving orders.
A very long pause followed.
Then:
"That sounds dangerous."
Leah laughed softly.
Half asleep.
And a few moments later she was gone.
Asleep against his chest.
Izana looked down at her.
Then toward the dark doorway.
Somewhere down the hallway, Zarek was sleeping peacefully.
Completely unaware that a movie, a baby sister, and a conversation with two plushies had somehow led to this discussion.
For a long moment, Izana simply listened to the quiet sounds of the mansion.
The steady breathing of the woman he loved.
The peaceful silence of the night.
And for perhaps the thousandth time, he found himself thinking the same thing.
Years ago, he never would have imagined a life like this.
Now he couldn't imagine wanting anything else.