A month had passed and Izana has returned to his mafia boss duties.
The meeting room was silent.
Not the comfortable kind.
The tense kind.
The long black table reflected the dim ceiling lights. Papers were spread across it. Screens glowed softly with blueprints and numbers.
At the head of the table sat Izana.
Calm.
Still.
Watching.
His crimson eyes moved slowly across the men seated around him.
No one rushed to speak.
They knew better.
Finally, Izana leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Well?" he said.
His voice wasn't loud.
But the room immediately reacted.
One of the men straightened his posture.
"The shipment will include the new targeting systems," he said carefully. "Military grade. High precision. Fully encrypted."
Izana tapped his finger once against the table.
"And the delivery?"
"Three weeks."
Izana's gaze sharpened.
"That's not what we agreed on."
The man shifted in his chair.
"There were… delays."
Izana tilted his head slightly.
"Delays."
His voice remained calm.
Too calm.
"Delays cost money," he continued.
No one interrupted.
"They also cost trust."
Another man quickly spoke up.
"We can move the schedule forward."
Izana looked at him.
"How far?"
"Two weeks."
Silence hung in the room.
Izana studied him for a long moment.
Then he nodded once.
"Good."
The tension loosened slightly.
But not much.
Izana leaned forward.
"The transport route?"
"Private cargo aircraft," another man said quickly. "No customs checks."
"And security?"
"Handled."
Izana's eyes flicked between them.
"If anything goes wrong," he said quietly, "it becomes your problem."
No one needed clarification.
Every man at the table nodded immediately.
"Yes, sir."
Izana stood.
The meeting was over.
Dante was already waiting by the door.
As always.
They walked out together.
The hallway outside was quieter. Cleaner. Brighter.
Dante glanced sideways at him.
"You went easy on them."
Izana slipped his hands into his coat pockets.
"They did their job."
"Barely."
"They'll improve."
Dante smirked.
"Still terrifying."
Izana ignored that.
They stepped outside.
Night had already taken over the city.
Streetlights glowed against the dark sky. Cars moved through the streets like streams of light.
Dante unlocked the car.
"Home?"
"Yes."
The drive started quietly.
The engine hummed softly as they moved through the city.
Izana stared out the window.
Tall buildings passed by.
Restaurants.
Bars.
Shops with glowing signs.
People laughing on sidewalks.
Normal life.
Then something caught his attention.
A jewelry store.
Warm golden lights filled the windows. Glass displays shimmered faintly from the street.
Izana leaned forward slightly.
"Stop."
Dante glanced at him.
"Here?"
"Yes."
Dante slowed the car and pulled to the curb.
Izana didn't move to get out.
Instead, he pulled out his phone.
Dante watched him curiously.
"Boss?"
Izana was already typing.
The shop's name appeared on his screen.
He opened the store's website.
Rings filled the page.
Gold.
Silver.
Diamonds.
Large stones.
Intricate designs.
Dante leaned slightly closer.
"…What are you doing?"
Izana scrolled slowly.
His expression thoughtful.
"Looking."
"For?"
Izana didn't answer.
He kept scrolling.
One ring appeared.
Too large.
Swipe.
Another.
Too flashy.
Swipe.
Another.
Too complicated.
Swipe.
Dante crossed his arms.
"You're picky."
Izana ignored him.
More rings passed across the screen.
White gold.
Platinum.
Diamond clusters.
None of them were right.
Izana's brow furrowed slightly.
"No."
Swipe.
"No."
Swipe.
Then his finger stopped.
A ring appeared.
Simple.
Elegant.
Clean.
At the center sat a small blue diamond.
Not huge.
Not flashy.
But beautiful.
The light caught it perfectly.
Izana stared at the screen for a moment.
Dante leaned closer.
"Oh."
Izana tilted the phone slightly.
The blue diamond shimmered.
Dante raised an eyebrow.
"…That looks suspiciously specific."
Izana's voice was quiet.
"It matches her eyes."
Dante blinked once.
Then again.
"Well," he said slowly, "that's the most romantic thing I've heard all week."
Izana tapped the screen.
Order.
The checkout page appeared.
Collection time.
Tomorrow.
Izana read it once.
Then nodded.
"Good."
Dante stared at him.
"You just casually bought a ring."
"Yes."
"For Leah."
"Yes."
Dante leaned back in his seat.
"…You're serious."
Izana slipped the phone back into his pocket.
They started driving again.
Streetlights passed across the windshield in soft flashes.
After a moment Dante spoke again.
"You're nervous."
Izana didn't look at him.
"I'm not."
"You definitely are."
"I'm not."
"You bought a ring while sitting in a car outside the shop."
"It was efficient."
Dante chuckled.
"Efficient proposal planning."
Izana sighed quietly.
"It's not a proposal."
Dante frowned slightly.
"…It's not?"
"We're already married."
"True."
"But this time," Izana said calmly, "it will be real."
Dante understood immediately.
The ceremony.
The one they never had.
He nodded slowly.
"That's actually… pretty good."
Izana looked out the window again.
The city lights reflected faintly in his eyes.
"A week from now," he said.
Dante frowned.
"What's in a week?"
Izana answered without hesitation.
"August sixth."
Dante thought for a moment.
Then his eyes widened.
"Oh."
Leah's birthday.
Twenty-eight.
Dante smiled slowly.
"You planned this."
"Yes."
"You sneaky bastard."
Izana ignored that.
But the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
The car turned into the long driveway of the mansion.
Gravel crunched under the tires.
Dante parked near the entrance.
The engine went silent.
For a moment neither of them moved.
Then Dante spoke again.
"You know she's going to cry, right?"
Izana opened the car door.
"Probably."
"And you hate when she cries."
"I don't hate it."
Dante smirked.
"You panic every time."
Izana stepped out of the car.
"That's not true."
Dante followed him.
"Remember when she cried over that sad movie?"
"That movie was ridiculous."
"You brought her snacks and three blankets."
"It was cold."
"Sure it was."
They stepped inside the mansion.
The hallway lights were dim.
Everything was quiet.
Peaceful.
Somewhere upstairs there was tapping against marble softly.
Leah was probably already home.
Izana paused at the bottom of the staircase.
Just for a moment.
Then he looked upward.
His expression softened slightly.
The ring would be ready tomorrow.
Seven days.
Then the ceremony.
A real one.
In the garden.
White roses.
Forget-me-nots.
And Leah beside him.
Dante watched him from behind.
"You're smiling."
Izana glanced at him.
"I'm not."
"You definitely are."
Izana turned toward the stairs.
"Goodnight, Dante."
Dante chuckled.
"Goodnight, boss."
Izana walked upstairs quietly.
But his mind was already moving forward.
Toward August sixth.
Toward the ring.
Toward Leah.