Snow fell softly outside the mansion windows.
Not heavy.
Just enough to dust the dark gardens in white and blur the city lights beyond the gates.
Inside, warmth filled the house completely.
Christmas lights glowed softly across the staircase railings.
Dark red ribbons wrapped around banisters.
The large tree in the living room shimmered gold beside the fireplace.
The mansion no longer felt cold.
Not truly.
And that alone felt strange to Clara Grimshaw.
The moment she stepped inside and handed her coat to one of the staff members, she noticed it immediately.
Something had changed here.
The air itself felt different.
Softer somehow.
Less tense.
Less like everyone was waiting for something terrible to happen.
Clara slowly looked around the decorated entrance hall.
"…Why does this place feel normal?"
Elias looked up from where he stood near the living room doorway.
"…I blame the baby."
Clara blinked once.
"…The what?"
Before Elias could answer—
a tiny laugh echoed faintly from upstairs.
Clara froze.
Actually froze.
Because a second later—
she heard Izana's voice.
Soft.
Quiet.
"…You're going to fall."
Then another tiny laugh followed immediately after.
Clara stared toward the ceiling like she'd just heard the dead speak.
"…Excuse me?"
Elias calmly adjusted his glasses.
"…Izana had a son."
Silence.
Long silence.
Clara slowly looked back toward him.
"…Izana had a child."
"Yes."
"…Izana."
"Yes, Clara. The same Izana."
Another tiny laugh sounded upstairs.
Then soft footsteps.
Clara still looked deeply unconvinced this was reality.
"…I leave for a few months and suddenly the mafia mansion has babies and Christmas decorations?"
Elias folded his newspaper calmly.
"…Life changes."
"…Apparently violently."
Footsteps approached from upstairs now.
Steady.
Unhurried.
Then Izana appeared at the top of the staircase.
And Clara's brain genuinely stopped functioning for a second.
Because yes—
that was Izana.
Same unreadable expression.
Same dark clothes.
Same intimidating presence.
But he was holding a baby against his chest.
Casually.
Like this happened every day now.
Zarek rested sleepily in his arms with a tiny hand gripping the red ribbon of his teddy bear.
Blonde hair messy from sleep.
Red eyes wide open and curious.
Izana descended the stairs carefully while one hand automatically rubbed slow circles against Zarek's back.
Natural.
Effortless.
Clara stared at him in complete silence.
Izana noticed her immediately.
"…Clara."
She looked genuinely disturbed.
"…What happened to you."
Izana continued downstairs normally.
"…Nothing."
"That is clearly a lie."
Leah walked into the hallway from the dining room then, already smiling when she noticed Clara.
"…You made it."
Clara immediately pointed toward Izana without taking her eyes off him.
"…Explain this."
Leah looked toward Izana and Zarek.
Then smiled warmly.
"…Oh, that."
"…'Oh, that,'" Clara repeated. "…That is Izana carrying a baby."
Izana stopped near them.
"…He's mine."
"That somehow makes this more concerning."
Leah laughed softly.
"…You get used to it."
"I don't think I will."
Zarek blinked sleepily at Clara from Izana's arms.
Then stared.
Very seriously.
Clara went quiet instantly.
Because the eyes—
red.
Exactly like theirs.
Like Izana's.
Like Elias'.
Like hers.
Zarek kept staring at her silently with the exact same intense expression Izana used to have as a child.
Clara slowly narrowed her eyes.
"…That's unsettling."
Elias looked up from the living room.
"…It's genetic."
Leah covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
Izana ignored everyone completely and adjusted the blanket around Zarek slightly when it slipped from his shoulder.
The movement was automatic.
Unconscious.
And somehow that disturbed Clara more than anything else.
Because Izana wasn't pretending.
This wasn't forced.
He had genuinely become used to caring for someone.
Clara stared at him for another long moment.
Then finally looked toward Zarek again.
The baby was still watching her carefully.
Curious.
Tiny fingers gripping the teddy bear ribbon tightly.
Clara softened immediately.
"…He's cute."
Izana's expression shifted almost invisibly.
Pride.
Tiny.
But there.
"…Yes."
Leah noticed it instantly and smiled to herself.
Clara stepped slightly closer now.
Careful.
Like she was approaching a dangerous animal.
Not because of Zarek.
Because of Izana.
"…Can I hold him?"
The room went quiet for a second.
Izana looked down toward Zarek first.
Evaluating.
Then toward Clara.
Leah bit back another smile because he looked like he was considering international security risks.
Finally—
Izana stepped forward carefully.
"…Support his head properly."
Clara blinked once.
"…You're giving me instructions?"
"Yes."
"…You've become unbearable."
Still—
she adjusted her arms immediately anyway.
Izana carefully transferred Zarek into her hold.
Slowly.
One hand remaining beneath him until he was fully secure.
Then, automatically, Izana adjusted Clara's arm slightly higher beneath Zarek's head.
"…Like that."
Clara stared at him during the adjustment.
Because that movement alone said everything.
He'd learned this.
Practiced this.
Repeated it enough that it had become instinct.
And somehow that hit harder than anything else so far.
"What's his name?"
"Zarek," Izana replied, softly.
"Hi, Zarek."
Once Izana finally let go completely, Zarek blinked up at Clara quietly.
Studying her.
Then his tiny hand reached upward curiously toward her face.
Toward her eyes.
Clara froze when his fingers touched lightly near her cheek.
Red eyes meeting red eyes.
And suddenly—
her entire expression melted.
"…Oh no."
Leah smiled immediately.
"…What?"
Clara looked horrified.
"…I love him."
Elias sighed quietly from the living room.
"…Another victim."
Izana sat down calmly on the sofa beside Leah while watching Clara carefully the entire time.
Protective.
Attentive.
But not tense anymore once he saw Zarek was comfortable.
That mattered.
Clara noticed that too.
Zarek shifted slightly against her chest before grabbing lightly at the necklace around her neck.
Tiny fingers determined.
Clara laughed softly.
"…He's strong."
Izana answered immediately—
"…Yes."
"Possessive too."
"…Also yes."
Leah leaned slightly against Izana's shoulder.
"…He gets that from his father."
Izana ignored that.
Clara looked between them slowly.
Still trying to process this entire situation.
"…You carry him around everywhere?"
"Yes."
"You're attached."
"He's a baby."
"That wasn't a denial."
Izana finally looked toward her flatly.
"…You talk too much."
Clara grinned immediately.
"There he is."
Zarek made a tiny happy sound suddenly.
Clara looked down to see him smiling sleepily up at her now.
The sight nearly killed her instantly.
"…Absolutely unfair."
Leah laughed softly again.
"…That's what I said."
The room settled into warmth afterward.
Fireplace crackling quietly nearby.
Christmas lights glowing softly across the walls.
Snow continuing outside.
And somehow—
Izana looked like he belonged here now.
Not distant.
Not unreachable.
Just tired and quietly content beside his family.
Clara watched him carefully while gently rocking Zarek slightly in her arms.
Then finally looked toward Leah.
Her voice quieter now.
"…He looks at him like he's something precious."
Leah's expression softened immediately.
Clara looked back down at Zarek.
Then quietly added—
"…Nobody ever looked at Izana like that when he was little."
Silence settled briefly after that.
Not uncomfortable.
Just heavy in a soft way.
Leah's hand slowly found Izana's beside her.
Their fingers intertwined quietly.
Izana didn't say anything.
But his thumb brushed once against her hand.
Small.
Automatic.
Clara noticed that too.
And somehow that might've shocked her most of all.
Because younger Izana never reached for people.
Never softened first.
Never stayed close.
Yet now—
he sat beside Leah while watching his son with complete devotion.
Zarek slowly started growing sleepier after a while.
His tiny movements slowing.
Eyes blinking longer each time.
Clara noticed immediately.
"…He's falling asleep."
Izana's attention lifted instantly toward him.
The protective focus immediate and absolute.
Zarek rubbed one small hand against his eye before slowly curling closer against Clara's shoulder.
Then—
within minutes—
he fell asleep completely.
Clara froze slightly.
"…Oh."
Like she was afraid to move now.
Leah smiled warmly.
"…Congratulations."
"…He trusted me enough to sleep."
Izana watched quietly for a moment before finally standing.
Clara carefully handed Zarek back to him.
And the second Izana took him—
his entire expression softened automatically.
One hand supporting the back of Zarek's head.
The other rubbing gently along his back.
Instinctive.
Careful.
Loving.
Clara stared silently at him.
Then quietly—
"…You really love him."
Izana looked down at his sleeping son.
No hesitation.
No guardedness.
Just certainty.
"…More than anything."