The doors closed behind Izana with a soft click.
It didn't feel soft inside the room.
The silence that followed was immediate.
Not gradual.
Not confused.
Instant.
Every conversation stopped at the same time.
Pens froze mid-air.
A man didn't even finish his sentence.
The whole table turned.
Izana walked in like he already belonged there more than anyone else in the room.
Black suit.
Clean.
Unchanged.
Zarek asleep against his chest in the carrier.
Teddy bear still tucked in tightly.
Dante followed behind him, already exhaling like he knew this was going to be long.
No one spoke for a few seconds.
Then—
"…Boss."
Someone said it carefully, like testing reality.
Izana didn't even look at him properly.
"…What."
Silence again.
A man near the middle of the table leaned forward slightly.
"…Is that a child?"
Izana sat down at the head of the table.
Calm.
Careful.
Zarek shifted slightly against him but stayed asleep.
"…Yes."
That was it.
No explanation.
No hesitation.
Another voice, lower this time:
"…You brought a baby into a meeting."
Izana opened the file in front of him.
"…He's asleep."
A pause.
Then another man muttered under his breath:
"…That's not the point."
Dante spoke immediately from behind Izana.
"…Then say the point."
The room shifted slightly at that.
Not enough to relax.
Just enough to acknowledge him.
The meeting tried to continue.
It didn't return properly.
Reports started again.
But slower.
Careful.
Like everyone was aware something fragile was in the room now.
Zarek slept for a while.
Small movements here and there.
A faint shift against Izana's chest.
Izana adjusted the blanket once without looking up.
Then again.
One of the men noticed it.
"…He's adjusting it like this is normal."
Another replied quietly:
"…Don't start."
Zarek stirred again.
A small sound.
Not loud.
But enough.
Izana's hand moved slightly against his back.
Not a reaction to the room.
A reaction to him.
Zarek made another small sound.
Then—
a sneeze.
It was soft.
Barely anything.
But in the silence of the room it landed like a crack.
Everything stopped again.
Every man turned at once.
Even the one speaking mid-report froze completely.
Dante blinked once.
"…Did he just—."
Izana was already looking down.
No delay.
Zarek shifted slightly, clearly unsettled now.
Izana didn't speak yet.
He adjusted the blanket properly this time.
Tighter.
More deliberate.
The room watched without breathing properly.
A man at the far end whispered:
"…It's cold in here."
Another replied:
"…It was always cold."
Izana didn't acknowledge them.
Zarek made a soft, uncomfortable sound again.
Izana leaned slightly closer.
"…Hey."
Quiet.
Zarek didn't calm immediately.
Another whimper followed.
Izana's hand stayed steady.
"…I know."
He adjusted the blanket higher.
Careful.
Precise.
Zarek's movement slowed slightly.
Still unsettled.
Izana lowered his voice further.
"…You're fine."
A pause.
Then—
he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Zarek's head.
"…It's fine."
The room didn't move.
A few men exchanged looks.
One looked away immediately like he wasn't supposed to have seen that.
Dante exhaled quietly through his nose like he was tired of everything happening at once.
The meeting restarted again.
Barely.
A voice continued reading figures.
Another interrupted with corrections.
Then—
someone raised their voice.
Not at Izana.
But across the table.
Sharp.
Immediate.
The sound filled the room too fast.
Too loud.
Zarek reacted instantly.
He cried.
Small at first.
Then sharper.
The entire room froze.
Even the argument stopped mid-breath.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Izana didn't look at the table.
He only adjusted Zarek closer immediately.
His hand tightened slightly around the carrier strap.
"…Hey."
Low.
Calm.
Zarek kept crying.
Izana turned slightly away from the table instinctively, shielding him.
"…It's okay."
Still crying.
Izana's voice dropped even lower.
Not louder.
Just closer.
"…I'm here."
A pause.
Then softer—
"…Daddy's here."
The room reacted immediately.
Not outwardly loud.
But visibly.
A few heads turned slightly.
One man frowned.
Another blinked like he had misheard.
Dante's expression tightened for a fraction of a second.
Then settled again.
No one spoke.
Izana didn't notice.
Or didn't care.
His focus stayed entirely on Zarek.
"…It's fine."
He repeated it quietly.
"…I've got you."
Zarek's crying slowed.
Not gone.
But less sharp.
Izana's hand moved slowly over his back.
Steady.
Grounding.
The room stayed silent.
The argument that caused it didn't restart.
No one wanted to be the reason it did.
Eventually, Zarek calmed enough to breathe normally again.
Still awake.
Still unsettled.
But quieter.
Izana adjusted the blanket once more.
Then finally looked back at the table.
"…Continue."
No one answered immediately.
The silence lasted too long.
Then one of the older men spoke carefully.
"…Boss."
Izana looked up slightly.
"…What."
A pause.
The man hesitated.
Then lowered his eyes.
"…Nothing."
Dante stepped slightly to the side behind Izana's chair, scanning the room once.
Then spoke quietly.
"…Meeting continues."
No one argued.
But nobody spoke with the same tone anymore either.
Because now everyone in the room understood something they hadn't before:
Izana wasn't divided anymore.
And whatever he held in his arms— was now part of the meeting whether they liked it or not.
But then—
Zarek shifted again.
More noticeably this time.
He made a small sound.
Then another.
Izana noticed immediately.
His hand paused slightly.
Zarek moved again.
This time clearly uncomfortable.
Izana's gaze lowered.
Then stopped.
A pause.
Zarek made a small noise again.
Not crying.
But persistent.
Izana adjusted him once.
Then again.
Then stopped.
He understood.
Immediately.
Zarek was hungry.
The room didn't notice at first.
Not until Zarek made a sharper sound.
Izana closed the file in front of him.
Calmly.
Then spoke.
"…Break."
No one responded immediately.
A man blinked.
"…Boss?"
Izana didn't look up.
"…Thirty minutes."
A pause.
Then Dante spoke quietly from behind him:
"…You heard him."
The room hesitated.
Not because they disagreed.
Because they didn't understand.
A break?
Now?
One of the members finally spoke:
"…We're in the middle of—."
Izana looked up slightly.
Just enough.
Not aggressive.
Just final.
"…He's hungry."
Silence.
That ended the argument immediately.
Not because it was dramatic.
Because it wasn't.
It was simple.
Unchangeable.
A few chairs shifted reluctantly.
Dante gestured slightly toward the exit.
"…Thirty minutes."
No one argued again.
They began standing slowly.
Gathering papers.
Avoiding eye contact with Izana.
Not out of disrespect.
Out of uncertainty.
Because the reason for the break wasn't something they could debate.
It was a child.
The room slowly emptied.
Dante paused at the door.
"…I'll be outside."
Izana didn't respond.
The door closed behind them.
Silence returned.
But different now.
Quieter.
Private.
Izana shifted Zarek slightly against his chest.
"…It's fine."
Zarek made a small sound.
Izana stood from the chair and walked toward the side of the room where there was a smaller seating area—unused, usually for short private discussions.
He sat down there.
Carefully.
Zarek was brought closer immediately.
Izana checked the bottle once from the nursery bag.
Then again.
Zarek shifted impatiently.
Izana adjusted him into position.
Calm.
Precise.
"…Yeah."
Soft.
Not directed at anyone else.
Just him.
Zarek settled slightly as the bottle was offered.
The room outside remained silent.
Waiting.
Not interrupting.
Inside, Izana fed him quietly.
One hand supporting him.
The other steady on his back.
No rush.
No distraction.
Zarek drank properly now, small hands relaxing against Izana's suit.
Izana didn't move.
Didn't check the time.
Didn't think about the meeting.
Just stayed there.
Watching him.
Zarek made a small sound halfway through.
Izana adjusted the bottle angle immediately.
"…Slow."
Zarek continued drinking.
Calmer now.
The sound of the meeting room outside felt distant.
Not present.
Just existing.
Izana's gaze didn't shift away from Zarek.
Not once.
"…That's it."
Quiet.
Controlled.
Zarek finished slowly.
Then blinked up at him.
Izana paused.
Then adjusted the blanket again.
"…Good."
Zarek made a small content sound.
Izana leaned back slightly.
Still holding him.
Still steady.
The room outside remained closed.
Waiting for him to decide when to return.
But inside that space—
time wasn't moving the same way anymore.