Chapter 3 - Sit Down

I stood in my father's office space for what seemed to be an eternity.

Dozens of negotiations, threats, extortions had probably happened in this room.

Xing sat by me precisely in the middle seat where my father likely sat for every one of those meetings in his career.

She played with the ballpoint pen on the desk as she smiled.

Click―Click―Click―Click.

A man in a white suit and black tie opened the door, he made eye contact with me immediately and with an open body gesture he walked towards me in which I stood quietly.

'Kozo— I'm so sorry about your father I flew back in as soon as I heard'

'Nazaire my best to you it's been a while'

The older man looked to me and smiled, a warm and inviting smile as he looked to Xing.

'This kid huh, she hasn't grown up a day its like it was yesterday when I saw you and Kana running around the pool and-'

'I don't run around pool's anymore Nazaire'

'What?' The man said confused

'I don't run around pool's anymore Nazaire, that was a long time ago. Not a kid anymore'

'Relax Kozo it was just an expression' he said sighing

'Nazaire lets get to business, I want to tell you this before any of the other families arrive, the other captains have already abandoned their roles and joined the Enfanteze'

'Did they?' The man had an almost aura like shift as his body language became a bit more shallow, tough to read.

'So why didn't you Nazaire?'

'What's that supposed to mean? I'm no Sammy the bull'

'It means you got the same deal they were getting, unless you just decided to-'

'Yeah, yeah I get it' he said stopping me

He hesitated, looking down at the table, and then drew in a deep breath, gathering himself.

"Kozo, your father took a chance on me when I was just some kid working at a car shop. I was a nobody, trying to figure out my life, and he saw potential in me. He offered me a way out, a chance to be something more."

 His eyes grew distant, reminiscing. "But now? I've seen too much. The stress, the violence… It weighs on you, you know? I just want a normal life—get married, settle down."

"You're a young man" Xing Interjected from behind me to my surprise.

Nazaire looked to Xing with a hint of curiosity.

"You'll have plenty of time to do all of that soon, but for now we need a boss"

"We do"

An unknown voice began to speak from the rooms entrance.

"Dante, how are you?" Xing shot to the entrance where Dante Enfantaze awaited her.

As Xing welcomed him inside to the meeting space, Kozo began to speak more to Nazaire.

"Nazaire.. the home of Christ isn't it?"

Nazaire looked back to Kozo, and he chuckled.

"Your father gave me that name when I joined the family, said he expected great things from me"

"You've done more for this family than anyone I know Nazaire, now how do these things usually go you know more than me"

"Well, an inspector usually sent it and chosen by the church reviews the case, hears both arguments and conferred with anyone else he deemed he needed to, and after that's all said and done both families will have a sit down where he says what should happen and we settle it there"

"And if one side doesn't like the results?"

"Can't do nothin' about it, what they say goes kid, why? Enfantaze's have been waiting in line for a long time and you've got a real problem here with you passing out and all, if they can prove you're not medically fit to run your own family you've got a serious headache-"

"Thanks" Kozo suddenly chimed in as she noticed the room starting to populate more and more full of people only wearing business meeting like uniforms, ties and suits.

after a few more minutes, a particular man sat down directly across Xing, as he did the room got quitter as he folded his hands neatly onto the desk as well as an assistant behind him offering a folder neatly in front of him.

He began to open it as he looked for a particular file, after he found it he presented it to everyone before placing it in front of him and looking upon everyone.

"The Enfantaze's and the Zahrans, best friends" he said jokingly.

"Yeah just look at what my father did to theirs when they were in prison a decade ago, they were great" Kozo quipped back sarcastically.

Dante immediately slammed his fist on the desk prompting everyone to look to him.

"Could we get on with the meeting? This brat's annoying to even be around" Dante shot back.

Kozo looked to Dante with anger however the investigator simply raised his hand and silence once again emerged from the room.

He looked to the filing and once again began to speak slowly and calmly.

"The Enfantazes are proposing that the Zahran's be eliminated from the five great families" He took the paper and pushed it towards Kozo's camp.

"And It looks like in particular you're taking problem with Kozo Zahran daughter of Ramzie Zahran"

Dante smiled confidently before he began.

"Yes and in our filing you can see exactly why we take issue and we believe a merger of our two families is in the best interest for the church and for everyone"

Click-Click-Click

Xing tampered with her pen under the meeting room desk a bit softly as if there were a hint of nervousness around her as Kozo simply looked with anger at the ugly heir that was Dante in her eyes.

"Fainting, I heard"

The investigator referenced the file once more.

"It seems as though in the Enfantaze's eyes Kozo's unfit to run the Zahrans and so with that in mind the Enfantazes would like to absorb the Zahrans and I've heard their offer was generous"

"Indeed it was" Xing inserted herself.

"Nazaire and I get to remain captains while Kozo gets to oversee…" Xing thought for a bit as though she was forgetting something.

She clearly remembered it judging by her face before speaking once more.

"Sales! That's great considering she did major in economics for a year before all this"

Dante Enfantaze laughed.

"Say what you will about our offer Xing, however we believe it's more than generous considering the situation"

A man within the Dante Enfantaze group joined in as well, the man clearly had a temper and was annoyed during the current debating.

"We shouldn't be giving these animals anything are you' kidding me-"

"Gentlemen" The investigator once more chimed in before things got out of hand.

"I want to hear the Enfantaze's side of things clearly before go further."

Dante stood, sending him voice through the room clearly.

"As our findings state, Kozo Zahran is as unfit as ever to run this family, and with all respect to the late Ramzie Zahran, his daughter obviously doesn't carry the same strength he did. Fainting, whether it be out of mental health or physical health concerns, she's fainted to which multiple of us were witnesses to her after the fact as Xing's been transparent about what she saw."

"I see" he said.

"As our offer was mentioned before I'll spare the details, however Kozo Zahran given she takes this offer she'll still be able after a mental and physical health evaluation and perhaps therapy if needed will still be able to participate in being a Saint as all of us would like, only under the Enfantaze family and our kindness is also exerted to her captains, make no mistake this is not an attack or an attempted usurpation of the Zahran family, this is simply us extending our good will to a family on tough times and what we think is best for everybody part of this organization"

Dante had clearly prepared the statement, and the Enfantaze group looked confident as the Zahran's mostly remained still faced.

"anything else?" The investigator said plainly as he began to look over to the Zahran's for their statement.

"One thing" Kozo said abruptly.

"What is it?"

"Well, they're suing me so they can merge our families because they don't see me as healthy enough to run the family, right?"

"Yes they are" The investigator said as he began to look a bit tiredly at Kozo whom he assumed had only been here for formality.

"Well, if they wanted to get my family, why would they be filing to remove me as the boss?"

The investigator looked a bit baffled at Kozo's stupidity. He began sarcastically.

"As the late Ramzie Zahran has passed away you are the heir and new leader to the Zahran family and as such they would be starting their query with you-"

"Am I?" Kozo said a bit stumped clearly.

"Are you what?"

"Am I the leader of the Zahran family?"

The room paused a bit, confused by every one of Kozo's words.

Nazaire got up quietly but quickly, he walked over to the investigator providing him with a new file one with only a single sheet inside of it before he stood off to the side.

He opened it and grabbed the sheet reading it over calmly at first, however his eyes began to stare deeper into the pages contents before he spoke

"Zahran Xing formerly known as Belov Xing is- the head of the family?"

"What?" Dante looked shocked and somewhat befuddled.

"No that can't be-"

"It's correct" Kozo said with a smile imprinted on her face.

"Xing is the new don of the Zahran family, not I"

Nazaire calmly walked over to the Enfantazes side of the table before calmly pressing another folder on the desk and sliding it over to which it made its way to Dante himself first.

"There are all of her health records, it was a bit of a struggle finding a doctor who'd examine Xing on such short notice but hey when your last names Zahran you get a few extra things"

Kozo looked to Dante with such confidence the aura of the room shifted vividly.

"You can see in these documents Xing's got no mental nor physical health issues. And so I'd ask again Dante, why are you trying to remove me from a position I have no business in, you should be getting Xing, if you have proof of her being unfit to be a don of course?"

Dante fumed as he slammed the folder on the desk,

"This.. This…."

The investigator chimed in before Dante could spout another word

"She's right."

He simply said before he looked at Enfantaze's group.

"If there's no further evidence on either side, I'm afraid this case has been settled, Don Xing you've got huge shoes to fill, saint of all saints and the Zahran families saint are you?" He got up and began to walk to her with a smile on his face,

"Good luck" he said calmly before exiting the room.

I stood in the room, feeling the remnants and remembering of what had happened the night before this one.

The sound of the door clicking shut behind Xing resonated in my ears, her presence filling the space with an urgency that felt almost suffocating when I was once again in her home.

"Kozo…" she began, her voice steady but tinged with a hint of hesitation.

"What is it?" I snapped, still reeling from the whirlwind of emotions the dream had conjured. I didn't want to be vulnerable right now. Not when everything was spiraling out of control.

"I think we need to consider a different approach," she said, leaning against the wall, her arms crossed. "With your health in question and the Enfantazes circling like vultures, maybe a situation where you hand over the reins for a while might be good."

"Are you serious?" My voice rose, incredulity spilling over. "You want me to just give up control? To them?" I gestured toward the door where the Enfantaze family had just exited, my heart pounding with anger. "I'm not some child who needs to be coddled, Xing! I can handle this!

A while? Are you kidding me"

Xing pushed off the wall, her expression firm yet understanding. "I know you're strong, Kozo. But strength isn't just about power; it's also about knowing when to lean on others. I was friends with your father, remember? He trusted me to look after you."

"That's not the same! You're suggesting I just hand over my family to someone else!" I felt the heat of frustration coursing through me, the very idea sending chills down my spine.

"It's not about handing it over; it's about survival," she replied, her tone softening. "We can regroup and come back stronger. But if you're too sick to lead, what good will it do you or the family? Think about what your father would want. Would he want to see you trying to fight this battle alone when there are better options?"

The mention of my father pierced through my anger, a reminder of the legacy I was supposed to uphold. The idea of failing him twisted in my gut like a knife. "You can't expect me to just step back and let you take charge. I can't just… hand my family over to you."

"Kozo, I'm not asking you to do that. I'm offering to help you navigate through this chaos. You have the strength of the Zahran name, but I have the experience. Together, we can make this work. I know what your father wanted for this family. You can trust me to protect what he built."

I clenched my fists, torn between the anger bubbling inside me and the aching truth in her words. My mind raced with conflicting thoughts, each one a reminder of my responsibilities and the weight of my lineage.

"What if I fail?" I murmured, feeling the facade of strength begin to crack. "What if handing over control for even a moment leads to the end of everything he built?"

Xing stepped closer; her gaze unwavering. "You won't fail. You're not alone in this. Your father wouldn't want you to carry this burden by yourself. He wanted you to thrive, to lead—when you're ready. But now? You need someone to guide you. And I'll always be that someone."

Taking a deep breath, I fought against the tide of emotions. The fear of losing my family, the anxiety of being deemed unfit, and the looming shadows of the Enfantazes—all of it pressed down on me.

"Fine," I said, the word escaping my lips like a reluctant surrender. "If it's what I need to do to protect us, then… I'll do it. But I need you to promise me that this is temporary. I won't stay in the shadows forever."

Xing's face broke into a relieved smile, one that lit up her features. "I promise. This is just a steppingstone. You'll reclaim your place as the head of the Zahran family when the time is right."

"And you'll be there?" I asked, needing that assurance.

"Always," she affirmed, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Together, we'll navigate this. I'll help you find your footing while you recover. And when you're ready, we'll take back what's ours."

In that moment, I felt a flicker of hope ignite within me. It wasn't just about relinquishing control; it was about creating a path forward. "Alright, then. I'll trust you, Xing. Just… don't let me down."

"I won't," she promised, her voice steady and full of conviction. "Now, let's start planning. We need to gather our allies and reinforce our defenses. The Enfantazes think they can bully us into submission, but they have no idea what we're capable of."