The late afternoon sun filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a warm golden haze across the bedroom. Elena sat propped up on a mountain of pillows, her growing bump gently rising and falling as she sipped warm tea. Zayden, armed with a laptop, his phone, and a notepad full of scribbles, paced like a man with a mission.
"I called the gynecologist. Again," he muttered.
Elena raised a brow. "You already spoke to him this morning."
"That was eight hours ago. What if something changed in eight hours?" he replied defensively, then turned toward her with furrowed brows. "Did you feel anything different? You're not feeling dizzy again, right? No nausea? Your ankles—are they swelling?"
"Zay," she said, laughing softly, "I'm fine. We're fine."
He still crossed the room, kneeling beside her, his hand instantly on her bump. "If either of them so much as hiccups weird, I swear I'll fly in specialists from Switzerland. Or better yet, we move there."
"Zayden."
"Elena."
She couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips.
He rested his head gently against her belly, eyes closing as he murmured, "Elio, Liora… I hope you both know I'd build the world from scratch if it ever hurt you."
Her fingers slipped through his hair. "They'll be so loved, Zay."
He slowly looked up. "And trained."
Elena blinked. "Trained?"
Zayden nodded, his CEO expression coming out full force. "Once they turn ten, I'll start taking them to the office twice a week. Just light stuff. Branding, team dynamics, market psychology."
Elena stared.
"By thirteen, they'll each be assigned a minor division. It'll build leadership skills," he continued, now pacing again.
"They'll be in middle school," she said, biting back a laugh.
"And they'll still be more capable than half the people in the boardroom," Zayden muttered. "Elio will handle product development. He has a fire in him—I can feel it already. He'll be fierce."
"And Liora?" she asked, teasing gently.
Zayden's eyes softened instantly. "She'll run everything. I mean it. She has your strength, your mind… She'll probably end up my boss, and I'll be okay with it."
Elena laughed again, wiping the tears that came uninvited. Hormones. Or maybe just Zayden being so impossibly sincere.
He sat beside her again, carefully pulling her legs into his lap, massaging her feet gently like it was his nightly duty. "I installed cameras in both hallways. Top-tier security system. I even ordered soundproof panels for the nursery so they'll sleep peacefully."
"You sound like you're preparing for war," Elena teased.
"I'm preparing for life," he replied. "And I won't let it mess with them. Or with you."
Later that night, they lay in bed, scrolling through baby clothing sites.
"That sun-patterned romper?" Elena asked.
"For Elio," Zayden nodded. "Obviously. And this pale yellow dress with tiny embroidered moons? That's Liora. Already radiant."
"You're too good at this."
"I told you, I run a billion-dollar company. Picking out onesies is just another form of investment."
They both chuckled.
As the moonlight poured in, Zayden applied a fresh round of gel to her stomach. He placed the stethoscope over her belly, even though they'd just visited the doctor. It had become a quiet nightly tradition now—his way of listening in on their future.
He pressed a kiss against her skin and whispered, "Elio Zayden Wolfe and Liora Elena Wolfe… you're going to have everything. And I'll make sure you're ready for it."
Elena watched him with misty eyes. "They already have everything, Zay. They have you."
He looked up, startled, then kissed her softly. "No, Elena. They have us."