It had been quite a long few days for Niall, he tried to hurry things as much as possible to return home as soon as he could. The problems between mafias were complicated issues and needed great care; any false step could mean great losses for Icarus Rose.

After getting a new identity for Mrs. Calder, he went on to solve the problem with the territories. It was quite clear that Icarus Rose was the mafia that ruled all over Europe, but the Calders were the owners of the American territory, they were allied with the Canadian mafia and some cartels in Mexico, and that made Niall's life more and more complicated. He needed to visit each property that Calder owned, he had to send letters to each of the partners to let them know what had happened. In the house they took everything very lightly, but having murdered one of the biggest mafia crowns in America on the whim of an alpha was not something valid, and although they could pretend that it had been due to wanting to steal the formula from the alpha essence, it was well known that Tomlinson had lost his mind after the kidnapping of his omega. Which had not even been presented ever before to the public eyes of the mafias.

"Mr. Horan, the car is ready." Announced one of Niall's bodyguards, who nodded and left his new office.

He was on his way to the airport to fly to Toronto, Canada. He had arranged a meeting with Mr. Mendes, boss of Swallow, one of Calder's former associates. Who was not at all happy about the change in bosses but was willing to negotiate instead of doing something reckless.

The flight was short and once on the property, Niall, followed by his bodyguard, entered the huge Swallow mansion. It was a beautiful house that kept that quaint old-fashioned beauty, all the decorations showing nothing but pure elegance.

A man of average height, dark hair and a grey beard came out of one of the rooms of the house, wearing an elegant black suit with a grey tie that stood out. Once in front of Niall he shook his hand and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, you must be Mr. Horan from Icarus Rose. I've heard several things about you." He spoke quickly with a strong Canadian accent, Niall smiled.

"It's also a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Mendes." He put his hands behind his back. "I hope you've only heard good things about me and our mafia."

The man laughed and motioned for him to accompany him down the hall. For Niall at that time it was very important to make a good impression on the man, he had to solve problems and had to be willing to do anything to make peace with Swallow, and if things went well they wouldn't have to worry about them for a long time, plus they could start selling alpha essence across all America.

"I think I've heard any kind of things, but what caught my attention the most was your merchandise," he commented as they entered his office, Mr. Mendes took a seat behind his desk and Niall in front of him, "I'm interested in knowing a little more about that essence that everyone talks about. Before Kasper Malik's death we had agreed to a meeting that never materialised. We were going to talk about business, future alliances, but unfortunately things went down the wrong side of the hill."

"Basically it is an infusion that can be drunk as tea and its ingredients cause the drinker to change its aroma, if it is an omega or a beta, it will be able to smell like an alpha while under the effect of the essence."

"And how long does the effect last?"

"Approximately between eighteen and twenty hours, but it can vary depending on the amount and form that it is ingested." The alpha smiled broadly upon hearing Niall's explanation.

"And why was Killian murdered?" He questioned without further talk. Niall swallowed dry, he felt how his hands began to sweat.

"It's complicated." He replied, and the man took a cigarette out of one of the drawers in his desk. He lit it up and took a few puffs before speaking again.

"I have time." Niall understood his words and prepared to speak, he told him what had happened with Killian's father and Zayn's, and told him that Killian intended to follow in his father's footsteps and the most convenient thing was to get rid of him so that Zayn wouldn't end up the same way their father did.

"We know it wasn't the most orthodox, but it was what the situation allowed us to do." He finished speaking under the attentive gaze of the alpha in front of him.

"I heard something about an omega being kidnapped. Why didn't you mention it?"

"I think that was the least important part of the operation." He lied, his tone serious enough for Mr. Mendes to believe him.

"If you say so," he commented dismissively, "but anyway, I suppose we should move on to more important matters."

"That's right sir, I think..."

"Shush." He said fastly, earning a confused look from Niall. "I know your mafia, I know that you do whatever you want, when you want, and everything just because you want it, and I prefer to have things under control. I consider Mr. Malik to be a child who still doesn't know how to run a mafia, but in one way or another he continues to stay at the top of the pyramid." His words were rough and dry, Niall just saved his comments for later and listened to what that alpha had to say. "I don't want to join your mafia, I don't want to go through all that theatre you do with those rose rings and all the bleeding thing on them, and I don't want to be bossed around by an immature kid who's had what he wanted all his life and never really fought for what he has. So we have to come to a deal if we want our mafias not to collide with each other. What do you have to offer me?"

Niall had to think fast, he couldn't allow Zayn to be humiliated like that. A side smile appeared on his face, he tried to bring out each of his persuasive skills in order to reach an agreement that benefited him and his brothers. He was no longer looking to impress the man, now he just had to know if he would get on the ship or if he would sink in the depth of the ocean.

"What do you think about taking half the territory?" He asked, "We already own all of Europe, Africa and Asia, America was never in our plans, although it wouldn't be a bad idea to sell our merchandise here as well." He was silent for a few seconds. "You know, Mr. Mendes, sometimes other mafia crowns think that we don't know what we're doing, but my father, Mr. Malik, taught us all his secrets before he died." Mr. Mendes observed him carefully, "We're not afraid of your mafia, and actually I think we made it pretty clear when we murdered your leader mercilessly. So you tell me, what do you have to offer me so I don't shoot you right now?... Let's be honest, that would solve a lot of problems for me, plus I would be able to return to London sooner than planned.

The alpha was stunned, he didn't expect that Kasper had instructed them so well. Niall kept his eyes fixed on the alpha's gaze, showing him dominance and authority. Those Americans had to learn to respect Icarus Rose once and for all.

"You know," he spoke again and stood up, "don't even bother giving me an answer, think about it and we can organise a meeting in London so that my partners are present and we can have a more civilised conversation." He walked to the door and left the office without looking back.

He could feel his heart pounding. He hadn't done a scene or something like that in a long time, but he was grateful that he had intimidated that alpha at least a little.

With a sign he indicated to his bodyguards that they were going to leave, but while he was walking to the exit he collided with a man, who dropped some papers on the ground.

"Watch where you're going, idiot!" He yelled as he bent down to pick up his things, his voice was familiar to Niall, and he knew exactly where he had heard it before.

"Well, well, well." He said calmly, the omega looked up and surprise flooded his face. "It seems that fate wants to bring us together."

"What the hell are you doing here? Are you my father's new bouncer?" He asked, ignoring his comment, Niall crossed his arms over his chest and smiled.

"You still don't know who I am, right?"

"Of course not, what are you doing in my house?" Niall raised one of his eyebrows in surprise.

"Are you the son of Mr. Mendes?" He asked, receiving a nod in response. "This must be a joke, I can't believe it."

"Who are you?... What are you doing here?" He asked, remembering that Niall had already told him his name, although he hadn't paid enough attention to remember it.

"I was solving some business problems, but I think I shouldn't discuss it with you. So if you'll excuse me, I was on my way out." He started walking, he had tried to use the same persuasion technique he had used before, he was going to act exactly like that omega to get his attention, and luckily it worked.

"Wait." He called as he ran a little to catch up, Niall's bodyguards looking at the omega carefully, "I'm Shawn Mendes."

Niall shook hands with the omega and smiled.

"My pleasure."

He let go of his hand and left the house before he could say anything else. Curious about the fact that his new omega interest happened to be the son of one of their new partners. He got into the car and told the driver to go to the airport, things were calm enough in America and everything else could be solved from home, plus there were pending issues at home, like Zayn's sudden pregnancy and organising the party for Harry's introduction to the partners as Louis's omega.

But those brown eyes didn't leave Niall's mind. What did that omega have that called his attention so much?

☺☻☺☻

He arrived at the mansion at night, where he was received by Zayn, Liam, Louis and Harry with open arms. He was exhausted, people in America were definitely more difficult to deal with, but he did not complain. There was a very good business opportunity there.

"What would you say if I told you I brought a lot of presents for that little puppy hiding in there?" Niall said, putting his hands on the omega's abdomen once they were in the privacy of Zayn's office, all gathered to discuss what was coming.

He put the only bags he didn't let the guards go up to his room on the desk so he could get a better look at them, Zayn smiled and hugged Niall tightly, the smell of alpha hitting the blonde's nose and he frowned at the omega.

"You're not supposed to be drinking alpha essence, Zee. It can hurt you and the puppy!" Niall chided and Zayn nodded.

"I know, but it was a bit, just enough to go out to greet you. I can't leave the office or the room because I haven't drunk any essence these days. The effect lasts very little these days."

It was well known that the ingredients of the essence could have adverse effects on pregnancy. Zayn's father believed that ingesting it could increase the probability of having alphas, and although it could be, it contained strong chemicals that could be abortifacient if consumed in large doses, in addition to the enormous imbalance of hormones that would cause Zayn, they needed to take care of him now more than ever.

"We need to announce it as soon as possible, the guards are going to begin to suspect why Zayn never goes out. They may even start with acts of rebellion thinking that he is not aware of the business or what happens in the house." Niall said with a serious expression.

"They're already starting with acts of rebellion. Didn't Liam tell you everything they were saying to Harry? They were calling him 'Icarus Rose's whore', and they were disrespecting you behind our backs. We need to put a little more control in the house." Louis said angrily, Harry on his lap shook his head.

"You scared them enough Lou, I doubt they'll ever say anything like that again." Harry replied, and Niall laughed.

"Did you call a meeting with them? What did you tell them? No wonder they didn't put so many obstacles in letting me carry these bags myself. They're scared that I already know what happened these days."

"I just told them that Harry has authority over them now. That they should respect him and us, and that they work for us so they are here to follow orders, not to shit talk about their bosses."

"Enough of that. Can we see what Niall brought and talk about this later? I'm tired of hearing you 'assert authority', useless alphas." Zayn said and approached the bags, where there were baby clothes and some toys.

No doubt all the bosses in the house were more than excited by the arrival of that puppy, because although it was probably not the best time. It would certainly bring happiness to that house where the most hostile acts imaginable were committed. They decided that the next morning they would announce Zayn's pregnancy, they just hoped that they would take it in the best way, they had no choice anyway.

They called a meeting of all the house staff, both security guards and cleaning staff, kitchen staff, gardeners, etc. They were all gathered in the garden, by the white roses, looking at each other wondering what had happened. Zayn stood in front of them, at a fairly marked distance and with the alpha essence about to end its effect on him, this would be the last time he would drink it.

"You're probably wondering what happened, why haven't I left my office and especially why are you here. Well, I have news." He took a deep breath before continuing, Liam squeezed his shoulder and his brothers were next to him, as well as Barbara and Harry. "As you know, the alpha essence is the reason we are standing where we are in this business. Even people with great power consume it, but have you ever wondered how we are so sure that our product works as it should?"

That definitely nobody saw it coming, practically everyone in the house knew what they sold and how the business worked, rumours spread that even the prince of England himself was actually an omega, but he hid it with the famous essence of Icarus Rose, for that's why they were so feared by the crown, they had the power to reveal the truth if they did something they didn't like. Zayn continued speaking.

"Well, dear house staff, the truth is that someone here has been using the alpha essence for a long time, and none of you have imagined it." He murmured, soft voices made themselves present and Liam silenced them with a gesture. Zayn began to loosen his scarf, the same that he always wore, and arranged his shirt so that everyone could see the silver bite mark on his neck. "I have been using our product at the request of my late father ever since my brothers came into this house, and no one ever questioned that I was an alpha. Well I am pleased to announce that I am proudly an omega, bitten by my alpha, Mr. Payne. I know, don't worry, my dear employees. This doesn't change anything, we will continue to carry on business as usual, because being an omega I have positioned ourselves at the top of the mafia pyramid, and the fact that now it is known is not going to go down in rank, is it clear?"

Everyone was silent, looking indiscreetly at Zayn's mark, no one dared to speak. Barbara looked at Zayn with pride, Louis and Niall's expressions were impenetrable but they were more than proud, and Liam had the courage to hug Zayn around the waist, his omega in front of all the staff of the house, with a proud smile.

"I am also pleased to announce that an heir or heiress is on the way. It is somewhat complicated at the moment, but this puppy will bring joy to the house, and I expect no less of you to treat your future boss with nothing but the respect that corresponds to them from now on. You can now go back to their duties."

Everyone stood up and left, some betas who worked in the cleaning and kitchen approached Malik to ask if he needed anything. Zayn took advantage and asked them to prepare a cake to celebrate the news. Of course, delighted by the news, they ran to the kitchen to follow the orders given to them.

"I am so proud of you, my boy. You've matured so much" Barbara screeched and she rushed to hug the omega, who immediately returned the gesture. He felt so happy to finally stop hiding his true self.

They spent the rest of the morning celebrating the news. Some of the staff, mostly omegas, had organised a small party in the garden, Zayn was grateful to finally be able to leave the house freely showing who he was, and Liam was beyond proud to see Zayn, his omega, show that bite that had been hidden on his neck for many years. In a way they had taken a lot of tension off their shoulders, although the work was still too much and they still had to announce to the rest of the mafia that Zayn was an omega.

"Honey," Barbara called as she walked up to Zayn "Would you like to come with me for a little walk in the garden?"

"Of course." He stood up and gave Liam a look to indicate to him that he was going to leave with Barbara. The alpha nodded with a smile and returned to his conversation with Niall about who would be the godfather of his puppy.

The omega linked her arm with Zayn's and they both began to walk around the house. That day was particularly a little colder, they were just a few days away from the last month of the year.

"I'm so proud of you." She blurted out calmly and Zayn smiled.

"You already told me that, Barbara." They both laughed softly.

"I know, but I really am. I never thought that this day would come. My little one will have a puppy with the love of his life, and all of that while being the best boss that ever existed." They both sat on a small bench where they had a beautiful look towards the landscape. On one side they could see the huge forest and on the other the beautiful field of white roses.

"I am grateful to have you with me. Since my parents died I never thought I could feel a mother's love, but fortunately you never left my side." The omega smiled and hugged the brunette.

"You're going to make me cry," they both laughed a little, "I'm sure that you will be excellent parents. You with your independence and Liam with his bravery, not to mention that they have two alphas who will do everything possible to keep the little guy safe and secure, and let's not forget an omega that will take care of him no matter what."

"I am lucky to have them by my side. They have always been my brothers, and now that Harry joined the family I feel that we are more than complete. Niall is the only one left, he just needs to get close to an omega and we will be totally complete once and for all."

"You have always been very close. You grew up with good values ​​and that makes you the people you are today." Barbara took Zayn's hand and placed a kiss on it. "Pregnancy is a wonderful thing. Among many things, it brings you closer to your alpha and makes your bond grow, plus as your baby grows you feel inexplicable love. I remember when I found out I was expecting a puppy, it was the best news I could have in my whole life." She said with a certain nostalgia in his last words. Zayn's eyes widened in surprise.

"You have a bay?" He asked, after those words, the omega realised what she had said, and sighed with her eyes closed.

"The day had to come," she settled better in her place and without letting go of Zayn's hand she began to speak, "a long time ago, when I was still living in Russia, I met a charming alpha who stole my breath. He was big and powerful, but when I saw him I could only notice the love that emanated from him." Zayn looked at her attentively, a little surprised since he had never thought that Barbara had had a life outside of that house. "One night, that alpha approached me when I was vulnerable and started courting me without my noticing. He spent several weeks in the house where I worked at the time, and one night it just happened."

"And you got pregnant?"

"That's right," a sigh came from her mouth as she remembered those times, "but not everything was as simple as it seems. Shortly after realising that I was pregnant, I also realised that the alpha, the father, was married and in fact his omega was bitten already." Zayn's face changed to annoyance upon hearing that last.

"What an idiot alpha. He was unfaithful to his omega and he also got you pregnant."

"Yes, although that wasn't the worst part." She looked down and a small smile appeared on her face. "The worst part was actually the fact that the couple couldn't conceive, and they needed an heir to take charge of their beloved mafia once they weren't in this world."

"Did you give them your little one?" He asked a little confused, but Barbara quickly denied.

"I couldn't let my pup go like that, and that alpha made me a deal. He said I could move in with them so I wouldn't get away from my baby, working as a housemaid, but I couldn't tell him that I was his mother, and I've been working there ever since."

Zayn's expression changed, immediately the words of his mother came to his mind 'before you came into this world it had been very difficult for us to have you. You were our little miracle' And his eyes widened in surprise. Could that be true?

"Barbara..." He sighed. The omega looked into his eyes and caressed his cheek gently. Zayn began to realise the resemblance between her and him, her eyes were just as brown, her skin just as dark. "...Am I your...?"

"Yes, yes you are. My baby." The omega's eyes filled with tears upon hearing those words. He had spent ten years of his life living under the sadness of being an orphan, under the horrible memory of that afternoon when they told him that his parents had passed away. He threw himself into the omega's arms and wept on her shoulder like he never had before.

"All this time." he sobbed "All this time I thought I was alone, that I would never see my parents again and that my baby would never meet his grandparents," his voice cracked between each gasp and the tears did not stop falling down his face, "but here you were all the time, in front of me and I never knew."

"I always wanted to protect you, that's why I left everything behind and came here to see you grow up," she gently caressed the omega's back trying to calm him down and doing her best to contain her own tears, "and I'm not going to ask you to call me mother or nothing like that, I know mrs. Malik will always be your mother. But keep in mind that to my eyes you will always be and have always been my boy, but I just considered that now that everyone knows you are an omega, and what are you waiting for a little puppy, it was necessary to start leaving every lie behind." Zayn separated just to look the omega in the eye, his face had lit up and he could swear that he had never felt happier than at that moment.

"Barbara, you have always been a mother to me. You always took care of me even though I don't have your last name, and now that I know that you are really my mother, everything is going to be different," he got up "you are no longer going to work in the house, and you won't have to take care of anything. I'm going to ask them to move your things to a bigger room and I'll tell everyone to treat you with the respect you deserve, because you're the lady of the house... you're my mom." The woman's eyes crystallised upon hearing those last words, she stood up and hugged him with affection. She had dreamed of that moment for years, but she never thought that Zayn would take it in such a good way, but now that he knew everything, she was going to be fine. "I have a mother."

"Now I can rest easy knowing that I can take better care of my puppy. Do you want us to go back to the others? Aren't you tired?" The woman asked and Zayn nodded, they kept going through their walk, still holding each other.

"Is it okay if I call you mom?" The omega asked in a small voice once they could see the others from where they were standing. Louis, Harry and Liam were listening carefully to something Niall was telling them.

"Oh honey, you don't have to ask, I'll be honoured if you call me mom." Barbara replied with tears in her eyes, she never thought Zayn would want to call her that.

"Thanks for everything, mom."

With the secret out and love in their hearts, mother and son made their way to their family, quickly joining the conversation and even being served some cake by some omegas. They had made the place feel like home.

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I think that workers are now afraid to be called into a meeting, and Louis might be the reason.