Zane's good mood only extended so far. The night turned out to not be a total bust. Still troublesome but at least he got something useful from it.
"You don't seem in the worst of spirits, sir. Do I take it that something good came from this?" Clive returned as promptly as he could following Zane's request.
"Something small but potential very useful." The young mafioso confirmed pulling his dress jacket tightly around himself. The night air somehow got colder since he went inside. An indication the seasons were closer to changing.
"Now though, I want to get back. There's still the chance for more sleep before much to do tomorrow." A mental list was already in the works. One that would eventually get transferred to Zane's phone and put on his calendar.
"Do you wish to go back to the estate?" Clive prepared the car to head back in that direction until the other stopped him.
"No, I want to go back to my place for the remainder of the night. You can steal the guest room. I don't think that I could stomach waking up to seeing my father in the morning."
"If it means you won't be smoking anymore tonight. I will happily comply." The driver reached his hand back and made a beckoning motion with his fingers. An indication for the other to give back the cigarettes.
"You know that you're far too much like a mother when it comes to these things, Clive. A few extra cigarettes aren't going to do me any harm."
"Perhaps not physically right now. They certainly won't help either of our pockets, however. I don't intend to buy anymore until the end of the month. What we have needs to last us at least until that long." He placed the white cancer sticks in the glove box and shut it.
"I will know if you take them from here. If you do, it best be for an emergency." Zane couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped.
"Every day is an emergency when it comes to cigarettes. I can't think of a day where I won't at least be needing one." The young mafioso shifted in his seat so he could rest his head on his hand.
"The next few days will likely be the worst of all. I need to make sure that my morning will be clear tomorrow."
"It's your schedule so I don't see why it can be done that way. Your father likely won't bother you much after tonight. So long as you agree to come to the next family dinner." The car groaned as it rounded the corner a little sharply. No time to be wasted in getting back to the penthouse. A little bit of speeding wouldn't be a problem if only to save a few minutes to get extra sleep.
"I don't think anything enjoyable will come from that. Unless my father is willing to put it off for a few days. There are a few things that I need to have in place before I can join." Namely, he needed to be able to go and speak with a certain wild little flower.
"If you want it to be put off, you would be better speaking this over with Julian." Clive suggested.
"Unlike you, your brother hardly ever misses family-based events. He would likely be the one to come up with an excuse to delay it." The younger sibling? Clive did have a point.
Julian did his best to make everything his father expected them to be. Unlike his rebellious older son. It could give him the upper hand if he used his younger brother for that. At what price though? The sibling would certainly want something in return.
"It's a good idea that I will take into consideration. Depending on the price, I might be able to get him to cooperate with us. Do you think that there is something that you might be able to do to help with that?" The ever-reliable driver would have to have something up his sleeve. He almost always seemed to.
"If you agree to leave the cigarettes alone, I am sure that there is something I could come up with." Zane smirked in response to this.
"You drive a hard bargain from the start. I will think about it and see. Once tomorrow passes, I will know for certain if I can do that." If he could get through talking to a few people, it could be possible.
Diego would be the first. The man would likely have some good information from him. Most everyone knew where Rose came from. Except for Zane it seemed. How it bypassed him, he had no clue. Not that it made much of a difference for what he needed. Her background didn't matter for what he needed. After that, he would hope that the informant wouldn't let him down. If the sneaky fox thought he could get away again, things wouldn't go well for him.
"Once you let me know if you agree, I will do my best to take care of everything else." Zane brushed his fingers over his chin while thinking the matter over. The small stubble on his chin prickled his fingers. A shave would be due in the morning. His reputation relied on him keeping as clean of a look as possible.
"I will let you know in two days. For now, you'll just focus on the objects that I give you to do tomorrow." Zane paused for a second, watching the houses buzz by outside the car window.
"You know the florist that is located around here? I would like for you to stop by there tomorrow. I have no special skills when it comes to such things, but I imagine you would be able to pick something good out?" Clive glanced back at the other in the rear view mirror, a ghost of an amused smile on his face.
"I never knew that you were the romantic type, Zane. If you wish though, I can certainly go and pick something out. Is there a certain message that you're looking to send?"
"Something appealing to a woman. I don't want anything that is too heavily romantic or affectionate though. I don't think the wild little flower would like that." Did something between I love you but actually just want to use you exist in flower language? He certainly hoped so. The last thing Zane needed would be to give off the wrong impression.