"Let's go over it one more time, Koga san," Lana said, a red ball pen swirling between her fingers. "On Mondays, after the general department meeting, you--"

"Oh, come on, really? We've been through all of this," Gabriella groaned before throwing a ball of paper into the basket near the opposite wall of her friend's office. "Koga san knows her job, and by now can do yours in her sleep. You know, there's this magical thing called the Cloud. And have you heard of 'emails'? We'll be constantly in the loop." She switched to Italian and nailed Lana's coffin with a knowing grin. "So much that I bet sensei will end up hiding your laptop, Yuki san your smartphone... and they'll make you beg for them."

With a laugh, Gabriella barely dodged Lana's pen while Koga hid her grin behind her stack of documents. No need to speak Italian to see that Lana's leg was being mercilessly pulled by her best friend.

"Are you done undermining my authority?" Lana exclaimed with a false aggravated tone and a mock slam on her desk.

"Nice try, cara mia, but next time try not to blush bright red when delivering this line," Gabriella smirked. "Sha-cho would be so disappointed if he saw you right now." She chuckled again at Lana's dark glance.

Nakazawa Toshiro, the president of their company and incidentally Lana's father-in-law, instilled mortal fear in the heart of his employees. In this case, the odds were high he would join Gabriella in teasing Lana endlessly. Except for her friend, nobody knew they were family. After all, his children had all been married for years and none had divorced. It just happened that his daughter had now a second spouse, who was also the biological mother of her children. A bit too complicated to explain in their newsletter.

Lana shook her head, half delighted by such easy banter with her best friend, half annoyed to have her micromanagement tendencies slung at her face. At the same time, it was highly unusual for anyone to be away three weeks in a row. Let alone the number one and two of an entire department going away together, with the company's president in tow. She didn't want any backlash down the line. Thank goodness we could wrap this whole thing up into a business trip.

"All right, all right, we're good. You know you have my full confidence, Koga san. I think I'm just afraid I forgot something crucial. But like my guardian... devil just pointed out, you'll be able to reach me anytime." Gabriella cleared her throat and looked up at the ceiling. Another blush creeped on Lana's neck when the vivid image of her creative spouses making her beg in the most delicious way flashed again in front of her eyes. "Well, almost anytime. During daytime in Italy. And when I'm not otherwise busy."

With a nod and a beaming smile, Lana's personal assistant stood up. "Understood, Martin san. Vincenze san, I also talked with Noguchi san and we'll coordinate our work together."

"Awesome! That's what good teamwork looks like. On our end, we'll make sure to report all the meetings sha-cho will conduct in Milan and Rome. This is going to be a great overseas trip! An excellent opportunity to showcase the efficiency of Lana's strategy."

Lana grimaced and rubbed her face. "And now you jinxed it! Do I have to remind you that a lot of people are lying in ambush for the whole thing to crash down?"

Her friend scoffed and swirled on her chair. "Let them rot while waiting for the impossible to happen. It's the only way to go, and the entire Board is on it now, not just sha-cho. Do what you need to do, and let us the distinct pleasure to strike down anyone trying to come after you," Gabriella said with a dangerous grin.

Koga nodded vigorously. "Oh yes, Martin san. Don't worry. You've gained the trust and loyalty of many people here."

Lana had to look away to hide a sudden burst of emotion. "Oh, wow, thank you. It means the world to hear this. Well then, while I'm away, do your best to do like I or Gabriella would: don't back down, and aim for the best results, not for the lesser evil. You've got our full support and sha-cho's as well."

The younger woman gasped and straightened up, suddenly flustered. "Oh no, that's... that's just impossible. Sha-cho doesn't even know who I am."

"And this is your first mistake, Koga san. Of course I know who's doing the dirty work of the head of my international department," a raspy voice called from the threshold of Lana's office, startling the three women. Koga barely suppressed a yelp. They snapped to attention and gave the newcomer a low bow fit for his position. "Half of her crazy plans wouldn't have seen the light without you at her side."

"Sha-cho, good evening. What a honor to see you here," Lana told the elderly man, struggling to curb a lopsided grin. Always the king of dramatic entrances. Poor Koga san.

She moved to the side bookshelf where she kept a coffee machine and a water boiler for tea. "Can I offer you something to drink? Coffee, tea?"

Nakazawa arched an eyebrow and crucified his daughter-in-law with a dark glare before sitting on the couch near her floor-to-ceiling window. "It's after five, Martin san. Don't talk to me about tea."

"You are right, my mistake. To my regret, I have nothing better to offer."

"An oversight that should be addressed as soon as possible."

"Of course, sha-cho." Lana said with a bow, hiding a larger grin and sending her husband a silent apology. Somebody is raiding goshujin sama's secret stash of shochu tonight.

Nakazawa turned to Lana's personal assistant who was now standing at attention, stiff like a rock. "Well, Koga san, I hope you were properly briefed. I'll expect a full report on my desk upon my return, from you. And if things go like I anticipate, I'll talk with Kitamura san about that long-overdue raise. He's sometimes a bit... slow at recognizing excellent work and dedication." Koga made a strangled noise that might have been a gasp of surprise, and bowed even lower. "You're dismissed." The young woman bowed, went to the door, bowed again and closed the door behind her.

Nakazawa chuckled. "Kitamura would rather cut off his right hand than give a raise to a female employee. Time for him to learn we can't afford to see our best team members leave the ship. Not in this economy or with those demographics."

Gabriella hummed and sat back on her chair. "And now, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse are about to rush through the door, because honestly, hearing you say something so progressive is... beyond this world."

Their boss shot her a toothy smile that was dark and more than a little threatening. "Lucky you, lady. I don't tolerate this kind of insolence from nobody except you. Even Lana san knows better."

A large grin of her own stretched Gabriella's lips, but before she could deliver a sassy reply, Lana jumped into the fray. Her friend seemed to enjoy a little too much the power she got from being Nakazawa's unfading crush despite his long-term commitment with her own aunt. "On top of the raise, let's think about a new job title for Koga san. 'Personal assistant' doesn't even begin to describe her work and expertise. I don't want to lose her, but she deserves more recognition."

"Agreed. Let's see how she manages it while the two of you are away. Anyway, I wanted to make sure everything is ready for our trip. I received the schedule you prepared, Lana san. All meetings are confirmed?"

"They are. Gabriella will assist you most of the time. With the rest of the itinerary we've planned, I should be able to join you for the last two. Please refrain from killing each other by the end of the first week," she said with a pointed look before playing her joker. "Yuki sama would be aggravated if you did."

"Oh no, this is the last thing I want, don't worry, cara mia," Gabriella retorted with a straight face.

"I've always found it remarkable that my daughter's opinion matters so much to you," Nakazawa mused aloud, tapping his teeth with his manicured nails. "Among everyone in my family, she's the only one who's never been the target of your sharp tongue."

Oh my God! Even if she had never witnessed it, a graphic image of what Gabriella's tongue most certainly loved doing to Yuki popped in Lana's mind. She fell in a coughing fit to hide an explosive burst of laughter while Gabriella found herself busy staring outside the windows at the busy streets of west Shinjuku at dusk.

"Daughter! Are you quite all right? You're more purple than a sweet potato!"

"Of... of course, otoh sama! My apologies. A cough drop I almost swallowed whole."

Everyone agreed Nakazawa couldn't find out how exactly fond of Gabriella his daughter was. With the amused blessing of all spouses involved, Lana's best friend and her wife had become each other's self-indulging pleasure. An Oreo cake dipped in chocolate and caramel, with whipped cream on top, eaten once or twice a year. For a birthday. Or just because. Yuki is irresistible and can't be stopped. And yet, it's my name engraved next to hers and Naruhito's on our rings. How lucky can a girl can be?

"Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to pick up Maria and be on my way," Gabriella said, standing up and brushing non-existing creases on her pants. "I've got to finish packing and coordinate with Yoshiro."

"Isn't your husband anxious? Seeing you and your child go away for so long?"

"I think he can't wait for a three-week break and a chance to catch up with his buddies," Gabriella retorted with a smirk. "I won't blame him, I'm also looking forward to my mother dotting all over her granddaughter and for a few days of downtime. That is," she hastened to add with a half bow, "after we'll be done with our meetings, sha-cho."

Nakazawa chuckled and turned to Lana. "I imagine you also want to take Isao kun home earlier than usual today."

"Yes indeed, it's going to be a long trip tomorrow, and Yuki sama needs help with the last preparations. With Nana chan on her hands, I'm not sure she made much progress."

"Quite understandable. See you later then," the CEO of Nakazawa said before taking his leave.

Gabriella watched him go, dumbfounded. "What? He's coming to your place tonight? Even if it means extra work for all of you?"

Lana rolled her eyes then began to shut down her PC and turn off all lights inside her office. "Not a word, please. Yuki sama is delighted. But it's also easier if we go together to the airport tomorrow. You'll meet with us directly at the checkin counter, right?"

"Yep!"

The two friends headed for the elevators, planning to stop at the company's daycare center on the third floor to pick up their children. Another accomplishment for Lana, one of the first projects she had pushed when she had started, three years earlier. Unsurprisingly, it had had an impact on the percentage of female employees, including in management, a figure she could directly link to the improved performance and efficiency rate of the company. Nothing beat a working mom to prioritize tasks and get things done.

"So, cara mia. How do you feel?"

Lana sighed; her friend always shot straight to the point. "I'm stressed, don't sleep so well, more than a bit anxious, but it's... manageable."

"Really? I know how stuff beyond your control freaks you out, Ms. Let-me-handle-it. Wanna talk about it?"

"Nope. Let me get there. Let me land, drink my first real espresso in years, get a sense of what's around me. Right now, I'm exhausted but it's just anxiety talking. Nothing more to report."

"Hear, hear. It will be quite a ride, for sure. But don't forget you really don't have to take care of everything. You hate this, I know, but Claudia and I will be there, too, to guide our Japanese troop through the glorious mess that is Italy. You're not carrying everyone on your back. Focus on why you're going there in the first place."

The doors opened on the third floor, and right away, Lana saw her son and two other children playing with Duplo blocks near the entrance of the daycare center.

"Yeah, you're right," she said, distracted, caught in the perfect moment of seeing a carefree Isao laughing and playing with his buddies. "Going back home is going to be just fine."