"Ezra," Blair breathed, walking into the apartment and immediately flinching, "This is too much."

Hours. It had taken them a few hours to identify a building that advertised multiple 'penthouses' and for Ezra to arrange a viewing.

Each of the top three floors was its own 'penthouse' - not in the traditional sense, obviously, since that usually meant top floor only... but each of the apartments took up an entire floor and had all the other features of a penthouse.

Marketing matters, Blair thought to herself as she walked to the terrace

"It's not," Ezra said, waving his hand dismissively, "I will take the top floor with the intention of you moving into it with me eventually. You will have this one. The three penthouse residents are the only ones with access to the private elevator, so I intend to buy the third as well. These three floors will belong to us and our staff exclusively."

"That's excessive, Ezra," Blair scolded, not tearing her eyes away from the scene before her.

"It's really not, Miss Fos-Ward," Blaise said, only stumbling slightly, "He has several units at his current building as well for the security and housekeeping staff. It helps with security to limit access."

"It's almost the exact same commute," Ezra cut in, stepping up beside her and looking out over the cityscape, "I can have everything finalized within hours if you approve. You could be moved in before Monday."

"This is moving really fast," Blair admitted, turning to him with a wary expression.

"I'm a decisive person," Ezra shrugged, "and speed is part of the point. Ryan made bail less than an hour ago."

Blair pressed her lips together, letting her eyes move across the span of the large living room.

It was excessive and luxurious - her brother would have loved it.

"If I told you," Blair said slowly, thinking it through, "that I did not want housekeepers, and no one but me could have access... how would you respond to that?"

"I would agree without question," Ezra said seriously, nodding at her in understanding.

It had taken him a little longer than he wanted to admit, but given the problems she was having with her ex and her history of betrayal from her own mother... who wouldn't be cautious and in need of a space that was their own and felt safe?

If Ezra wanted this partnership to be genuine, he needed to understand her needs - not just the efficiency associated with the contract itself. He'd been in business long enough to know that relationships that were fostered and nurtured properly were the key to a successful, long-term arrangement. If he operated only with intimidation tactics and micromanagement, people jumped ship the second things got hard.

If he wanted her to honor this contract and remain loyal to the arrangement, he needed to take her feeling of safety and comfort as seriously as her security.

Blair studied him for a long moment and his face remained neutral despite his many swirling thoughts. She finally sighed in what Ezra immediately recognized as agreement - though, aside from smirking, he waited for her to say the words out loud.

He could tell she was going to accept it, and he was relieved. Managing to make this arrangement with the Ward heiress was already an incredible stroke of luck, and he was determined to ensure that unstable exes didn't ruin his plans before he had a chance to execute them.

He needed her safe and secure for this to work, and he knew she wanted it just as much as he did.

She was just extraordinarily independent and didn't like asking others for help.

Like me, he chuckled internally as he watched her think everything through. If someone tried to pay for a place for me to live, I'd bristle too - security concerns or not.

"I want your name on the lease," Blair finally said, turning to him with a serious expression, "and a written agreement that you cannot evict me without cause and notice. I, however, can leave without either."

He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Planning to run off, Miss Ward?" he asked with a smirk.

"If you turn out to be a lunatic, absolutely," Blair scoffed, crossing her arms, "Until we're married, this is nothing more than a verbal arrangement. The contract I signed doesn't take effect until the marriage license is notarized. If my name is on the lease and you go crazy, I both can't afford this place right now and couldn't leave in a hurry. If your name is on it without a contract to prevent you from kicking me out, I can end up homeless without warning. Neither work for me. I don't like being dependent on others."

Ezra's grin grew as he studied the woman in front of him, impressed at how she thought things through but equally impressed by her honesty.

"Agreed," he said easily, nodding, "You will be listed as a sub-leased tenant, though you will have no rent. I will have it all arranged within a few hours. You're already mostly packed, so we'll go back and finish that, and break your lease while my lawyers handle the rest. You'll move in tomorrow."

"This is crazy," she muttered, walking back into the apartment to explore, "absolutely looney toons."

She didn't mention the fact that his knowing her identity meant that if she did leave she'd have all kinds of new problems to deal with. That was a future Blair problem, she figured, and she'd cross that bridge if and when she came to it. Instead she refocused on the luxury surrounding her that reminded her a lot of a life she ran away from a long, long time ago.

"I must admit boss," Blaise said after she'd left the room, his eyes following her down the hall, "she seems like the perfect fit for you."

He flicked his eyes toward Ezra with a smirk before adding, "way classier than that femboy you let hang on your arm last year."

"You're just jealous he was hanging on mine instead of yours," Ezra huffed, rolling his eyes, "and yes, she is. She's impressive. My grandfather will approve."

"He'll fucking love her," Blaise snorted, his eyes returning to the hallway she disappeared down, "that sharp tongue of hers is going to win him over instantly."

"You're not wrong," Ezra agreed, his smirk growing across his face, remembering his grandmother's sharp tongue and fiery temper.

Ezra and Blaise had been best friends for a very, very long time, and while Blaise was technically his employee - he was his friend first. Blaise had been around when his grandmother was still alive, and the only time his grandfather's face truly softened was when she started tearing into people to give them a piece of her mind.

It was one of many reasons why Ezra was approaching this partnership with the mentality he was - a woman like that couldn't be held back for long, not really. She'd force her way to the top, one way or another. The fact that he could win her favor by offering her a hand on the way was an opportunity masked as a favor.

Even after the contract ended and they divorced, he was determined to keep a good relationship with her if only for business sake. Ward Enterprises was a massive network, and while it hadn't grown or seen significant developments in the past few years, it hadn't lost any ground either.

Stable. Consistent. A steady powerhouse that people dream of having strong connections with.

Ezra couldn't wait to see how she shined once the obstacles in her way were removed.

"Do you think they're alive?" Blaise asked quietly, prepared to stop talking the second Blair walked back in.

"Honestly?" Ezra sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "No, I don't. If they were, they'd have resurfaced by now. I suspect that even if they survived the accident, whoever arranged it took care of loose ends after."

Blaise nodded grimly, "She does, though. You know that? She's clearly holding on to hope that they're out there somewhere."

"I know," Ezra agreed, looking away, "They were clearly her entire world. It's hard to move on when there's even a sliver of hope to cling to."

"You do realize," Blair's distant voice had them snapping their mouths closed, "that this bedroom is the same size as my old apartment? What is even the point of a room this big?!"

Ezra chuckled even as Blaise burst out laughing, listening to her compliment different rooms with insult-lined comments until she re-emerged into the living room.

"This really is way too much for one person," Blair scoffed, "it's borderline offensive, really."

"Good thing the long-term plan isn't for one person to live in it," Ezra laughed, shaking his head, "When you join me on the first floor, this will become another staff quarters. For now, my security will be on the third floor with the housekeeping staff keeping their old places until you move in with me."

"Even two isn't enough," she muttered, looking at the kitchen approvingly, "Guess I'll need to learn to make more than trash noodles and omelets to justify a kitchen that big."

"You can't cook?" Blaise mused, tilting his head at the Ward Princess and trying to reconcile the two worlds she'd lived in in her life.

"Oh I can," she laughed, shaking her head, "it's just poor-man's food. It's cheap, easy, and only contains the most basic nutrients. Your personal chefs would be personally offended."

"I'll teach you," Ezra chuckled, earning a raised eyebrow from Blair.

"Oh, I'm taking you up on that," she smirked, "Chess lessons for cooking lessons. Fair trade."

"More than fair," Ezra agreed, the smile on his face earning a knowing look from Blaise.

"Alright big boy," Blair sighed, stretching her sore back and shifting her weight awkwardly off her bad leg, "Let's get back. I need a heating pad and a coffee. Then apparently I need to pack."

"We'll help," Blaise piped up immediately, eyeing her with a bit of worry.

They'd received the medical records from before she went abroad, and knew how severe her situation truly was, though she hid her chronic pain well. Adding to that her current injury and recovery, and Blaise was genuinely worried about her packing and moving things on her own.

"Careful," Blair breathed, "I might take you up on that and make you do it all."

"Put him to work," Ezra chuckled, laughing openly when Blaise looked at him impatiently, "He's got a salary to earn."

"'Bout to ask for a raise," Blaise grumbled, following behind Blair as she led the way out of the apartment and toward the parking garage in the basement.

"Thanks, Tim," Blair said appreciatively when he opened the door - gingerly sitting herself down and grimacing slightly as she adjusted in her seat.

"Of course, Miss," Tim said warmly, closing the door softly.

"Interested in lunch before we head back?" Ezra asked as he slid in beside Blair, nodding at Tim and Blaise in the front to indicate he was ready to go.

"After last time?" Blair snorted, giving Ezra the side-eye, "Probably not wise."

"Do you have enough food for us at your place?" Blaise asked, twisting slightly to smirk at her.

She grimaced, remembering how she'd given away the truth of her cooking skills and the lack of quality ingredients at home.

"Well..." she hesitated, "I could order pizza for us-"

"You said you liked street food," Ezra cut in, his face unreadable, "Do you have a place you go to regularly?"

"Not exactly," Blair admitted, crossing her arms, "I just grab whatever I'm in the mood for when I head to the market. The noodle stand is legit and the meat skewers are excellent, though."

"What if we stopped by the market then," Ezra suggested, "We could grab something to eat and pick up groceries for dinner while we're down there."

Blair considered, noting the pains in her body that screamed for her to say no, but her stubbornness refused to yield to its protests.

"Alright," she finally nodded, tilting her head, "Head to 7th. It's an indoor market, and it's got seating. Plus, it's close enough to the apartment."

Tim nodded in understanding, adjusting his route.

"Bright side," Blair chuckled dryly, "is that it's pretty rare to run into anyone worrying while I'm there. It's a popular spot, but not for... uh... people like Ryan."

"Oh?" Ezra asked, raising an eyebrow, "and why is that?"

"Let me ask you a question," Blair said, smirking, "have you ever been to the market on 7th?"

Ezra blinked, tilting his head... he didn't even know there was a market on 7th.

"No," he admitted.

"It's not a place where people with tons of money go," Blair shrugged, as if his answer proved his point, "Sometimes wealthy ladies that are looking for niche things will browse through, but these kinds of places aren't really for... wealthy people."

"I feel like I need to remind you that you are Blair Ward," Blaise said, glancing back at her with a smirk, "You are literally one of the wealthiest people in the country."

"Sort of," she huffed, looking away with her cheeks puffed up in irritation, "I wanted to walk away from all of that. When I went to teach I didn't use Dad's money, and when I consulted for Ward Industries I just accepted a consulting fee."

"Why is that?" Ezra asked curiously, "Why did you decide to leave it all behind and become Susan all those years ago?"

Blair hesitated, memories flashing in front of her eyes for a moment before she smiled sadly.

"At first, it was Dad's idea to get us exposure to the real world when we first went to college,'" she admitted quietly, still looking out the window but seeing nothing, "My brother and I were both enrolled, and we used fake names for our entire academic careers. The administration knew who we really were for legal reasons, but everything else had our fake names. Even the teachers didn't know. Dad was right - it changed how people interacted with us, and it was a chance for us to see what life was like without the power of Dad's name backing us. It was still in a controlled environment, of course, but it was eye-opening to be treated like everyone else. Then... I met a girl."

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