The moment they arrived at the hospital emergency entrance, he scooped her up and darted inside.

"We need help!" he shouted, ignoring the whimpers of the woman in his arms.

A nurse at the entrance didn't hesitate, grabbing an orderly and a gurney as they rushed toward them. He didn't hesitate to place her down, repeating exactly as he was told.

"I don't know her, but she said her name is Amelia Foster. She said she has a concussion and broken femur, and-"

"What did you say her name was?!" the nurse gasped, her eyes snapping down to the woman, "Shit! Get her back and into a room right now. Call Dr. Shire - she'll want to come in."

The orderly and the other nurses that had gathered nodded, rolling the woman back without another word. The nurse that had clearly been manning the desk turned to the man then, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Who are you?"

The man raised his eyebrow, his gaze darting toward the woman with fresh intrigue, before returning his eyes to the nurse before him.

"Ezra King," he said, "She was attacked in an alley and I was passing by. Heard her scream and was able to help her fight them off. We brought her straight here."

"We?" the woman asked, pulling out a large, clunky looking phone and clicking a few buttons.

"My driver and I," Ezra said honestly.

"We're going to need you to stay here and give the police a statement," she said sharply, looking up from the phone, "They're on their way now. It shouldn't take too long since it's likely she'll live and be conscious soon."

Ezra nodded, pulling out his cellphone and warning his grandfather that he had witnessed a crime and would be late because he had to give a witness statement.

He knew that wouldn't save him from a scolding from the old coot, but it'd at least keep them from blowing his phone up and wondering where he was.

Then, he sat and waited for the police to arrive - pinging his driver to warn him that he'd likely have to give a statement as well, but that he was welcome to stay in the car for now if he preferred.

"Mr. King?" a woman's voice drew his attention as he wrapped up his statement not even an hour later, and he turned toward her curiously.

"My name is Dr. Shire," the older woman before him said, reaching out to shake his hand, "Amelia asked me to extend her appreciation for your help."

"Of course," he said with a nod, "any decent person would have done the same thing."

"There aren't many of those these days," the doctor snorted, shaking her head, "Amelia is a well-loved volunteer here. So, on behalf of all of us, we want you to know we are thankful."

He raised his eyebrow then, undeniably intrigued by the woman that took on a group of thugs in an alleyway with a pipe without a shred of fear before coming to a hospital where she apparently volunteered enough to be known by the staff.

Still, he had places to be and couldn't dwell on it too much.

"I'm glad I could help," he said simply, handing her his business card, "If she needs anything, she can call. Unfortunately, I do have to-"

A commotion down the hall interrupted them and drew their eyes instantly.

"Amelia, don't do this!"

Ezra had intended to leave then, but hearing Amelia's name he hesitated.

Dr. Shire rushed away, forgetting Ezra entirely, and motioned for security to accompany her. The moment she pushed the curtain away she saw a pale, scowling Amelia trying to pull her hand away from a man that was clearly unwelcome.

"Escort this man out," Dr. Shire barked immediately, stepping aside for the security.

"No, you can't!" Ryan argued, tightening his hold on Amelia's hand, "You called me! I'm her emergency contact."

"Make him leave," Amelia said, her voice weak but her eyes sharp, "And remove him from my contacts."

"Amelia, we've been together years," he tried, his voice cracking with panic, "Don't throw that away for-"

"I don't bother with cheating scum," she scowled, yanking her hand away as the security guards grabbed Ryan by the arms, "Don't touch me."

"Amelia, stop being ridiculous," Ryan roared, "You're nothing without me! Who the fuck else would take someone broken like you?!"

Ezra's gaze darkened then, watching the man fighting the security guards as he was forcibly dragged out of the hospital. Thankfully the police were still present, and when Ryan was released and tried to dart back inside they grabbed him.

"Think it through, boy," the older man growled, "You want to go to jail tonight?"

"I'm her boyfriend," Ryan spit, "You can't keep me from her!"

"You've been dumped," Ezra said, drawing Ryan's angry eyes, "You don't have to like it, but you do have to accept it."

"No!" Ryan shouted, "She's confused, that's all. It's a mistake! She just needs to clear her head!"

"Jail it is," the cop said, nodding at the security guards and dragging a screaming Ryan toward his car.

Too much drama, Ezra thought, shaking his head at the display.

With a final nod to the nurse, Ezra headed to his car and urged the driver to take him home.

He still had a grandfather to deal with.

On a whim, he messaged the hospital administrator.

'Rose, keep an eye on one of your patients, Amelia Foster. ER. Her ex is stalking her. Potentially violent. Give her a room. Release her tomorrow morning. Assign security to her overnight.'

'Understood Mr. King.'

He barely had time to think through his decision before they arrived, and his eyes panned up to the enormous estate where he was sure to get an ear full.

Why else would his grandfather have dragged him home?

Sighing through his nose as he got out of the car, he nodded to his driver, and headed inside. He nodded again to the housekeeper that took his jacket, put on his slippers, and straightened his back as he headed into the sitting room.

"It's about time, brother."

His sister's grating voice had him tensing his jaw before he even turned to face her, and his frown only deepened when he saw her smug looking husband sat beside her on the couch.

Great, he thought sarcastically, just what I need - buzzing insects while dealing with family nonsense.

"How did it go with the witness statement," his grandfather asked in that stern voice he always used.

Ezra turned to face the man in the wheelchair sitting beside the chessboard as if he were atop a throne. His grandfather might be old now, but his aura hadn't dwindled despite his age.

If anything, the loss of his son nearly a decade ago then his wife just three years past had only hardened him.

"It went fine," Ezra sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in irritation, "I witnessed an assault and had to take the victim to the hospital. She's going to be fine, though, and the police are handling it."

"Hmm," his grandfather hummed lowly, his frown deepening, "You shouldn't be involved in others' affairs Ezra. Invites trouble."

"Good people don't walk by people being jumped by a group of thugs with pipes and do nothing," Ezra snapped, "What did you need? I'm sure you didn't call me here to chastise me for being a Good Samaritan."

The old man's gaze darkened and he clenched his jaw in irritation. He struggled with his feelings on his grandson's behavior - clearly he was everything this family needed and yet he was still a thorn in his side.

"I'm ready to retire," the man said stiffly, sitting up straight, "You have three months to introduce a fiancé, formally, to me, or my shares go to your sister."

Ezra ignored the way his sister and her husband preened, and so did his grandfather - neither truly wanting to deal with their nonsense.

Everyone knew who he wanted to inherit his shares, and his grand-daughter was absolutely not the right choice. However, he had learned over his long life that a CEO without someone to ground him, someone to challenge him, was doomed to fail. His grand-daughter wasn't as sharp as Ezra, but she and her husband made a good team. They would balance each other out in a way that Ezra was unable to achieve on his own.

"You give the shares to them, put them on the board, and they will destroy the company within 5 years," Ezra said tightly, refusing to mince words even as his sister and brother-in-law shouted out in anger.

"You do not have a good work-life balance, Ezra," his grandfather said, ignoring the yelling couple as if they weren't there, "You are a good CEO. Efficient and sharp. I have given you plenty of time, plenty of demands - this is not new, so I will not harp on you about timeline or my reasons again. You will bring someone home to introduce to me in the next three months, or you will forfeit your right to my shares. Your role will remain, but your sister and her husband will become the balance you need on the board if you cannot bring a wife to fill the role."

He knew it wasn't an ideal solution. He knew it would invite infighting and drama.

Yet, he had other priorities and a promise to keep - it was time for his grandson to step up or deal with the consequences. This was the best idea he could come up with to force him to choose.

Ezra clenched his jaw, nodded once, and spun on his heel - ignoring everyone and everything as he left the estate and slipped into the waiting car.

The entire drive back to his penthouse he fumed, cursing the old man in his mind.

He had more important things to worry about than power-hungry women and men that only wanted him for his title, his money, or his power. He'd dated, of course, over the years, and not a single person had lasted for longer than a few months.

They were either fake or boring, and neither was something he was willing to settle for.

Even as he slipped into bed, the names and faces of every person he could think running through his mind, he couldn't think of a single person he was willing to give a ring.

I'm going to have to get creative, he grumbled to himself as he finally drifted to sleep.

--

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