Ezra was sitting at his desk, bent over contracts that were so poorly written it made his head spin, when a knock sounded at the door.

"Come," he hadn't meant for it to come out as the bark it did.

He was irritated and wanted to get back to the hospital to check on Blaise - but couldn't because these idiots sent him proposals so rough it looked like an intern learning how to use AI had thrown them together.

There had been no choice but to come in, and the frustration and stepping away was clear in every movement.

Sam walked in looking nervous, and Ezra had just enough wherewithal to feel guilty at his tone before Sam spoke up.

"Mr. King," he said nervously, "A man claiming to represent Montgomery Enterprises just called asking to set up a meeting to discuss a proposal between the two companies... but it wasn't your grandfather."

Ezra paused, and a smile that made Sam want to turn around and run slowly spread across Ezra's face - so cold it could freeze the Arctic.

Sam wished, not for the first time, that Blaise was there. Sam had served Blaise with dedication for years, and he loved working for the man. Blaise was the breath of fresh air, the approachable one, and he kept a strong boundary between Ezra and everyone else.

No one else was cut out for Ezra's intensity, Sam thought bitterly.

"He's quite insistent," Sam concluded, the sweat beading in his forehead, "He hoped to make it today, if possible. It was strange, but I-"

"Arrange it," Ezra said coldly, his eyes flashing, "And call Robert up from legal to my office."

Sam paused, blinking in surprise, before he nodded once and rushed out of the office as fast as his feet could carry him without actually running.

The moment the door closed, Ezra called Jackson.

"Grandpa."

Ezra's tone must have given something away because Jackson didn't respond, just waited.

"A representative of Montgomery Enterprises just requested a meeting as soon as possible to discuss a joint project."

"Did they now," Jackson chuckled dryly, "When?"

"Today. Would you like an invitation?"

"Oh, very much so."

"I'll send the details as soon as they're finalized. Bring someone from your legal team. I'm bringing Robert from mine. Oh... and wear that onyx button I got you for your birthday a few years ago."

"I was thinking the same thing. I should dress up for something so important."

"See you soon."

Ezra hung up calmly, then dialed Connor.

"Hey Ezra," Connor breathed, his exhaustion clear in his voice.

"How is he?"

"He's... been better. His parents are with him, and that seems to be helping a lot. He's starting to remember things longer, but he's been pretty down, emotionally. He could use a pick-me-up if you have any ideas."

"Double-chocolate chip cheesecake from that place on 4th," Ezra said quietly, "have them add a dollop of whipped cream and a strawberry on top."

"... that is not in his diet plan..."

"Do it anyway. Have it delivered, don't go get it yourself. Tell them who it's for and they'll take care of it."

Connor was silent for a moment, and Ezra knew he'd get it done. Ezra wanted to take it to him himself, but the truth was he simply wasn't going to be able to make it today.

His knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone at the realization.

"Keep security on him," Ezra emphasized sternly, "All day. No breaks. When you go to check on Blair tonight, make sure you're not followed into the parking garage. Call Stanley from security to escort you to the elevator."

"... that's ominous and concerning."

"Yes. It is."

"Call me when you can give me the details."

"Okay."

Ezra took a couple of long, deep breaths before making his final call.

"Well, if it isn't my husband," Blair's voice carried a light that Ezra hadn't realized he'd needed, and his shoulders relaxed just a fraction of an inch, "I should probably say something sappy... but I'm all out of one liners."

"I guess I'll just have to make due without," he mused, shaking his head, "Listen, I need a crash course on your step father, his schemes, and his weaknesses - you have, oh, probably less than an hour, to give me a full run down."

"Oh, well isn't that an interesting lead," Blair scoffed, "She didn't waste time, did she? It's been what, 2 days?"

"Yep," Ezra grunted, his irritation bubbling back up, "Grandpa is coming, and legal of course. I'm curious to see how this goes. I'd like to understand what I'm walking into first, though."

"Alright, well let's dive into that, shall we? Give me two seconds - I need a coffee for this."

Ezra waited patiently, amused that he was being made to wait and listen to the clanking Blair made as she prepared herself a coffee. Only the Ward heiress would ever be able to get away with something like that, he huffed internally.

"Alright," she finally said, settling in on the couch and pulling up her laptop, "Let's do this. Dial me into a conference call. That way I can send you documents and you can summarize the transcription later."

Moments later, they were both logged in to a virtual conference all using their work accounts - just like any other business meeting.

"Let's begin with reality, then we'll move into perception," Blair began, swiping documents into the chat for him to reference as she spoke, "Ruby Hamilton. My mother's maiden name is Smith, first married name Montgomery. My father's body was not recovered, so he was declared missing initially after the incident. Everything was present for the 'Specific Peril' declaration of death, but I refused and fought to take the 'Standard Disappearance' route instead. I did, however, as my father's secondary power of attorney in the absence of my brother's availability, release the portion of his estate that was labeled her inheritance in the event of his death. I did that pretty quickly to keep her quiet. It was legally documented, and almost entirely money - although there was a property included - so it means that if he comes back she gets to keep it, and gets nothing in the actual event of his death."

"Nothing company related?" Ezra confirmed, "No shares? No title?"

"None. She is not an employee of any entity under the Montgomery Enterprises umbrella, actual or honorary. She holds no shares as far as I'm aware, and certainly not a majority stake even if she managed to scrounge together a few in trade."

Ezra hummed in understanding, taking notes to the side out of habit - he never did trust the transcription summaries entirely, and he remembered better if he wrote it himself.

"Arthur Hamilton," Blair continued, "Ruby Hamilton's second husband. She filed for divorce the moment my father was declared missing, attempting to get a declaration of presumed death to speed up the process. That did not work, but divorce without contesting is pretty fast - she and Arthur were married 6 months after my father's accident. Arthur has a daughter from a previous relationship, Samantha. Samantha is 2 years younger than me. Both Arthur and Samantha have no ties, rights, titles, or positions within or related to Montgomery Enterprises.

However, there was no prenup involved in their marriage. That means Arthur inherently tied himself to the inheritance and property in Ruby's name."

Ezra nodded to himself, none of this new information but glad to be refreshing his memory as Blair spoke.

"I went missing about a month after their official marriage. At that time, they walked into the company with a forged Corporate Proxy Designation, not very different from what I actually did with Jackson. However, they didn't have the family seal. The forgery was honestly a pretty bad work up - they thought no one would look too closely. They didn't make it far before they were physically removed from the building."

Ezra scoffed, looking up at the camera bewildered.

"They really thought they could walk in with their word, a few tears, and a piece of paper that claimed you handed it over due to grief?"

"That's exactly what they thought," Blair shrugged, smirking at the screen, "I told you, they aren't bright."

Her smile fell slightly as she sighed.

"Unfortunately," she continued, "it wasn't exactly cakes and rainbows despite their embarrassing failure. They kept me prisoner for 6 months before I escaped. Their plan was the moment I was released to force me to hand over the seal, to sign the document they'd actually forged to make it real, and to appear in person to confirm the proxy."

"But you left quietly with Helen's help, going abroad where they couldn't reach you."

"Correct," she nodded, "Ryan's mother despised me, and my leaving was an act of pettiness that saved my life. She helped sneak me out of the hospital and wrap up the discharge after I left. By the time Ruby and Arthur found out, I was already on the plane."

--

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