Chapter 5 The Youngest CEO

Ezra lay on his bed, tossing a ball up and catching it, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. His mind kept drifting back to the strange girl he had met two days ago. He had just spent a few hours on the court, trying to tire himself out and forget, but it was useless. She was still on his mind. Eventually, he let the ball drop onto the bed and sat up, exhausted from a night of barely any sleep.

He had dreamed of Emma over and over, and the dreams lingered even after he woke. Scott kept telling him to call the police, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He felt stuck. All he could think about was her smile—annoying, distracting, impossible to forget.

A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. “Come in,” he called, and his mother, Josie, stepped inside, holding a plate. Her wavy brown hair framed a youthful face with bangs; you wouldn’t think she had two grown kids. She approached him with a worried look.

“It’s Sunday, and you’re not even getting ready for church,” she said. Josie loved church and wished everyone else in the house did too. She set the plate on the table and looked at him again. “You’ve been home since yesterday morning and haven’t gone out. That’s so unlike you. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Mom. You should go before you’re late and make God angry,” he joked. She smiled faintly. He glanced at the plate. “What’s that?”

“Leftover cake from Grandma’s birthday.”

“Why give it to me? Give it to Dad or Cody.”

“I can’t give cake to Cody. He’s a dog. And Winter refuses to come home. I don’t know if she’s doing it to annoy your dad or something else. Maybe sending her to that boarding school in England was a mistake. I should’ve thought about it more.” She sighed. Ezra didn’t react.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said. “I told you she’d be upset about going to England, but no one listens to me. Now you’re dealing with the result.” He leaned back on his pillow. “You should go. If you miss the second service, don’t come crying to me… I’ll eat the cake.”

Before leaving, she looked back at him. “Make sure you eat it, okay?” He didn’t answer, so she left the room.

Alone again, he closed his eyes and groaned. Even trying to nap felt impossible. He reached for the cake, but when he realized it was vanilla, he frowned and set the plate back on the table with an annoyed sigh.

He got up and left his room. Cody ran to him as soon as he stepped into the living room. Ezra patted his head and went to the fridge, suddenly aware of how hungry he was. He hadn’t eaten properly the day before. He had been so wrapped up in wanting her back that he forgot about himself completely. Even to the point of starving.

All he could think about was holding her again. But it wasn’t just missing her. He was angry too. He was angry at himself for not being more upset that she took so much from him. His car was gone. The money he saved for his sister was gone. And the more he thought about it, the more it hurt.

Oh, boy.

Winter popped into his mind, and Ezra felt a wave of dread. He hadn’t told her about the money yet, and she was probably furious. He opened the fridge, stomach growling, only to find it empty. It looked like his mom had served everything for breakfast already.

He closed the fridge with a sigh and turned to Cody. “This is what I get for not spending enough time with my family. Come on, buddy, let’s go find some food, huh?” Cody wagged his tail and licked Ezra’s pants, happy as long as he had food, a roof over his head, and plenty of attention.

Ezra stepped outside, pulled out his phone, and called Scott. He needed a ride, but he hadn’t told his parents that a girl had taken his car since he got home. He wasn’t going to admit it. He’d just say his car went missing at the party and he couldn’t find it, and his parents would probably believe him.

“Hey, man!” Scott answered, his voice teasing. “It’s weird for you to call. What’s up?”

“I need a ride. Are you free?” Ezra asked, a little annoyed at having to ask. They’d been friends forever. Childhood friends, schoolmates, college classmates. “Please say you can help.”

“Look who finally got out of bed!” Scott laughed.

“Very funny. I’m just really hungry and need some food,” Ezra admitted, stomach growling again.

“You don’t have to go anywhere. I’ll bring it. Hang tight, I’ll be there soon,” Scott said, then hung up.

Ezra went back inside, looking around the empty house. His dad wasn’t home yet unless he would’ve heard him if he was. After a few minutes, the sound of a car pulling up outside made him smile.

Scott popped his head out of the car, grinning. “That was quick, huh?”

Ezra nodded. “I’m just glad you didn’t get pulled over for speeding.”

Scott grabbed the food from the back seat. “My dad’s rich, so the police will let me off. I’m Scott Jones, after all,” he said with a wink, handing Ezra a bag. He glanced down at Cody. “And I didn’t forget you, buddy. Got you a little something too.”

Ezra went inside. Cody bounced around, barking happily at Scott. In the kitchen, Ezra opened the food. “Good thing you brought chicken. I’ve been craving it since yesterday,” he said, setting out an extra plate.

“How can you be hungry when some girl just ran off with your car and money?”

Ezra turned to him with a frown. “So you want me to starve because some girl took my stuff?”

“A car worth millions, too. I still don’t get why you haven’t called the police.”

Ezra sighed. “We talked about this yesterday. I can’t involve the police.”

Scott’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you’re already falling for her.” Ezra stayed quiet and Scott shook his head. “Seriously? What’s wrong with you? You just met her! That’s not how this works!”

“I’m not in love with her,” Ezra said. But the truth was, he had thought about her all night. Maybe… he was falling for her, or maybe he already had. “I just thought she’d call me and…” He trailed off, unsure.

“And what? After a stunt like that, girls like her don’t come back, Ezra. You need to learn from me.”

Ezra frowned. “That’s exactly what you don’t get, Scott. I’m not like you. I’m not a playboy, and I don’t sleep with my best friend’s girlfriend!”

Scott went quiet for a moment, looking away. Then he met Ezra’s eyes again. “I—I thought we moved past this.”

Ezra groaned, memories hitting him. The betrayal of Heather and Scott had followed him through college. Scott always chased girls who flaunted their looks, and Heather had been one of them.

“I’ve apologized more times than I can count. I regret messing around with your girlfriend.”

“Ex-girlfriend,” Ezra corrected, voice steady but hurt. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m still friends with you. You hurt me, man. I get that you liked her, but you should have thought about me. And don’t say you did.”

Scott hesitated. “Well, I did think of you… but honestly, Heather didn’t deserve you. I always knew she’s a—” He stopped when he saw Ezra’s face and muttered, “I’m sorry.”

Ezra sighed. “I noticed the way she looked at you, Scott. I really think she had feelings for you. More than for me. I loved her, but I stepped back for your sake. I let her go so you could have a chance, but in the end, you hurt her.”

Scott fiddled nervously with his car key. “You know me. Relationships aren’t my thing. I wasn’t the right one for her, and she wanted more,” he said, glancing at Cody, who happily chewed on a dog biscuit. “When he’s this sweet, it makes me smile.”

Ezra finished his food, feeling not ready to talk about Heather Walls. He was glad when Scott changed the topic. “Yeah, that’s just Cody being Cody,” He said, keeping it light.

Then Scott’s eyes lit up. “Hey, why don’t we hit a party tonight? You might meet someone new and maybe stop thinking about Emma for a bit.”

“No. Thanks. I am done with parties.” Ezra started heading upstairs. Just then, he saw his dad coming out of his room and he paused. “You’ve been in there the whole time?”

Ben chuckled. “If not here, where else would I be? I was actually coming to find you.”

“About what?” Ezra asked, curious.

“I’ve been thinking… Now that you’ve graduated and I’ve seen your growth, how would you feel about a promotion?”

Ezra was taken aback. “A promotion?” He’d been working at his dad’s company as an intern before graduation, learning the ropes and proving himself.

“Yes. You’ve done your intern work well, and I think it’s time I take a rest and put my firstborn in charge. I’m thinking of making you the CEO.”

“What?” Ezra’s jaw dropped.

“I’ve thought it through.”

“But Dad, It’s too fast…and, and I’m still too young to manage an entire company—”

“It’ll do us good too.” He cut him off and placed a hand on his shoulder. “The attention will be on us, and people will want to see what you’re capable of. You’d also become one of the youngest CEOs out there at twenty-five.”

Ezra was speechless. He had done well, yes, but taking over this early?

“Is it something I can really do?” he asked.

“If not now, then when?” Ben replied. “We have to take a risk, and I don’t mind taking a risk with my first born.”

He nodded. “Then I… I would love that,” Ezra said, excitement and disbelief battling in his voice.

Ben smiled proudly. “I know you’ll make us proud.”

Ezra’s heart raced. The weight of responsibility pressed on him, but so did delight. He was officially in charge.

The youngest CEO.