Chapter 1: Hero Saves the Beauty
The cabin door swung open, and Benjamin Smith strolled off the plane.
Once he ditched the airport, Benjamin flagged down a cab, lugging his suitcase along. He told the driver to head straight to the cemetery where his old man was laid to rest. Just a week ago, while he was knee-deep in a mission in Azure Enclave to take out a big-time drug lord, he got the news that his dad was in bad shape. No matter how tough the gig, Benjamin never botched a job.
But this time, for the first time ever, he bailed on the mission and raced back home, hoping to catch his dad before it was too late. Sadly, he was a day late and a dollar short. The day after he got the news, his dad kicked the bucket despite all the emergency efforts.
When he got to the cemetery, Benjamin paid the driver and hauled his suitcase up the hill to find his dad, Daniel Smith's, tombstone.
Benjamin popped open his suitcase, which was packed with prepped offerings. After burning all the stuff in front of Daniel's grave, he laid down a bunch of flowers and dropped to his knees, sobbing, "Dad, I'm sorry I got here too late!"
After the tears dried up, Benjamin couldn't shake the feeling that something was fishy about his dad's death. Why the hell would he just fall off a building? No way Daniel offed himself.
"Dad, don't worry. I'll get to the bottom of this!"
Benjamin locked eyes with Daniel's photo on the tombstone for what felt like forever before finally leaving the cemetery, his face hard as stone.
Next stop, the hospital where Daniel used to work. Benjamin was on a mission to dig up some dirt.
He hadn't been there in seven or eight years, and man, had things changed. At the reception desk, a young nurse in a pink uniform kept sneaking peeks at him, probably thinking he was a total hottie.
"Hey, can you tell me which floor Emma Johnson's on?" Benjamin asked, his eyes flicking from her face to her generous chest under that uniform. The nurse, probably around eighteen or nineteen, had a cute face and looked extra fine in her getup.
"You're looking for Emma? She's on the eighth floor. Turn left when you get out of the elevator; it's the last room," the nurse said, blushing and her heart pounding as she caught him checking her out.
"Cool, thanks!"
After thanking her, Benjamin hopped in the elevator and rode up to the eighth floor, only to realize it was the inpatient department. At the office door, he noticed it was open, and inside, a young female doctor in her twenties was scribbling away at some medical records. She kept frowning, probably an intern stressing over her work.
"Hey, is Emma around?" Benjamin knocked on the door and asked.
The intern, deep in her paperwork, jumped a bit and looked ready to snap. But when she glanced up and saw this ridiculously handsome guy, her anger melted away, and she flashed a smile. "You need something from Director Emma? She's off today!"
Benjamin was surprised. Emma was just an attending physician back in the day. Now she was a director? Time flies.
After a moment, Benjamin said, "Can you give me Emma's phone number? I really need to talk to her. It's urgent."
The intern hesitated but eventually caved, reminding Benjamin to keep it on the down-low that she gave him the number. Benjamin promised to keep it hush-hush, took Emma's number, and headed out. Just as he was about to hit the stairs, a scream echoed down the hallway.
Benjamin spun around to see a super sexy nurse being held by a middle-aged dude, who had a fruit knife pressed against her throat. The guy was clearly losing it, yelling, "Get your director here, or I'll slit her throat!"
The nurses were paralyzed with fear. An older nurse tried to calm him down, "Why take it out on a nurse? If you have an issue, I can report it to the hospital leadership for you!"
The man sneered, "I've written complaint after complaint, and no one gives a damn. I can't even get a meeting with your leaders. I don't want to hurt anyone. Just bring the leaders here, and I'll let her go!"
Benjamin sighed, feeling a pang of sympathy for the desperate guy. But taking a nurse hostage? That was crossing the line. He quietly crept up behind the man, and the nurses, seeing Benjamin move closer, got even more jittery.
The middle-aged man sensed something and whipped around, but before he could even register Benjamin's face, he was out cold. The knife clattered to the floor. The nurse, still in shock, collapsed into Benjamin's arms. He caught her, and suddenly realized his hand was gripping a soft, bouncy part of her body. His fingers even gave it a little squeeze.