One Man Band System

Eric fell silent, staring down at the letter held in both of his hands. Everything instantly clicked in his head. All this time, he had wondered why Emma had suddenly become so close to him the moment she heard he was his grandfather’s grandson, why Miranda had welcomed him so warmly and even asked him to call her Mom, why Kevin, despite his handsome yet intimidating look, had so easily accepted him being close to his younger sister after just meeting him, and why Miranda had trusted Emma living with him even though they hadn’t known each other for long.

He glanced over at Emma, who was sitting quietly and looking nervous beside him. Her face made it obvious she was terrified Eric would be angry with her for keeping such a massive secret for so long. Eric looked back at the letter, reading it once more and examining the handwriting. There was no mistaking it, it was his father’s handwriting on the original letter, complete with his signature on the notarized document. Letting out a soft sigh, he calmed his racing thoughts. Then, he reached over and took Emma’s hand, prompting her to look up at him in surprise.

"Well... since you were my fiancée all along, that means we didn’t cross any boundaries yesterday," Eric said, offering a smile and a wink.

Emma’s face flushed bright red. A tiny smile broke across her lips before she reached up and gave Eric’s shoulder a gentle swat.

"Don’t say things like that, it’s embarrassing," Emma mumbled softly.

"Still... if you had just told me from the start, I wouldn’t be having such a headache right now... you know what I mean," Eric replied casually, though his head was genuinely spinning.

Silence fell between them again, but this time they held hands, sitting snugly together. Naturally, Emma understood what was weighing so heavily on Eric’s mind, especially given her previous conversations with Chloe, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura, who were all in the same boat. Emma squeezed Eric’s hand, turned to him, and pressed a kiss against his cheek.

"You don’t need to stress over it. This is all my fault for not being upfront from the beginning... and miscalculating things. I’ll fix it, so you don’t have to get involved," Emma said, her tone filled with determination despite her lingering sadness.

"I can’t just dump all of this on you, can I?" Eric asked.

"Mom told me from the start that I should talk to you. But back then, I thought we had only just met. Even though I fell for you at first sight... I wasn’t sure if you felt the same way about me. That’s why I messed up, and since it was my mistake, I’ll take responsibility for it," Emma answered resolutely.

Eric was at a loss for words. He could only hold Emma’s hand tightly, leaning back to stare up at the ceiling while Emma leaned into his shoulder, resting her head against his arm. Even though the quiet hospital hallway felt still, a heavy, invisible pressure continued to hang over them, leaving them both feeling suffocated.

Suddenly, Eric’s smartphone rang, scaring both of them. Eric reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and glanced at the screen. It was Ruby calling. After the third ring, Eric picked up.

"Hey... what’s up, Ruby?" Eric asked.

"Just wanted to let you know that me, Tania, and Tania’s family are all staying at Uncle Joe’s hotel for the weekend. But honestly, I’ll probably be staying here for a while with Tania," Ruby answered.

"Oh... great to hear you made it there safely. Have you met up with Uncle Joe yet?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, and Dad too. Where are you right now?" Ruby asked.

"At the hospital, taking care of some stuff," Eric answered.

"Oh, right... as for why Tania’s family came along too, a car pulled up across the street from the house earlier. The windows were pitch black, so we couldn’t tell if anyone was inside. Tania’s dad said that car had been parked there since yesterday, and none of the neighbors knew whose it was... Is it possible Jason’s guys were spying on me and Tania?" Ruby asked.

"It’s very possible... I’ll report it to Officer Norman right after this," Eric answered.

"Yeah... please do. I already told Uncle Joe about it, along with Tania and her parents... He said he’d take care of it," Ruby said.

"We still need to go through proper legal channels though. Can you text me everything you just said so we have a written record?" Eric asked.

"Sure... I’ll type it out right after this," Ruby answered.

"How’s Dad doing?" Eric asked.

"He’s doing just fine... Oh, gotta go, Tania’s calling me," Ruby answered.

"Alright... don’t forget to send that text," Eric replied.

"Got it... bye," Ruby replied.

The call disconnected, and Eric slipped his smartphone back into his pocket. He then turned to see Emma watching him attentively.

"Ruby?" Emma asked.

"Yeah... she made it safely to Uncle Joe’s hotel. Knowing that really takes a weight off my chest," Eric said with a relief.

"Thank goodness for that," Emma replied.

"We need to head back to Melissa’s room for a bit," Eric said.

"Yeah... I know," Emma replied.

Eric folded the letter in his lap and tucked it neatly back inside the envelope. He handed it back to Emma, who immediately slid it into her wallet. Moments later, a soft chime signaled an incoming notification on Eric’s smartphone. Opening it up, he saw the text message from Ruby had just arrived. Eric showed the screen to Emma, and after she read it, he spoke up.

"Let’s head back to Melissa’s room," Eric suggested, standing up while holding Emma’s hand.

"Yeah... let’s go," Emma replied, rising to her feet.

They walked back down the hospital corridor toward Melissa’s room, which was still posted with the two police officers outside. Once inside, Eric handed his smartphone over to Norman, who immediately read the text. Norman’s eyes darted across the screen as his expression darkened.

"This is spiraling into something bigger. They’ve been tailing your sister everywhere she goes, but at this point, I doubt they’d dare make a move inside Mr. Joe’s hotel," Norman noted.

"I agree, sir. The situation is getting more dangerous by the minute," Eric said.

"Alright, I’ll expedite the investigation and report this directly to Julian. Could you forward this message to my phone?" Norman asked, handing the smartphone back to Eric.

"Of course, sir," Eric answered.

Eric promptly forwarded Ruby’s text to Norman’s smartphone. Norman stood up, bade Melissa farewell, and stepped out of the room to make a phone call. Eric and Emma sat back down beside Melissa’s bed.

"So... did you two finish your private chat?" Melissa asked with a smirk.

"We did... thanks for setting that up," Eric replied, smiling.

"Huh... was it really that obvious I wanted to talk to him in private?" Emma asked, confused.

"Painfully obvious. You really need to learn how to hide your expressions. I’d be happy to give you lessons, haha," Melissa teased.

"Don’t go corrupting her," Eric countered with a laugh.

"See? That’s more like it. Keep smiling. Being all tense like you were earlier just ruins the mood," Melissa replied with a broad smile.

"Uh... now I’m embarrassed," Emma muttered.

After that, Norman returned, reassuring Eric and Emma that Julian and his team were already on the move and telling them not to worry. They spent a few more moments chatting over everything before Eric and Emma finally bade their farewells and took their leave. Shortly after they walked out, a soft chime announced an incoming text on Melissa’s smartphone. She opened it, her eyes widening in shock.

"Melissa, I’ve arrived at your hospital. I’m heading inside now," Vivian’s text read.

"Oh man... I hope Eric and Emma don’t run into her," Melissa muttered nervously, turning pale.

Seeing Melissa’s face turn ghost-white, Norman turned back to look at her with a serious gaze.

"What is it, Mrs. Melissa? Was that text important?" Norman asked.

"N... no, it’s nothing, Officer Norman. That was just a text from Vivian, the one we asked to come here from out of town," Melissa answered.

"Ah... I see," Norman replied.

Meanwhile, as Eric and Emma walked out through the lobby hand in hand, a girl wearing a baseball cap, a face mask, and a black jacket complete with sunglasses appeared up ahead, escorted by two police officers. They passed each other without turning to look, but suddenly the girl stopped dead in her tracks and turned around.

"Eric?"

Hearing the girl’s voice, Eric froze abruptly, a look of shock washing over his face as he recognized the tone immediately. Slowly he turned around, and naturally Emma turned as well. Her eyes widened as Vivian removed her face mask and sunglasses, exposing her face. The two officers accompanying her simply kept quiet and exchanged a glance without stepping in. All three stood frozen in silence, staring at one another from a distance as a heavy hush fell over the lobby entrance.

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