One Man Band System

A few hours later, after returning from the hospital, they all headed back to the penthouse. The group settled around the sofa, with Eric keeping quiet while staring at his smartphone. Meanwhile, Emma, Chloe, Monica, Priya, Heidi, Laura, and Tania sat surrounding the coffee table, all still deeply shaken by what had just transpired.

"Ring,"

Eric’s smartphone buzzed—Norman was calling again. Eric picked up on the third ring.

"Mr. Norman?" Eric asked.

"Are you and the others back home, sir?" Norman asked.

"Yes, sir, we’re safe now," Eric answered.

"Thank goodness. For the next few days, it would be best if you and the others stay indoors. We’re going to keep pursuing the perpetrator," Norman said.

"Oh... the bomber hasn’t been caught yet, sir?" Eric asked.

"The pursuit is still ongoing. We’ll keep you updated on any developments. I’ll take my leave now," Norman said.

"Alright, sir, thank you," Eric replied.

The call ended. Afterward, Eric went through a flood of messages, mostly from Miranda, Layla, Anna, and Vicky asking about their daughters, along with messages from Joe and Ruby inquiring about Tania’s condition. Eric replied to every single one. Once he finished texting back, he set his smartphone down and turned to look at Emma, who sat in complete silence, lost in thought.

"Um... so... who won the competition?" Eric asked.

"Huh?"

The six girls plus Tania all turned to stare at Eric, looking shocked that he would ask something like that while they were still reeling from the shock.

"The competition got postponed until further notice," Tania answered.

"Ah, I see... Ruby was asking about you earlier," Eric replied.

"Yeah... I know, I replied to her text back in the car... I saw your brother at the competition earlier... right when I was performing... and not long after, news broke out that there was a bomb at the back," Tania answered, holding both of her arms as she visibly shuddered.

"Huh... is that true?" Eric asked, taken aback.

"Yeah... he left right after I finished. I already gave my statement to the police earlier," Tania answered, still holding both of her arms.

"But... how could he have known that Tania and Emma were competing in the piano semifinals today?" Chloe asked.

"That’s the weird part. There’s no way anyone here told him, right?" Heidi asked.

"No... the piano competition wasn’t a closed event anyway. Outsiders were allowed to watch, even if seating was limited, right, Emma?" Priya asked.

"Yeah... that’s true, but usually the attendees are fellow pianists or orchestra members. It’s not really a general crowd thing," Emma answered, deep in thought.

"At least the event organizers acted fast. All the contestants got out safely before the bomb blew up," Monica said.

"Yeah... imagine if everyone was still trapped inside... I can’t even picture it," Laura added.

"So what did the police say, babe?" Emma asked.

"The suspect is still on the run. They’ll update us once there’s any progress. For now, they advised us to stay indoors for the next few days," Eric answered.

Everyone fell silent immediately. This situation had gotten dead serious; what started out as a family matter had escalated into a massive, life-threatening crisis. The silence turned suffocating and deeply uncomfortable. Laura turned to look at Eric.

"Want to just head over to Uncle Joe’s place? It’s definitely safer over there," Laura suggested.

"What does everyone think? Should we just stay over there for a few days?" Eric asked.

"What about school, though?" Priya asked.

"Just call in sick for now," Eric answered.

"I’m fine either way, but if we want to play it safe, staying there really is the best move," Heidi replied.

"Great, that means I get to go back home," Tania said.

"Yeah, that’s right. Tania’s been staying there since last week," Chloe noted.

"I’m all for it. I already told my mom there’s no way I’m going to school tomorrow anyway," Monica said.

"Alright then. Laura, please let Uncle Joe know, okay? The rest of you pack your things, we’re leaving now," Eric said.

"Okay," Laura replied, standing up and pulling her smartphone out of her pants pocket.

Everyone sprang into action, except for Emma and Tania, who remained seated at the end of the sofa with their heads down. Emma then looked over at Eric, who was also still sitting there, deep in thought.

"Babe... this... is my dad’s doing, isn’t it?" Emma asked.

"I don’t know... but Tania mentioned Jason was there... so chances are, yes," Eric answered.

"I’m still trying to figure out how he could possibly know the piano competition schedule. That schedule is strictly accessible only by the school, the contestants, and the music organizations, right?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, that’s true. I was wondering about that myself, but I definitely recognized your brother. Besides having met him before, Ruby also showed me his photo just to make sure and keep it fresh in my mind," Tania answered.

"Alright... don’t overthink it too much. Just leave it to the police," Eric replied.

"I can’t just ignore it, babe. It’s giving me the creeps, what if I’m being watched in secret and someone stalking me? That’s terrifying," Emma countered.

"Hmm... yeah, you’ve got a point," Eric replied.

"Hmm... come to think of it... this happened way back when we were in elementary school... but do you remember sports day at school? Your dad showed up, and your mom went completely ballistic," Tania said to Emma.

Emma paused to think. Of course she remembered that exact incident. Turning to face Tania, Emma pulled out her smartphone and navigated to her contacts. She tapped a name and placed the phone on the coffee table. Eric could see that Emma was calling her mom. On the second ring, Miranda picked up.

"Hello, Emma? What’s going on?" Miranda asked, sounding slightly panicked.

"Mom... besides you, the school, and Eric, who else knew I was competing in the piano match today?" Emma asked.

"Hmm? Nobody. Why, what happened?" Miranda asked.

"There were a few suspicious people who came to watch the match today... Mom, you obviously know who those people are, so I don’t even need to say their names," Emma answered.

A long silence followed. It sounded like Miranda had just stood up and was walking toward another room in her house, the soft slap of her slippers echoing through the line. Then came the sound of her sinking heavily into a chair.

"So the bombing earlier... was likely pulled off by that monster’s people?" Miranda asked in a cold, measured tone.

"It’s just a hunch for now, Mom. That’s why I’m asking—besides you, the school, and Eric, you didn’t tell anyone else, right?" Emma asked.

"Maybe Kevin, but he’s currently on duty, so there’s no way he would go around telling anyone," Miranda answered.

"Oh, I see. No problem then," Emma said.

"Hmm... actually, is Eric around? Can I speak with him for a moment?" Miranda asked.

"What’s up, Auntie?" Eric chimed in.

"Try stepping away from Emma for a second," Miranda answered.

Eric immediately glanced at Emma, who nodded and clapped a hand over her mouth, then at Tania, who did the exact same thing. Eric pretended to stand up, walked around the back of the sofa, and sat right back down.

"I’m away, Auntie. What is it?" Eric asked.

"I don’t know if this is relevant or not... but there is one other person who knew Emma was competing today," Miranda answered.

Eric turned to look at Emma, whose eyes went wide, and Tania, who looked instantly hooked—both of them still keeping their hands glued over their mouths.

"Who, Auntie?" Eric asked.

"I told Wesley... he mentioned he wanted to watch, even if quietly from the sidelines, since he can’t just show up in public like that," Miranda answered.

Eric’s eyes went wide, and so did Emma’s and Tania’s. Emma’s face flushed bright red, she desperately wanted to blurt out a question, but Tania stopped her by yanking her back.

"Don’t tell Emma, okay? I haven’t told her yet that Wesley is her brother and Kevin’s twin," Miranda added.

"Yeah, Auntie... I understand," Eric said.

"Alright then... go ahead and hang up before Emma gets suspicious," Miranda said.

"Sure thing, Auntie. Hanging up now," Eric said.

Eric disconnected the call, then turned to face Emma, who looked furious, resentful, and utterly enraged, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You knew about that and you didn’t tell me?!" Emma snapped, yelling directly at Eric.

"I’m sorry. Your mom made me promise not to tell you," Eric replied, lowering his head.

"Why would you do that to me? I trusted you, you know? Just how long have you known about this?" Emma asked furiously, with Tania holding her back.

"Ever since we met him on that hiking trip... I had a hunch he was your brother because he and Kevin look identical... I’m so sorry, babe," Eric replied, keeping his head down.

"I need to talk to Mom... why on earth would she keep this a secret from me?" Emma said, reaching for her phone.

"Please don’t, babe... don’t... your mom definitely has her reasons for keeping it secret, please try to understand. I know I’m in the wrong and I should’ve told you, but I couldn’t break my promise to your mom," Eric said.

"Ugh... forget it, I don’t even want to look at you right now. I’m going to pack," Emma said angrily.

Emma then stormed into her room, leaving behind Eric, who looked thoroughly stressed and rubbed his forehead out of guilt and discomfort, alongside Tania, who stood there completely stunned, at a loss for words. Finally,

"Um... I’ll just head inside to help Emma out," Tania said, standing up.

Without waiting for Eric’s reply, Tania walked, almost sprinted, into the bedroom to help pack, leaving a headache-ridden Eric all by himself.

"So Wesley knew... is he in touch with Emma’s dad? That could actually be it... should I mention this to Detective Norman? Man, my head hurts," Eric said in his head.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!