One Man Band System

About an hour and a half later, "Welcome, little lady boss," the hotel doors swung open, and the group was immediately greeted by bodyguards, with Laura leading the way. They were escorted to the front desk to grab their respective room keys. Eric stole a glance at Emma, who hadn’t said a single word to him since they left the penthouse, throughout the entire ride, all the way until they arrived at the hotel.

"She’s still furious," Eric muttered to himself, feeling a bit down and at a loss.

After picking up their keys, Monica, Chloe, Priya, Heidi, Laura, and Tania said their goodbyes to Eric. They all trailed behind Emma, who had already walked ahead. Looking at their faces, it was clear they felt guilty and actually wanted to hang out with Eric. Eventually, they all stepped into the elevator, leaving Eric standing alone in the lobby. "Sigh," Eric ran a hand through his hair and let out a heavy breath.

"Looks like this is going to be a mess... what am I even supposed to do now?" Eric thought to himself.

The receptionist handed him his room key, but Eric didn’t head up right away. He sat down in the lobby, lost in thought. Leaning his head back, he stared up at the sky-high hotel ceiling, pondering. He had no idea how long he sat there until, "ring," an incoming call flashed on his smartphone screen. Seeing the caller ID, his eyes widened, and he picked up without delay.

"Hello," Eric greeted.

A long pause followed, accompanied by the sound of quiet sobbing on the other end, making Eric’s heart pound in his chest. After a few moments,

"Eric, I am so sorry. Emma just called me... she said she knows everything now... and now she’s furious at both me and you... I’m so sorry for dragging you into this mess," Miranda said.

"It’s fine, Auntie," Eric replied, not really knowing what else to say.

"There’s something I need to explain to you... the reason I kept Wesley a secret from Emma... is because Wesley was initially angry with me, Kevin, and Emma. He didn’t know the truth, and that man... Arthur... he got to Wesley first and twisted the entire narrative... In Wesley’s eyes, I’m the villain, and he believes he needs to rescue Emma from me," Miranda said.

"If that’s the case, why did you tell him about the competition? You obviously know what kind of relationship Wesley has with his father, right?" Eric said, feeling a surge of irritation.

A long pause hung over the line. Miranda could be heard taking a deep breath, likely wiping away her tears and pulling herself together.

"Yeah... at first, I genuinely thought he wanted to get to know his sister... Turns out I was wrong... so... how things spiraled into this mess is completely my fault. I already spoke with a police officer I know about this before calling you," Miranda said.

This time, Eric fell silent. He had initially assumed Miranda would defend her own actions and double down, but he never expected her to apologize and even reach out to her contact in the police force.

"I understand, Auntie... So... how is Emma doing?" Eric asked.

"She blew up earlier and said she didn’t want to talk to me anymore, then... Chloe took over the phone and told me you’re all staying at Joe’s place. You’ll be safe there, so for now, I’m asking you to please keep an eye on Emma... I know I shouldn’t be asking for favors after what I did, but... there’s no other choice," Miranda answered.

"I’ll try talking to Emma," Eric replied.

"No need... Emma is strong. For now, just leave her be. When she’s ready to talk... she’ll come around," Miranda replied.

"Alright... I get it, Auntie," Eric replied.

"I’ll hang up now. I still have a guest at home—the officer I mentioned earlier. He happened to be off duty today and came over directly," Miranda said.

"Okay... please stay safe, Auntie, and take care of yourself," Eric replied.

"Don’t worry, alright, I’m hanging up now," Miranda replied.

"Okay, Auntie," Eric replied.

The call disconnected. Eric stared at his smartphone screen, glanced over toward the elevators, and then leaned back in his seat after setting the phone on the table. "Ting," the elevator chime rang out. Eric paid it no mind since he was sitting in a public hotel lobby and anyone could be riding the elevators. But just a few moments later,

"Eric,"

Eric turned around and looked back to see Martin standing behind him. Martin walked over and took a seat right across from him.

"Hey, Dad," Eric said.

"Ruby and Tania mentioned you were hanging out downstairs, so I decided to head down. Right now, they’re upstairs hanging out with Monica and Heidi," Martin replied.

"Oh... okay," Eric replied tersely.

Martin studied his son’s face. He knew exactly what was bothering the boy, even if he had never been one to show it out loud. He opened his mouth to ask, but closed it right back up, swallowing whatever question he was about to voice. In the end, he simply sat across from his son in complete silence, keeping company with the visibly troubled young man. He never expected Eric to be the one to break the silence first.

"Have you heard the whole story, Dad?" Eric asked.

"Yes... Tania already filled me in on everything. I’m just thankful nobody got hurt and all of you are safe," Martin answered.

Silence fell between them once again, creating a quiet atmosphere. Yet, it wasn’t a stiff or suffocating silence, nor was it peaceful—it felt more like the quiet calm before an oncoming storm. After a brief pause,

"I’m sorry, Eric. If I knew things were going to end up like this, I should have gone to see Jason instead of hiding out here," Martin said suddenly.

Eric lifted his head, looking at his father’s face. While Martin maintained his usual stoic expression, there was a clear sense of weight and regret lingering in his eyes.

"This isn’t your fault, Dad... Going to see Jason would only make things extremely dangerous... We both know what Jason is after and what he wants to do to you, so don’t talk about meeting him in a situation like this. That man is beyond reasoning with, and I honestly can’t fathom what his real goal was in pulling off what he did today," Eric countered.

"You’re right... it’s just... when I heard Tania mention that she saw Jason sitting among the audience while she was performing... I was furious... I never raised him to turn out like this," Martin replied.

Eric went quiet for a moment. He knew all too well how Martin had brought up his children, he had always been distant with Eric, while spoiling Jason and Ruby to no end and constantly taking their side. With Eric already in a terrible mood, he finally aired it all out.

"The ones who raised Jason to become who he is today are undoubtedly you and Mom... You two spoiled him way too much and shielded him from everything, so he never had to face a single consequence. From the time he was a kid until now, his behavior hasn’t changed one bit... The same goes for Ruby. She only changed recently because she almost fell down a dark path, also thanks to Jason’s antics. Do you get it now, Dad?" Eric said, laying it all on the line in a calm, steady voice.

Martin lifted his head, looking up at Eric, who was staring back at him with a cold, expressionless glare. For a brief five seconds, Martin’s face visibly shifted; it was clear Eric’s words struck a painful nerve, hitting him like a runaway freight train and piercing straight through his chest. Yet, his expression quickly reverted back to a stoic mask. He remained completely silent, staring down at his limp hands resting on his thighs.

Yet what Eric said was completely true. Deep down, Martin could feel it and had actually known it for a long time, he just refused to admit it to himself. A faint smile appeared on his face.

"I deserve every single word of that," Martin said softly.

Hearing Martin’s response, Eric flinched slightly. He had only just realized that he had let out his innermost feelings completely unfiltered. But he knew that if he pulled his punches, his father would never truly understand. He simply let his father sit in silence across from him. Before long, however, Martin lifted his head and stood up.

"Alright then, I’m heading back upstairs. I still have a few things to take care of," Martin said with a small smile.

"Okay, Dad," Eric replied, looking down without meeting his father’s eyes.

Martin walked past Eric, but as he passed by, he rested a hand on Eric’s shoulder for a brief moment before continuing toward the elevators. "Ting," the elevator doors were heard opening and closing shortly after. Eric sat in silence, leaning his head back against the seat once more. "Ding," a message notification chimed on his smartphone, but he paid it no mind, leaving the phone tucked away inside his pants pocket.

"I’m... tired... genuinely exhausted," Eric said in his head.

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