One Man Band System

Meanwhile, a few hours later at the hospital, "click," Norman held the handle of the room door and glanced back at Melissa, who was lying in bed, before stepping out.

"Thank you for your statement, Ms. Melissa. I hope you have a speedy recovery and get out of here soon. We’ll keep you updated as the case develops. Have a good day," Norman said politely.

Melissa, whose bed had been rolled up slightly so she could sit, simply nodded without saying a word, and Norman nodded back before heading out. Once the door clicked shut, Melissa stared blankly at it, her hands resting on top of each other in her lap. She looked down at her legs, which were still encased in casts, and her arm, which was also in a cast.

A moment later, a nurse stepped back inside and helped Melissa lie back down, lowering the bed gently. She checked Melissa’s IV, chatting softly with her while wrapping up her work, and advised her to get some rest before leaving the room. After the door closed, Melissa just lay there, staring up at the ceiling in a daze.

But this time, a flurry of emotions crossed her face as she replayed everything Norman had just told her, how Blake had been acting like a total parasite, how he had actively intended to kill her, and how he had taken a payout from the very man who murdered their father.

"What a complete idiot... I gave him a shot at a straight life, and he gambled it all away... just a truly pathetic excuse for a little brother," Melissa thought to herself.

Once she calmed down, she closed her eyes, her mind shifting to what Norman had mentioned about Paul and Mason. He had detailed how they were exposed, captured, hit with a sweeping federal investigation, and locked away in prison with no way out. On top of that, they had confessed to using company funds to pay bribes and cover up the tracks of their two sons.

And through all of that, it was Eric’s face that mirrored in her mind. Without realizing it, a smile crept onto her lips, and tears began to track down her cheeks. Yet at the same time, a wave of sadness hit her; her sole purpose in life had vanished into thin air, leaving her completely lost. Her future felt entirely blank and directionless. Even so, she didn’t blame Eric at all for stripping everything away from her, despite the warning she had given him back at the bar.

"One to one... we’re even," Melissa thought to herself with a smile.

She pictured Eric, thinking about his recorded music videos and where he was at in life right now. She reached out slowly, grabbing her cracked smartphone from the nightstand beside her bed.

She pulled up Eric’s video and listened to the song "Betrayal Enigma" by The Empress. As she absorbed the lyrics and let them sink in, a sudden realization struck her. She slowly opened her bloodshot eyes and stared at the ceiling, the smile fading from her face entirely.

"Alright... now I know exactly what I need to do. I’m going to protect Eric without him ever finding out. As for Vivian, I’ll let her go. My target now is the bastard who betrayed me and stabbed Eric in the back. I know for a fact he won’t stop coming after Eric, especially now that Eric is famous for his music and surrounded by beautiful, wealthy girls," Melissa resolved in her mind.

Melissa closed her eyes once more, letting the rhythm of the music fill the hospital room that had been completely silent just moments before, a complicated expression resting on her face.

***

At the exact same time, back at Eric’s grandfather’s building, Eric walked downstairs after seeing Mike and Jade off. Locking the door behind them, he took a seat behind the counter and scanned the room, quietly reflecting on everything. Jade’s parting words—warning him to watch his back—still echoed in his mind. He weighed them seriously, entirely devoid of emotion.

After a few moments, he simply leaned back against the wall, grunting as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Whatever. I have absolutely nothing to do with those people anymore," Eric thought to himself.

He then pulled up his system inventory and noticed an item labeled "Luxury jewelry box." Tapping it, a flash of light materialized on the counter, leaving behind an antique gold jewelry box. He stepped forward and opened it, revealing ten gold pendant necklaces. Each chain featured a diamond-encrusted musical symbol: the treble clef, the bass clef, and the alto/tenor clef, with three of each design, alongside a single neutral clef signature.

What really caught Eric’s eye, however, was a small holographic screen hovering right above the ten necklaces, reading "necklace of protection." Skimming the description, he learned the pieces served as wards against physical danger, malicious intent, and misfortune.

"Hmm... interesting... I’ll take this one," Eric muttered.

He picked out a gold necklace with the alto clef pendant and slipped it around his neck, smiling down at the piece before tucking it beneath his shirt. He closed the jewelry box and carried it upstairs. Stepping onto the fourth floor, he found the six girls, still in their school uniforms, lounging on the couch and watching television.

Eric walked over and slid onto the sofa right between Emma and Chloe, setting the jewelry box down on the coffee table. Naturally, the exquisite box instantly caught the attention of Emma, Chloe, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura. They swarmed in closer to inspect it.

"What’s this?" Emma asked, pointing at the box as she turned to look at Eric.

Eric just smiled without a word and popped it open. The six girls’ eyes widened at the sight of the luxurious, delicately sized diamond pendants gleaming inside. Eric lifted a treble clef necklace and turned to Emma. He placed it directly into her hand. She stared down at her palm in confusion, though her eyes were sparkling.

"For you," Eric said with a smile.

"This... is for me?" Emma asked, looking at the necklace.

"Yep... here, let me put it on you," Eric replied.

"Okay... thanks," Emma said.

Emma turned around and swept her hair over her shoulder. Eric brought the chain around from behind and fastened the clasp. When Emma turned back to face him, a massive smile broke across her face.

"How does it look?" Emma asked.

"It looks perfect on you," Eric answered, giving her a thumbs-up and a smile.

Suddenly, Eric felt a wave of intense heat, freezing cold, daggers, and grumbling radiating from behind him. Turning around, he saw Chloe, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura all glaring at him with heavy pouts. Eric immediately leaned back a bit and raised his hands defensively.

"Okay... relax. I fully intend to give one to all of you, no exceptions," Eric said, a little flustered.

Without wasting another second, Eric handed a bass clef to Chloe, a treble clef to Priya, an alto clef to Monica, a bass clef to Heidi, and the neutral clef to Laura. He dropped the pieces into their respective hands, but the five girls kept their faces firmly set in pouts.

"Put it on me," all five of them said in unison, turning around and pulling their hair out of the way, except for Laura.

"Sigh... alright," Eric said patiently, letting out a breath and smiling.

He went around and fastened the necklaces on each of them one by one. The moment they turned back around, their sour moods instantly vanished into pure excitement. Each one eagerly asked him, "How does it look?" and Eric naturally answered every single one with a smile and a thumbs-up, saying, "It looks amazing, perfect on you."

Then, in a split second, Eric’s vision went completely dark. All six girls launched themselves at him, piling on top of him in a massive group hug that caught him completely off guard, leaving him half-suffocated amidst a sea of overwhelming softness.

"Hey... why are you guys piling on top of me again!" Eric yelled the moment he could finally catch his breath.

"Thank you!" all six of them shouted back, taking turns planting kisses on both of Eric’s cheeks and his forehead.

After that, the six girls looked absolutely ecstatic, admiring their new necklaces. But a few moments later, their eyes locked onto the jewelry box, noticing the three necklaces still resting inside.

"Who are the other three for?" Chloe asked.

"Hmm... don’t know yet," Eric answered, trying to keep his voice completely neutral.

"They’re not for that vixen from the law firm, are they?" Priya questioned.

"Yeah... you don’t actually plan on giving one to her, right?" Heidi asked.

"Who are the last three for? Come on, tell us. If you say you’re giving one to that four-eyed vixen, I’m going to be furious," Monica demanded.

"Are they for Caleb and Avery? Jade? Or someone else? Just don’t give them to that vixen," Emma added.

"Exactly. I’m totally against you giving anything to that old vixen from the law firm," Laura chimed in.

Eric stayed completely silent. To be fair, he originally intended to give one to Caleb, one to Avery and the six girls were actually spot on; he really was thinking about giving the last one to Katie.

However, looking at the six girls who were already wearing their necklaces and glaring at him intensely, it was glaringly obvious they would absolutely lose their minds if they ever saw Katie wearing the exact same necklace. On top of that, he knew for a fact that if Katie realized she had the same necklace as the six girls, she would absolutely go out of her way to provoke them.

Eric ultimately kept his mouth shut and just offered a nervous smile, closing the jewelry box on the table as a thought crossed his mind, "Whatever, I’ll figure out who to give the rest to later."