One Man Band System

As they sat in silence, suddenly, "There they are," Eric turned around to see Emma, Priya, Chloe, Monica, Heidi, and Laura arriving at the building while still in their school uniforms. They headed straight over to Eric, Caleb, and Martin, who were still sitting casually in the hall. Behind the six girls were Ruby and Tania, who were also wearing different school uniforms.

"Oh... you guys back already?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, we just walked back on our own since it’s close by," Monica answered.

"Yeah... we’re not interrupting, are we?" Priya asked as she pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Take it easy, of course not," Eric answered.

They all took their seats, using several tables placed side by side. Ruby took a seat next to Martin, and Tania sat beside Emma,

"Hmm... I think I’ll head home now. It doesn’t feel right hanging out with young folks like you," Martin said, standing up.

"Wait... why, Dad?" Ruby asked, holding onto her father’s hand.

"It’s nothing. Besides, I’d like to get some rest anyway," Martin answered.

"Oh... I see. Alright then," Ruby replied, letting go of her father’s hand.

Just then, ring, Martin’s smartphone sitting on the table chimed. Eric, Caleb, Ruby, and the others caught a glimpse of the caller ID before Martin picked it up. Martin’s face darkened; he silenced the call and slid the smartphone into his pants pocket.

"What does Jason want, calling you, Dad?" Ruby asked.

"It’s nothing," Martin answered calmly.

Before long, the smartphone in Martin’s pocket rang again. He pulled it out and looked at the screen; Jason was calling him back, and naturally, Martin rejected it without hesitation. Then another call came in, but this time from his office. Naturally, he answered it,

"What is it?" Martin asked.

"Good afternoon, sir. Sorry to bother you, but Mr. Jason is here in the lobby asking to see you. I told him you weren’t at the office, but he demanded I give him your current location. He’s causing a scene here, sir," answered a woman who sounded like a manager.

"Call security. If he continues to resist, call the police and file a report for disturbance. If necessary, we’ll push for a restraining order so he stops coming to the office and causing trouble," Martin said firmly.

"Understood, sir. Thank you," the woman said.

The call ended, and Martin slid his smartphone back into his pants pocket. Eric stood up,

"Sit back down for a bit, Dad. You can head home later," Eric said.

"Yeah, absolutely, Uncle. Just relax for a while," added Caleb, who also stood up right after.

Martin looked confused, not because he didn’t want to stay, but because he felt bad about intruding on his son’s business. Emma picked up on Martin’s unease. She stood up and looked at the other girls,

"Let’s head upstairs first, shall we?" Emma suggested.

"Oh... right, let’s go," Priya replied, standing up as well.

"Okay... agreed," Chloe added.

Then Monica, Heidi, and Laura stood up too. Emma pulled Tania, who was still dazed, up to her feet until Tania looked a little annoyed. After that, they said their goodbyes and headed straight upstairs using the private elevator that led directly to the penthouse. Martin sat back down,

"I’m sorry, I ruined your gathering," Martin said to Eric.

"Don’t worry about it, Dad. After all, they basically live here, even if they haven’t moved in just yet. We plan to move in once everything is set up," Eric replied.

"Huh... live here?" Martin asked, puzzled.

"Upstairs there’s a two-story penthouse specifically for Eric to live in, Dad. They live with Eric too," Ruby answered.

"That’s right, Uncle. But since this office is opening soon and under preparation, they haven’t moved in yet. Isn’t that right, Ric?" Caleb asked.

"Yep... that’s right," Eric answered casually.

Hearing Eric, Caleb, and Ruby talk so casually about it, Martin went quiet for a moment. He kept staring at Eric, trying to recognize the son he had known since childhood as shy, awkward, and quiet.

"You’re... living with them?" Martin asked.

"Yeah... why?" Eric asked, confused.

"Their parents have already agreed too, Dad," Ruby added by way of explanation.

"Is that so?" Martin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What’s up with you, Dad? You look so lost, is there something weird going on?" Ruby asked, looking at her father’s expression.

Martin didn’t answer. He kept staring at Eric until Eric started to feel a bit uncomfortable under his gaze,

"What is it, Dad?" Eric finally asked.

"Nothing... you really have changed. I just barely recognized you," Martin answered.

"Oh? What was Eric like back then, Uncle?" Caleb asked, testing the waters.

"Back then, he was always shy, quiet, and never strayed off course at all... he was awkward even around Vivian back in those days. But now he’s completely transformed, and naturally, I’m glad to see it," Martin answered frankly with a smile, a rare sight for him.

Hearing his father’s words, Eric turned to look at the man’s face as he talked with Caleb and Ruby. This time, he truly looked at his father. What his father mentioned was true, but none of that had ever shown on the outside, and no one would have known unless they truly knew him. Eric smiled. Even though he didn’t feel anything in particular right now, it still pleased him to know that all along, his father had been paying attention, even when he acted distant and seemed not to care.

Suddenly, "ring," Martin’s phone chimed again. He looked down at the screen, and naturally Ruby, Eric, and Caleb caught a glimpse of who was calling, this time it was Vanessa. Without hesitation, Martin rejected the call and switched his smartphone to silent. Ruby snatched her father’s phone, opened it, and blocked the numbers for Jason, Vanessa, and David without a second thought before handing the device back to him.

"There, they won’t bother you anymore, Dad," Ruby said.

"Yeah... thanks," Martin replied, squeezing Ruby’s hand on the table.

"So how far along is the process anyway, Dad?" Ruby asked.

"Right, what is it they actually want from you?" Eric added.

Martin sat in silence for a moment, then, "sigh," he let out a heavy breath before opening his smartphone and pulling up his email. He showed the screen to Eric and Ruby, whose eyes both widened, the email was an official notification from his law firm confirming the completion of Martin’s revised will, which left everything exclusively to Eric and Ruby.

"Jason must have read my email on the home office computer," Martin said.

"Oh, I see," Ruby said. "No wonder he keeps blowing up your phone, to the point Mom is calling too," she added.

Caleb turned to glance at Eric, who had gone completely silent upon reading his father’s new inheritance document. His eyebrows were knit tight and his face looked dead serious.

"What’s up, bro?" Caleb asked.

"It’s nothing," Eric answered, snapping out of his thoughts.

Then Eric turned to look at Martin, who was chatting with Ruby. He leaned forward a bit and placed both elbows on the table,

"Dad, can we talk?" Eric asked.

Martin turned around, startled by Eric’s dead-serious expression and the sense that something important needed to be discussed. He nodded to Eric, and both of them stood up and walked into the shop. Ruby immediately turned to look at Caleb,

"What are they going to talk about?" Ruby asked.

"I don’t know. Don’t go in after them, and don’t pry," Caleb answered, warning Ruby.

"Okay, okay... I get it," Ruby replied casually.

Meanwhile, inside the shop, Eric and Martin stood leaning against the display shelves. The room was deathly quiet.

"What is it, Eric?" Martin asked.

"Dad, that new will from earlier, can it be changed again? I don’t want to accept any inheritance from you," Eric said, getting straight to the point.

Martin fell silent for a moment. From the look on his face, he had already anticipated that Eric would ask to be written out of the will. He remembered saying those very words when he kicked him out, and naturally, Eric was still dealing with the fallout. He lowered his head slightly,

"I’m sorry. Back then... I spoke out of turn because I was angry. That’s why I corrected it by updating my will. In that document, I also left Jason a sum of ten dollars so he receives something and has no legal grounds to contest what belongs to you or Ruby," Martin said.

Then Martin lifted his head, completely stunned to see Eric smiling at him, without a single shred of resentment toward him.

"It’s not about that, Dad. I’m not bringing up the past because even though it happened a few months ago, it’s all water under the bridge to me. I’m not declining the inheritance out of hatred or anger toward you. As you can see, I already have all of this... It would be better if you gave everything to Ruby, or if you think Ruby shouldn’t take it all, just donate my share to charity. That’s what I meant, Dad," Eric said calmly.

"Oh... I see. Thank you, Eric. I understand," Martin said, and this time, tears welled up in his eyes.

Eric stepped forward and hugged his father, who held him tightly in return. Meanwhile, watching from outside, Ruby and Caleb simply smiled at the sight of the two.