One Man Band System

Not long after, click, Eric turned toward the door. He saw Tania walk back into the meeting room with a gloomy and exhausted expression, beads of sweat on her forehead showing she had likely scoured the entire building looking for the girls who were previously in the meeting room.

"Did you find them?" Eric asked.

"Nope... don’t have a clue where they are, but I found a few bags up in the penthouse. It’s just that when I opened the bedroom door, nobody was in there," Tania answered, taking a seat beside Eric.

"Oh well, let’s just wait. They’ll come back eventually," Eric said casually.

"So when are you planning to release that song?" Tania asked.

"Once you guys have practiced... but is it really that good?" Eric asked once more just to double-check.

"It’s not just good, it’s extraordinary. Even though it was just you singing while intentionally switching between four vocal styles, the result was incredible," Tania answered.

"Hmm... glad to hear that, then. Means I don’t have to start over and write a new song," Eric said in relief.

"How come? Usually you’re so confident. Why the hesitation now?" Tania asked.

"Because..."

Eric laid out everything that had happened right after he arrived, along with how the girls reacted upon hearing his song. Tania listened to Eric’s story while nodding along.

"So that’s how it went... If you ask me, they were definitely fighting over something, and the moment they heard your song, they immediately wanted to talk things out in private. But don’t worry, I checked the doors downstairs and none of them were open, so there’s no way they left the building," Tania said with a smile.

"Oh... that’s good then," Eric replied, smiling back.

"Can I ask you something?" Tania asked.

"Ask away," Eric said.

Tania pulled out her smartphone and showed him her chat history with Ruby, then with Emma. Eric read through all of it. As it turned out, Ruby and Emma had informed Tania about the trouble with Jason that took place in front of their school and how the police had escorted them to the building.

"That’s how it went down," Eric said, already knowing what Tania was going to ask.

"But that guy... is he really your and Ruby’s older brother?" Tania asked.

"Yeah... I have to admit that’s true," Eric answered briefly.

"Hmm... alright, I don’t want to butt into your family business, but I consider Ruby a good friend of mine now, not just a roommate," Tania replied.

"I understand. Don’t worry, nothing is going to happen to Ruby," Eric replied with a smile.

Ring!

Suddenly, Eric’s smartphone chimed. He saw Avery’s name pop up on his smartphone screen and immediately answered it.

"Eric, Caleb is on his way to your new office. He didn’t bring his smartphone, so I just wanted to let you know," Avery said.

"Oh... okay, but why didn’t he bring his phone with him?" Eric asked.

"Earlier... he got a phone call, said it was from his cousin Jason. Out of nowhere, he just panicked and rushed out. He told me to lock up the house, set up the security cameras, and not open the door for anyone, not even delivery guys. What is actually going on?" Avery asked.

"Ah... looks like it reached Caleb too. Alright... I’ll explain."

Eric laid out the whole story on the phone once again. On the line, he could only hear Avery responding with "Oh God," without saying much else.

"That’s pretty much the gist of it," Eric said.

"Gosh... why is it always one thing after another? Earlier, he managed to call Mike to ask him to pick up Jade from nursing school, then he headed to your office without his smartphone, driving me crazy with worry," Avery replied, venting her frustration.

"When he gets here, I’ll just tell him to head home. I’ve already contacted the police and they’re handling it," Eric said.

"Oh... alright. Thank you, Eric. I’ll let you go," Avery said.

"Okay... I’ll hang up now," Eric replied.

The call disconnected. Before Eric set his smartphone on the table, two new messages popped up, one from Martin saying he was doing fine, and another from Jade, who was currently on her way home with Mike. Eric placed his smartphone on the table, looking utterly exhausted as he let out a heavy sigh. Beside him, Tania rubbed his shoulder to cheer him up.

Click.

The meeting room door swung open. Eric and Tania turned to see the girls walking inside, chatting away cheerfully among themselves, before they spotted Tania.

"Oh... you’re here," Emma said.

"Yeah... I’m here," Tania replied.

Once everyone took a seat, they began chatting with Tania, while Ruby approached Eric, who was sitting silently.

"Can we talk for a sec? Just the two of us?" Ruby asked.

Eric looked at his younger sister. Without saying a word, he stood up, and the two walked out of the meeting room together. They sat down at the front reception desk. Both remained quiet, neither starting the conversation. Eric looked at his sister’s face, already knowing what she wanted to talk about.

"If you’re asking about that recording, I’ve already heard it," Eric said.

Ruby raised her head, locking eyes with Eric, her face instantly turning bright red. She quickly turned her face away, avoiding Eric’s gaze.

"That was a lie... Jason made the whole thing up," Ruby replied.

"Okay... I believe you," Eric replied casually.

Ruby turned back to look at Eric’s face, which seemed entirely unbothered and unaffected by everything that had happened.

"Just like that? You believe me? You’re not going to interrogate me?" Ruby asked in surprise.

"Why would I? True or not, the past is the past. What matters is how you’re doing now. Besides, don’t you have a boyfriend? If I’m not mistaken, his name is Luke?" Eric asked.

"Oh... we’re not dating... just friends..."

"Hmm, friends with benefits?" Eric interrupted before Ruby could finish her sentence.

Ruby’s face flushed red once more. She stared in sheer disbelief at Eric, who remained completely nonchalant, even looking a bit playful.

"You... knew?" Ruby asked.

"Hmm... I caught you two at the house a few times. You guys weren’t very careful," Eric answered casually.

"Ugh... why is every single secret of mine getting exposed?" Ruby asked in frustration, rubbing her forehead.

"Because you didn’t do it anywhere else, you always did it at home. And whatever Jason saw, I saw it too. But I never saw you using my photos, like Jason claimed," Eric answered casually.

Thump!

Out of sheer embarrassment, Ruby punched Eric in the chest, pushing him back a bit, though Eric knew his sister only hit him because he was teasing her.

"Drop it... don’t go any further," Ruby said, turning away and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Alright... but this way, you don’t have to be afraid of Jason threatening you anymore, right? If he wants to leak anything, let him. It’ll just turn into a legal nightmare for him," Eric replied.

Ruby fell silent. Even though she felt embarrassed, a wave of relief washed over her. She uncrossed her arms and reached behind herself to hold Eric’s hand. She kept her back turned to Eric, but this time it wasn’t out of shame—it was because her eyes were welling up, ready to spill tears at any second. Eric knew his sister’s demeanor inside out. He let go of Ruby’s hand and reached up to gently rest his hand on her head.

"Everything’s going to be alright. I’m just glad you were safe at school earlier," Eric said with a smile.

"Yeah... thank you... big brother," Ruby replied, starting to cry with her back still turned to Eric.

Then Ruby turned around and hugged Eric tightly, burying her face into his chest while he stroked her hair. From inside the meeting room, Emma, Chloe, Priya, Monica, Heidi, Laura, and Tania peeked out at the two of them, smiling without saying a word.

The two remained locked in a hug for a few moments before Ruby finally pushed off Eric to free herself. She wiped away her tears and glanced past Eric, catching her friends peeking. Her face, which had been sad just a moment ago, instantly shifted into a mischievous smirk.

"Oh yeah, congratulations, by the way. There’s a surprise waiting for you tonight," Ruby said with a smile as she wiped away the last of her tears.

"Huh... what surprise?" Eric asked, confused.

"Just wait and see. But here’s a word of advice: start chugging energy drinks right now. Believe me, you’re gonna need them later," Ruby teased.

"Huh... I have no idea what you’re talking about," Eric said.

"Alright, forget about it, don’t overthink it. Bottom line... congratulations. My condolences for what’s about to hit you later. Come on, let me get back inside, they’re already peeking," Ruby said, breezing past Eric with a light, cheerful step.

Eric turned around and rubbed the back of his neck, completely baffled by what Ruby was saying. But moments later, he walked after Ruby to head back into the meeting room.