One Man Band System

After a lingering silence settled over the room, "sigh," Eric let out another heavy breath. He then locked eyes with Melissa, his gaze sharp and piercing,

"I’m sorry, Melissa, but I can’t offer you a job," Eric said in a calm, collected voice.

Upon hearing Eric’s words, Jade and Ruby visibly relaxed, looking a bit more at ease than before. But the smile on Melissa’s face completely vanished. It was plainly obvious from her expression that she had been counting on Eric to hire her. Yet within a matter of seconds, she forced a subtle smile back onto her face, reverting right back to her composure,

"May I ask why?" Melissa asked. "Didn’t you say there was no bad blood between us anymore?" she added.

"That’s right, but I also said I hoped our paths wouldn’t cross or overlap ever again," Eric answered.

Melissa stared back at Eric with an intense, sharp glare, her eyes darting across his emotionless, stone-cold face. She then scoffed and slowly shook her head, before fixing her eyes on Eric once more with a faint smile,

"Do you really hate me that much? Can’t you find it in yourself to forgive me at all?" Melissa asked softly.

Eric remained quiet, genuinely mulling over her question. He searched his own heart for an answer. Truth be told, he felt absolutely nothing toward Melissa at this moment, neither hatred nor the opposite. He smiled faintly and looked at her,

"I don’t hate you, and I’ve already forgiven you," Eric answered smoothly and calmly.

"Then... why?" Melissa asked, her expression finally cracking into visible distress.

"The answer is fundamental and simple: I don’t trust you at all," Eric answered flatly.

The room abruptly plunged back into total silence. Jade and Ruby turned to look at Eric without saying a word,

"You don’t trust me... which means even if you forgive me, you could never possibly trust me," Melissa replied, her voice soft and slightly trembling.

"Precisely. I can’t put my trust in you whatsoever, so please leave," Eric said.

Melissa sat in silence, her facial expression unchanging with that smile still plastered on her face, yet her eyes welled up with tears that refused to fall. She then slowly pushed herself up, using her cane for support,

"Alright, I understand. Deep down, I expected this answer all along. I guess I was just taking a shot, haha," Melissa said mournfully.

Eric didn’t offer a response, maintaining a cold, stoic smile. Then, without a word of farewell, Melissa walked slowly toward the door, opened it, and stepped out. The moment the door clicked shut behind her, "thump," Jade and Ruby instantly latched onto Eric’s arms,

"Hey... what’s wrong?" Eric asked, bewildered.

"I was so nervous... I thought you were actually going to take her in," Jade answered.

"Yeah... I was terrified for a second too... but... I’m curious, is what she showed us real? Are Jason and Mom really planning to kill Dad?" Ruby asked.

"I don’t know... but I can find out," Eric answered.

Without wasting a second, Eric pulled out his smartphone, scrolled down his contact list, and tapped a name. But before the line could connect, "Hey... why are you guys here?" Melissa’s raised voice rang out from outside. Eric ended the call and walked out, with Jade and Ruby trailing right behind him. When they stepped out, their eyes widened. Standing in front of Melissa were Katie, Mike, and Caleb, alongside Norman and two police officers who appeared to be blocking her path.

"Pardon us, Ms. Melissa, but we need your statement regarding Mr. Mason’s ongoing case, who is currently awaiting trial under house arrest. Mr. Mason provided several documents detailing embezzlement committed by Mr. Paul, and your signature as the requesting party for the reimbursement is clearly printed on the form. We require your verification, specifically regarding whether you signed that form, given that your position indicates you should not have had the authority or reason to do so," Norman said.

"Hmm... very well. I’ll come with you to provide my statement," Melissa replied calmly, fully aware of why the police had shown up.

"One more thing, ma’am. I am obligated to escort you back to the hospital. How were you able to slip away again when there were three officers posted outside your room?" Norman asked.

"My apologies, officer, but today was my only window of opportunity," Melissa answered with a smile.

"Alright, please go ahead... You two, escort Ms. Melissa back to the hospital. I’ll follow shortly after I finish speaking here," Norman ordered.

"Understood, Lieutenant," one of the police officers replied.

With the assistance of the two officers, Melissa was escorted into the elevator. Right before the doors slid shut, she cast a melancholic glance toward Eric and offered a soft smile. Eric remained silent, giving a subtle nod. Once they were gone, Eric turned his gaze toward Katie, Mike, and Caleb, as well as Norman standing beside them.

"There is an urgent matter regarding Ms. Melissa that I need to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?" Norman asked directly.

"Alright, Officer Norman, let’s head inside to talk," Eric invited.

They all filed back into the room. This time, Ruby, Jade, and Mike sat at the far end, while Eric, Katie, Caleb, and Norman took seats opposite each other. Caleb felt slightly out of his depth,

"Um... maybe I should go wait over there with Mike," Caleb said, starting to stand up.

"Stay put. You’re right where you need to be—there’s stuff here you need to hear too," Eric countered, catching Caleb by the wrist.

"Oh... okay," Caleb replied, having no choice but to sit back down.

"So, what was it you wanted to share with us, Officer Norman?" Katie asked.

"Well, it’s like this," Norman answered.

Norman went on to explain that Melissa was actually a key witness in the ongoing case against Mason and Paul, which was currently awaiting its second hearing while a mountain of newly submitted evidence was being reviewed. After fleeing the hospital shortly after waking up from her coma, she was now admitted to a different hospital under police surveillance, where she was also receiving treatment for her mental condition.

"Oh... is that so, Officer?" Eric asked, slightly surprised.

"That is correct, Mr. Eric. But there is one crucial matter I need to disclose, and it directly involves Ms. Melissa. I’m sure you still recall the incident where your younger sister was almost assaulted at her apartment," Norman answered.

"Of course I remember, Officer," Eric replied.

"Following our interrogations and the evidence compiled, we uncovered a direct link between the perpetrator and a man named Jason Watts. As for Ms. Melissa’s motive for fleeing the hospital, I suspect she caught wind of this connection from one of the officers on duty. She subsequently hired a private investigator on her own dime, who, as it turns out, happens to collaborate with our department. The findings brought to light are deeply alarming, even if we are not yet in a position to formally press charges," Norman explained.

Hearing Norman’s words, the room fell into complete silence. Sitting next to Eric, Caleb froze in his tracks, his eyes wide and his jaw practically touching the floor. Katie, who had originally called Norman as backup in case Melissa tried anything funny, looked equally stunned as she pushed her glasses up her nose.

Norman pulled a file from inside his trench coat pocket and handed it over to Eric. Sure enough, everything Eric had seen on Melissa’s smartphone was clearly documented in the report, in other words, before go to Eric, Melissa had already gone to the police to report it all.

"We have already forwarded a detailed report to the local authorities over there to begin processing, and we spoke directly with Mr. Martin Watts. He is currently under our surveillance, albeit indirectly, and we strongly advised him against returning to his hometown for the time being until the police investigation over there is wrapped up," Norman added.

"Blam!"

Eric, Katie, and Norman turned to look at Caleb, who slammed his hands down on the table as he stood up. Even Mike, Jade, and Ruby over at the far end whipped their heads around,

"Is all of this... for real? Jason actually went this far? I knew he was selfish and always had to have his way... but killing Uncle Martin? Does he have no brain, no conscience at all?" Caleb asked furiously, his face flushing bright red beneath his messy long hair.

"Sit down, bro. Calm down," Eric said, standing up to urge Caleb back into his seat.

"And how can you stay so calm hearing all of this?" Caleb asked, turning to glare at Eric.

"What do you expect me to do? Just a second ago I was about to call Uncle Joe out of sheer rage. Now I’m just glad I didn’t make that call," Eric replied firmly.

Caleb stared at Eric, realizing he was right. Right now, there was nothing they could do except leave everything in the hands of the police. Caleb slowly sat back down, followed by Eric, who took his seat beside him once more,

"After this, you better lay out the whole story for me," Caleb said, still visibly shaken.

"Alright... alright... right after this," Eric replied.

"So, what happens next, Officer Norman?" Katie asked, steering the conversation back on track.

"We have yet to receive a follow-up report from the authorities over there, so we are currently awaiting their update," Norman answered.

"I see. And what is the status regarding the two CJR executives at the moment?" Katie asked, shifting topics out of consideration for Caleb and Eric beside her.

Norman then went on to detail the case developments concerning the two CJR executives with Katie, who listened intently. Caleb turned toward Ruby,

"Insane... Jason is out of his damn mind... Not only was he planning to murder Uncle Martin and frame you again... he was going to hurt Ruby too. He literally wants to snatch every last penny of your family’s fortune," Caleb growled at Eric.

"Yeah... pretty much," Eric answered casually.

"And you sound like you don’t even give a damn," Caleb shot back.

"It’s not that I don’t care... I just feel like I don’t have the time, nor is it my place to dwell on it," Eric replied.

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Caleb asked.

"You’ll get it later, but right now I need a favor from you," Eric answered.

"What kind of favor?" Caleb asked.

Eric pulled Caleb in by the shoulder, leaning in close to whisper in his ear. Caleb’s eyes widened, and he turned to stare at Eric in utter disbelief,

"Are you sure about this?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah... but it depends on how things play out," Eric answered with a smile.