One Man Band System

After that, about an hour and a half later in the conference room at the Stone & Friends law firm, right after Eric finished filling in Katie and Mike, who was sitting right beside her, on everything that went down at the Trinity Entertainment office earlier that morning,

"Alright... in that case, once there’s any word from them, we’ll process everything. Mike and I will come over to go over the key points with you then," Katie said.

"Sounds good, thanks Katie," Eric said.

"Especially regarding the royalty splits, right, Ms. Katie?" Mike asked.

"Correct, especially that section and the talent contracts for those using their real names," Katie answered.

"Got it, ma’am," Mike replied, immediately jotting something down in his notebook.

Then Katie stood up, walked around the table, and took a seat right next to Eric. Wrapping her arms tightly around his, she brought her face close to his,

"Honestly, you... next time you’re meeting someone important, a CEO, or anyone business-related, take me along. Don’t just go barging in on your own. It’s a good thing Mr. Robert only gave you a briefing and pitched a business idea that actually sounds decent, though it’s a whole different story once it’s down on paper, and I’m glad you came straight here to lay it all out," Katie said in a low, husky, breathy voice.

Seeing Katie’s behavior, Mike stopped dead in the middle of writing, his jaw dropping as the pen in his hand nearly slipped out of his grip. Meanwhile, "grr," a low growl echoed from the opposite side of the table as the six girls glared with sharp eyes and tightly clenched jaws, looking ready to pounce on Katie for clinging to Eric’s arm,

"Uh... that’s why I came straight here, right? Besides, the whole process is still going to take time, they need to survey my granddad’s building first, and right now the building is undergoing renovations anyway," Eric said, leaning his head back a bit.

"When they do the survey, you need to be careful and keep a close eye on them. Don’t just leave them to their own devices, got it?" Katie asked, her tone turning serious.

"Yeah... I actually know the guy doing the survey pretty well. His name’s Anthony," Eric said, glancing over at Mike.

"Oh... Anthony’s the one handling the survey? Then we’ve got nothing to worry about," Mike chimed in from across the table.

"Who’s Anthony, Mike?" Katie asked, turning toward him.

"My older brother. He can be a bit clumsy and reckless, but he’s definitely a good guy and can work in our favor," Mike assured her.

"Hmm... that’s fine then. But if there’s anyone else besides him, you need to stay on your guard—it could impact the terms in the final partnership contract," Katie noted.

"Are you sure, bro? Just Anthony doing the survey?" Mike asked directly.

"Not entirely sure yet, but that’s what Mr. Robert instructed," Eric answered.

"Hmm... tell you what, when Anthony goes to do the survey, I’ll tag along to supervise. That okay with you, Ms. Katie?" Mike asked.

"Yes... that’s even better. So that settles it, no loopholes for them to squeeze you with later. Now... I want some quality alone time with you, hehehe," Katie teased, casting a smug, playful glance at the six girls.

"Hey!" Emma, Chloe, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura yelled in unison, slamming their hands onto the table as they stood up.

Hearing all six girls erupt beside him, Mike nearly jumped out of his skin, snapping his head toward them. He looked over at Katie, who seemed to be living her absolute best life, deliberately pushing the buttons of six girls who looked ready to explode at any given second.

Then Mike turned to look at Eric, who appeared completely cornered as Katie leaned in as if to kiss him, all while casting deliberate, sly glances at the six girls.

"Sigh,"

Mike could only let out a heavy breath. He finally packed up the files in front of him and shifted over to the chair beside him, where Katie had been sitting earlier. Then, out of nowhere,

"Hey... once you set up your office, how about I become your Legal Director? I have a team I can recruit to work under me," Katie blurted out intentionally.

"Blam!" naturally, Katie’s words dropped like a bomb right onto the heads of Emma, Chloe, Monica, Priya, Heidi, and Laura. Even Mike turned to stare at Katie, narrowing his eyes. But before he could say a word, Chloe cut in ahead of him,

"No way! Absolutely not!" Chloe yelled.

"Right! Strongest objection possible, no way!" Priya added.

"I’ll ask my dad to set up a legal team for you, don’t hire her," Monica added loudly.

"I’ll also ask my uncle’s guys to guard your building, forget about her," Laura piped up firmly.

"Same here. I’ll talk to my mom, she has a great legal team... I’ll ask for her help," Emma chimed in.

"Bottom line, we absolutely do not agree to her becoming your legal director!" Heidi shouted, pointing at Katie with a flushed face.

Hearing all this, Katie only leaned into it further, a wide grin spreading across her face. She deliberately wrapped both arms around Eric, pressing her chest against his.

"He... hey," Eric said.

"Hehehe... looks like I’m getting a powerhouse legal team down the line thanks to them. Just draft up the contract, and I’ll sign it," Katie said, turning her earlier jest into a serious proposal.

"Hah... about that... I’ll think about it later," Eric stammered.

"Alright... I’ll draft the contract," Katie said. "Smooch," she deliberately planted a kiss right on Eric’s cheek.

"Heeeeey... what do you think you’re doing?!" the six girls screamed, charging all at once toward Eric and Katie.

The conference room, a space normally reserved for discussing dead-serious matters, business deals, and life-or-death situations, turned instantly rowdy and wild. Outside, a few colleagues couldn’t help but peek inside, while Mike wished with every fiber of his being that he could vanish into thin air. He just stared blankly at his desk and scribbled furiously in his notebook, though heaven only knew what he was actually writing.

"Give me a break," Mike muttered, shaking his head.

***

Meanwhile, in an apartment unit not far from Eric’s grandfather’s building, Ruby and Tania were being shown around by a landlord dressed like a military veteran. After inspecting the furnishings inside, since the apartment came fully furnished—Ruby walked over to the landlord, who was waiting near the doorway.

"So the rent is $1,400 a month, right, sir?" Ruby asked.

"That’s right. A lot of college students attending the nearby university live here, so that price is pretty much average," the landlord answered.

"Hmm... alright, I’ll rent it for six months," Ruby said.

"Sure thing. Let me borrow your ID for the background check," the landlord replied.

Ruby handed over her ID to the landlord, then glanced out the door and looked down the hallway.

"Do... people bring guests over often here?" Ruby asked.

"Guests are allowed during the day, but no overnight stays. If you want to change the occupancy, like adding another resident, you have to report it beforehand, or you’ll face penalties," the landlord answered.

"Oh... I see. Okay then, sir," Ruby replied.

"Living by yourself?" the landlord asked, glancing over at Tania, who was standing by the window looking outside.

Ruby looked over at Tania for a second, then turned back to face the landlord.

"Yes, sir, just me. She’s just a friend who drove over here with me," Ruby said.

"Hmm... usually, kids your age still in school would split the rent by getting a roommate. But it seems you don’t mind living alone. Though looking at your ID, you’re only 17, you actually shouldn’t be renting on your own," the landlord said, checking Ruby’s ID.

"Oh... is that so? At my old place... my dad was the guarantor... but... I’m trying to be independent now," Ruby said.

"Do you have any relatives around here who can act as a guarantor? They need to be at least 18 years old," the landlord asked.

"Um... actually, yeah... I have a brother and a cousin in this city. Let me check with them real quick," Ruby answered, pulling out her smartphone to call Jade.

But out of nowhere, Tania stepped up beside Ruby and placed her hand over Ruby’s smartphone, startling Ruby into looking up at her.

"Ruby, can we talk for a sec?" Tania asked.

"Um... what’s up?" Ruby asked.

"Excuse us for a moment, sir. We’ll be right back," Tania said to the landlord.

"Go right ahead," the landlord said.

Tania pulled Ruby further inside to stand in front of the window. From there, they could see Eric’s grandfather’s building off in the distance at the end of the street, completely wrapped in blue tarps and corrugated metal fencing. After a moment of silence, Tania turned to Ruby.

"Ruby, what if I move in and split the rent with you as your roommate?" Tania asked.

"Wait... but this apartment is a studio. There are no bedrooms," Ruby answered, confused.

"We can look for a two-bedroom unit. You don’t have to worry, we’ll split the rent. I’m already 18, and it’s about time I moved out of my house anyway, I can be your guarantor too," Tania said.

"Huh... aren’t you in the same grade as me?" Ruby asked, surprised.

"Yeah... but I actually started school a year late because I was hospitalized when I was little. I turned 18 just a week ago, though. So, what do you say?" Tania asked.

"Isn’t your school pretty far from here? Won’t that be a hassle for you?" Ruby asked.

"Not at all... I’ll just ride my motorcycle. It’s no big deal," Tania answered.

Ruby observed Tania’s serious expression, then thought that she might end up working together with Tania in the future anyway. Besides, having a friend around was much better than living alone, that way, nothing like what almost happened to her last week would ever happen again.

"Alright, let’s talk to the landlord and ask him to show us a two-bedroom unit upstairs. We’ll go fifty-fifty on the rent," Ruby said with a smile.

"Awesome! Thanks a lot," Tania said, smiling back.

"Let’s head back out front," Ruby suggested.

"Yeah," Tania replied, though her eyes remained locked on Eric’s building under renovation off in the distance. "There’s something off about Eric. If I stay here, maybe I can figure out what he’s hiding," Tania thought to herself.