One Man Band System

After picking up the girls and returning to the penthouse, Eric gathered the six of them around the coffee table.

"Alright... now let’s discuss how we’re going to build an idol group for Emma," Eric said cheerfully.

However, Emma, Chloe, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura simply stared at Eric, their faces filled with deep concern and perhaps a touch of sympathy. Seeing no response from them and finding all six girls just watching him quietly, Eric asked,

"What is it?" Eric asked, confused.

"Are you... really okay?" Emma asked.

"Yeah... you ran into your dad earlier, didn’t you?" Priya added.

"You acted completely normal and didn’t say a word the whole way back. Everyone and I got worried," Chloe added.

"If you need to talk about it, we’re all here to listen," Heidi added.

"I’m sorry... I forgot to mention that your uncle invested his money into your dad’s company," Laura said, looking down.

"How are you feeling right now, Eric?" Monica asked.

Eric fell silent, simply gazing at their worried faces. Then, his mind rewound to the events that had taken place just an hour earlier at the school.

***

When Eric arrived at the school, he was caught off guard by the sight of Martin’s car parked in the lot. He saw Martin leaning against his vehicle, his face looking exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept at all, yet visibly racked with anxiety. Eric didn’t flinch. He knew that one day he would have to face his father, and they had already run into each other earlier, even if their exchange had been stiff.

Coolly, Eric pulled his car right into the spot beside Martin’s, prompting Martin to turn and look at him. Eric stepped out of the car, walked over to Martin, and stood right beside him.

"Are you here... to pick up Ruby?" Martin asked.

"No... I’m here to pick up my musicians," Eric replied, calm and collected.

Silence settled over them once more, instantly turning awkward, but this time Eric wasn’t unnerved. Unlike before, he simply waited with a calm heart for Martin to speak up. After a moment, Martin turned to look at Eric, studying him from the side, from top to bottom and back up again, as if seeing Eric for the very first time.

"Want to grab a cup of coffee with me at the cafe across the street? You haven’t slept all night, have you?" Eric offered.

Hearing Eric’s invitation, Martin flinched slightly. His face softened for five brief seconds before returning to its usual stoic expression.

"Alright, let me join you," Martin answered Eric’s invitation calmly.

They walked together toward the main gate, stepped outside, and crossed the street to the cafe on the other side. Neither of them said a word as they walked, even though they were stepping side by side. Once inside the cafe, they took their seats, but the silence between them dragged on. It wasn’t until a server brought over their coffee that Martin, holding his cup of black coffee, finally broke it.

"I owe you an apology, Eric," Martin said suddenly, his head bowed.

Eric turned his head sharply toward his father and set his cup back down on the table. He offered Martin a smile, not entirely warm, but not cold either.

"Alright, thank you," Eric said simply.

Martin raised his head, his eyes locking onto Eric with a fatherly look that was hard to put into words, a clear glimmer of hope shining in his gaze. But then,

"I’ve moved past the old days, and we’re not family anymore. So please don’t bring it up again, Mr. Watts. There’s nothing left between us," Eric added.

Hearing this, Martin looked visibly hurt, but he understood and bowed his head once more without saying a word. After a brief pause, he spoke again.

"I heard from Jade that you helped Ruby out. Thank you for not holding a grudge against her. She has her flaws, but she really is a good kid deep down," Martin said.

"Yeah... I know. I just happened to hear about her trouble at the time, and yeah... she was way too reckless. You should give her a good earful after this," Eric replied casually.

"And what about you?" Martin asked, looking at Eric.

"I’m doing just fine, thank you for asking," Eric answered, cool and collected.

Silence settled over them once more. Eric went back to sipping his coffee, and Martin did the same. After setting their cups back down,

"Eric, I’m sorry. I always ignored you and prioritized Jason and Ruby... I’m also sorry that I was blind back then and kicked you out of the house. I’m not asking you to forgive me, because I know what I did is unforgivable. But please, let me get this out and put you back into my will," Martin said.

"That won’t be necessary. I’ve already forgiven you, but I’m sorry, I can’t look at you as my father the way I used to anymore," Eric replied calmly.

"Yeah... I know. You’ve met your real father," Martin replied.

"My biological father is dead," Eric cut in without a second’s hesitation.

Martin raised his head, staring at Eric, who appeared completely unbothered as he casually took another sip of his coffee, as if everything around him didn’t matter in the slightest.

"I see," Martin said, clearly unaware of the fact.

Silence settled between them again as both turned to look out the window at the school across the street.

"Thank you, Eric. If it weren’t for you, my family business would’ve gone under... I’ll make sure Jason doesn’t bother you ever again," Martin said.

"Oh... okay, you’re welcome," Eric said, a little confused since he had no idea—or couldn’t recall—what Martin was talking about.

"Right now, I’m finalizing my divorce with your mother. Aside from being worried about Ruby, I came here because I need to talk to her," Martin explained.

Hearing Martin’s words, Eric froze. He just stared at his dad, his coffee cup suspended mid-air, inches above the table. Martin noticed and offered a faint smile, his expression remaining composed as he looked at Eric.

"Don’t worry, it’s not because of what happened back then or because of you... I recently found out your mother has been feeding company data to her boyfriend, my older brother, David. They’ve been sleeping together behind their spouses’ backs for a long time, so now I’m just letting them be together since David’s wife is filing for divorce from him, too," Martin said.

"Oh... I see... okay," Eric replied, at a loss for words after having such a bombshell dropped on him, though he felt completely detached, like listening to a story about strangers.

"Chime!"

The cafe door swung open as the six girls and Ruby walked inside. Eric turned to look, realizing school had just let out. Spotting Martin, Ruby gasped and pushed her way to the front,

"Dad? What are you doing here?" Ruby asked, completely caught off guard.

"Dad?" Emma, Chloe, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura asked in unison, all turning their heads to look at Eric.

"I came here looking for you. Why didn’t you call and let me know you were going through something?" Martin said, a touch of annoyance in his voice.

"I... I’m sorry, Dad. I was planning to call tonight, but I’ve been so busy with work this past week and searching for an apartment to move into," Ruby replied, lowering her head.

"Please don’t make me worry like that next time," Martin replied firmly.

"Yeah... I’m sorry, Dad," Ruby muttered, keeping her eyes on the floor.

The six girls showed a whole mix of expressions as they looked at Eric and listened to the back-and-forth between Martin and Ruby. It clicked for them immediately that the middle-aged man in front of them was Eric and Ruby’s father. Martin then looked over at Chloe, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura,

"Oh... you girls... The Empress? I listen to your songs all the time," Martin greeted them with a smile.

"Oh?" Chloe, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura grew even more confused, turning their gaze back to Eric once more.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Mr. Watts is a fan of yours," Eric said, offering a smile.

The atmosphere turned awkward all over again as everyone heard Eric address his own father as Mr. Watts. Even Ruby stood there speechless, her mouth slightly agape. But Martin didn’t show any pain on his face this time; instead, he simply smiled, stood up, and shook hands with the members of The Empress one by one.

***

Back in the present, Eric smiled as he looked at the six girls, who were still gazing at him with deeply attentive eyes.

"Hey... come on, I’m seriously fine," Eric said.

"For real?" Emma asked, searching his face.

"For real. There’s nothing to worry about," Eric answered, resting a hand on the head of Emma, who was sitting right next to him.

"Hmmm... okay," Emma said.

Suddenly, all six girls stood up and lunged right at Eric, piling on top of him until he was pinned flat on his back at the very bottom.

"Give me a break, why does it always have to end like this?" Eric gasped out, utterly defeated as he fought for air.