One Man Band System

Meanwhile, at the exact same time back in Eric’s old hometown, inside Eric’s house, "Mom, I’m home," Ruby called out. Having just come back from outside in her hoodie, she rushed into the house, tossed her shoes aside carelessly, and ran inside to find Vanessa, her mother, and Eric’s mother, who was sitting on the couch.

Ruby stopped short, shocked to see a shattered teacup on the floor. The television was broadcasting the performance of "Eric Reed," and Vanessa’s face was completely pale, as if she had just seen a ghost. Her eyes were wide, looking as though they might pop out of their sockets, and she was covering her mouth with both hands.

"Um... Mom?" Ruby asked, holding her smartphone, which was displaying a broadcast stream of The Empress.

Vanessa didn’t answer. Seeing her mother so incredibly tense, Ruby quickly sat down next to her, set her smartphone on the table, and wrapped an arm around her mother’s shoulders.

"Mom... what’s wrong?" Ruby asked, starting to get scared.

"Huh... it’s nothing," Vanessa replied, startled. She turned to look at Ruby beside her, forcing a smile even though her eyes were brimming with tears.

Ruby glanced back at the television, watching Eric’s phenomenal, mysterious performance on the screen, which featured the caption "Eric Reed" as the news headline.

"Hey... why is Eric’s name not Eric Watts... whose name is he using?" Ruby asked innocently, having no idea what was going on, while staring at the TV.

Hearing Ruby’s question, Vanessa’s face turned significantly paler than before. Her trembling hands clamped together and rose to her mouth. It was glaringly obvious from her expression that she recognized the name Reed attached to the end of Eric’s name. Seeing her mother act so strange and completely out of character, Ruby’s mind filled with questions.

"What is going on, Mom... why do you look like you just watched a horror movie... that’s just Eric performing... do you actually know where he is?" Ruby asked curiously, scanning her mother’s face for answers.

Vanessa went quiet again, her eyes completely locked onto the television screen. Frustrated by her mother’s silence, Ruby grabbed the remote from the coffee table and immediately shut off the TV. Vanessa whipped her head around to look at her instantly.

"Is there something you want to tell me? Who exactly owns the last name Reed that Eric is using?" Ruby asked, cutting straight to the chase.

Vanessa opened her mouth, but then closed it right back up as no sound came out. Her face was a mix of guilt, fear, and calculated panic as she scrambled to find a way out, though it was clear there wasn’t one besides telling the absolute truth.

Suddenly, "blam," the front door swung open. Jason, still dressed in his button-down shirt and tie, walked in alongside Vivian. Ruby turned her head to look at the two of them, instantly rolling her eyes so hard she could practically see her own brain, shaking her head in sheer annoyance at the sight of them.

Jason’s face was flushed red and Vivian was wearing a bitter, angry scowl. It was blindingly obvious they had just been in a massive fight.

"What now?" Ruby asked.

"Eric is in the state capital," Jason said shortly, his voice shaking.

"Okay... and?" Ruby asked, completely checked out from dealing with the two of them.

"He... he performed on television... he’s... he’s famous now," Jason said, staring down in absolute fury.

"Then why the hell are you so pissed off? Weren’t you the one who kicked him out of this town?" Ruby snapped, standing up in anger.

"Ruby... please calm down, don’t be like that. Eric being there must have its own reasons," Vivian said, trying to play peacemaker.

"Shut up, you snake. You don’t have the right to say a single thing about Eric. You don’t even deserve to utter his name," Ruby screamed, stepping forward and pointing right in Vivian’s face.

"Slap,"

Without warning, Jason slapped Ruby so hard her head snapped to the side. Instantly, Jason stared down at his own hand, a wave of deep regret washing over his face. Ruby turned back to face Jason and Vivian, clutching her burning cheek.

"Damn you... you actually have the balls to slap your own sister... oh right... of course... you don’t have a brain. When Eric was accused... you beat him up without a shred of mercy... your regret means absolutely nothing... you’re a completely worthless brother... just drop dead," Ruby spat.

"Enough, Ruby, it’s all my fault. I’m sorry... I’m so incredibly sorry. I never meant to betray Eric... I just got sucked into this person’s absolute bullshit... I’m sorry," Vivian cried out.

Jason glared at Vivian in annoyance, but Ruby felt so completely nauseous and disgusted by the both of them that her jaw clenched tight, her teeth grinding. Her hand twitched; she wanted nothing more than to smash Vivian’s face in. But fearing Jason’s reaction, she held herself back. Finally, she turned around.

"I’m leaving this house... I’m sick of this place. I’m calling Jade and heading over there myself. Don’t even try to stop me," Ruby yelled.

Hearing Ruby’s declaration, Vanessa snapped out of her daze, stood up quickly, and rushed over to Ruby, completely ignoring the broken glass shattering under her feet.

"Slap,"

Vanessa slapped Ruby across the face, but immediately threw her arms around her daughter, sobbing hysterically. Furious, Ruby shoved Vanessa away, sending her crashing to the floor to break free.

"I said... I’m leaving," Ruby screamed, completely losing her mind.

Without losing another second, she bolted up the stairs, and a moment later, a door slammed shut upstairs. Jason immediately rushed to help Vanessa up, noticing her foot was bleeding.

"Oh my god... Mom... Vivian, go grab the first aid kit," Jason ordered.

"Right... hold on," Vivian replied, immediately sprinting toward Jason’s father’s office.

The moment Vivian stepped inside the room, Vanessa grabbed Jason’s arms tightly as he knelt in front of her. Gripping him with terrifying strength, her trembling lips finally found her voice.

"Eric... has gone back to his father," Vanessa whispered.

Hearing that, Jason, who apparently knew the weight of that identity, went deathly pale. He quickly shot a look toward his father’s office to make sure Vivian was still inside before turning back to Vanessa.

"How could you possibly know that, Mom?" Jason asked.

"He’s... he’s using the name Reed... his name is Eric Reed now, and he’s performing on national television," Vanessa answered, looking down, completely drained of color.

"Oh man... what happens if Dad finds out? Should I head over there and force him to use our family name again... or what? Let me check with Caleb to see if he knows anything about Eric being there. Last time we spoke he said he didn’t... but if Eric has already performed, he should know by now," Jason said, reaching for his smartphone.

"How did you find out Eric was there?" Vanessa asked quietly.

"Jade... she was baiting Vivian. She said Eric is going to become a massive star, team up with The Empress band. Vivian lost her mind, and we... we got into a huge fight. I’m calling Caleb right now," Jason said, pulling out his smartphone.

"No... do not contact Caleb. He’ll get suspicious and tell Jade... then Jade will talk to her parents... everything will blow up in our faces... we stay quiet. Let’s just hope Eric has absolutely no intention of ever coming back home," Vanessa said, paralyzed by fear.

Jason could only nod in response. On one hand, he loved his sister and felt an immense amount of guilt over what he did to his brother. But on the other hand, he had to protect his mother’s secret to keep the family from completely falling apart.

Meanwhile, at the top of the stairs, directly above Vanessa and Jason, Ruby leaned against the wall and covered her mouth. She was already carrying a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, which she had seemingly packed beforehand.

"What... what did Mom mean by that? Is Eric not Dad’s son? What does this mean... I don’t understand any of this at all," Ruby thought to herself, having clearly overheard Jason and Vanessa’s conversation.

***

Meanwhile, back at Eric’s place, Katie had packed all her documents back into the folders to bring them to the office. She then instructed her two corporate employees to store them in their respective bags. After that, the three of them stood up, followed by Eric. Katie turned her head to look at him.

"Alright, I have to get back to the office. If anything happens, please call me. Just save my number, you can reach out to me privately," Katie said, deliberately glancing over at the group of girls gathered on the couch and the bed.

"Hisssss," the six girls hissed like cats ready to rumble.

"Alright, Ms. Katie, I appreciate the help," Eric said.

"Hey... don’t be so formal with me. You’re 18, and I’m only 23, so we’re just five years apart. Just call me big sister, okay?" Katie said, deliberately lifting her finger to Eric’s chin.

"Oh... okay, big sister Katie," Eric said casually. He was obviously oblivious to the tension, his head still pounding and his body far from recovered.

"Hisssss," the six girls hissed once more, but they stayed put and didn’t move an inch.

"Okay, I’m off, bye-bye," Katie said, purposefully waving and blowing a kiss from a distance before glancing back at the six girls, whose faces had now gone completely dark.

With grace and elegance, Katie turned and walked out, followed by her two subordinates. However, one of the male employees stepped closer to Eric.

"Wow... Eric, man, it’s incredibly rare for the usually ice-cold Ms. Katie to act like that. Good for you. Get well soon," he said with a smile, patting Eric’s shoulder.

"Oh... okay, thank you, sir," Eric said, completely clueless.

The man then exited the room to catch up with the others. Eric intended to follow them out to see them downstairs, but suddenly, "hissssss," he was surrounded by the six girls, who were glaring at him with pure fury. Without a word, all six of them marched straight out the door and slammed it shut, leaving Eric completely baffled, scratching his head with a look that asked, "What the hell is wrong with them?"