One Man Band System

A few moments later, Eric pulled his car over to the curb right in front of Emma’s house, turned off the engine, and unlocked the doors. Sure enough, three cars, an Audi, a BMW, and a Lincoln Continental, were parked along the curb, completely blocking the driveway. Eric turned to look at the back seat.

"Alright... let’s get out," Eric said casually, turning toward the door and getting ready to open it to step out.

But suddenly, "yank," the hands of all six girls pulled him right back into his seat, holding him down so he couldn’t move. Eric immediately turned to look at Emma in the front seat.

"Hey... what’s going on?" Eric asked.

"Tell us first... what exactly are you planning to do?" Emma asked seriously.

"Yeah... don’t just go barging in there without a plan, you have no idea what my mom is like when she’s furious," Priya added, sounding serious and panicked.

"The situation is critical right now. My mom is inside, along with Priya’s mom and Heidi’s mom... if something goes wrong, we might never make it out of Emma’s house alive," Monica added, serious and frantic.

"She’s right... don’t underestimate the three of our mothers, Eric," Heidi added, equally serious and panicked.

"Um... I was just confused about whether I should get out too, so I pulled you," Laura said, looking completely lost and panicked.

"And you said you were coming to my office... what are you planning to do there? Why do you want to meet the board? I’m totally lost... explain," Chloe added, looking just as confused, though a glimmer of hope sparked in her eyes.

"Sigh," Eric let out a breath. One by one, he gently pried off the girls’ hands that were pinning him down. Then he turned to look at Emma, and glanced back at the still-pale faces of Monica, Heidi, Priya, Chloe, and Laura. He offered them a smile.

"I’m going to take responsibility... that’s the plan," Eric said plainly and casually, completely free of any ulterior motives.

Hearing his words, the six girls, whose faces had been pale and terrified just a second ago, suddenly blushed so hard they looked like overcooked shrimp. Their cheeks, ears, and even their necks turned completely red. All six of them went dead silent, trying to process what Eric had just said, as if he were speaking a foreign language that required decoding word by word.

Seeing them completely dazed, Eric spoke up again.

"I’m the one who put your band together, and I’m the one who wrote the song, so I have to take responsibility, right? Come on, let’s go inside and face them together. I’ll be right there with you," Eric said, completely oblivious to how they had taken it.

Emma, Monica, Heidi, Priya, Chloe, and Laura didn’t say a single word in reply. They just stared at Eric, eventually nodding in response, though it was a mystery whether they actually understood what he meant or not.

Seeing that the girls had finally calmed down, Eric turned back around to open his door, but stopped and glanced back once more.

"Ready to get out?" Eric asked.

"Yes," the six girls replied in unison like a pack of robots, completely spaced out.

Everyone stepped out of the car. Eric led the way, followed by the six girls who looked more and more tortured with every single step they took toward the porch. As they reached the front door, Eric raised his hand to knock, but "clik," the door swung open. Miranda stood on the other side, instantly flashing a smile at Eric, though her eyes quickly flicked past him to glare at Emma and the rest of the girls.

"You’re finally here. Come on in," Miranda said shortly, her tone firm and flat.

"Thanks, ma’am," Eric said.

"Hey, Mom," Emma added quietly.

They all stepped inside, but the moment their feet crossed the threshold, a wave of regret hit them, coming here felt like a massive mistake. The atmosphere inside was suffocating and incredibly tense. Sitting over in the living room were three beautiful, middle-aged women who looked to be in their fifties, right around Miranda’s age.

One had her dark hair styled in an elegant updo, deep tan skin, wore thin glasses, and was dressed in a custom, clearly expensive designer blazer. Next to her sat a sharp, intelligent-looking woman with long, wavy brown hair, wearing a white long-sleeve button-down and tailored dress pants, giving off the distinct vibe of a doctor.

Finally, right beside her was a woman with shoulder-length red hair, rocking a custom skirt-suit, black stockings, and high heels. The three of them were casually sipping tea, but their stressed expressions made them look ten years older than they actually were.

Miranda took a seat across from the three women, while Eric stood right by her side, and the six girls practically hid behind his back. But something completely unexpected happened the moment the three middle-aged women looked up and saw Eric. They all froze in absolute shock.

"Ethan? Oh, wait... no. Who are you?" the tan, dark-haired woman asked, quickly setting her teacup down on the table.

"Miranda... do you know him?" the redhead asked.

"Am I seeing things?" the brunette muttered, rubbing her eyes before opening them again.

"You’re not seeing things. He really is Ethan’s boy. His name is Eric," Miranda said.

"Oh wow," the three women replied in unison.

"Eric, let me introduce you. The one with the glasses is Mrs. Layla, Priya’s mom. The redhead is Mrs. Anna, Monica’s mom. And lastly, Mrs. Vicky, Heidi’s mom," Miranda said, introducing them all to Eric.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you all, ladies," Eric said politely, bowing slightly and extending his hand.

"Oh my... so you’re Ethan’s son! It’s so wonderful to meet you," Layla said, her mood instantly brightening as she shook Eric’s hand.

"You’re just as handsome as Ethan... you really look exactly like him," Vicky added, holding Eric’s hand warmly.

"For a second, I honestly thought you were Ethan. It’s great to meet you, Eric," Anna added, shaking his hand next.

Hearing their mothers’ reactions, Priya, Monica, and Heidi let out a massive sigh of relief. They honestly thought Eric had just completely saved them. But they had barely taken two breaths before "siiing," Layla’s eyes suddenly whipped over to Priya, glaring with enough heat to promise a severe punishment.

Anna looked at Monica with pure disappointment, as if she regretted giving birth to her, and Vicky, who looked like a doctor, glanced at Heidi as if she were about to perform surgery on her.

"Hiii," Priya, Monica, and Heidi squealed, instantly jumping back to hide behind Eric. Meanwhile, Emma tried to slide into the seat next to Miranda, but the exact moment her butt hit the sofa cushion, "yank," "Ow... ow... Mom!" Emma screamed in pain as her mother grabbed her by the ear.

Wanting to save Emma from further agony, Eric turned his attention back to Miranda and the other women sitting in front of him.

"Um... did you guys know my dad?" Eric asked.

Hearing Eric’s question, Miranda finally let go of Emma’s ear. She looked up at him, and Layla, Anna, and Vicky turned their attention to him as well.

"Layla, Anna, Vicky, and I are childhood friends. We all grew up together with your dad, Ethan. Our fathers were close friends and played in a band together, it wasn’t anything famous, they just did it for fun," Miranda explained.

"There was one more of us, right? We were a group of six," Layla noted.

"Oh, right. Chloe’s dad. Isn’t that right, Chloe?" Anna asked, turning her gaze toward Chloe.

"Oh... yes... that’s right, auntie," Chloe replied, flinching slightly as a shiver ran down her spine.

"Oh, I see," Eric murmured, deep in thought. "Hmm... I really didn’t see this coming. It turns out the mothers of Priya, Monica, and Heidi know my dad too... plus Chloe’s late father was also my dad’s friend... could this have something to do with my portfolio? There has to be a connection," Eric thought to himself.

"But this doesn’t mean you girls are off the hook. You formed a band behind our backs, shared the video without permission, went viral, and even ended up on television," Miranda said, cutting right through Eric’s thoughts. Layla, Anna, and Vicky nodded along in agreement, their eyes locked onto their daughters as if they were ready to wring their necks.

Hearing those words, Emma, Priya, Monica, and Heidi instantly went pale, and so did Chloe and Laura, who had nothing to do with this and shouldn’t have even been in the line of fire. They all turned their wide, tear-filled eyes toward Eric, completely desperate for him to save them.

"Sigh," Eric let out a breath, trying to calm himself down as he ran a hand through his hair. He looked at Miranda, Layla, Anna, and Vicky, then bowed his head.

"I’m sorry, ladies... I’m the one who invited them to play in a band and put the group together. I’m also the one who wrote the song, so please don’t blame them. And please don’t force them into arranged marriages. Let them decide their own futures," Eric apologized on everyone’s behalf.

The room instantly fell dead silent. Miranda, Layla, Anna, and Vicky all glanced at one another. Then, "hahahaha," the four of them burst into hysterical laughter, laughing so hard they started crying. Confused, Eric lifted his head and glanced back at the girls, who were all playing dumb, completely avoiding his gaze. Once the four mothers finally calmed down, Layla spoke up.

"You really are something else, aren’t you? Who even does arranged marriages these days?" Layla said, taking off her glasses to wipe away her tears from laughing.

"But good on you. At least you stepped up and took responsibility. Now that’s what I call a real man," Anna said.

"You heard that arranged marriage nonsense from Heidi, didn’t you? Just so you know, the girls hiding behind you love to read romance novels and talk about them... that’s your only clue, you can figure out the rest yourself," Vicky said with a smile.

Hearing this, Eric whipped his head around to look at the six girls. They were all hanging their heads, looking a little guilty but grinning from ear to ear. Everything they had told him was just pulled straight from the angsty novels they read; none of it was real. Eric’s face burned bright red from pure embarrassment, and he suddenly wished the floor would just open up and swallow him whole.