One Man Band System

The next morning, Eric headed out with Chloe toward her office downtown. In the car, Chloe sat in the passenger seat, still looking completely dazed as she stared over at Eric, who looked incredibly sharp behind the wheel in a black designer suit.

"So... what exactly are we telling the board?" Chloe asked one more time.

"Just like we planned last night. We tell them to stop questioning The Empress because I’m the one who put the group together in the first place. Besides, we’re holding all the cards after last night, aren’t we?" Eric answered casually.

"Yeah... against two guys. Is the rest of the board actually going to believe us?" Chloe asked.

"Don’t worry, they’ll definitely believe it. I also asked someone last night to come to your office. Plus, before we face the board, we should talk to Mr. Bryan first and map out our strategy," Eric replied with a smile.

"Okay... I get it," Chloe answered.

Eric then glanced at the rearview mirror and "sigh," he let out a breath, rolled his eyes, and shook his head before looking back at the mirror, which was completely packed.

"And why exactly did the rest of you tag along?" Eric asked.

"Oh... haha... it wouldn’t be fair if you went off completely alone with Chloe," Emma replied.

"Yeah, exactly. We have to stick together," Priya added.

"We also want to help straighten out this whole mess," Heidi added.

"Don’t worry, we won’t get in the way when you guys are talking later," Monica added, holding up a peace sign.

"Yep... plus, we’re heading to my uncle’s place right after this, so I might as well just come along now," Laura added.

"Okay... understood, but what is up with your outfits?" Chloe asked, turning around to look at the back seat.

Chloe was wearing a custom pantsuit with heels, her hair up in a sleek bun, giving off major CEO vibes. But Emma, Monica, Priya, Heidi, and Laura were all wearing simple blouses, black blazers, and black skirts, topped off with face masks, sunglasses, and hats, looking exactly like a squad of female bodyguards.

"So nobody tries to bother us or ask for anything," Emma said.

"Yeah, exactly. Did you already forget what happened last night?" Monica asked.

The mood in the car instantly went dead silent as everyone recalled the incident from the night before down in the luxury apartment lobby.

***

The night before, after sorting out the room arrangements, the six girls had taken over the two master bedrooms, splitting up three to a room. This left Eric with the guest room, which sat right next to the private study and featured a connecting door between them.

Once everyone had showered and changed into loungewear, Eric and Chloe sat down for a serious conversation in the living room. The other girls had headed downstairs to grab groceries, daily essentials, and food from the supermarket located right on the ground floor of Tower A.

"So we’re heading to my office tomorrow?" Chloe asked Eric.

"Yep... your board is questioning why their CEO joined The Empress, so we’ll just explain that you teamed up with me. It won’t be an issue anyway, the two of us have the leverage to fire them since we’re the largest shareholders in your company," Eric said.

"Are you planning to threaten them?" Chloe asked.

"If necessary, but before that, we need to talk to Bryan Vance first and get his backing to face the board," Eric answered.

"Alright then... so it turns out... you’re E-R Holdings... the second largest shareholder in my company," Chloe said, looking at Eric’s smartphone screen, which displayed her company’s files, the exact ones he had previously sent over to Richard.

"That belongs to my dad. E-R stands for Ethan Reed, and he passed it down to me. Just please don’t tell the others," Eric answered frankly.

"Deal... your secret is safe with me," Chloe said happily, patting her chest with a slight blush on her face.

"Did you know my dad?" Eric asked.

"No... honestly, I didn’t even really know mine. I was just a kid, maybe six or seven, when my parents passed away. I was raised by Bryan. He was my dad’s right-hand man who managed my entire inheritance, and he’s been like a father to me," Chloe said, looking down.

"I see. What was your dad’s name?" Eric asked.

"Charles... that’s why my company is named CJR. It stands for Charles Julia Rogers. Julia was my mom’s name," Chloe answered.

"Well, whatever, we don’t have to dwell on the past," Eric said, cutting the topic short because he didn’t want Chloe to get sad.

"Don’t worry about it. Even when they were alive, my parents rarely looked after me. Like I said, I grew up with Bryan, since my dad specifically tasked him with raising me. Sometimes I feel like I was just an unwanted kid, haha," Chloe said, looking down with a bittersweet smile.

"I know that feeling. I get it completely," Eric replied. He truly did understand, because ever since he was a kid, his parents had treated him like he was invisible. No matter how much he achieved, all of their attention went strictly to his older brother and younger sister.

A quiet stillness settled between them. Chloe handed Eric’s smartphone back to him. He swiped out of the gallery, locked the screen, and set the phone down on the coffee table. Chloe then shifted closer, sliding over next to Eric, and gently rested her head against his shoulder.

"Thanks, Eric," Chloe said with a gentle smile.

"Huh... thanks for what?" Eric asked, completely clueless.

"Thanks for helping me deal with those old men who are always breathing down my neck," Chloe answered.

"Oh, that... yeah, don’t worry about it. No need to thank me. It’s the least I can do as the largest shareholder with a real stake in your company," Eric said.

"That’s not what I meant... ugh, whatever, you are completely oblivious for a guy. I give up," Chloe said, pouting.

"Wait... why are you mad all of a sudden?" Eric asked.

"Forget it... anyway... what’s taking them so long downstairs?" Chloe asked, shifting the subject.

"Hmm... good point. There’s no way grocery shopping takes three hours," Eric replied.

Before they could take the conversation any further, "vwooong," a holographic screen popped up right in front of Eric’s face. His eyes went wide as he read the text glowing inside it.

[Urgent Quest: Take Chloe down to the lobby and save Emma, Monica, Priya, Heidi, and Laura from five men cornering them. Turn on your recording device.]

[Reward: A three-item gift bundle.]

Without a moment’s delay, Eric snapped to his feet. Chloe, who had been leaning heavily against him, was caught completely out of nowhere and tumbled back onto the sofa. She looked up at him, startled.

"What’s wrong?" Chloe asked, slowly sitting back up.

"We’re going downstairs. Come on," Eric said, grabbing her hand.

"Wait, what?" Chloe stammered.

They ran straight for the elevator to head down to the lobby, with Eric quickly turning on his smartphone’s voice recorder along the way. A few minutes later, they stepped out into the quiet lobby. Eric, still holding Chloe’s hand, scanned the area.

They spotted a group of five men crowding around Emma, Monica, Priya, Heidi, and Laura. Clutching their grocery bags, the five girls were pinned against the wall, completely cornered.

Without a second thought, Eric marched right up to the crowd. He flashed a stern look at the security guard, who was just standing there looking terrified. Annoyed by the guard’s inaction, Eric tapped the shoulder of a short, chubby guy who looked about twenty, likely a college student, forcing him to spin around.

The short guy had a thoroughly sleazy, obnoxious look on his face, but the moment his eyes landed on Chloe, he went pale.

"Ch... Chloe?" he stuttered.

"Owen... so it’s you. What do you think you’re doing with my friends?" Chloe said, her voice cold.

"You know this guy?" Eric asked, looking at Chloe.

"He’s my uncle’s son. The uncle we’re supposed to meet tomorrow," Chloe answered.

"Oh, got it," Eric said, instantly putting the pieces together.

"What do you want, Chloe? Don’t try anything smart. You know my dad is furious about your little scandal, joining that viral, low-class band," Owen sneered.

Another young guy turned around. He was handsome but carried a deeply punchable, arrogant smirk. The moment he saw Chloe, he completely ignored Eric, grabbed Chloe’s hand, and kissed it.

"Good to see you, Chloe. I was just telling your little friends that they don’t belong in a luxury building like this. They’re just members of some low-rent band, aren’t they?" the guy said smoothly.

Chloe ripped her hand back and instantly swung, landing a sharp slap right across his face. She pulled out a handkerchief and thoroughly wiped her hand down, acting as if she had just touched something repulsive. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Don’t touch me, Brandon. I will never accept you, no matter how much pressure they put on me," Chloe snapped.

As Owen and a stunned Brandon rubbed their faces, their three friends stepped up to back them. Immediately, Emma, Monica, Priya, Laura, and Heidi filed in right behind Eric, with Chloe quickly joining them. Owen and Brandon finally noticed Eric standing right there and broke into smug grins.