One Man Band System

After Ruby spent a few moments sobbing heavily while hugging Eric, he slowly reached down, grabbed her arms, and pried her off him. Then he stepped back, away from her, which only seemed to crush Ruby even more. Eric locked his eyes on his sister, and finally, something he had been keeping bottled up inside came out.

"Do you still remember the words you said to me when I was accused and asked for your help?" Eric asked quietly.

Hearing Eric’s question, Ruby immediately looked up at him again. His face remained completely steady and unchanged. She knew and remembered exactly what she had said; Eric could see it written all over her face, and it was blindingly obvious that she regretted it. But it was too late. Eric continued.

"You told me that you weren’t my sister, that I was disgusting, and all kinds of other things, right?" Eric asked.

"Back then... back then... I honestly thought you... but it was all wrong... Melissa and Blake were the ones who framed you... I didn’t know any better at the time," Ruby stammered.

"Well, that’s exactly the point. You believed Melissa and Blake. You believed the video they made, and at that very moment, you honestly thought your brother was a disgusting, immoral man. That was how you viewed me. So congratulations, you no longer have a disgusting and immoral brother," Eric said, his voice calm and freezing.

"Please don’t be like this... I regret it, I really regret it. Deep down, I knew you could never do something like that. I’ve known you since the day I was born... there’s no way I wouldn’t know who you are," Ruby cried out, pouring her heart out.

"Yeah... that’s how it should have been. But back then? You were just like everyone else. You said you didn’t have a disgusting, immoral brother like me. That actually happened, and it can’t be changed. That’s how you truly felt about me. So, before I completely lose the very last shred of affection I have left for you, you should leave right now," Eric said firmly and calmly.

Hearing Eric’s words, which felt like a sledgehammer slamming into her chest, Ruby lowered her head and fell silent. Seeing that Ruby had seemingly given up, Eric turned around, ready to walk toward the elevator to head back upstairs. But suddenly, she spoke.

"Is this because of Emma and those girls from The Empress? Is having them around why you don’t see me as your sister anymore?"

Hearing Ruby’s words, Eric stopped in his tracks. He turned around and truly looked at his sister. The final shred of affection he had been keeping for her evaporated completely, gone for good. His expression grew even colder, and he glared so sharply at Ruby that she winced, having never seen that look on Eric’s face in her entire life.

"Don’t you dare bother them at school ever again. They have nothing to do with this. If I hear that you’re messing with them, or if you cause them to get punished because of you, I’ll deal with you myself," Eric said coldly, with absolutely no warmth left in his voice.

Hearing Eric clearly and firmly defend Emma, Monica, Chloe, Priya, Heidi, and Laura, Ruby’s face instantly changed. Her pale, tear-stained expression flushed bright red, her eyebrows furrowed, her eyes sharpened, and her tears stopped tracking down her face at once. A thin smile appeared on her lips. She stepped forward to stand right in front of Eric and looked up into his face.

"So it really is true, isn’t it? Just because those cheap girls are the same age as me, you’re refusing to recognize me as your sister. You’re even threatening me to leave them alone. You’re completely unbelievable and disgusting. I am your sister... yet you forget about your own family just to play house and shack up with a bunch of trashy girls. You’re pathetic," Ruby screamed, completely losing control of her anger.

"You’re not my sister. Our last names are different. We’re done here, and there’s nothing left to talk about," Eric said, keeping his cool and controlling his temper even though he was starting to boil inside.

Hearing Eric explicitly state that she wasn’t his sister, his face making it clear he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her, Ruby took a step back as reality set in. She stared up into his face, studying it, her eyes darting across his features as if searching for some sign of the brother she knew.

But she found absolutely nothing. Eric just stared back at her the way he would at a complete stranger and now, he looked at her as if she were an unstable person just trying to stir up trouble. Ruby clenched her fists, her jaw tightening as she ground her teeth, glaring at Eric with her bloodshot eyes.

"Just so you know, I came all this way to see you because I hate my family, not because I was actually looking for you. I thought you were different, but turns out you’re exactly the same. I hate you... and you’re right, you are disgusting... an immoral man shacking up with a bunch of trashy girls," Ruby screamed, pointing right in Eric’s face, completely tearing off her mask and showing him who his sister truly was.

Seeing Ruby point at him and look completely unhinged, Eric didn’t get riled up at all. Instead, he just smiled. He had already figured that this was who his sister truly was deep down, since he had known her personality inside out since childhood.

Without delaying any further, Eric caught the eyes of the two security guards up front, who had already started moving the moment they heard Ruby screaming. Eric gave them a quick nod, and the two guards instantly stepped in.

Ruby, noticing Eric looking behind her, spun around. She was shocked to see two security guards marching toward her, and she instantly snapped her head back to look at Eric.

"You’re... you’re calling security to kick me out?" Ruby asked, her face twisted in disbelief.

Eric didn’t answer. He simply crossed his arms over his chest and kept his eyes on the guards, his expression freezing and his gaze treating Ruby entirely like a stranger. Ruby lunged forward, trying to grab his hand, but Eric stepped back to avoid her touch. Her hand hung uselessly in midair, her face a mask of pure disbelief.

"Thud."

Suddenly, a hand gripped Ruby’s shoulder from behind. The two guards had stepped right up to her.

"Excuse me, miss, you are disturbing the peace in this building. Please leave, or we will be forced to call the authorities," one of the guards said.

Hearing the guard’s words, feeling the grip on her shoulder, and seeing the massive guards towering behind her, Ruby immediately looked back at Eric.

"Eric, help me... I don’t want to leave," Ruby pleaded.

At her words, both security guards turned their eyes toward Eric, who was standing calmly in front of them.

"Sir, do you know this young lady?" one of the guards asked.

"No, she’s nobody to me. Please take her outside," Eric said, his tone casual and relaxed.

"Alright. Miss, come with us," the guard instructed Ruby.

Hearing Eric claim he didn’t even know her, it was blindingly obvious from her expression that her heart had completely shattered. Tears streamed down her face again, and she reached her hands out, desperate to grab onto him. But the guards already had a firm grip on her, pulling her back and dragging her away.

"Eric... don’t do this... Eric!" Ruby screamed.

But Eric just turned around and walked back toward the elevators. He calmly pressed the button for the second elevator and waited, never once turning around to look at Ruby as she was hauled out of the luxury apartment lobby.

When the elevator doors slid open, Eric nearly jumped out of his skin. Emma, Monica, Priya, Chloe, Heidi, and Laura were all crammed inside. They were still wearing their school uniforms, but their clothes were completely disheveled and their hair was a total mess.

Seeing Eric standing there, they quickly shifted to make room. Eric stepped inside, and the doors closed behind him. He turned around to face the six girls.

"What happened to you guys now?" Eric asked, totally bewildered.

"Never mind that. Are you okay?" Emma asked, grabbing his arm.

"Yeah... did she try anything with you?" Priya asked, grabbing his other arm.

"She didn’t say anything horrible, did she?" Monica asked, looking deeply worried.

"Before you came up, where did she go?" Chloe asked anxiously.

"Come on, spill it," Heidi demanded.

"Seriously... tell us right now," Laura added, clearly dying to hear what happened, her curiosity obvious despite her bangs covering half her face.

"Sigh," Eric let out a breath, but a smile spread across his face as he looked at the six anxious, worried girls in front of him. "I’m fine. Why are you guys such a mess?" Eric asked calmly, smiling.

Seeing Eric smile, the girls instantly swarmed him again, relieved that he was perfectly fine and realizing they had been worried over nothing. Once they finally made it up to their penthouse and sat down in the living room, Eric told them everything that had happened. Afterward, they put the whole ordeal behind them and ate lunch together, shifting their focus to discussing Eric’s new song.