Chapter 205: Unsettled Accounts and Unbroken Boundaries

Later that afternoon in Eric’s building, following the celebration lunch, Eric invited Monica to head upstairs. Upon arriving at the top floor, Eric glanced around to find the interior of his place completely quiet.

"Huh... they’re not back yet?" Eric asked.

"Yeah... usually they’d be home by now... maybe they went out for a bit," Monica answered.

"Hmm... good point, let’s just leave them be," Eric replied.

"I think I’ll get some rest, babe. Today’s been pretty packed," Monica said.

"Sure, let me help you up," Eric replied.

Eric pushed Monica’s wheelchair right up to the staircase, scooped her up in his arms, carried her upstairs, and brought her into her room. Afterward, he went back down, carried the wheelchair up, and set it inside Monica’s room. Eric sat on the edge of Monica’s bed, watching her rest. They chatted for a short while before Eric stepped out, leaving Monica to get some sleep. Returning downstairs, he sank onto the sofa and looked over at the elevator, seeing no sign of anyone coming up.

Where could they be? What’s taking them so long? School should’ve ended hours ago, Eric thought to himself.

As he sat lost in thought, "vwooong," a holographic screen materialized right in front of Eric’s face, giving him a slight start. Eric leaned in to read the message on the display:

[Quest: Visit your father’s and grandfather’s graves on your birthday, play one of your songs in front of their graves, and say a prayer.]

[Reward: ???]

Eric narrowed his eyes, reading the text on the holographic screen once more. Up until now, Eric had never visited his father’s or grandfather’s graves even once, making the quest feel entirely fitting.

"Right on my birthday, huh... so in about five months," Eric said in his head.

Eric fell silent for a moment, keeping his eyes fixed on the holographic display in front of him. He reflected on how it had been almost a year since he was kicked out of his home, and just how much his life had transformed throughout that period. A subtle smile broke across Eric’s lips, and he dismissed the screen before leaning back onto the couch to relax. But just as he began to enjoy the quiet,

"Ting!"

The elevator unexpectedly arrived at the floor. He turned his head to see Emma, Chloe, Heidi, Priya, and Laura walking inside.

"We’re home!" Emma called out.

"Yeah... sorry we took so long," Priya added.

"Hey... where did you guys head off to?" Eric asked, stepping forward to greet them.

"To the doctor’s... to get Laura checked out," Chloe answered.

"Huh... are you sick?" Eric asked Laura.

"Um... well, yeah haha," Laura replied shyly.

"She told us she was throwing up this morning and feeling awful, but turns out it was just a cold and the flu, what a false alarm," Heidi chimed in.

"Seriously, we genuinely thought she was pregnant at first, especially after the crazy stuff she blurted out in front of the teachers," Priya added.

"Oh... I see," Eric said. It’s impossible for her to get pregnant as long as my skill is active, Eric thought to himself.

"Alright, drop it, I’m embarrassed! I was just completely exhausted yesterday and ended up catching a bug, that’s all," Laura grumbled back.

"Well, next time don’t go saying reckless things in front of the faculty," Emma scolded gently.

"Wait, what happened with the teachers?" Eric asked.

Everyone immediately chimed in to explain how they had received formal awards for their achievements as musicians, adding that Ruby got one as well, and that Monica’s certificate had been entrusted to them. Hearing the news, Eric broke into a broad smile.

"That’s awesome! Congratulations, everyone!" Eric said.

"Yeah... thanks! But to be honest, we’re still debating whether to accept the scholarships or not," Emma said.

"Wait, why? What’s wrong?" Eric asked, puzzled.

"I think I want to major in something else, not music," Emma answered.

"Oh... really?" Eric asked, surprised.

"Same here. I want to pick a major that’s useful for your company downstairs, so I can work down there too," Heidi added.

"At first, we were totally set on going to a music and arts university, but after getting a taste of the real world, we kinda want to head in a different direction, hehe," Priya added.

"See? Everyone feels the exact same way I do! And here you were calling me pathetic," Laura teased.

"What matters most right now is focusing on our studies—graduation exams start next week. I’m gonna head upstairs first," Chloe said, leaning in to plant a kiss on Eric’s cheek.

But as Chloe pulled back from the kiss, Eric wrapped his arms around her, catching her completely off guard. Eric kissed Chloe’s forehead and smiled warmly,

"Happy birthday! It’s your birthday today, right?" Eric asked.

"Wait... you remembered?" Chloe asked, stunned.

"Of course I remembered! Let’s all go out for dinner together tonight as a celebration," Eric suggested.

"Oh... okay!" Chloe replied.

Chloe then glanced over her shoulder at Emma, Priya, Heidi, and Laura, who were standing frozen behind her, awkwardly pretending not to look at her.

"I’ve been waiting for you guys to say something since this morning, you know," Chloe said to her friends.

"Soooo sorry!"

Emma, Priya, Heidi, and Laura, who had completely forgotten it was Chloe’s birthday, instantly threw their arms around Chloe in a big group hug. Afterward, they all headed upstairs to see Monica, bring her her award, and hand over the scholarship packet entrusted to them.

Meanwhile, Eric sat back down on the sofa, staring blankly at the unlit television screen. Moments later, "ding," a notification popped up on his smartphone. He grabbed his phone off the table to find a text notification from Mike. Opening it, he found the court schedule for Jason’s preliminary trial, set to take place the following week.

His eyes narrowed as he stared down at the message on his phone, there were still loose ends to tie up before everything could truly come to a close. As he sat lost in thought, "ding," another message flashed on his screen. Opening it up, he saw it was from Caleb. Eric’s eyes widened as he read the text, Caleb was letting him know that Vanessa, his mother, was currently downstairs demanding to see him, refusing to be turned away or leave the building until she got to speak with Eric.

Eric’s expression shifted completely. He knew precisely what his mother wanted from him, but he stood up and walked toward the elevator to head downstairs anyway. Upon arriving at Caleb’s office,

"Your mom’s downstairs. What do you wanna do? I already had security try to escort her out, but she won’t budge," Caleb said.

"Have her come up. I’ll borrow one of the interview rooms so I can speak with her directly," Eric replied.

Caleb didn’t answer right away. He studied Eric’s face, taking in his posture, before turning back to face him,

"You sure about this?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah... sooner or later, I have to deal with my mother anyway, so now is as good a time as any," Eric answered.

"Hmm... fair point. Alright, I get it. I’ll have security bring her up right now," Caleb said.

"Thanks, man," Eric replied with a smile.

"Anytime. If anything goes sideways, give me a holler right away, got it?" Caleb added.

Caleb then pressed the intercom to instruct security to bring Vanessa upstairs. Eric stepped out of the CEO’s office and moved into the interview room right next door. Moments later, the door swung open. Eric was stunned to see his mother, her appearance was drastically different from the last time he had laid eyes on her. Vanessa looked far thinner than before, gray roots were showing at her hairline, her face was lined with heavy wrinkles making her look considerably older, dark bags hung under her eyes, and she looked thoroughly unhealthy.

Meanwhile, Vanessa looked utterly shocked to see Eric, who was now a world away from the boy she used to know. Yet neither betrayed their inner feelings, despite both being caught off guard. Eric signaled the security guards to leave them alone, then gestured for Vanessa to take a seat across from him. Slowly, Vanessa sat down, clutching the handles of her worn-out designer handbag tightly in her lap, her head bowed. Eric refrained from speaking first, waiting until Vanessa finally broke the silence,

"It’s good to see you doing well, Eric," Vanessa said slowly, her voice trembling slightly.

"Thank you, Mom," Eric replied calmly.

Hearing Eric still call her Mom caused Vanessa’s eyes to well up with tears, but she bit her lip to keep herself from breaking down.

"This office... you really transformed your father’s legacy into something incredible... I’m glad to see it," Vanessa said.

"Yeah... so what brings you here, Mom? Let’s skip the small talk and get straight to the point," Eric said, his tone gentle yet firm.

A flicker of shock and pain crossed Vanessa’s face. She lowered her head once more, her hands tightening their grip around the handles of her handbag,

"I... wanted to ask for your help... regarding Jason," Vanessa said.

"No," Eric cut in immediately, without even waiting to hear what her request was.