Chapter 226: Sparks and Silent Retribution

Once they settled on a figure, Eric pitched the lease price to Martin, who naturally agreed without missing a beat.

"Alright, in that case, I’ll let Katie know so she can draft up the lease agreement right away," Eric said with a smile.

"Sounds good. Just drop me a line when it’s time to sign," Martin replied.

"If everyone’s on the same page, I’ll take my leave now," Tristan offered politely.

"Right. Heading back to the office?" Chloe asked.

"Yes, ma’am. Excuse me, Ms. Chloe, Mr. Eric, Mr. Martin," Tristan replied, standing up to take his leave.

Tristan departed first along with the two property staff members, leaving behind Eric, Chloe, Emma, Melissa, Avery, Martin, and Miranda. Finishing off her drink, Miranda unzipped her designer bag.

"Emma, here are the keys to my apartment. You said you wanted to use the place, right?" Miranda asked, handing an access card and a ring of keys over to Emma.

"Um... since we’re all wrapped up here, I guess we don’t really need it anymore, Mom. We’re heading home after this," Emma answered.

"Oh... alright then," Miranda replied, slipping the card and keys back into her purse.

"In that case, I’m going to take off too. My mom is over at my place watching Abby, so I shouldn’t stay away for too long," Avery said, rising to her feet.

"Okay... mind if I catch a ride back with you?" Melissa asked.

"Sure, come along! It’s fine if we head out first, right, Eric?" Avery checked.

"Not a problem at all. We’re pretty much done here anyway. Once the lease agreement is finalized, we’ll meet up again to sign it, then go straight into renovating the space for our needs," Eric answered.

"Perfect. The ball’s in Katie’s court now," Melissa added smoothly.

"Speaking of renovations... are you planning to bring in CJR?" Chloe inquired.

"Ah... no need for that. A standard interior design setup will do just fine... I don’t want to make permanent structural overhauls to the building," Eric said, waving a dismissive hand.

"Hmm... fair enough. Let me source a team for you then," Chloe offered, already running through options in her head.

"Alright, we’re taking off! Goodbye, Aunt Miranda, Mr. Martin, we’re heading home," Avery said warmly.

"Take care on the road!" Miranda replied with a friendly wave and a bright smile.

Martin didn’t offer a verbal reply, but he raised his hand with a polite smile. With that, Avery and Melissa headed toward the elevator to ride down to the basement parking lot and grab Avery’s car. Once the two stepped inside and the elevator doors slid shut,

"Is she still working as a nurse, Eric? When I ran into her at the hospital yesterday, she was in full scrubs," Miranda noted casually.

"Yep... but she’s the head pediatric nurse now," Eric replied.

"And her husband is the CEO at your firm, right?" Miranda pressed.

"Yes, Auntie... well, Mom. He’s also my cousin," Eric corrected himself.

"Wait, isn’t she pregnant again? I heard from Ruby that Caleb’s wife is expecting another child," Martin chimed in.

"Um... yeah, you could say they’re pretty productive," Eric agreed with a nod.

Moments later, they watched through the lobby’s floor-to-ceiling glass walls as Avery’s car pulled out from the basement driveway and cleared the main gates. With the coast clear, Martin stood up.

"Since we’re all wrapped up, I’ll head back to my apartment now," Martin announced.

"Sure, Dad. Wait... you’re not staying at Uncle Joe’s hotel anymore?" Eric asked.

"No... I’ve got my own apartment now... located pretty close to Joe’s hotel, actually," Martin answered.

"Wait, the Joe you’re talking about... is that Laura’s uncle, Eric?" Miranda cut in.

"Yes, exactly, Mom," Eric replied.

"Ah... I see," Miranda noted. Suddenly, Miranda stood up herself, turning her gaze directly toward Martin. "Do you happen to have some free time after this?" Miranda asked point-blank.

"I have plenty of time. Is there something you’d like to discuss, Ms. Miranda?" Martin answered, throwing a question back at her.

"How about we head over to the cafe next door in the apartment complex for coffee? I’d love to chat with you a bit more," Miranda suggested candidly.

"Honestly, I was thinking the exact same thing... so it would be my pleasure," Martin replied with a warm smile.

With that, the middle-aged pair casually walked out of the lobby together. Naturally, they didn’t even bother saying a formal goodbye to the three young adults left sitting on the sofa, who could only watch their departure with wide eyes and slack-jawed expressions. After a long moment of stunned silence hanging over the quiet lobby, Emma turned to look at Eric, sliding her arm through his.

"Babe... that’s literally the first time I’ve ever seen my mom invite a man out for coffee," Emma murmured with a wry smile.

Chloe shuffled over to Eric’s other side, wrapping her arms around his opposite arm and leaning her body close to his.

"Looks like things are moving pretty fast between them, huh? Considering they met barely an hour ago," Chloe added, staring out toward the glass doors.

"My mom doesn’t do beat-around-the-bush. When she sees something she likes... boom, she goes straight for the kill," Emma declared with a trace of pride.

"That’s just because she’s been single for way too long. When an opportunity presents itself, speed is key, strike while the iron’s hot," Chloe countered.

"Could you two please zip it for a second? I am actively trying to purge these cursed thoughts out of my brain," Eric interrupted, pulling his arms free from both girls and resting a hand on each of their heads.

Without warning, Eric leaned over and planted a firm kiss straight on Emma’s lips, then turned and planted an identical kiss on Chloe’s lips, leaving both girls frozen on the spot with faint blushes creeping across their cheeks.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Emma gasped, giving Eric a light push.

"Yeah... why the sudden sneak attack?" Chloe chimed in, pushing Eric’s chest as well.

"Because neither of you can keep your mouths shut, and you both sound suspiciously eager to play matchmaker. Put yourselves in my shoes for a second and imagine how weird it feels for me to watch those two together. You girls are out of your minds," Eric complained with a playful glare.

"Oh... ehehehe... fair point! Sorry, babe," Emma giggled, happily wrapping her arm around Eric’s once more.

"Fine, fine... subject dropped! Ehehehe," Chloe added, clinging right back onto Eric’s other arm.

"Alright, let’s head out. Our business here is done anyway, and the others are waiting back home," Eric said, standing up.

"Sounds like a plan," Emma and Chloe replied in unison, standing up beside him.

The trio walked over to the elevator bay to head down to the basement parking lot and retrieve their car. Once inside the elevator car, Eric leaned against the mirrored back wall, a quiet, amused smirk surfacing on his face.

"What are you smirking about all by yourself?" Emma asked, catching his expression.

"Oh... it’s nothing," Eric answered smoothly.

"Hmm... but when you think about it... your dad is actually pretty handsome, isn’t he? Even with the shaved head, his face isn’t half bad... pretty masculine, honestly," Chloe mused out loud, offering her unfiltered assessment.

"Yep! From the moment I first saw him, I knew right away and frankly, that rugged type is totally my mom’s style. She has a weird thing for bald guys, for whatever reason," Emma added casually.

"Your mom’s taste is bizarre," Chloe teased.

"Shut up, it’s totally normal! Better than Heidi’s mom, who has a huge thing for full beards... like her dad, ehehe," Emma fired back.

"Hey... don’t go bringing other people’s moms into this, you instigator," Chloe laughed.

"Well... I really hope my mom finds the right partner this time so she isn’t so lonely down the road. She’s already fifty-seven, after all," Emma reflected softly.

"Wow... fifty-seven going on thirty-five... that’s terrifying. Mr. Martin looks pretty close in age too. I checked his ID earlier and saw he’s sixty-one, just a four-year gap," Chloe noted.

"A perfect match! I’m sending up prayers that the coffee date goes smoothly and they head straight up to the apartment afterward, ehehehe," Emma giggled mischievously.

"Thump!"

Chloe elbowed Emma hard in the ribs, darting a quick, nervous glance over at Eric beside them. Emma instantly whipped her head toward Eric, who was standing completely still, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

"Oops... think babe’s actually mad now?" Emma whispered under her breath.

"Not sure... keep quiet until we hit the basement," Chloe whispered back nervously.

They both kept a close eye on Eric, who maintained his stone-faced silence. The elevator fell into a dead quiet, neither girl daring to break the silence as they waited for him to say something. But in truth, whatever was running through Eric’s head had absolutely nothing to do with their banter. He was remembering his childhood back home, sitting in the living room with his mother, watching movies on DVD or streaming services together as a family. A cold, sarcastic smirk flickered across his mind,

"When you think about it... Mom used to be the biggest fan of Aunt Miranda. She never missed a single one of her movies, streaming them over and over on repeat... If Mom could see her absolute idol sitting down for a cozy coffee date with Dad right now, chatting away with bright smiles... it would feel like a direct slap across the face, and I can’t even fathom the sheer level of regret she’d be drowning in right now," Eric thought to himself.