Chapter 228: New Melodies and Family Ties

A few hours later, after Melissa headed downstairs and Katie returned to her office, Eric sat behind his desk. Before him rested his laptop and electronic keyboard. He pulled up his music composition software on screen and slipped on his headphones, right in the middle of drafting lyrics and timing them to the rhythm for The Empress’s new track titled "New World Around Us."

Suddenly, "click." Eric heard his office door swing open. He looked up to see Ruby step inside, turning back to shut the door behind her. She walked over toward Eric and took a seat right across from his desk as he slipped his headphones down to his neck. He watched Ruby glance around his office with a look of quiet awe.

"All done with classes?" Eric asked.

"Oh... yeah. Your office looks great... what are you up to?" Ruby asked, standing up and leaning over the desk to peek at Eric’s laptop screen.

"Working on the lyrics for The Empress’s new song, and I just finished writing the arrangement for Nobelia’s new track," Eric replied.

"Oh... I see... I actually wanted to show you something," Ruby said.

Ruby sat back down and pulled out her smartphone. Her fingers swiped across the screen before she turned it around to show Eric. Taking the phone, Eric saw it was her chat history with Martin. Over the past two days, Martin had been texting Ruby constantly, asking about her new college and probing into what major she was planning to pursue.

From the chat logs, it started as typical fatherly curiosity. But as time went on, Martin began steering the conversation toward her personal life and future plans. The last text—sent late last night after Ruby left his apartment—showed Martin asking if she had a boyfriend yet and offering to set her up with the son of a new acquaintance, which left Ruby so creeped out she hadn’t bothered replying.

Eric handed the phone back. Gazing at Ruby, he saw the tight, tense expression on his younger sister’s face. After taking her phone back, she leaned back, crossing her arms tightly as she stared at him.

"It’s pretty normal for Dad to ask stuff like that. Isn’t it a good thing he’s caring about your future?" Eric said casually.

"Ha... a good thing? Like you don’t know Dad! Since when has he ever cared about our futures? Him asking all these questions and trying to set me up with some random friend’s kid gives me total goosebumps. What is up with him lately?" Ruby asked, genuinely baffled.

"Did you know he’s working with me now at my new foundation?" Eric asked.

"Huh... no way. First time I’m hearing this. He’s working again? As far as I knew, he sold off his company and assets just to pay off those bank loans, right? Then he told me he’d put whatever was left into a trust fund for me," Ruby answered, thoroughly shocked.

"Hmm... guess he didn’t mention it. Alright... let me fill you in so you’re not left in the dark," Eric said.

Eric laid out the details of the foundation project currently underway—how he leased his father’s building and brought him on board to collaborate as an external consultant with a fresh salary. Ruby listened intently, her bewildered expression slowly softening as Eric explained everything. Once he finished, Ruby sat back in silence for a moment.

"So that’s what it is! No wonder he was so happy and full of energy... I thought he was possessed or something, suddenly asking about my private life and wanting to be involved," Ruby mused, lost in thought.

"Did you come over here with the others?" Eric asked.

"Yeah... they all went straight upstairs to relax and sleep, so they didn’t come down," Ruby answered.

"Did Emma or Chloe mention anything to you?" Eric checked.

"Nope, they acted totally normal... why, is something up?" Ruby asked, confused.

"Nothing at all... so now you know why Dad’s been acting different," Eric replied.

"Yeah... I get it now. Honestly, it’s a relief. I was genuinely worried he was losing his mind from living alone and going senile," Ruby admitted.

"Ha... you’re ridiculous. As if a guy like Dad would go senile and lose his mind out of nowhere. You’re something else," Eric chuckled, waving his hand.

"Hehehe... you’re right. Hey... play the new song for me! I want to hear it," Ruby begged, her cheerful mood instantly returning.

"Hmm... alright, just the instrumental track for now. This one’s for Nobelia—it doesn’t have a title yet since there are no lyrics," Eric said.

Eric opened the file and hit play. A rich, fast-paced melody with an upbeat, flowing rhythm immediately filled the room. Ruby froze, mesmerized by the gorgeous arrangement, but before she even realized it, her body started swaying to the beat with a wide smile spreading across her face.

Seeing her dance along openly, Eric couldn’t help but smile widely himself, grooving in his chair alongside her. The track ran its course for three minutes and forty-four seconds before fading out. Eric looked at his sister across the desk.

"What do you think?" Eric asked.

"That was sooooo cool! Seriously amazing! I love it so much! What’s the title? Is that Nobelia’s new single?" Ruby asked enthusiastically.

"Yep... no title yet since I haven’t written the lyrics. I’m still trying to find the right words that match the tempo you just heard," Eric explained.

"Oh, I see... want me to help?" Ruby offered.

"Huh... you know how to write lyrics?" Eric asked.

"I can learn! I want to try writing lyrics too. Don’t forget, I got accepted into the Starwood Art Institute on a scholarship, you know," Ruby boasted proudly.

"Oh right, you didn’t surrender your scholarship like the others did," Eric recalled.

"Yep... I’ve loved art forever. Getting in there was a dream come true, so there was no way I’d turn down a full scholarship just because of peer pressure. Who cares what the others did," Ruby declared.

"You’re right. You’ve been doing all sorts of artistic stuff since you were little, singing in the shower, writing, painting," Eric reminisced with a smile.

"Why do you always have to bring up the singing in the shower thing? You’re so annoying, big brother," Ruby huffed, her cheeks flushing bright red.

"Hahaha... my bad, my bad," Eric laughed, thoroughly entertained.

After that, both of them fell silent for a moment. Eric stared back down at his laptop screen while Ruby scrolled through her smartphone. The office turned completely silent with neither of them speaking,

"Big brother... it’s been a long time since the two of us just sat down and talked like this, hasn’t it?" Ruby blurted out, breaking the quiet.

"Yeah... last time we had a moment like this, we were still little kids," Eric replied with a faint smile.

"I’m really glad we can talk like this again... over the past few months, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on family, and now I’m just so grateful. I still have Dad, and I still have you," Ruby said, reaching her hand across the desk.

"Yeah, same here. I’m grateful I still have family, and a younger sister who was lost for so long and finally came back," Eric answered, taking Ruby’s hand across the desk.

"I hope we can keep talking like this in the future, big brother," Ruby mused softly.

"Yeah... I hope so too," Eric replied quietly.

Suddenly, "blam!" the door slammed open with a loud thud. Eric let go of Ruby’s hand and looked past her as she whipped around toward the entrance. Emma, still dressed in her school uniform, rushed inside and shut the door behind her. She jogged right up to the back of Eric’s desk,

"Babe, my mom just invited us over to her place!" Emma blurted out.

"Oh... when?" Eric asked.

"This weekend, the day after tomorrow. She wants us all over for lunch together," Emma answered.

"Oh, sure, that’s fine... but why do you look so panicked?" Eric asked, confused by Emma’s flustered face.

"Just read it yourself," Emma said, holding up her smartphone.

Eric took Emma’s smartphone and read the screen. As his eyes scanned the text, his pupils suddenly dilated. He looked up at Emma, his expression shifting dramatically,

"Mom explicitly asked us to bring your dad, Mr. Martin and she said it’s a must! You read that part, right?" Emma stressed.

"Wait... what does that mean? Why is your mom inviting my dad over for lunch at her house?!" Ruby interjected instantly, standing up the second she caught Emma’s words.

Watching Ruby stand up, all the color drained straight out of Eric’s face, cycling through shades of dark, pale ash, and stark white. His face practically screamed, "Damn it... absolute disaster."

Emma slapped both hands over her mouth, realizing she had accidentally spilled the beans, while Ruby stood there waiting for an answer with her arms crossed and a dead serious expression.

Finally, silence fell over the room once again. But this time, the gears inside Eric’s head were visibly spinning at full speed, desperately searching for a way to explain the secret that had just been let out and was now hanging thick in the air right in front of his sister.