After that, Brandon and Owen approached Eric with arrogant smirks plastered on their faces, completely brushing Chloe aside. Behind them, their three friends were snickering with their smartphones held high, clearly intending to film something ever since they cornered Emma, Priya, Heidi, Monica, and Laura. Brandon and Owen stood directly in front of Eric, their expressions shifting completely to intense irritation and anger.
"So youâre the one who writes their songs, huh?" Brandon asked, full of attitude.
"Turns out heâs just some nobody... youâre being played, Chloe," Owen added.
"Hey... are your dads shareholders in Chloeâs company?" Eric asked, his voice dead calm.
Hearing Eric speak up so smoothly even as they aggressively closed in on him caught both of them off guard, their eyebrows instantly knitting together. Since he was slightly shorter than Eric, Brandon had to tilt his hand upward to jab a finger at Ericâs face as he stepped ahead of Owen.
"Ha... so youâre getting close to Chloe just to get your hands on her money? Not going to happen. My old man is a major shareholder in the company, and Iâm Chloeâs future husband," Brandon said, stepping right up to Eric. With a harsh "shove," he pushed Eric. "Out of the way, townie. Stay away from Chloe," Brandon mocked.
Eric didnât budge an inch. Instead, he immediately shoved Brandon right back, sending him crashing hard into Owen. As Brandon stumbled, something slipped out of his pocket. It was a student ID card for the Starwood Art Institute, located right near the apartment complex. Brandon, absolutely furious about being pushed down, lost his temper.
"Damn you! Who do you think you are touching me? Just you wait. Once Chloe gets kicked out of the company and my dad takes over as CEO, Iâm going to ruin you. Iâll make your life a living hell until youâre begging me for death," Brandon barked, fueled by pure rage as he pointed aggressively at Eric.
"Oh really... so your dad is actively planning to kick Chloe out of her seat?" Eric asked, his tone cool and biting.
"Duh, obviously. My dad and Owenâs dad already managed to get rid of her parents back then. The only obstacle left is that miserable Bryan. Just wait. This whole thing is being recorded. Since youâre here, Iâve already got my influencer friends behind me filming everything. A fake CEO playing in a band because sheâs got a crush on her songwriter, haha! Chloeâs reputation is going to be completely destroyed online. Oh yeah... my friends already recorded the faces of the other members too, so you better get ready," Brandon ranted, entirely driven by emotion.
"Hey... Brandon, shut up," Owen barked, trying to cut him off because Brandon was talking way too much.
"Hey... what exactly do you mean by âgetting rid ofâ Chloeâs parents? Care to explain that?" Eric asked, entirely unfazed.
Hearing Ericâs question, Brandon suddenly realized he had let a massive secret slip. Biting his lip and clenching his jaw, he and Owen abruptly spun around and stormed off. Their three friends, who had been holding up their smartphones to record and corner the girls from the start, quickly scurried after them.
The moment Brandon and Owen stepped into the elevator, Eric pulled out his phone and forwarded the entire recording straight to Richard. A few moments later, Richard called back. Eric took a few steps away from the girls, who were talking loudly and making a scene behind him.
"Hello," Eric said, picking up the call.
"Eric, what exactly did you just send me? Is the company theyâre talking about CJR Real Estate and Construction?" Richard asked.
"Yep, thatâs the one. Iâm planning to head over there tomorrow to clear this whole mess up," Eric said.
Eric quickly laid out the entire situation to Richard, who listened intently. Once Eric finished explainingâ
"I see how it is. So they want to weaponize Chloe joining your band as a scandal to overthrow her. But what those two kids said on the recording is highly interesting. I know a top-tier private investigator. Iâll have him look into this and dig up whatever skeletons Chloeâs two uncles are hiding," Richard said.
"Sounds good, Mr. Richard. Since Chloe holds a 45% stake in the company and I hold 40%, Iâm planning to show up at the board meeting tomorrow since those two are on the board. At the very least, I can threaten them if they try anything funny and keep them at bay until the investigation wraps up," Eric said.
A long silence followed on the other end of the line. Eric could practically hear the gears turning in Richardâs head as he processed everything.
"Alright. To make absolutely sure it hits home, Iâll have Katie head over to the office with the legal paperwork in hand. What time are you heading there tomorrow?" Richard asked.
"Probably around 11:00 AM," Eric replied.
"Got it. Meet up with Katie there before you head inside," Richard instructed.
"Will do. Thanks, sir," Eric replied.
The call ended. Eric slipped his smartphone back into his pocket and turned to look at the girls. But before he could even walk over to them, "vwooong," a holographic screen opened up right in front of him.
[Quest completed.]
[Reward: Three-item gift bundle received.]
[Would you like to open the gift bundle now? [Yes] [No].]
Without hesitation, Eric selected yes by thinking it in his head. The holographic screen displayed a gift box wrapped in a ribbon popping open with a "Congratulations!" message. Then, two gold stars and one silver star shot out from inside the box.
[Reward: Platinum Unlimited Credit Card received in system inventory.]
[Reward: Single-use Miniature Class A Motorhome received in system inventory.]
[Reward: x10 Lifetime Free Amusement Park Passes received in system inventory.]
Eric opened up his system inventory, and sure enough, there they wereâthe three rewards he had just received.
"Wow... I got a luxury motorhome... I can totally use this to travel the country and go on tour, haha," Eric thought to himself.
"Hey... what are you laughing at all by yourself?" Emma asked, her face suddenly popping up right in front of Ericâs.
"Whoaah... donât scare me like that," Eric replied, nearly jumping out of his skin.
Eric saw that all the girls had gathered right in front of him. Every single one of them was there, and he noticed Chloeâs face was still flush with anger and looking highly irritated.
Eric immediately walked over to Chloe and filled her in on everything. He also forwarded the recording to her phone so she could listen to it later. After that, he turned to the rest of the group.
"Letâs head back up," Eric said.
"Yeah... letâs go. But is what just happened going to be a problem?" Monica asked.
"Donât worry about it, it wonât be an issue," Eric answered.
"Man... we really need to be careful whenever we go out from now on. Tomorrow we have to dress the part if weâre going anywhere," Priya noted.
"Hmm... something that makes us look fierce so people donât try to mess with us," Laura said, deep in thought.
"Agreed, I already have a pretty good idea of how we should style our outfits," Heidi added.
With that, they all headed back upstairs to put their groceries in the fridge and have dinner together.
***
Back in the present, Chloe turned around to look at the back seat, giving her identical-looking friends a cold stare.
"So this was your idea of looking fierce and not getting messed with? You guys just look like my bodyguards," Chloe said dryly.
"Yep... exactly. Donât worry, weâre going to shock everyone in that meeting room," Monica said confidently.
"How about you guys just wait quietly outside the meeting room?" Eric suggested.
"Uh... why?" Emma asked, confused.
"Because I donât want you disrupting the meeting. Your outfits draw way too much attention," Eric replied.
"Ugh... youâre so mean," Emma said, annoyed.
"Yeah, seriously... it wasnât exactly easy getting dressed up like this, you know," Priya chimed in.
"Weâre all wearing high heels," Heidi added, lifting her foot.
"Alright, alright... fine, you can come along," Eric said, too exhausted to keep arguing with the girls in the back.
They pulled up to a towering skyscraper and drove into the entrance lot. Chloe rolled down her window and called over a trusted security guard to valet-park Ericâs car. Once everyone piled out in the lobby, they marched inside, taking all attention to them.
Chloe looped her arm through Ericâs, who looked every bit the professional in his suit, which made Emma, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura feel a bit irritated and left out in their bodyguard attire. Even so, they completely became the center of attention in the packed, bustling building lobby
When they reached the customer service desk, they spotted a familiar face standing next to another man.
"Good morning, Katie," Eric greeted her.
"Hey Eric, based on the recording you handed over to Mr. Richard last night, weâve already filed a police report and issued a subpoena for the footage they shot. So right now, Iâm carrying our official documentation alongside lawsuits for harassment based on that recording and intent to defame. The investigation has officially begun," Katie said with a smile.
"Perfect, weâre covered then. And who is this?" Eric asked, looking at the man in the suit standing beside Katie, who was dressed in a sharp blazer.
"This is Norman, an intern at our firm. Heâs here to learn the ropes of corporate law... oh, and heâs also the one who handled your recording from last night," Katie introduced him.
"Nice to meet you, Norman. Thanks for the help," Eric said, extending his hand.
"Youâre very welcome, Mr. Eric. Itâs a pleasure to meet you as well," Norman replied with a smile, shaking his hand.
"Letâs head to Bryanâs CEO office first," Katie replied.
"Spot on," Eric said, turning to look at the girls. "Letâs head up," Eric said.
But then he froze, noticing the expressions on the faces of Chloe next to him, and Emma, Priya, Monica, Heidi, and Laura standing right behind her. They were all cold and pouting.
"Wait, whatâs wrong with you guys now?" Eric asked, completely bewildered.
They didnât answer, but they were clearly glaring at Katie, who was flashing a playful, teasing smirk that practically screamed, "Look whoâs back, the single, older woman from law firm."