Free Web NovelChapter 22: Uncharted Origins
"Vwooong."
This time, the holographic screen pulled up the exact musical arrangement for the track the system was ordering him to play. Emma set up the sheet music for the piece on the piano stand, and then she launched into a solo intro. Eric listened intently, keeping his eyes glued to the screen for his cue. His heart pounded against his ribs, considering this was the absolute first time he had ever held a violin in his life.
The exact second it was time to join in, Eric’s hands, which had already taken the proper form, suddenly began moving entirely on their own. He was completely startled, but he fought to stay composed, forcing himself to maintain a deeply expressive and focused look as he rode the melody.
As the flawlessly harmonized, call-and-response notes filled the room, Miranda’s expression shifted instantly, her entire posture tightening with emotion. Kevin, on the other hand, just looked completely bored and sleepy, since classical music really wasn’t his thing.
After a little over five minutes, the piece finally drew to a close. Emma immediately spun around to look at Eric where he stood behind her, completely stunned. Her eyes were wide but sparkling as she stared at him, her face practically screaming, "Is there literally anything this guy can’t do?" Realizing Emma was staring hard at him, Eric suddenly got super self-conscious.
"Um... thank you, haha," Eric muttered, stiff and awkward.
"Just how many instruments do you actually know how to play?" Emma asked, suspicious but deeply impressed.
"Um... just the ones you’ve already heard me play, hahaha," Eric lied.
"Are you serious?" Emma pressed, locking eyes with him.
"Yeah, totally... anyway, instead of interrogating me, you might want to look over there," Eric said, nodding toward the couch.
Emma turned her head toward the sofa and gasped. Miranda was standing up with both hands covering her mouth, her eyes wide with total shock and absolute disbelief. Miranda then rushed over to Eric and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"You really are just like Ethan... back in the day, Ethan was an incredible violinist too. It’s like I was watching him play right in front of me all over again," Miranda said, her eyes swimming with deep nostalgia.
"Oh... I see, ma’am," Eric said awkwardly. He honestly had no idea what to make of her reaction, so he just went with the flow, not daring to say anything that might ruin the moment.
"Amazing... you are truly remarkable, Eric. I am so incredibly proud of you," Miranda gushed, squeezing his shoulders as if she wanted to pull him into a massive hug.
"Mom... let him go, can’t you see you’re making him uncomfortable?" Emma chimed in, stepping in to pull Eric away and immediately wrapping her arms around his arm.
"Ah, sorry about that! I heard from Emma that you’re planning on heading to college soon. What’s your major going to be?" Miranda asked enthusiastically.
"Um... honestly, I haven’t really made up my mind yet, ma’am," Eric answered truthfully.
"How about going to the Starwood Art Institute? I can personally write you a recommendation," Miranda offered.
The moment he heard the name of the school, Eric instantly remembered the brochure Emma had shown him downstairs. He was too stunned to answer, even though Miranda was looking at him with total excitement. But right as he was processing it, "vwooong," a holographic notification flared open.
[Second Objective Completed.]
[Reward: One penthouse unit at a luxury apartment complex called Tropical Summer, Tower A, 25th Floor received. Documents can be collected at the management office, and the keys have been added to the system inventory.]
When Eric opened his system inventory, right next to the 100% discount card valid at any Mercedes-Benz dealership, there was now a second item: a set of keys and a purchase receipt for the apartment.
Right after that, the screen pulled up a map showing the apartment’s location, and it turned out to be so close to the Starwood Art Institute that it was well within walking distance.
Deep down, Eric was practically doing backflips of pure joy at what he had just scored, but he fought like hell to keep his face completely straight, though a faint smile managed to slip through.
"Um... do you really think I could get in there, ma’am?" Eric asked, playing dumb.
"With the kind of raw skill you just displayed? You played that beautifully without a single rehearsal, on both the guitar and the violin. Of course you can get in, your talent is undeniable," Miranda insisted warmly.
"But isn’t that place pretty far from here, Mom?" Kevin asked, stepping closer to the group.
"Don’t worry about that, I actually own a penthouse over there," Miranda said, waving off Kevin’s concern with a flick of her wrist.
"Um... I actually happen to have a place there too, ma’am... Tropical Summer apartments, Tower A," Eric mentioned casually, though deep down he was feeling incredibly smug and deliberately showing off.
"Wow... what a crazy coincidence! I own a place in that exact same tower. I actually bought it for Emma for when she starts school there," Miranda replied.
"Oh... wow," Eric said with a smile. His heart was hammering against his chest because he wanted to scream and jump around, though he kept his head down to process and weigh all his options.
To Miranda, Eric looked overwhelmed and worried about managing his grandfather’s building, and she assumed she understood his hesitation.
"Tell you what, you go to school there, and I’ll handle the board of directors myself. Plus, I can hire someone to manage your grandfather’s shop for you. What do you think?" Miranda proposed.
Eric was completely caught off guard. He hadn’t been thinking about his grandfather’s building at all, but seeing the genuine worry on Miranda’s face, he finally spoke up.
"Would it be alright if I slept on it, ma’am?" Eric asked. "Got to play a little hard to get. Besides, I still have a ton of stuff to sort out, starting with Mr. Richard’s office tomorrow," Eric thought to himself.
"Of course you can, just don’t take too long. Summer break is almost over," Miranda replied.
"Sounds good, ma’am," Eric answered.
"Give me your phone, let Mom add you," Miranda said, pulling out her own smartphone, entirely oblivious to what she had just said.
Hearing Miranda’s words, Eric’s face instantly went rigid. His sudden wave of excitement and joy died on the spot. Emma’s face turned bright red, and Kevin immediately slapped a hand over his own forehead.
"Um... ma’am... what exactly do you mean by ’Mom’?" Eric asked directly.
Realizing she had just had a total slip of the tongue, Miranda quickly covered her mouth with one hand, letting out an "oh my." But she recovered her composure instantly, a wide smile returning to her face.
"Sooner or later, you’re going to call me Mom anyway, so don’t sweat it. Now, where’s your phone?" Miranda pressed.
"Mom!" Emma yelled, her face completely flushed.
"Um... ma’am, Emma and I aren’t dating. We literally just met yesterday," Eric added.
"Wait... you haven’t told him yet?" Miranda asked, turning to look at Emma with a genuinely confused expression.
Emma instantly averted her gaze, her jaw tightening as the atmosphere in the room turned incredibly awkward. Eric had absolutely no clue what was going on, but luckily, Kevin was quick on his feet. He stepped up right next to Eric to bail him out.
"Hey Eric, let me give you a ride home," Kevin offered. freewebnσvel.cøm
"Yeah... sounds great. Excuse me, ma’am... see ya, Emma, I’m heading out," Eric said, wasting no time.
Without waiting for either of them to respond, Eric and Kevin headed downstairs and walked straight out to the garage. Kevin rolled his Harley out while Eric strapped on his helmet.
"Sorry, but I’ve got to ask... what exactly is the deal with your mom and Emma?" Eric asked.
"Hmm... look, I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, I just really don’t want to get involved. Besides, in a month, I’m heading back to base and deploying overseas. But I will tell you this: my mom and your dad were best friends, and they were actually arranged to be married when they were kids. Things didn’t pan out for one reason or another, so they made a pact when Emma was born," Kevin explained.
"Oh yeah? What kind of pact?" Eric pressed.
"Your dad mentioned that he had a son out there somewhere, and... well, you’ll figure out the rest on your own eventually," Kevin replied.
"I see... whatever, then," Eric muttered. He tried to act like he didn’t care, even though he was dying to know more about his own father.
"Alright, hop on," Kevin said, pulling his helmet down.
Eric climbed onto the back of the bike, and they sped away from the house, the engine roaring. The entire ride back, Eric’s mind raced, completely unable to make sense of his father’s side of the family or his grandfather. He resolved to grill Richard about it tomorrow when he visited his office. Right now, his emotions were a chaotic mess.
On one hand, he was thrilled about the system rewards and felt like he had the world in the palm of his hand; on the other hand, he felt completely clueless about his own identity and where he came from. To top it off, Miranda’s loaded comments kept echoing in his mind, and it was blindingly obvious that Emma knew a secret she was deliberately keeping from him.
