Chapter 19: High Society
After giving their statements for what felt like forever, mostly because the security guard kept interrogating Eric about his song. The police finally arrived and arrested Chad and his bodyguard. They hauled them off to the station on charges of public assault and harassment.
As he sat in the back of the cruiser, Chad glared out the window at Eric, his face twisted in pure malice, before the police car drove off and took them away. It was completely dark now. Eric turned to look at Emma, who was standing right next to him, clutching her bag of eggs with both hands.
"Sigh,"
Eric let out a long breath. Since it was already late and there was no way he could leave Emma to walk home alone after everything that had just happened, he figured he would see her safely to her door.
"Emma, let’s just hail a rideshare. I’m going to take you home," Eric said, turning to look at her.
Emma turned to Eric, blinking blankly for a second before nodding. Eric pulled out his phone to book the ride. As he did, Emma shifted closer, brushing her shoulder against his arm.
"What’s your address?" Eric asked.
"Here... let me just type it in," Emma replied.
Eric handed his phone over, and Emma quickly punched in her address. Once she was done, she handed it back to Eric, who slipped it into his pocket as they waited for their ride to pull up. A quiet stillness settled over them, neither saying a word. Finally, Eric looked over at Emma.
"Sorry, Emma, if you don’t mind me asking... what exactly is the deal between you and that Chad guy?" Eric asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Um... he’s this guy who just won’t stop obsessing over me. I’ve rejected him a million times, but he always finds a new way to pop up. Lately, he’s even been going around claiming that we’re dating, which just terrifies me and makes me furious," Emma explained.
"Oh, I see," Eric said. He instantly regretted asking and decided to drop it right there, having absolutely no desire to get dragged into any drama.
"If Laura and my older brother Kevin hadn’t been there last year, Chad probably would have kidnapped me by now," Emma added, keeping the conversation going anyway.
Eric rubbed his face. He already had a mountain of his own problems to deal with, and now Emma was dumping her baggage right onto his shoulders. Noticing the shift in Eric’s expression, Emma immediately shut up and looked back down at the ground.
"Sorry, I didn’t mean to overshare," Emma said softly.
"No, it’s fine... sorry, I’m just not really used to hearing people vent," Eric replied, feeling a bit self-conscious and out of his depth.
"I get it... but... if you ever want to talk about things, I’m always here to listen," Emma said, clearly sensing that Eric was harboring a lot of heavy secrets of his own.
"Yeah... if I ever need to vent, you’ll be the first person I look for," Eric replied, cracking a small smile.
Not long after, their ride pulled up, and they both climbed into the backseat. They rode in total silence for the entire trip, but halfway through, Emma looked over at Eric, who was staring out the window. She started to reach out, wanting to take his hand where it rested on his lap, but seeing his distant expression as he watched the passing streets, she lost her nerve and let her hand drop back down.
After a ten-minute drive, the car pulled into a gated community that screamed luxury. The neighborhood was packed with massive, mansion-sized estates, and the main entrance was heavily fortified with tight security. Peering through the window, Eric was pretty stunned. He stared in awe at the massive houses, the kind he had only ever seen in glossy magazines. Slowly, he turned his head to look at Emma, who was just sitting there with the bag of eggs resting on her lap.
"Wait a second... when we met yesterday, she mentioned her grandfather was friends with mine and that they used to play in a band together, right? But... considering my granddad owned a whole building... her family must be loaded, too. Obviously, wealthy people run in the same circles... the rich hang out with the rich... it all makes sense now," Eric thought to himself, completely caught off guard by the realization.
After driving past a few blocks, they finally pulled up to a massive, sprawling two-story house. It had a wide front lawn with no fencing, a grand porch flanked by two distant pillars, and plenty of space separating it from the neighbors. After paying the driver and stepping out, Eric looked up, taking in the mansion-like estate right in front of him.
"Whoaah," Eric thought to himself.
"Hey... why are you just standing there staring? Come on in," Emma invited.
"Huh... no, it’s fine. I just wanted to make sure you got home safely," Eric said, refusing as he took a step back.
"Oh, come on," Emma insisted, grabbing his arm instead.
With that, Emma pulled Eric up the driveway. Looking over at the garage, Eric could see three luxury vehicles, two Maybachs and a Ferrari, and parked right next to them was the Harley that Kevin had been riding when they met at the fast-food joint.
Eric’s heart hammered against his ribs. He turned his head slowly, looking down at Emma, who was clutching his arm so tightly she was practically hugging it with all her heart. He could feel how soft and warm she was against him, making it absolutely impossible for him to pull away.
"Wait, Emma... is it really okay for me to come in? I haven’t even changed my clothes yet," Eric stammered, desperately searching for an excuse to back out.
"It’s totally fine... come on, let’s go," Emma replied.
They finally stepped onto the porch. Emma casually swung the door open and pulled him straight inside. The moment they crossed the threshold, Eric’s eyes went wide. He stared at the polished marble floors, an elegant living room featuring a stunning chandelier.
A massive family room anchored by a plush, curved sectional sofa, a huge TV, and a dining table crafted from solid mahogany. Instantly, Eric felt incredibly small, like he was standing in a world where he absolutely didn’t belong.
But as he stood frozen right by the entryway, "yank," Emma tugged on his hand to pull him inside. Finding no way out, he kicked off his shoes and stepped into the house with her. Emma then led Eric toward the back of the house to find her mom in the kitchen.
Stepping into the room, Eric’s eyes immediately darted to the black granite countertops, a sleek induction cooktop, and a lineup of high-end appliances including a microwave, a refrigerator, and a built-in espresso machine that looked incredibly expensive.
"Mom... I got the eggs," Emma announced.
At the sound of Emma’s voice, Eric shifted his gaze to a middle-aged woman who looked remarkably young and beautiful for her age. With her dark hair and striking features, she was a dead ringer for Emma. She was currently busy cooking, but she turned around to face her daughter.
"What took you so long? Give me the eggs," her mom said.
"Here... something actually happened back there, you know. Instead of asking about the eggs, you could at least show some concern," Emma huffed, clearly annoyed.
As she reached out to grab the groceries, her mom finally noticed Eric standing entirely motionless by the kitchen doorway, completely frozen in place with a bizarre expression on his face. Her mom switched off the stove, took the bag of eggs, and set it on the counter before wiping her hands on her apron.
"Hi there! Who might you be?" Emma’s mom asked cheerfully, a massive grin spreading across her face.
Staring at the middle-aged woman, who seemed to be cut from the exact same cloth as Emma, proving just where Emma had inherited her personality traits, Eric found himself completely tongue-tied. He had absolutely no idea what to say, so he simply forced himself to smile.
Her mom quickly took off her apron and walked over to Eric, with Emma trailing right behind her. As her mom closed the distance and her features came into sharp focus, a spark went off in Eric’s head. He felt like he had definitely seen her somewhere before, he just couldn’t place it.
But while he was lost in thought, Emma’s mom stopped right in front of him and started studying him closely, making him freeze up even more.
"You look so familiar... have we met before?" her mom asked, analyzing Eric.
"He’s Grandpa Elliot’s grandson, Mom. His name is Eric, and he’s living at the studio," Emma chimed in, introducing him.
"Oh, really? Are you Ethan’s boy?" her mom asked.
"Ah... um... you knew my dad?" Eric asked, completely bewildered, especially since he barely knew his own father.
"Of course I knew him! Your dad and I grew up together because our fathers were best friends. Oh, right... my name is Miranda. It’s great to meet you, Eric," Miranda said.
Hearing her name, something clicked in Eric’s head. The moment he connected her first name to her last name, Miranda Cruz, he instantly realized exactly who the middle-aged woman standing in front of him was.
"Um... are you... the movie star?" Eric asked slowly.
"Wow... I’m surprised anyone from your generation still recognizes me, I’ve been retired for years, haha," Miranda replied cheerfully.
"No wonder Emma is drop-dead gorgeous and incredibly sexy. She’s the daughter of a multi-time Oscar winner and my own mom’s idol... holy crap... what kind of world have I stumbled into," Eric thought to himself.
