Chapter 81: Broken Bonds
Eric pressed the button again. "I’ll head down. Tell her to wait," he said into the intercom. Once the woman confirmed, he let out a sigh. "Sooner or later, I have to face Ruby, my little sister," he thought. It didn’t really bother him; right now, he felt completely numb, and his emotions remained as steady as before.
But suddenly, he sensed a massive wave of killing intent radiating from behind him. He spun around and almost jumped out of his skin. He saw the faces of Emma, Chloe, Monica, Priya, Heidi, and Laura looking absolutely terrifying, dark, menacing, and ready to commit a crime.
"Hey... hey... what is wrong with you guys?" Eric asked, raising his hands as he stepped forward to calm the six girls down.
"You’re going down there to see her?" Emma asked coldly.
"I have to. One of these days, I’m going to have to face her anyway. Sooner or later, it makes no difference," Eric answered calmly.
"But what if she pulls something on you again?" Priya asked, visibly worried.
"She won’t. She’s not going to do anything. Besides, whatever she says isn’t going to get to me. Trust me," Eric replied.
"It’s not that we don’t trust you, it’s just that she’s incredibly slick..."
"Chloe!" the others barked, turning to look at her. They cut Chloe off so fast that she instantly shut her mouth.
Watching their reaction and feeling their lingering hostility, Eric realized something must have happened while they were at school. Finally, he asked, "Is there something you guys haven’t told me yet?"
The six of them immediately looked up at Eric, then lowered their heads and fell completely silent, though Heidi and Laura were just playing along, casually glancing at the others.
But seeing Eric waiting for an answer, they finally gave him a brief summary of what went down. Naturally, hearing their story, Eric pretty much figured out what the issue was.
"Alright, I get it. She came here because she followed you guys. It’s fine, I’ll handle it. And hey, thanks for standing up for me," Eric said with a smile. He gently patted Emma on the head, then did the same to Priya, Monica, Chloe, Heidi, and Laura.
Their anger vanished in an instant, replaced by bright red blushes of embarrassment, though the worry was still written all over their faces. Finally, Eric said goodbye and turned around, pressing the elevator button and waiting.
The girls were at a total loss for words to stop him. Even though they wanted to step in, they realized this was a personal matter between Eric and his family; they couldn’t interfere, no matter how fiercely they wanted to protect him.
"Ding."
The elevator arrived and slid open. Eric stepped inside and waved at the girls, who were standing frozen in place. Once the doors sealed shut, Priya spoke up.
"So... what should we do?" Priya asked.
"Eric went down there because of our mistake. We didn’t even realize we were being followed," Emma replied.
"Yeah... we have to go down... I mean... we can just keep our distance and watch," Monica suggested.
"Right, we don’t actually have to step out of the building," Chloe added.
"You guys... come on, why can’t you just trust Eric? Besides, the person downstairs is his little sister, not some random stranger. I know the backstory, but why don’t we just let them sort it out themselves?" Heidi asked, turning to look at her friends.
"Yeah... for once, I’m with Heidi on this," Laura added.
"You two didn’t experience it firsthand, so you just don’t get it," Emma said, visibly annoyed.
In the end, they just ended up arguing among themselves, completely unable to decide whether to follow Eric or stay put.
***
Meanwhile, downstairs, Eric stepped out of the elevator and walked over to the reception desk. The female receptionist greeted him immediately and pointed toward a coffee table and sofa set in a corner of the lobby, which served as a waiting area for guests.
Eric turned to look in that direction, and sure enough, he saw Ruby sitting there, still wearing the same school uniform as Emma and the others. Even from a distance, Eric could tell Ruby was anxious. She was wringing her hands, looking down, and twirling the ends of her hair, a childhood habit of hers whenever she was nervous, one that he could never forget and recognized instantly.
He thanked the receptionist and walked over to her. When Ruby noticed Eric approaching, she looked startled and stood up, immediately scanning the surroundings to make sure he was alone.
Once she was certain Eric was by himself, she wanted to step forward and run to hug him. However, before she could even move, Eric raised his hand to stop her, his face completely expressionless and his eyes cold and indifferent.
Then Eric sat down across from Ruby without saying a word. Seeing this, Ruby felt incredibly awkward, though she eventually took her seat opposite him. The two of them fell silent. Ruby kept her head down, staring at the coffee table, while Eric leaned back casually, scrolling through his smartphone.
Then Ruby looked around the luxurious lobby, which was clearly out of reach for just anyone. She also noticed Eric’s outfit, taking in the casual designer shirt, expensive jeans, and high-end watch he was wearing right in front of her.
"Um... you’re amazing, Eric... being able to live in a place like this," Ruby said to break the ice.
But Eric only glanced at Ruby for a split second before looking right back down at his smartphone without saying a word. Ruby had never been ignored by Eric before; since childhood, he had always been gentle and the one to give in to her.
Seeing his current attitude right in front of her made her feel like a long blade had just pierced through her heart. She fell silent again and lowered her head, realizing that small talk meant absolutely nothing to him now.
Eric put his smartphone down, sat up straight, and crossed one leg over the other. His blank eyes locked onto Ruby, his face completely expressionless as he looked at his little sister, the sibling he had grown up with. The sister he used to tutor whenever she struggled with her schoolwork, the one he learned to ride a bike with, and the one he shared countless memories with.
But she was also the sister who stood by in silence, refusing to defend him, and even said, "You’re not my brother. You’re disgusting, a maniac, and completely immoral," when he was falsely accused. She should have known he was incapable of doing such a thing, yet she turned on him without even asking for his side of the story.
Eric kept his gaze fixed on Ruby’s downcast face as she struggled to find the courage to lift her head. He checked his watch, looked back at her, and spoke.
"So... what do you want here?" Eric asked. His tone was calm but cold, getting straight to the point.
Hearing Eric’s voice, Ruby lifted her head with a glimmer of hope, only to be met with his indifferent expression, staring at her as if she were a total stranger he had just met for the very first time.
Ruby opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Seeing Eric check his watch once more, she finally clenched her fists, lowered her head, and spoke.
"I’m sorry... I’m so incredibly sorry for not defending you back then... I should have stood by your side... I should have let them kick me out with you, or I should have just thrashed Jason," Ruby said, finally letting it all out.
"Okay... and?" Eric asked, his tone calm and freezing.
Hearing Eric’s blunt response, a simple "okay" delivered without a shred of emotional weight, Ruby snapped her head up. Tears streamed down her face as she locked eyes with Eric, whose indifferent gaze made her feel entirely like an outsider. She opened her mouth, her lips trembling as she forced the words out.
"Just... okay? Your response... is just okay?" Ruby asked, her voice shaking.
"What else am I supposed to say?" Eric countered. His voice remained quiet and cold, matching his completely blank expression.
Ruby opened her mouth again to protest, but she quickly realized that a delayed apology meant absolutely nothing once the damage was already done. She shut her mouth and lowered her head again.
"If you’re finished, I’m heading back up," Eric said, standing up.
Seeing Eric stand, Ruby immediately lunged forward and grabbed his arm. This time, Eric just looked down at her hand, then up at her tear-stained face and bloodshot eyes. He didn’t forcefully shake her off.
"What now?" Eric asked calmly.
"Ca... can we talk some more?" Ruby pleaded.
"Aren’t we talking right now?" Eric replied.
"I... I want things to go back to the way they used to be," Ruby stammered, finally revealing her true intention.
The lobby fell deathly quiet as Eric remained silent. Then, with deliberate slowness, he reached down, pried Ruby’s fingers away, and removed her hand from his forearm. Ruby watched in utter shock, staring at his completely unchanged, frigid expression.
"You... you’re not forgiving me? Do you hate me that much? I’m your sister," Ruby said.
"Hmm... good question. I’ve already forgiven you, and I don’t hate you either... because hatred requires emotion. I don’t feel any emotion at all toward you anymore. As of right now, we are strangers. And please, stop using the name Reed, because your real name is Ruby Watts, not Ruby Reed," Eric answered, his voice steady and final.
Hearing Eric’s words, every last shred of hope in Ruby’s mind shattered. Desperate, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Eric, completely caught off guard, kept both his hands raised in the air, so he didn’t hug her back.
"I... I don’t want to lose my brother... I don’t want to lose you... Please don’t be like this, Eric... I am so, so sorry, and I regret it so much," Ruby cried out, pouring her heart out, terrified that she had truly lost him for good.
Eric just stood there, letting his little sister hug him without saying a word, trying to check his own feelings. Normally, he would be deeply affected and would definitely comfort Ruby whenever she cried. But right now, he felt absolutely nothing.
