Chapter 197: Consequences

At Eric’s words, the entire room fell dead silent and instantly tense. Chloe, Heidi, Monica, Avery, and even baby Abby, not a single soul made a sound. Every pair of eyes was glued to Eric, who was still standing by the edge of his bed with the phone pressed to his ear. Eric stayed quiet after throwing out his question, waiting for Jason on the other end to speak.

"Eric... please tell the feds, the police, and the DA that this was all just a misunderstanding. We’re family, you’re my younger brother, there’s no way I actually wanted to hurt you, Dad, and Ruby. Please drop your charges and tell Dad he just misunderstood," Jason stammered out, his voice trembling.

Eric could tell that Jason was genuinely terrified this time, with a hint of remorse trailing through his voice. But of course Eric knew better, Jason wasn’t sorry because he felt guilty for what he’d done; he was only sorry because he’d failed. Eric let out a subtle, bitter smile.

"Why on earth should I do that?" Eric asked casually.

"Because you’re my brother. We grew up together, we were raised together," Jason answered, his voice shaking.

"Sigh... you really don’t get it, do you?" Eric replied.

"What do you mean?" Jason asked.

"Weren’t you the one who called me a bastard and claimed I wasn’t Dad’s son? Weren’t you the one who pushed me off the cliff and got me thrown out? Weren’t you the one who stole everything I owned? And now you’re begging for help from the very bastard you thought was a nuisance to your family? Get real," Eric answered.

"Fine... fine... I apologize! I was wrong, and I hurt you. I took Vivian from you, and I was the first one to ruin her, I was wrong, I admit all of it! But... do you really have the heart to watch your own brother sit in prison... and maybe never step out again? Please persuade Dad to drop his charges, and you drop yours too... it was all just a misunderstanding, I was just being impulsive... I’m begging for your forgiveness, isn’t that enough? What do you want from me so you’ll forgive me and help me out?" Jason asked frantically.

"That’s exactly what I mean when I say you don’t get it at all," Eric answered.

"W... what?" Jason asked.

"Every action has consequences. Your whole life, you’ve avoided consequences because Dad, Mom, and everyone around you kept bailing you out. So now, live with your consequences and stop asking other people for help," Eric answered.

A long silence stretched over the line. Eric could hear Jason’s breathing growing heavier and more labored on the other end.

"I promise I’ll change! I’ll serve my time if you just help me out here. Please help me, Eric... I’ll owe you forever, and I’ll completely turn my life around... please trust me... I’m begging you," Jason pleaded, his voice breaking into shaky sobs.

Eric fell silent and sat down on the edge of his bed. Hearing Jason, who had always been arrogant, acted superior, and looked down on him his entire life, now begging and literally weeping for mercy ought to have made him feel triumphant and vindicated. But right now, he felt none of that. Replaying everything that had happened in his head for a brief moment, all he felt was a profound, bone-deep exhaustion.

"Eric?" Jason asked, his voice quivering.

"There’s only one way to help you," Eric said.

"Huh... what is it?" Jason asked, a sudden surge of hope in his voice.

"Serve your sentence, and never bother me or the people around me ever again," Eric answered.

"W... what? But you’re my brother," Jason said.

"We stopped being brothers the moment you snatched Vivian away from me. Besides, you’re the one who told me I was dead to you. Serve your time, Jason, and don’t ever call me again. Those are my final words to you," Eric said, echoing the exact words he had spoken before.

"What do you want from me, Eric?" Jason asked.

"Nothing... I don’t want anything from you, Jason. Just leave me alone," Eric answered.

"Ha... you’re really full of yourself now, aren’t you? Just because you scored a sky-high inheritance from your real dad, surrounded yourself with pretty girls, and live in luxury, you forgot where you came from! You’re no better than me... you hear that? You’re just a loser and a parasite clinging to someone else’s family!" Jason screamed, brimming with rage.

The room immediately fell dead silent. Eric didn’t answer, but this time a small smile tugged at his lips, not because he felt self-righteous, but because Jason’s true colors were finally laid bare without a mask, proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.

"Thanks for the confirmation. Now stop bothering me," Eric said firmly.

"I’m sorry... I’m so sorry, Eric... I... I didn’t mean to..."

Eric disconnected the call. "Sigh," he let out a heavy breath, then looked down at his hand, which was still clutching the smartphone tightly, clammy with sweat and trembling. He had used every ounce of self-control not to explode just now, and he was completely drained.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around his neck and another pair circled his waist. Then, someone sat down right beside him and took his hand. Eric looked over to see Monica sitting next to him; it looked as though she had forced herself off her bed to come over to him with help from Avery and Chloe. Meanwhile, Heidi held him from behind, and Chloe hugged his waist from the side, resting her body across his lap.

"Hey... why did you come over here, Monica?" Eric asked, turning to look at her.

Monica didn’t answer. She wrapped her arms around Eric stiffly, prompting Eric to be the one to hold her close instead. He then turned to see Avery standing frozen in place while cradling Abby. Avery smiled and gave a gentle nod without uttering a single word, but to Eric, that simple gesture meant the absolute world and brought a soft smile to his face.

"Thanks guys, I’m alright now," Eric said with a smile.

"Are you sure you’re okay?" Heidi asked.

"Yep... really, I’m fine. Nothing to worry about," Eric answered.

"Why did your brother call you anyway? What did he want?" Monica asked, annoyed.

"Hmm... he just wanted to talk... don’t worry about it. He won’t be able to do anything anymore, now or probably ever again," Eric answered, gently patting Monica’s head.

"Still, if you ever want to talk about it, I’m ready to listen," Chloe said.

"Alright... maybe later. Thanks, though," Eric replied casually, running his hand through Chloe’s hair.

After that, they got back to chatting like usual. About an hour and a half later, Caleb arrived to pick up Avery and Abby. He chatted with Eric for a bit, and Eric didn’t bring up Jason’s call at all. Once Caleb said his goodbyes and headed home with Avery and Abby, Eric lay down on his bed, with Monica on his right, Heidi on his left, and Chloe sprawled right on top of him.

"Hey... why aren’t you guys heading back to your own spots?" Eric asked.

"Want to stay here," Chloe answered.

"Same... it’s hard for me to get back to my bed all by myself," Monica added.

"As for me, I actually want it to be all cramped and cozy right here, tee-hee," Heidi added.

"You guys are unbelievable. I’m still recovering, you know," Eric shot back.

"Liar! You’re completely fine!" all three of them yelled, staring straight at Eric.

"Huh?" Eric asked.

"From the way you were talking on the phone earlier, I could already tell your leg is actually healed, and your arm too... so don’t lie, or I’ll do a lot more than just lay on top of you," Chloe said with a smirking grin.

"Ah... I see, hahaha," Eric said, looking at Chloe right in front of his face while scratching the back of his neck.

"Why were you faking it?" Heidi asked.

"What’s the reason? Don’t you have a ton of work and a busy schedule waiting for you?" Monica asked.

Eric fell silent, mulling over the question from the three girls surrounding him. He looked at the worried faces around him and smiled.

"I really do still need time to recover. My leg and arm might be healed, but mentally, I’m not there yet, and I’m just not ready to go back," Eric answered with a faint smile.

Chloe, Monica, and Heidi went quiet, staring at Eric’s face with deep suspicion. But after a moment, they let out a collective sigh.

"Okay... that makes sense," Chloe said.

"With everything that happened yesterday, plus that guy still harassing you, I get it now," Monica added.

"Yep... sorry for doubting you, but I’m still not moving. I want to snuggle up close with you, babe," Heidi said, intentionally pressing her body against him so he could feel it.

"Sigh... fine, have it your way, stay right here," Eric replied casually.

"Yay!" all three girls replied cheerily.

Even though it was hot and cramped—to the point where the air conditioner, which should have been blowing cold air, felt like it wasn’t even on, they all seemed happy, chatting away cheerfully. Eric looked at the three of them.

"There’s no way I’m leaving you guys to recover all on your own. We came in here together, so we’re getting out together," Eric thought to himself.

Suddenly, "blam!" the door burst open. "Hey... what on earth is going on here?!" Eric, Chloe, and Heidi turned to look at the door. Monica couldn’t turn her head, so she just stayed put.

It turned out the ones shouting and barging in were Priya and Laura, who looked busy carrying a pile of takeout bags. The two of them shut the door and marched straight over to Eric’s bed.

"What is this nonsense? All of you, get off!" both of them yelled, setting the food down on the table and immediately dragging Chloe, Heidi, and Monica off the bed.