Chapter 235: Fake Posts and the Trap at the Gate

Afterwards, Eric and Emma headed back home to their apartment in Eric’s building. On the drive over, Eric recounted everything that had happened to Emma, who listened in silence without interrupting, gently holding his hand the entire time. Once Eric finished,

"So... your mom saw the family photo that Ruby posted," Emma noted.

"Yep... but she only asked about it, even though her face looked completely heartbroken and furious," Eric replied.

"Was she jealous of my mom?" Emma asked, turning to look at Eric.

"I have no idea... but what’s clear is that she was stung seeing you, me, Ruby, and Wesley standing right behind your parents. To be honest, I hadn’t seen the final shot after it was taken, but looking at it now, it really does look like one big, happy family. That’s what broke her heart," Eric explained.

"Really? Not because she was jealous of my mom?" Emma asked, curious.

"Not at all."

Eric went on to explain the background of his parents’ marriage before their divorce, why he was born into the world, and why his biological father never made a big deal out of it despite his distant demeanor. Emma looked slightly startled by the revelation, but she didn’t say a word. Once Eric finished,

"Who would’ve thought things could turn out like that," Emma murmured.

"Just like us, right? We had an arranged marriage too, complete with notarized paperwork," Eric teased.

"Oh please... we are totally different. I genuinely love you, and so do the others. Don’t tell me you don’t notice how we are every single day," Emma shot back, turning her head sharply to glare at Eric.

Eric glanced sideways at Emma’s pouty, sulking expression next to him and simply smiled, raising a hand to gently stroke the top of her head.

"Yeah... I know. I don’t doubt it for a second," Eric said.

"Don’t compare us to your parents... or to your biological dad either. We’re in a whole different league," Emma insisted once more.

"Alright, alright... my bad. I was just making conversation," Eric chuckled.

"Honestly, you really know how to give a girl a minor heart attack," Emma replied.

"How about we pick up some food for the others back home?" Eric suggested.

Instead of answering right away, Emma opened her smartphone and flashed her chat screen at Eric. It turned out Monica, Chloe, Heidi, Priya, and Laura were currently hosting an impromptu pizza party, surrounded by soda cans and chip bags spread all over the coffee table, looking lively and cheerful with a caption reading, "Get your butts back here or we’re eating everything."

"Oh... they’re already eating?" Eric asked.

"Besides... just look in the back," Emma answered.

Eric looked back and spotted a grocery bag along with two large Tupperware containers sitting on the rear seat. He just then remembered that Miranda had packed extra food for them to take home, but the two Tupperware containers were new.

"Good point, your mom packed us food, but why is there only one grocery bag and where did those two Tupperware tubs come from?" Eric asked.

"I handed one bag over to Avery, but she insisted on giving us pastries, waffles, and mozzarella sticks in return... she said she made way too much, so we ended up trading. Now we’ve got even more food," Emma explained.

"Ah... makes sense. When did she even cook all that? I didn’t see anything like that when we were there," Eric wondered.

"While you and Caleb were out. That’s why I went to use the restroom, but I helped out in the kitchen too. Besides, Aunt Avery’s mom stopped by to check on the baby as well," Emma said.

"No wonder," Eric replied.

Eric stepped on the gas, navigating through the city streets toward the edge of the business district where his building stood. As they pulled up to the front entrance and prepared to turn down into the basement garage, a figure suddenly leaped right out in front of Eric’s car, throwing both arms wide. Startled, Eric slammed hard on the brakes, halting the car inches away from the man. He immediately snapped his head toward Emma.

"Are you okay?" Eric asked anxiously, unbuckling his seatbelt.

"I’m fine," Emma replied, turning to Eric as she unbuckled too.

They both checked the back seat; thankfully, the grocery bag and Tupperware containers hadn’t spilled, though they were knocked sideways. Eric then turned his gaze back to the windshield, his expression hardening instantly as he recognized the man blocking his path. He threw open his door and stepped out to confront him.

"What do you think you’re doing, jumping in front of my car, Uncle David? Trying to get yourself killed?" Eric demanded angrily.

"Don’t be mad, Eric. I came here because I need to talk to you, but security wouldn’t let me inside. There’s something very important we need to discuss," David answered, keeping his voice unnervingly calm.

"There’s nothing to talk about. Step aside, Uncle David, I’m trying to pull into the basement... and why are you still in this city?" Eric asked coldly.

"Please don’t be angry. I really just want to talk," David insisted.

Eric glanced over and saw two building security guards jogging over, maintaining a cautious distance as they looked at him, waiting for a nod to take action. "Sigh." Eric let out a heavy breath. Even though the man standing before him was utterly insufferable, he was still an elder and an uncle. Relenting, Eric spoke up,

"Five minutes. Make it quick, Uncle," Eric said.

"First of all... take a look at this," David urged, stepping closer.

He whipped out his smartphone, displaying a Facebook post supposedly written by Vanessa. The post claimed she had been abandoned by her children, left to suffer in loneliness while her kids treated another woman as their mother and completely disowned her. The rest of the rant detailed her heartache, her anger at Miranda, whom she called her idol, for stealing her children away, and asserted that she felt zero remorse. To top it all off, the post openly hinted that her son was now the owner of Elliot’s Production, a thinly veiled reference to Eric without explicitly naming him.

Eric felt a brief jolt of surprise, but a closer look revealed a blank profile picture. Even though the account shared his mother’s name, it had been created just three days ago. On top of that, the tone and phrasing clearly weren’t written by his mother. Having spoken to her earlier and knowing she was hurting yet remorseful, not to mention the fact that the post failed to even tag Vanessa’s actual account, Eric instantly saw right through the pathetic stunt. He glanced at the security guards and gave a subtle nod; one of them immediately sprinted back inside toward the lobby.

"Okay... and what’s your point showing me something like this?" Eric asked flatly.

"I can persuade your mother to take this post down. You certainly wouldn’t want your reputation dragged through the mud for abandoning your own mother, would you? In exchange, just let me crash at your building for a few days, the basement garage is fine by me," David offered, flashing a gentle, sorrowful smile as if he were doing Eric a massive favor.

"Is that so? Hang on a second, let me borrow that phone again, Uncle," Eric requested.

David eagerly handed over his smartphone, a smug look of satisfaction crossing his face as he thought he had hooked Eric. Without missing a beat, Eric took the phone, snapped a quick photo of the post with his own device, and then unblocked his mother’s number. He dialed her directly; it rang barely once before she picked up. Eric kept his eyes on David, whose casual facade was beginning to crack with visible panic. Flipping on the speakerphone, Eric let Vanessa’s voice echo through the air,

"Eric... I’m so sorry... I didn’t write that on Facebook, I just got home and opened my phone... please believe me, Eric, I swear I didn’t post that..."

"I know, Mom. Relax. The person who wrote it is standing right in front of me," Eric interrupted, cutting off Vanessa’s panicked spiral before she could keep rambling.

"What do you mean, Eric?" David stammered, his voice trembling behind a stiff, fake smile.

"You heard her, Uncle. She didn’t write it," Eric said with a smile, while gesturing sharply to the security guards.

"David? Are you still there? Why would you post something like that? Are you trying to completely ruin whatever’s left of my relationship with my children?!" Vanessa sobbed furiously through the speaker.

David couldn’t say a word. He instinctively reached out to grab the handle of his suitcase, preparing to bolt, but the security guards converged on him instantly, pinning his arms.

"Let go of me! You have no right to put your hands on me!" David yelled.

"You were just asking for a place to crash, right? You can hang out in the security office down in the basement for now. Once the police arrive, you can catch a ride with them straight to jail for trespassing, identity theft, and spreading defamation. So make yourself comfortable in the guard shack, Uncle," Eric said coolly, pocketing David’s smartphone.

This time, all the color drained completely from David’s face. His jaw hung open and trembled, but no words came out until his face flushed a furious, ugly red.

"You... you called the cops?! I just came here to talk to you, I wasn’t trespassing!" David shrieked.

"I told you to leave and you refused. That’s the literal definition of trespassing, Uncle. And don’t forget, this entire driveway is under 24/7 camera surveillance," Eric pointed out.

"You... you ungrateful, unfilial brat!" David roared in frustration.

Eric ignored him completely, turning back toward his car to signal Emma through the window to stay put and head upstairs. But Emma refused; she pushed her door open anyway and stepped out to stand right beside Eric. The guard who had run inside reappeared, confirming he had already dispatched the police before stepping in to help his partner restrain the struggling David.