ERIC

The next day, Eric sat in his chair silently, gazing at the blinding white of the ceiling. The silence in the room pressed down on him, thick and suffocating, as if it mirrored the confusion swirling in his head. Noah barged in without a knock, as always. He was speaking over the phone when he picked up the remote and switched on the 65-inch screen mounted on the wall in front of him. Tyler's unshaven face popped up, and he did not look happy.

"You spent 45 million dollars on a necklace?" he asked, incredulous. Even at home, his head was covered by the black hood of his jacket. He was pacing in his dimly lit room, clearly agitated. Eric didn't know what to say because, truthfully, he couldn't believe it himself.

"Yeah, and he gave it to this girl he barely knows," Noah scoffed, his voice dripping with judgment.

Eric rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair. "It's not a big deal, okay? It's not like I can't afford it."

"We know you can afford a million more necklaces like that. That's not the fucking point!" Noah snapped, frustrated, as he loosened his tie and slouched into the chair.

"Then what is?" Eric asked, genuinely confused. "Why are you guys being so weird about it? I've never spent my money on anything other than the Sky-dweller, anyway." He rotated his chair slightly, his gaze drifting to the beautiful view beneath him instead of his friends' upset faces. The Sky-dweller was the house he had been working on for the past two years. The interior was still being designed, and the place would be ready in two months. A place he could finally call home—a place to start a family, something he had never had growing up. Money, home, and family. Those were his three dreams.

"That's precisely the point! You have NEVER spent your money on anything unless it was for your home or if you were sure you would get returns on investment," Noah cried out.

"Yeah, this is very out of character for you, Eric. We're just concerned as your friends," Tyler added, shrugging.

Eric sighed heavily. They were right. Deep down, he knew it. But something had made him act impulsively, and he couldn't quite pinpoint why.

Eric had grown up in poverty. When he was twelve, his entire family died in a fire. The accident had affected his memory, so he didn't remember much of that time. He was told that he had no other relatives who could take care of him. He was too old to be adopted and was sent to foster families three times, but it never worked out, and he was sent back each time. 

He had been in the system until he was eighteen, and, obviously, didn't have anything that kids his age had. Growing up like that made him value what he had now. He would never throw it away for stupid reasons like the previous night. Even if 45 million dollars didn't even come close to grazing his wallet, it was still 45 million more than what he had as a kid.

He sighed again, his frustration bubbling to the surface, and turned to face them. "Fine. I don't know what came over me, alright? I just wanted to spite her. But that was stupid of me. She's with a guy for his money. Why would the necklace bother her? I'm pretty sure she just took it without being unnerved."

"Yeah, so much for being the brain of the company," Noah snickered, while Tyler shook his head.

"You both still don't get it!" Tyler said with a huff, a rare burst of frustration from him. He usually only listened to them but now, he was speaking his mind. "The point is not the money! You earn ten times that in a day. The point is you behaving out of character, Eric. I'm no relationship expert. Heck, the only relationship I have is with you guys and my family. But even I know that when you hate someone, you don't buy them expensive necklaces. You do that when you're attracted to said person, jealous or, in your case, both."

Both of them stayed quiet. This was out of character for Tyler too. He never spoke more than ten words in a conversation.

"Fuck, I should have recorded that!" Noah yelled. "Seok is going to be so upset he missed that!"

"Really? That's all you got out of it?" Tyler said, exasperated, while Eric continued to ponder on his words. Attracted and jealous?

Eric hated hypocrisy. He had seen plenty of it in his life. Foster parents smiling at him when they were actually going to send him back the next day; 'friends' in school who treated him as a charity case or a doormat; politicians who took pictures with him and the other kids before elections, then laundered money from their funds after. 

He despised them and had sworn never to be like them. If he hated something, he would show it. If he loved something, he would cherish it. That was the promise he had made. So, he wasn't going to lie to himself, not if he could help it.

How do I feel about Nina? He was attracted to her, yes. He loved her tan skin, her luscious chocolate brown hair that cascaded down her small face, her plump lips that he had caught himself staring at more than once. He was drawn to her hazel eyes that seemed lost and sad when they weren't burning with rage. 

He wanted to know what had caused that sadness, even when her sharp tongue aggravated him. She was so tiny, yet had so much spunk, taking on a guy like him who was much bigger and at least a foot taller than her.

While he was attracted to her, he knew that there was nothing beyond that. It didn't change the fact that she had a terrible personality. She was still a gold-digger marrying a guy of her dad's choosing for money. She got engaged to a stranger when she didn't even know his name a day before. He could never even consider dating someone like her.

"I understand what you mean, Tyler," he said while the latter nodded. "You don't have to worry. It ends here. That, I am sure of. She is engaged and not special enough that I disregard that just because I'm attracted to her."

"You're attracted to her?" Noah asked, doubling back.

"Yes, now get out of my office," Eric said, opening the file in front of him while Tyler saluted and logged off. "I need to work, and so do you," he nodded at Noah. "The company won't run itself."

A crimson hue spread across the sky that evening as Eric parked his car in front of the Darsei mansion. Ivan Darsei was a sixty-year-old billionaire, business tycoon, and philanthropist. He had also been Eric's mentor for the past ten years. When Eric left the system with only a high school diploma, he was close to being homeless. 

He had only applied to three colleges, and the day he was to leave the group home, he got the acceptance letter from one. It was a fully funded program. For Eric, it seemed like the only break he would get. He knew that fortune had favored him, so he embraced that opportunity and left for college.

He had to work multiple part-time jobs just to keep a roof over his head. So, it was no surprise that when Eric founded the company, he didn't have the kind of funds required to turn a shipping business into a cruise-line. 

He knew the unfortunate fact that to make money, you needed money. He had managed to secure an appointment with Ivan after chasing him for almost three months. In just their first meeting, Eric had convinced him of his potential. They had sat together for almost three hours, talking about business and strategies.

Eric left that day with both investments as well as insider knowledge. Ivan had always said that he was astounded by the sharpness of Eric's mind and his courage to dream big. He admitted to being reminded of himself when he was younger.

Since that day, Eric had always considered him as his mentor and dear friend, and the latter had maintained a close relationship with him. Ivan always had good things to say about him to all of his connections, and some of those things had come back to Eric, making him feel grateful to have met someone who believed in him when he had nothing. To Ivan, watching Eric slowly build his fortune and business had been a pleasure, or that's what he said every time they met.

Eric got out of the car and strode towards the open doors. The cobbled-stone path was lined with rose bushes on both sides, and a statue of a mermaid stood in the center of a circular driveway in front of the door. Ivan had said that the mermaid was erected under the request of his daughter, Claire, when she was eight years old after she watched The Little Mermaid for the first time. 

Eric's visits to the mansion always warmed his heart as every single item there had a story. When he became a father in the future, he wanted his family to be as close-knit as Ivan's was. To him, Ivan was the kind of rich man he wanted to be. Someone without pretense who cared about what went on in the world instead of being enclosed in a personal bubble of luxury. Ivan restored his faith when all the people around him tried to drown him in their selfishness.

"Where's the old man?" Eric asked Raven as he entered and removed his jacket. Raven was the head of staff at the Darsei mansion. She had been in the household for almost forty years now and was Ivan's loyal confidante. She always seemed to be everywhere at once and yet managed everything so efficiently that Eric had tried poaching her many times. But Ivan was fond of her and never let him take her away.

"Mr. Darsei is in his study, Eric. He has been expecting you since 7:30 pm. And you are late by exactly—"

"Raven..." Eric gave her a huge smile. "I'll go meet him now."

Raven looked up at him with mock sternness before it gave way to a huge smile. "I'll have your black coffee ready."

"If you keep being perfect, I might really steal you away," Eric said with a chuckle before walking up the stairs to the study.

He knocked twice and pushed the door open. It groaned in response. He strode inside and saw Ivan sitting behind his mahogany desk, his spectacles in his hand.

"You are fourteen minutes late, my boy," he said with a gruff voice.

"Good evening to you too, Ivan," Eric said before sitting down in the chair opposite him. "What did you want to talk to me about that couldn't wait until dinner this weekend?"

Ivan put down his glasses and the papers he was going through. He placed his elbows on the desk and intertwined his fingers before giving Eric a piercing stare. It felt like he was looking straight through his eyes into his brain and sifting through his thoughts. It was the kind of unnerving gaze that told Eric he was in trouble.

"When are you going to marry Claire?" he asked.

Oh, trouble, alright!

"Ivan," Eric sighed, "I told you that I don't see Claire that way. Besides, did you not say that I'm like your son?"

"Eh, son or son-in-law, does it matter?" he said before leaning back in his chair with a huff. "I'm not being this way for no reason. I made sure to give Claire the best education. I guided her to be accomplished beyond anyone else her age. She has always been perfect in every way, and you know I'm not saying this merely because I'm her father. Now it's no wonder she can't find an equal partner."

"And you think I can be that for her?" Eric asked, his brow raised.

"I know you can be that for her. If anyone can match her in intellect, accomplishments, and personality, it's you. No father would want any less for his daughter."

"And I am quite a looker as well. You're right, I am the complete package," Eric chuckled.

Ivan picked up his pen and wrote something down before seriously deliberating on it. When Eric tried to peek at it, he said, "I have been trying to find a fault in you so I can convince myself that you may not be suitable for my daughter. And I just realized that you can be pretty arrogant. However, Claire is too, so I can't hold it against you."

Eric scoffed before sighing. "Ivan, I didn't take you to be the nosy type. Is the trend back these days? For fathers to find grooms for their daughters?"

"Many people need to adopt something for it to be a trend," Ivan gave him the piercing stare again. "Who are you talking about?"

"Just this girl I met recently," Eric shrugged, thinking of the brunette. "Her name is Nina something. She is engaged to the guy from the Acharya family, Ri..." Eric frowned, racking his brain for the name. Unnecessary information never seemed to stay in his head for long.

"Ritvik Acharya?" Ivan asked.

Eric snapped his finger and leaned back with a nod.

"Yes, I heard about that," Ivan nodded, "It's a good match."

"Eh?" Eric said before tilting his head, "Do you know the girl?"

"I am quite close to her father, Ambi Sagar," Ivan said. "I'm sure you've heard of him."

Eric scoffed in disbelief. "You can't be serious." Ambi Sagar, the Chairman of Sagar Group, was one of the richest men in the world with a net worth of over 100 billion dollars. He had enough money to buy a car for every household in California. And Eric had called his daughter a gold-digger. He let out a small laugh before rubbing his face with his palm. "Fuck."