Chapter 225: Unlikely Partnerships and Expanding Circles

A week later, near the apartment building where Eric used to live, Eric stood alongside Martin, Melissa, Avery, Emma, Chloe, and an official property appraiser whom Chloe’s company frequently hired to assess as-is rental and market values. They gathered right in front of Martin’s building, where a building manager and a technician from property management stepped out to welcome them.

They surveyed the property all the way up to the tenth floor, starting from the lobby and touring each floor, which featured open-concept floor plans rather than divided office cubicles. They inspected the elevators, emergency stairwells, and utility setups as the technicians showed them the electrical wiring, plumbing connections running to the restrooms on every floor, and the structural blueprints down to the basement parking lot.

After heading back down, the group gathered around the single sofa set in the main lobby, taking their seats to discuss the next steps.

"So, what are we looking at for the estimated rental value, Mr. Tristan?" Eric asked.

"Hmm... are you planning to lease the entire building or just a few floors based on your immediate needs?" Tristan, the appraiser, inquired.

Eric glanced over at Melissa and Avery, who were engaged in a serious side conversation. Both women turned back to face Eric.

"We need operational offices, a few training and development rooms, maybe a dedicated floor with dorm-style rooms for temporary shelter if needed, and a warehouse space to store our supplies... I think that about covers it," Melissa stated.

"You forgot the medical room. We should at least have a small clinic here," Avery reminded them.

"Huh... what for?" Eric asked.

"When you first came to this city, you were beaten black and blue, right? So it’s safe to assume people coming to seek our help might arrive in rough shape or worse. We need to be prepared," Avery explained.

"Hold on... how do you even know about that?" Eric asked, visibly startled.

"Of course I know. I heard the whole story from Katie," Avery answered with a sly smile.

"Grr... what a blabbermouth. But I get your point. Fine, let’s add a clinic space... So, should we rent the whole building or just a few floors?" Eric asked, turning to the rest.

"Sorry... mind if I jump in with a thought?"

Eric turned to Chloe, who raised her hand from where she sat right beside Emma. Eric nodded, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"In my opinion, you should just lease the entire building along with the property management team. Aside from boosting the foundation’s overall credibility, owning the entire building will build deep trust and confidence with your clients, right?" Chloe suggested.

"Hmm... that’s a good point," Eric said, contemplating the idea.

"What do you think, sir?" Chloe asked, turning to Martin, who had been sitting quietly the whole time.

"Huh... me? I don’t..."

"Oh right, Mr. Martin is serving as our Fundraiser and Business Development lead... he’ll be reporting directly to the three of us," Melissa interrupted smoothly, throwing her arms around Eric and Avery on either side.

Martin flinched slightly in surprise, but he quickly regained his stoic composure. He looked at Eric, Melissa, and Avery, then turned his gaze toward Emma and Chloe. Despite his stoic expression, everyone could see his eyes softening and growing glistening wet, a stark contrast to his usual sharp demeanor.

"Alright. I understand. As for the building and the rental price, I’ll leave that entirely up to you all," Martin stated calmly.

Hearing Martin’s words, the building management staff and technician, who clearly knew Martin well, exchanged quiet glances and looked away. Tristan stood by waiting for Eric’s final call, while Eric stared intently at his father, deep in thought.

"Alright... I got it, Dad. As for how many floors we’re taking, we’ll rent the entire building," Eric informed Tristan.

"Hmm... alright. Let me run the numbers, factoring in property operational costs, location value, and the current as-is condition of the building," Tristan replied, getting straight to work.

While waiting for Tristan to calculate the figures alongside the building staff, Emma turned to Eric.

"How about we head over to the apartment next door while we wait?" Emma suggested.

"Wait... isn’t that place currently rented out to someone else?" Eric asked.

"I mean my mom’s unit. She’s coming over in a bit to drop off the keys," Emma said.

"Huh... your mom is coming here?" Eric asked, surprised.

"Yeah... her office is nearby, so she wanted to stop by, check out the place, and offer her support for your foundation," Emma explained.

"She spilled the beans to her mom, babe... total blabbermouth," Chloe teased, playfully tapping Emma’s head.

"Hey! It’s not because I’m a blabbermouth! Mom asked me directly because she already found out beforehand," Emma protested.

"Wait, how did she find out? When I talked to her on the phone, I’m pretty sure I didn’t say anything," Eric asked, thoroughly confused.

"Um... from me and Melissa. She visited the hospital and happened to run into us at the cafeteria," Avery confessed.

"I had no idea Emma was the daughter of the famous celebrity Miranda Cruz... no wonder you looked so familiar the first time I met you," Melissa added.

"Hehe... sorry, I never got around to mentioning that," Emma giggled, stroking her hair.

Sure enough, Emma’s words proved true. A few moments later, the lobby’s automatic glass doors slid open, and Miranda stepped inside. She wore a chic black dress, oversized sunglasses, flowing wavy black hair, and high heels, carrying a crossbody designer bag with her phone in hand. Her glamorous appearance looked nothing like a stay-at-home mother, she looked every bit the high-society socialite.

Spotting Eric and Emma, she removed her sunglasses, a brilliant smile breaking across her face. She walked over and, without waiting for an invitation, slid right onto the sofa next to Avery.

"Hello everyone! Eric, I’ve heard all about your project from these two. Let me be an investor in your foundation," Miranda declared, cutting straight to the point while gesturing toward Melissa and Avery.

"See that? We haven’t even opened shop and investors are already lining up. Not bad, huh?" Melissa whispered, nudging Eric with her elbow.

"Oh... sure, Aunt Miranda," Eric said.

"Oh, come on... how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Mom," Miranda said, waving her hand dismissively.

At Miranda’s words, the entire lobby fell dead silent. Tristan and the two building staff members glanced over, though they quickly resumed their hushed calculations. Martin froze, his eyes darting from Eric to Miranda and back to Eric. Emma and Chloe both turned bright red with embarrassment, while Melissa and Avery remained completely unfazed, already well aware of who Miranda was.

"Ugh... fine, Mom," Eric surrendered.

"That’s more like it! I’m so proud of you, coming up with an idea to launch a non-profit foundation like this. Naturally, I felt moved to invest and help out," Miranda replied cheerfully.

Eric sat stunned. He turned to look at Martin, catching his father staring at Miranda with a bewildered expression behind his stoic mask. Eric let out a wry chuckle.

"Um... Dad... let me introduce you. This is Mom Miranda, Emma’s mother... Mom, this is the father who raised me, Martin Watts," Eric said, introducing the two.

Miranda turned toward Martin, offering a polite smile and a graceful nod. Martin returned the smile and nodded back, though neither of them said a word. They simply exchanged subtle smiles, their eyes locking in a sharp, mutual assessment.

"His father, huh... ah, so you’re the one who raised Eric," Miranda said with a warm smile.

"That’s right... I certainly didn’t expect Emma’s mother to be a famous celebrity," Martin replied.

"Haha... a former celebrity! I’m just a cosmetics entrepreneur these days," Miranda laughed, waving her hand modesty.

"Is that so? Cosmetics is a timeless industry with great market potential," Martin noted approvingly.

"And what field are you in, Mr. Martin?" Miranda asked.

"My previous company specialized in engineering and logistics," Martin answered.

Before anyone knew it, the two had struck up a private conversation. Miranda even shifted over to sit directly beside Martin, completely tuning out Eric, Emma, Chloe, Melissa, and Avery, who could only sit in stunned silence watching them interact. Tristan and the management staff didn’t dare look over, focusing intensely on their financial sheets. Chloe leaned in toward Eric and Emma, whispering softly,

"This isn’t gonna ignite some weird romantic spark, is it?" Chloe whispered.

"I hope not... I’m marrying Eric, so there’s no way I’m letting my mom end up with Eric’s dad," Emma whispered back frantically.

"But he’s not Eric’s biological father anyway. He just raised him, there’s no blood relation," Chloe countered in a whisper.

"Oh... true point. Guess it’s fine then," Emma conceded.

"What on earth are you two talking about? Please don’t entertain weird thoughts like that, I don’t even want to imagine it," Eric scolded them under his breath, though loud enough for both to hear.

"Heheh... sorry," Emma and Chloe replied in unison.

Meanwhile, Melissa and Avery just smirked, crossing their arms and nodding along as they watched Miranda happily chat away with Martin, completely oblivious to her surroundings.