The Mysterious Midnight Magnate

09: More Money

09: More Money

As her words sank in, Eric realized that she was the one who had assisted him to the hospital. The fragments of memories from the chaotic night aligned in his mind.

Right at that moment, the old man’s daughter, Mia, ran out to call Eric that her grandfather wanted to have a word with him. When she saw the woman with Eric, she rushed to hug her.

“Grandpa is now okay,” the little girl told her sister, Emily.

And Eric was taken aback.

“He’s okay!?” Emily blinked.

“Yes, this man over here saved him when the doctors could not," Mia exclaimed, excitement in her voice.

"You're the man's granddaughter, right? The one I helped a few minutes ago," Eric connected the dots.

Her shock deepened. "Yes, that's my grandfather. How... how did you save him? What happened?"

Eric hesitated, glancing at the ring in his hand, the source of the inexplicable events. "It's... complicated. But your grandfather is doing better now."

The woman, torn between gratitude and confusion, stared at Eric. "I don't understand. Last night, you were in bad shape, and now... you saved my grandpa?"

Eric nodded, still grappling with the unfolding revelations. "It seems so."

Emily. sensing Eric's reluctance to share more, respected his privacy. "Thank you, Eric. Truly. But I hope to see you again."

As Eric attempted to leave, the little girl, Mia protested, "No, you can’t leave. Grandpa wants to have a word with you.”

Eric paused, surprised by the insistence. "He does?"

Mia nodded. "Yes, he's been asking for you since he woke up. It's like a miracle."

Eric glanced at the ring again, contemplating the inexplicable events surrounding him. "Alright, I'll go see him."

Mia smiled, relieved. "Follow me."

As they walked through the hospital corridors, Eric couldn't shake the surreal nature of the situation. The mysterious ring on his finger pulsed with a faint glow, almost as if it sensed the significance of the upcoming meeting.

They reached the room, and Mia gently pushed the door open. The old man, now sitting up and looking considerably better, smiled at the sight of Eric.

"Ah, there you are!" he exclaimed. "Come in, young man."

Eric entered cautiously, greeted by the warmth of gratitude in the old man's eyes. Mia and Emily stood by, observing the unfolding scene.

"Thank you, Eric," the old man began, his voice filled with sincerity. "I don't know how you did it, but you saved me."

Eric, still uncertain about the powers of the ring, replied humbly, "I'm just glad you're okay now, sir."

The old man chuckled. "Call me Walter. You've done more than any doctor could. There's something special about you."

Eric, slightly uncomfortable with the attention, shifted his weight. "I appreciate that, Walter."

As Eric tried to leave, still focused on his ring, Walter stopped him with a sense of gratitude.

“I should compensate you for saving my life,” Walter said, his eyes filled with appreciation. “How much do you want? Name your price.”

“No, there’d be no need for that,” Eric interjected, waving off the offer.

Emily gasped, shocked that Eric, who seemed less fortunate, was rejecting an offer from her grandfather. Her admiration for him deepened.

“You don’t want anything from me?” Walter directed this question to Eric, genuinely surprised.

“Not at all, I need to go,” Eric told them, politely insisting on leaving.

“Here’s my card, I’ll be having my 75th birthday bash in two days and I want you to come,” Walter stretched out his card.

“Okay,” Eric accepted the card without hesitation and turned to leave.

“Wait,” Emily stopped him.

“Yes?” Eric stared at her.

“Thank you so much for saving my grandfather’s life,” she expressed her gratitude.

With thinned lips, Eric nodded and made his way out.

Heading towards the exit, he felt a mix of relief and urgency. He needed to sort out the aftermath of his sudden wealth and find a place to stay.

However, his plans took an unexpected turn when he arrived at Claudia’s apartment. To his surprise, he found his belongings scattered outside, and Claudia glaring at him with a mixture of anger and resentment.

"Eric, you thought you could just walk back in here?" Claudia sneered.

Eric, taken aback, tried to remain composed. "Claudia, what happened? Why are my things outside?"

"Your things? Oh, you mean the baggage you bring with you everywhere? I decided your belongings might as well not sleep here, since you’re trying to be so independent.”

Eric, still processing the abrupt turn of events, responded, "Fine, I’ll leave.”

“You really have some nerves, isn’t it?” she yelled, frustration evident in her voice.

Meanwhile, her manager rushed into the scene and delivered news of how someone wanted to shut down their movie production company and pay off the top directors, after labeling her a bad actress. They were willing to pay the sum of $200,000,000

Claudia, gripped by fear, exclaimed, "What? Shut down the company or bribe the directors not to put me on set anymore? But that's my life! How can they do this?"

Her manager, equally distressed, added, "They claim it's because they think your attitude ruins their reputation, since you publicly insulted a top star online. It's more of a personal vendetta."