From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)
Chapter 121: Nineteen and Not Ready

Chapter 121: Nineteen and Not Ready

After the class ended, the loud shuffle of chairs and chatter echoed through the room. Students stood up one by one, stretching or chatting as they packed their things. Micah didn’t move at first. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and flicked the screen on.

There were no new messages from Aidan aka RiverBridge. However, Micah was not pleased. There was a good chance Aidan had seen the message before withdrawing from the chat. His stomach twisted in regret. A bad feeling settled in his chest.

Aidan had already set a trap for him by using Jullian. What if there was more? What if he was monitoring him?

His mood dropped like a stone thrown into deep water. Stupid. He was being stupid again.

He should have known better than to get careless.

He had been too lenient with everything lately. Too soft. Too relaxed. That was dangerous. He wasn’t someone who could afford to be soft, not with the people he and Darcy were surrounded by.

Yeah...He should be more alert.

Those twisted male leads were not fools. They were clever, manipulative, and sharp. One slip and would be checkmate.

There would be no second chance.

He gritted his teeth and shoved the phone into his pocket.

He shouldn’t laze around or hang with them. Helping Leo, spending time with Archie’s brother... and now texting casually in class with Aidan.... What next? Having coffee with Silas like old pals?

Micah scoffed bitterly under his breath. The thought made his skin crawl.

He walked out of the building as his expression turned stormy. Russell was beside him, chatting away with one of their classmates, probably talking about the game or class or something that didn’t matter right now. Micah barely heard a word.

He kept walking, head slightly lowered, gripping the strap of his bag more tightly.

He had let his guard down because Darcy had been beside himself lately. Always close, always kind. That everyday life had fooled him. Made him think everything was fine. That the story wouldn’t repeat itself. Because Archie had not shown any romantic interest in Darcy, things would stay safe. Or that Darcy was not soft toward Silas. It didn’t mean anything. The future was unpredictable. And feelings more so.

Micah’s eyebrows pulled together as his thoughts grew darker.

He turned a corner and suddenly paused. There, a few steps away, stood Archie. Alone. Tall, calm with that confident look on his face.

"Shit," he cursed. The second male lead was the last thing he wanted to deal with right now.

Micah had not seen him after that incident. Appearing here, he probably had business with his younger brother.

So Micah clenched his jaw, refusing to make eye contact. Without hesitation, he muttered a quick "see you" to Russell and turned to leave.

But Archie moved fast.

A hand reached out, aiming for Micah’s shoulder.

Micah’s quick reflex kicked in, and in a flash, he twisted away, dodging the hand.

"Hey! Itching for a fight?" Micah exploded, his voice sharp and loud enough to startle a few students nearby.

The nerve of this man! Micah thought.

Archie stepped back slightly, blinking.

"Sorry... I just wanted to talk..." he said, puzzled.

"Keep it to yourself. I’m not interested." Micah hissed, already turning away, his shoulders tense, fists clenched.

Russell froze where he stood, wide-eyed. His mouth opened slightly, caught off guard by the sudden hostility. He looked from Micah to his brother in confusion.

This was the scene Elina encountered when she came to see her son after ten days.

She sighed and called out. "Micah."

Like a switch was flipped, Micah froze. He turned his head slowly, straightening his back, looking natural like he was not the one trying to beat a sophomore student.

"Professor Palmer," Micah said formally. What was with today? First Darcy watched him like a hawk to monitor what he ate, second Aidan probed into him in messages, third Archie wanted to get physical with him and now his gentle/Mussolini mother caught him arguing with an upperclassman.

Micah didn’t want others especially Archie to know she was his mother, so he tried to act formally.

Of course, his mother would not play along with him.

Elina raised an eyebrow, amused and unimpressed.

"Mum." Micah corrected it.

Russell and Archie turned as well, startled by the title. Elina gave them a polite nod.

"New friends?" Elina asked, glancing between them.

"No," Micah replied deadpan. Like hell, he had a friend like Archie!

Russell let out a dramatic gasp, pointing. "I knew it!"

Micah’s lips twitched. He adjusted his glasses on his face, acting like he didn’t hear Russell’s words.

Elina tilted her head, her smile light. "I see my son has met some warm-hearted people."

Russell’s dramatic energy wilted under Elina’s gaze. He coughed and looked away, scratching the back of his head.

"What brings you here, Mum?"

"What? I can’t visit my son?" She said with a teasing smile.

Micah raised a sceptical brow. "Really?"

In the family group chat, it was his father, Jacob, who always wanted to visit him at uni. His mother was probably having a blast at home, enjoying the break from his constant reckless behaviour.

"Okay, okay. I came to give you this. Thought you might want to invite your friends to your birthday." Elina said, reaching into her bag.

Micah froze. Birthday?

He had totally forgotten about that. The upcoming birthday... their nineteenth. His and Darcy’s.

The hospital would shut down the following year, just before he turned twenty. That would trigger everything. Several cases would be revealed resulting in public involvement.

And before the 21st birthday, everything would be revealed to Darcy.

Micah swallowed hard.

Would Darcy hate him? Would he be Disappointed? Angry? Would he think he had known all along and used that to get close to him? Manipulate him?

Micah’s expression went pale. A sharp pain spread in his chest.

Elina paused. "What is it? Are you alright?"

Micah shook his head, forcing a smile. "Yeah, sorry. I need to use the toilet."

Micah grabbed the invitation with trembling hands and said goodbye to his mother.

"Wait! Invite Darcy and his family too!" Elina called after him as he turned away.

"Okay." Micah nodded and left in a hurry. The last thing he wanted to think about was having Darcy, Nora and Flora with Ramsy’s family in one place.

Micah started walking faster. Then faster. Until it turned to running. Like he was running away from the reality. What if someone realised the resemblance between Darcy and Ramsy family? Especially his grandmother? What if Flora recognised him as her son?

He couldn’t bear to face Darcy or his family after the truth came out.

He dreaded it.

What if they become happy with Darcy being their son instead of him and he couldn’t help but feel jealous? What if he turned out to be like the villain in the book? What if they figured he knew all along but kept quiet?!

He didn’t want to think about it. He wanted to escape. Why should he be the first one to know the truth about the swapped babies? Why?

He wasn’t at all a strong person or an upright one. He was the villain in the book. He had his own fear and selfishness.

His stomach twisted, the pain sharp and unbearable. He knew it instantly. It felt just like last time, the pain that had landed him in the hospital.

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