From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)
Chapter 145: Mine To Keep

Chapter 145: Mine To Keep

When Friday evening came, Micah was practically bouncing on his feet. He stuffed his tablet, sketches and notebooks into his backpack, zipped it shut and jogged toward the front gates of campus like he was being chased by demons. In a way, he was. The kind that wore smug grins, whispered rumours behind his back and stared way too hard during lunchtime. He couldn’t wait to leave the campus and escape the misery of the past few days. At least the worst of it had cooled down by now. Darcy’s quiet presence and a few pointed glares from their group had helped keep the girls at bay. It was still awkward, and girls still looked at him with strange eyes.

Hopefully, by Monday, that stupid campus forum post would be forgotten. Or buried under some other drama.

Micah glanced around and found Driver Dan had parked a few feet away.

He yanked the car door open and slumped into the backseat with a loud sigh, tossing his backpack beside himself.

"Good evening, Young master," Driver Dan said politely.

Micah nodded and turned his gaze toward the window.

He had planned to give Darcy a ride home, but apparently, someone in their project group had messed up. Now Darcy had to stay behind to fix it.

He couldn’t wait for him, even if he wanted to.

"Where to go young master?" Driver Dan asked. Ever since Micah had snapped at him earlier in the week, he had become more careful with his words.

"Go to the fitting appointment," Micah replied, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. He wasn’t as excited as before, but he had to go through it, or he would never hear the end of it from Elina’s complaining.

He sighed. His gaze stopped on his backpack. He had sent the finalized jewellery design to Uncle Graham’s store earlier in the week. He was anticipating Darcy’s expression upon seeing his gift. He wanted to let him know their fate was bound together like the twins sharing the same placenta. Their fates were tied from birth when they were swapped. He had combined the Tao symbol with the year of their Zodiac signs to create a pendant in the shape of two dragons tangled together, one black and one white using black rhodium and white gold.

Micah blinked hard. He hoped when Darcy knew the truth, he wouldn’t hate him excessively.

He arrived at a high-end boutique known for serving the elite, lined with sparkling glass facades and guarded by private concierges. It wasn’t open to the public, only custom orders for VIP clients. People with names like Ramsy. The moment Micah stepped inside, the staff greeted him with polite nods and ushered him to a private fitting room. They remeasured him quickly, comparing numbers with the data they had already had, then adjusted a few seams. Everything was efficient. He barely spoke during the whole thing, a deep contrast to his usual talkative self during past visits. The staff held their breath during the process, worried the unpredictable young master might lose his temper.

When it was done, Micah left the shop and returned to Ramsy’s estate. It had only been fifteen days since he had last stepped foot inside, but it felt like a hundred years had passed. He walked through the large gates and opened the front door.

Silence.

Micah blinked.

"Talk about a massive welcome..." he mumbled, letting the door swing shut behind him.

A pair of footsteps tapped lightly across the polished floor. The nanny appeared from the hallway, offering a small bow.

"Young master, welcome home."

"Where is everyone?" Micah forced a smile.

"Madam and master had to attend a business-related banquet," she answered.

"And my sisters?"

"Miss Willow is still at work, and Miss Aria went camping with her friends."

Micah nodded. "Thanks, after you’re done tidying, feel free to leave."

The nanny bowed again and left quietly.

Micah rubbed his forehead. It was always like this. They bugged him to come home early, only to disappear before he even arrived. Talk about missing him. Bah! Liars.

He walked toward the dining room and sat down at the long table, where a hot meal had already been set up for him.

Truthfully, he didn’t feel upset this time. He was relieved.

Because sitting here alone, he could finally let his shoulders drop. He didn’t have to hide the fact that he was worried. Scared. Tired.

They wouldn’t notice something was wrong. And honestly, the less contact he had with them, the better.

He quickly ate his dinner and went to his room. Tomorrow was a busy day.

*****

Meanwhile, across the city, Aidan Wilson was stretched out on a leather couch in his penthouse office. A loose robe hugged off his shoulders, revealing the lean muscles of his chest.

A half-empty glass of whiskey dangled between his fingers.

He raised an eyebrow at his assistant, Alex Ford, who stood stiffly a few feet away.

"Someone was snooping around me?" Aidan asked, amused. His tone was casual, but his eyes were sharp.

Alex nodded. "Yes. Quietly. But definitely looking into your recent activities."

Aidan swirled the drink in his glass. "You sure it’s not one of my lovely siblings trying to get ahead?"

"No, sir. I looked into it. Doesn’t seem like it’s anyone from the Wilson family. Not even their allies. But..." he paused. "I think... they are from La Riviere."

Aidan stared at him, then laughed. He downed the rest of the whisky in one go and tossed his head back.

"All that because I skipped a meeting?" he said. "Holding a grudge already? Pathetic."

"Maybe they saw potential," Alex offered. "They could have wanted to confirm something before making a move."

Aidan snorted. "No way. We are competitors. Don’t play dumb with me."

The room went quiet.

Then Alex cleared his throat. "Boss... there’s something else..."

"What now?"

"When I was digging into the people following you... I found something."

He hesitated.

Aidan lazily leaned back on the sofa and glanced at him. "Spill it out."

"Your mother..." Alex gulped. "She has teamed up with your second sister..."

Crash.

The whisky glass shattered in Adian’s hand from his tight grip and fell to the floor. His hand dripped red, blood trailing down from where the glass had cut into his palm. He didn’t even flinch. Aidan’s expression turned murderous.

"What else?" Aidan growled. He knew his assistant better than anyone else.

Alex Ford shivered under the gaze but forced out the words. "Shoele project... it was rigged. Your mother’s family knew it..."

Aidan tightened his grip. The remaining glass shreds penetrated his palms. He didn’t care about the pain. The ache in his chest was worse. The one person he thought he could rely on had betrayed him.

Aidan closed his eyes, breathing slowly. The hate in him magnified. In this vast world, no one was on his side. Even his subordinates were forced by him to be loyal.

Was he really that awful?

Then a memory flashed in his mind. No... there was one person.

What if he knew the Shoele project was rigged?

Wasn’t he a computer expert? Aidan still could not track his whereabouts or find his name. What if he had realised something was off and helped him? Making him so angry to miss the bidding?!

Aidan slowly opened his eyes. The brown pupils glow slightly. Yeah, there was one.

Even after seeing his arrogant dominant nature he still chose him.

A boy who helped him, quietly, without asking for anything. A brat who replied to messages, even after seeing his worst side. Who had shown up at the Royal Hotel, when he lost his control and lashed out.

He was clever enough to hide his identity from him. But also stupid enough to still care.

He had to find him. Before he slipped away.

He would treasure him, trap him, keep him. Do whatever it took, just become the only person he could see. He wouldn’t let the only person on his side leave him. He would take him for himself. Yeah. He would belong to him. Only him.