From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)
Chapter 176: Misread Signals

Chapter 176: Misread Signals

Micah waited. And waited.

By the time an hour passed, he had already checked the clock on the wall at least ten times and nearly nodded off on the plastic bench twice.

Finally, the door creaked open. A young woman stepped inside, wearing a pale grey factory uniform and a headset tucked behind her ear. Her ponytail bounced as she gave them a quick once over, eyes sharp but tired.

"Sorry for the wait," she said, adjusting the tablet in her hands. "There were some issues this morning. Let’s get going. We’ve got an inspection today, so the sooner we wrap up your tour, the better."

Her tone wasn’t rude, but it wasn’t warm either. Just brisk and professional. Micah straightened up and glanced around at the others. Russell gave him a small shrug. Amy and Melissa were already standing, ready to follow. They didn’t argue. Honestly, they knew they weren’t exactly the factory’s top priority today.

Micah walked near the back of the group, hands in his hoodie pocket, eyes scanning the surroundings as they followed her. The smell of cotton and machine oil filled the air.

The guide began explaining the history of the Sorkh factory, rattling off dates and production numbers.

"This factory was established thirty years ago, starting with just two machines and under twenty employees," she said. "Now we produce over eight thousand meters of fabric each week, with exports to seven different countries. We focus on luxury and sustainable materials, often working with designers under La Riviere’s brand."

Next came the part about materials, fibre type, and how they were dyed, woven, and preserved. Texture. Durability. Temperature effects. She even held out some small fabric swatches, letting them touch as they walked through one of the cleaner display halls.

Micah’s expression turned serious. He didn’t talk much, but he didn’t miss a word either. His brows creased in thought, and he occasionally nodded to himself as if mentally noting which type might work for which designs.

Unseen from above, someone else was watching.

Clyde stood by a wide window on the upper level of the factory, looking down into the work floor. From his view, he could see the moving machines, the lines of workers... and Micah’s group trailing after the guide like ducklings.

He hadn’t planned to be here today. Bumping into Micah here was now pointless. Micah knew he was a Du Pont.

Originally, he had planned to get close to him this way, so he had asked Georgina for a favour. But now they had become close enough for the boy to sleep at his house.

Still, Clyde hadn’t sent someone else in his place.

What if they bullied Micah?

He was his responsibility now. Clyde had pulled strings to let that student group in. The Sorkh Fabric never hosted students from fashion design. They weren’t like the old training-friendly factories. This was a high-production site.

So here he was. His sudden appearance had nearly given the factory president a heart attack. Of course, only the factory president knew his title. The others knew him as one of the directors, a big shot from headquarters.

"Eh...Ah..." President MacTee stammered, not knowing how to address Clyde.

"Just call me the Exclusive Director," Clyde said flatly, eyes still on the workers below.

Most staff didn’t know his true identity. That was how he preferred it. Low profile. Efficient. And it saved him from endless greetings and bowing.

"Who are they?" Clyde asked, nodding subtly toward Micah’s group.

President MacTee followed his gaze. "Oh, we received a notice last week about a university student visit," he said, wiping his sweat from his temples with a tissue.

Clyde made a show of acting mildly interested. "Hm. That’s good. We need more new talent in the field."

"Of course, of course," the president agreed quickly.

Clyde turned away from the window. "Let’s continue."

Downstairs, the tour finally ended, and the group was returning to the waiting area. Their guide slowed down when she spotted someone down the hallway and suddenly lit up. "Director Allen!" she called, waving.

She turned to the students quickly. "Stay here, please. I’ll be back in a moment."

Then she jogged off, straightening her uniform as she approached a tall woman in a fitted navy blue suit. Her posture was straight. Her chestnut brown hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail. Even from a distance, her calm aura drew attention.

Micah stared at the woman. Something about her was familiar.

"Director Allen, have you seen the big shot yet?" the intern asked excitedly.

"No. That’s the president’s job." the woman replied with a composed smile.

"Ah, but I heard he came because of you, said your results were so impressive, that he had to see them in person."

"Just a baseless rumour." Director Allen replied coolly.

She sensed an intense gaze and turned around. "They are the college students?"

"Yeah. The tour has finished. They’re coming back next week to experiment with their own fabrics."

"Umm.." Director Allen nodded, but her gaze lingered on Micah. There was something about his stare, so intense it was almost rude. She walked toward Micah. "Hello," she said gently.

Micah blinked and snapped out of his thoughts. "Ah. Hello," he said awkwardly.

The woman definitely looked similar to her. But the family name was different. Micah was puzzled.

"Do you have a question you want to ask?"

Micah coughed. "Yeah. I mean... I was just wondering... how many years does it take to get to your position?" he said the first thought that came to his mind. He knew his staring was so obvious that made the woman suspicious.

Director Allen pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Years are part of it. But what matters more is effort and talent. Of course, luck helps too." she tilted her head. "Aren’t you a fashion design major? Are you thinking of switching sides?"

Micah chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, it seems interesting."

At that moment, Clyde stepped around the corner, pausing when he saw Micah. His eyes zeroed in on him, and the woman he was talking to.

Micah laughed at her words, a bit shy and a bit embarrassed.

President MacTee followed his gaze. "This is Director Allen, our employee of the year."

Clyde’s expression darkened, seeing Micah follow the woman, talking nonstop.

His foot moved before his brain could think. He reached them in a few steps.

President MacTee jogged up behind him, voice louder than necessary. "Director Allen."

Micah paused and turned around, facing Clyde, expression somewhat solemn.

Micah wasn’t surprised. He had already guessed when the staff mentioned a big-shot visit.

Sorkh Fabric never let students in, only their group got access.... who else could make that happen?

Micah knew Clyde being from the Du Pont family had probably had a high position in La Riviere.

"President MacTee," Director Allen said, nodding politely.

"This is the exclusive director from the headquarters. I was just saying your achievements."

Clyde stared at the woman. She seemed ordinary compared to Georgina. But something about seeing Micah smile awkwardly next to her made his jaw tighten. Was this his type? Older woman? Refined, sharp, successful?

Why else would he be laughing and cozying up with her?

The boy was usually arrogant and self-centred, barely caring about others.

Director Allen blushed under Clyde’s intense gaze.

Micah glanced between the two of them. A weird thought flashed in his head. Wait a second... wasn’t there gossip earlier?

The factory employees had been whispering. Something about a higher-up visiting just for her, maybe falling in love after seeing her hard work...

Micah stared at Clyde. No way. Did Clyde really come here... For her? Did he have feelings for her?

Micah frowned slightly, the corners of his mouth twitching downward. His chest tightened in a way he couldn’t explain.