From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)
Chapter 34: Champagne Nights and Cheap Friendships(part 1)

Chapter 34: Champagne Nights and Cheap Friendships(part 1)

Finally, Friday arrived. Micah, who had been cooped up at home for three whole days, got a green light to go out in the evening.

As he stepped out of the Ramsy estate, the weight that had been pressing on his chest seemed to ease just a little. He had too much time to think and sort out his feelings about the DNA test results. He wasn’t one to wallow forever. These past few days had been enough. He had sat alone in the garden for hours, letting the warm summer wind brush at his cheek while he rehearsed his future moves. The resentment and confusion had all settled into something colder. If he was going to get through this mess, he had to play smarter than he ever had before.

Eventually, he had managed to suppress his complicated mood and thoughts. His mind was made up.

He had to follow through with his plan.

Once he dealt properly with those lunatic gongs and helped Darcy with his mother’s illness, he would quietly disappear. Go for a long trip somewhere far, far away. His absence surely would create space for Darcy to naturally step into Ramsy’s family without his presence complicating things.

The first move was to deal with Jullian and that fourth male lead who was behind him.

Micah headed to the underground garage. He strolled past a line of cars, From SUVs and sedans to military-style off-roaders and Cabriolet, all in different colours and styles.

Micah came to a stop in front of a bright orange sports car. A tacky yellow stripe ran from the hood to the bumper like someone had dragged a highlighter across it.

His lips twitched. It resembled a child’s toy more than an adult car.

"He really hates me! Who would think this is a suitable gift?"

Micah mumbled under his breath.

The person in question was his little uncle from his mother’s side.

Elina Palmer had three brothers. And the youngest of them, Edmund, was a surprise in every sense of the word. He was born eighteen years after Elina, a product of an unplanned late-in-life pregnancy that had caught the entire family off guard. Micah’s grandmother, Ida Fayer, was thirty-eight at that time, and a new baby had turned their modest household upside down.

Elina had grown up in a down-to-earth family, with her father being a skilled mechanic who ran a garage that eventually expanded into a successful chain across the city, and her mother owning a bustling vegetable stall in their neighbourhood.

Surrounded by brothers, Elina was more familiar with grease stains than dresses. She spent her childhood climbing trees, fixing broken radios, and helping her father in the workshop. Any trace of traditional femininity had long disappeared from her life before marrying Jacob Ramsy.

She had a sharp logical mind, numbers made sense when dolls and playing house didn’t. Practical to the core, Elina was the first girl in the family to pursue higher education. She majored in mathematics, later becoming a respected professor.

Financially, the Palmers were doing more than fine. The garage business had grown steadily over the years, bringing in an enormous income. But having money didn’t mean refinement. Her brothers lacked the sophistication that the Ramsy family possessed.

At twenty-six, his little uncle Edmund was more like an eccentric cousin than a respectful uncle. A textbook case of nouveau riche, Edmund had no real concept of style or restraint. He wore flamboyant, unfashionable clothes and drove flashy cars.

And he liked to spoil Micah by giving him expensive gifts. Cars, mostly.

Micah could never bring himself to reject his uncle’s gifts outright, and being somewhat involved in the automobile industry, he couldn’t even sell the cars without them knowing.

Micah sighed, pushing his sunglasses higher on his nose and yanking a cap down low. He slid into the driver’s seat and gripped the leather steering wheel.

"I can’t believe I’m driving this tacky car in public."

He grumbled, starting the engine. The roar echoed dramatically in the garage.

He drove out, heading toward Jullian’s Bar.

It was getting dark when Micah arrived in an out-of-place bar. Micah glanced around, feeling flabbergasted. The bar was located in a weirdly isolated part of town, far from nightlife, surrounded by electrical stores.

Who the hell opens a bar in a place like this?

Was he blind before reading that damn book? This whole setup screamed shady.

Micah stopped his car in a side alley and pulled out his phone, calling Evan, with deliberate confusion in his voice.

"Hey, where was the Bar again? I swear, I circled the same street thousands of times!"

Just as he planned, Evan offered to come outside and wait for him. Micah hung up, smirking faintly, and tapped his fingers on the wheel.

After fifteen minutes, he started the car again and drove to the Bar.

He intentionally pressed the gas harder, making the engine roar louder and attracting the attention of others.

He spotted them immediately, a small group lingering by the bar entrance. Evan, Jullian, and a few of their regular tag-along.

The group was made up of nouveau riche second-generation kids, wealthy enough to play but still far beneath the status of the Ramsy family. And yet, somehow, Micah had ended up in their company.

It wasn’t by choice exactly. It was a result of circumstances and personality.

Micah’s bold, arrogant nature had always been a double-edged sword. He was sharp-tongued, impulsive, and proud. These traits did not sit well with the polished heirs of old-money families. Most of them looked down on him, hiding their disdain behind fake smiles and veiled jabs. They mocked him subtly for being too brash, too untalented, too incapable.

And Micah, with his notoriously short temper, didn’t take insults lightly. He had unceremoniously dissed them in public, cutting ties with them.

There were, of course, a few who tried to stick around, opportunistic ones who thought cozying up to him might open doors. They tolerated his temper and arrogance, hoping for a connection to the Ramsy family. But the moment they realised Micah held no real influence in the family’s high-tech empire, they vanished just as quickly. So in the end, Micah found himself surrounded by people like Jullian and Evan who what they needed was his money and the social leverage that came with being seen next to a Ramsy.

As soon as they heard the car, someone let out an impressed whistle.

Micah pulled up dramatically and stepped out of the car, moving with arrogance. He tossed his keys lightly in the air and gave a lazy nor in their direction.

"Micah!"

Jullian called out with a grin, immediately crossing the space to throw an arm over his shoulders. The stench of heavy cologne hit Micah’s nose.

"Nice car!"

He added, his voice full of admiration.

"As expected from Ramsy’s young master! Even if we worked for the next ten years, we couldn’t afford it."

Jullian said, using flattery as always.

Micah forced a smile, jaw tightening under the touch of Jullian’s hand. Swallowing his disgust, he replied with an arrogant tone.

"I wouldn’t know the price. My uncle gifted it to me."

Evan lingered behind Jullian, his eyes fixed on the sports car with visible jealousy.

Meanwhile, Jullian was practically drooling.

"Man, I wish I had a relative like that."

"Do you like it?" Micah asked nonchalantly.

"Who wouldn’t?!"

Jullian laughed, his eyes gleaming.

"Here. It’s yours. Congrats on the bar opening."

Micah said and casually tossed the car keys to him, catching the group off guard.

Jullian fumbled to catch them, his expression frozen in shock before bursting into a smile.

"Bro! Are you for real? Thanks, man!"

Evan’s jaw nearly hit the floor. He stared at the keys in Jullian’s hands, gritting his teeth in frustration. That should have been his. Micah called him to come out, not Jullian!

He’d been eyeing the car the moment Micah rolled up. But Jullian had been glued to Micah like an annoying tick, preventing others from even speaking.

Micah smirked to himself, confident that they would be too focused on their own greed to see what he was really up to.