From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)
Chapter 48: Caught In The Middle

Chapter 48: Caught In The Middle

At the university’s main gate, mostly senior students hustled in every direction, backpacks slung over their shoulders, chatting about their final thesis and presentations. Among them, Darcy stood under a tree, scanning the crowd with an expressionless face. Then he spotted him, the silver-haired boy jogged across the stone path, his shirt slightly askew a glint of sweat on his temple. Darcy smiled at the sight of him running toward him. Then the boy suddenly stopped, frozen.

Darcy’s smile faltered slightly, and he took a few steps forward. Still no reaction.

"Hey," Darcy called out.

Micah did not even flinch.

Darcy frowned. He leaned in and waved a hand in front of Micah’s face. "Earth to Micah, Hello?"

Micah jolted, startled like someone waking from a dream. He snapped toward Darcy with wide, startled eyes.

"Ah, when did you get so close?!"

"You halted like someone unplugged your battery. I’ve been calling you, but you didn’t answer. Are you alright?"

Darcy studied Micah’s expression, his gaze sharp but gentle.

"I’m fine," Micah stepped back and scratched his neck. "It’s nothing. Just..." he glanced away. After a pause, he said. "Let’s go. My mum is waiting."

Micah reached out and grabbed Darcy’s wrist, dragging him in the opposite direction Archie had gone.

In his daze, he had missed one of the original male leads passing by.

He didn’t know that it would come back to bite him.

Darcy stared at Micah’s back as they moved quickly, their steps uneven at first as Darcy tried to catch up to Micah’s sudden pace.

Yet, his firm grip on him did not loosen.

Micah didn’t look back, his thoughts were racing. That smile was dangerous.

What should he do to protect his younger brother from those gongs?! How could he tell Darcy not to smile like that at others?

His anxiety about Darcy meeting Elina, his biological mother, was completely pushed to the back of his mind.

Finally, they reached the mathematics building. Just outside, Elina Palmer stood, waiting. Her long beige skirt rustled slightly in the breeze. She spotted them and opened her mouth, but suddenly she paused.

Micah slowed, breath catching as he noticed her strange gaze, not toward him, but down to his hand.

He followed it. His fingers were still wrapped around Darcy’s wrist.

Like being electrified, he flinched and immediately let go of Darcy’s hand, taking two steps away from him. He glanced at his mother, heart pounding.

He couldn’t let Elina think he had designs on Darcy. What would happen when the truth was revealed? Wouldn’t Elina accuse him of molesting his precious son?!

Nope! No way! It was true that he wanted to appear close to Darcy in front of her but after that comment from Elina in the car about him having a crush on Darcy....

Well, this was awkward.

Trying to recover, Micah forced his expression into a neutral smile.

"Mum," he said, a bit too loudly. "Let me introduce you. This is my friend, Darcy Edwood."

Looking at Elina and Darcy repeatedly, Micah checked for any strange reaction.

Would Elina notice the resemblance?!

Elina’s gaze moved smoothly to Darcy. "Ah, so you’re Darcy." she offered a professional smile.

Darcy stepped forward politely.

"Nice to meet you, Professor Palmer. I’ve heard a lot about your academic team’s research."

"The pleasure is mine," Elina replied, her eyes flickering to Micah. "I meant to meet you last week, but someone ended up in the hospital. I hope you don’t hold it against me."

"Not at all. Family comes first." Darcy said.

Micah’s jaw dropped, shocked. Why were these two people talking like this? Why was it different from what he had imagined?

Where was the hesitation? The warmth? The affection?! They were all businesslike and formal.

"May I ask why Micah was in the hospital? I hope it wasn’t something serious." Darcy said, glancing at Micah with a touch of worry in his dark eyes.

"Fortunately, it was just a bump on his head. He was totally fine to climb a wall to meet you." Elina said, shooting a look of sarcasm toward Micah.

Micah felt like the world had made no sense anymore.

The two didn’t talk about research or family affection like what was described in the novel.

Why were they both looking at him? Why was their topic about him instead?

"Climbing a wall?" Darcy repeated, blinking at Micah. "That shows he is healthy and energetic. That’s his charm..." then he added lightly.

"Well...Climbing a wall to make his mother happy. Pretty commendable, no?"

Micah looked left and right. One was taking a jab at him, and the other was defending him.

What the hell? The most unbelievable part was Darcy was defending him instead of his mother!

"Yes, you are right. He has a soft heart but unfortunately, lacks common sense." Elina said.

Micah finally snapped out of his stupidity and said.

"Mum!"

"What is it, honey?" Elina asked sweetly as if she hadn’t just aired his shortcoming.

Micah’s mouth opened, then closed again. With Darcy standing there watching, he couldn’t even argue.

Why did his mother act strange? Before meeting Darcy, she was all proud that he had finally a smart friend, but now... it felt off.

Micah cleared his throat and said stiffly.

"Nothing. It’s hot. Let’s go to your office. I am a bit thirsty."

"Sure, This way," Elina said, turning on her heel and leading them inside.

Once inside her cozy office, Elina turned to Darcy. "I’m going to get some refreshments. Please wait here."

Then she grabbed Micah’s shirt.

"Come help me."

She dragged Micah to a small adjacent breakroom and whispered.

"Tell me honestly. Do you have a crush on him?"

Micah’s eyes bulged. "What? Mum!! Are you still on that? You know I am straight"

Micah asked, feeling incredulous.

She hesitated, pondering her words.

"I thought so too, but what was with the hand holding? Even in the car, You were jittery like a boy waiting for his date, what else was I supposed to think?"

Micah choked. "What? I can’t even grab someone’s wrist now without my orientation being put under the microscope??!"

Elina crossed her arms. "No, it’s just... I have never seen you this close to anyone, especially not boys."

Micah rolled his eyes.

"Mum, seriously! You said it yourself, no one wanted to be close to me before! He is the first one who did not run off after hanging out with me!"

"Okay, okay, maybe I was reading too much into it..." Elina said and straightened her clothes.

"You think?" Micah muttered.

"I’ll go first. Later, bring some refreshments into the office." she gave him a pointed look and disappeared through the door.

"Yeah, yeah..," Micah waved her off.

Leaving alone, Micah leaned back against the counter and exhaled, running a hand through his hair. Suddenly it dawned on him why his mother acted that way earlier. A chuckle escaped him.

"She saw Darcy as a potential son-in-law or something. Haha.."

Then his face dropped.

"Wait, why would she assume I am the bottom?! No way! In the novel, Darcy clearly was the bottom!"