From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)
Chapter 70: Where Morning Found Them

Chapter 70: Where Morning Found Them

It was dawn when Micah finally left his hotel room. The hallways were dimly lit and unnaturally quiet. His sneakers made barely a sound as he paused at the corner, peeking carefully down both sides of the corridor before stepping into the elevator.

After confirming Leo was just asleep and there were no lingering threats, Micah decided it was finally safe to leave. His body felt as if it were made of stone, every step dragging heavier than the last, exhaustion pulling at him.

The hotel lobby was nearly deserted except for a few red-eyed staff members. Outside the main doors, the paparazzi were scattered like fallen soldiers, half slumped against their equipment, snoring softly or rubbing sleep from their eyes.

Micah tugged his cap lower over his silver hair, shadowing his freckled nose, and slipped through a side exit the hotel discreetly opened for the guests. The security guard at the door gave him a barely look, not even bothering to check him twice.

The scandal that had erupted like a wildfire the night before had lost some of its heat. With the three people involved, Leo’s manager being dragged to the police station and the actress and her manager sent to the hospital for a check-up, the crowd had thinned. Still, a few stubborn paparazzi lingered, gossiping in hushed tones, ready to pounce at the slight hint of movement.

Even though they knew the movie production team had left the hotel, and the scene was closed off by police for further investigation, a few paparazzi remained, hoping to catch sight of Leo. Of course, the public was still buzzing with speculations about where Leo was.

But to them, Micah was just another irrelevant young man. No cameras flashed. No questions were asked.

Micah lowered his cap and slid into the backseat of a waiting taxi.

As the cab pulled away from the chaos, Micah let his head fall back against the seat. His eyes flickered for a second. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had felt this tired.

"Where to, Sir?" the driver asked, glancing at him through the mirror.

Micah mumbled his hotel’s name and closed his eyes completely.

Last night, sleep had been impossible. Every time he closed his eyes, nightmares of being caught in that mess filled his mind.

The streets were nearly empty, allowing the taxi to pull up to his original hotel in no time. A few early risers wandered by, clutching coffee cups. Micah paid the driver and dragged himself through the lobby to his room. The second his head hit the pillow, he was out, everything turned to silence.

********

Meanwhile, across the city, sunlight was illuminating Leo’s new hotel room. Leo stirred, a soft groan escaped his lips as he tried to sit up. His limbs twitched awkwardly as sensation returned, his muscles sore and uncooperative.

His eyes opened slowly, confused. For a second he didn’t know where he was. Then last night memories flashed through his mind, and panic surged. He jerked upright and instantly regretted it. A wave of dizziness flooded his mind, and he squeezed his eyes shut, fighting nausea.

"Idiot! Why did you sleep so soundly?!" he cursed himself, bracing one hand on the bed.

Blinking rapidly, Leo looked around the unfamiliar room, searching desperately. There was no sign of the young man, his saviour.

Leo’s heart sank.

He stumbled out of bed, checking everywhere, bathroom, closet, even peeking out into the hallway. Empty.

Leo sighed and sat at the edge of the bed, running a hand through his dark tousled hair. His head throbbed steadily, a cruel reminder of last night’s frenzy.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his phone, placed on the table. His eyebrow raised in surprise.

He didn’t think the young man would still remember to bring his phone from his hotel room.

He turned it on, and immediately it flooded with messages and notifications. Ignoring them, Leo quickly searched the trending news.

Everywhere he looked, news articles, social media, fan sites, the scandal dominated.

His manager and that actress were being dragged through the mud, their names turning black.

In between, there were a few malicious remarks suggesting he was involved in the manager’s plan. But his fans were fighting like crazy.

The most surprising part was the CCTV footage, or rather, the lack of it. No sign of him. Leo chuckled.

With every passing second, Leo’s impression of his saviour soared to the sky. He was quick-witted, sharp, kind-hearted, strong, capable and lively. And thanks to him now, he no longer needed to be anxious.

There was a little trace of Leo in that room, probably some clothes. But, No footage, no mobile phone.

Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t tie him to that scandal.

Leo scrolled through dozens of missed calls and frantic messages, from Twilight Entertainment to his fans and friends.

Before he could even try to reply, his phone buzzed in his hand.

"Hello?" Leo’s voice came out rough.

"You finally picked up!" a voice screeched so loudly that Leo winced and yanked the phone away from his ear.

"Mum! He answered!" the same voice yelled at someone in the background.

Leo groaned quietly, massaging his temple. His head throbbed in time with his brother’s shouting.

"Brother Luca," Leo tried to speak.

"Where the hell are you? What’s going on? Mum and Dad had nearly a heart attack when they saw the trending news!"

A barrage of questions and scolding came fast and furious.

Leo paused, not rushing to speak.

After a few minutes of endless nagging, Luca Mckay finally demanded. "Hey! Answer me."

"Yes, you are right. I am sorry." Leo smiled tiredly.

"Tsk, again with this standard answer! You are just brushing me off!"

"You won’t let me speak, brother Luca. And honestly, that’s what you want to hear, isn’t it?" Leo replied, chuckling.

"You little rascal! Come back home, and I show you what I want!" Luca shouted again.

"Stop it, Luca. Let Mum and Dad talk first."

A much calmer voice spoke.

"Older brother," Leo said, relief filling his voice.

"Umm, are you alright?" Seth Mckay asked gently.

"Yeah. Thanks to someone." Leo said, smiling faintly as he remembered his feisty saviour.

In the background, two more voices broke in, frantic and emotional.

"Son!"

"My Leo!"

"Wait, Let him speak!"

"Who’s shouting?!" someone snapped in the background.

Leo laughed weakly. "Mum, Dad, don’t worry. I am alright," he assured quickly, warmth flooding his chest.

"Good... good." his father muttered, before suddenly exploding again. "Didn’t I always say the entertainment industry is rotten? Is it a pit of vipers? Look at what happened!"

"Oh, shut it, David! The boy has just survived a scandal, not a war! Don’t start your preaching! Let’s see if he is okay first." his mother fired back.

"Fine fine... in this house, no one appreciates me!" his father grumbled.

"Dad, calm down," Seth said firmly.

Feeling his parents began to argue again, Leo quickly cut in, "My phone is almost dead. Could you come to the hotel to pick me up?!"

"Sure. Send the address." Seth said and mercifully ended the call.

Leo slumped back onto the bed with a grateful groan. When his parents got going, it could last hours.

He found the hotel’s room number on a screen by the walk and texted it to Seth, then walked toward the bathroom.

As he began to take off his clothes, he froze. A sharp unwanted memory flashed through his mind, rough sticky hands, fear, a sickening laugh...

His stomach twisted.

But then he remembered another touch. Gentle, clumsy but careful. His tense nerve relaxed. Recalling all the stranger’s words, he even chuckled.

Leo took a quick shower, hissing when he noticed a dark bruise around his waist.

"Must have been from when we hit the ground," he muttered, looking at the mirror in dismay. His saviour was really rough.

Finding no fresh clothes, he reluctantly slipped back into yesterday’s wrinkled outfit.

About twenty minutes later, a firm knock sounded at the door.

Leo opened it cautiously. Sanding there was a tall man in a sharp military uniform, his expression unreadable. There was no blood relation between them, but Leo’s face immediately lit up.

"Brother-in-law," Leo greeted warmly.

The man gave a short nod and handed him a cap and mask. "Seth is waiting downstairs. Let’s move."

Leo quickly covered his face, and without looking back, followed him out of the hotel. As he turned a corner, one thought filled his mind, he needed to find that boy and the man walking in front of him was his best chance to track his saviour.