From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)
Chapter 86: Clyde Ghosted the Date, Micah Ghosted the Crime Scenes

Chapter 86: Clyde Ghosted the Date, Micah Ghosted the Crime Scenes

Clyde stood in the middle of the wrecked studio, taking in the scene with sharp, measured eyes, trying to understand what had happened there. It wasn’t the mess that confused him, but...

His eyes paused on the men on the ground. He recognised one of them. The one who had approached the silver-haired girl on the street. The fake scout who had lured her here.

Clyde narrowed his eyes. If that girl had truly done this alone... a girl who had just reached adulthood, well, that didn’t make sense.

Not unless she had military training or came from a household with deep roots in martial arts tradition? Even then, most people were trained for discipline, not destruction. He stepped carefully over a broken lamp and a splintered camera stand, tugging lightly at the string of wooden prayer beads around his left wrist, an unconscious tick he rarely indulged.

This time, he was indeed surprised. The first time he had seen her, she was cosplaying; the second time, she had pissed off Aidan Wilson, the third time, she sat obediently with a bunch of fans, and this time... fought three men?!

As his eyes scanned the room again, movement flickered from the corner of his vision. A door shifted. Clyde turned, calm and silent. A boy, no older than fifteen, peeked out nervously, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights.

Clyde didn’t react aggressively; he simply raised a hand and gestured lightly.

The boy flinched but bolted for the door exit anyway.

"Wait," Clyde said, his tone firm.

The boy froze, glancing over his shoulder.

"Did she do this by herself?!" Clyde asked.

The boy nodded quickly.

"Good. You were not here, nor was the girl." Clyde said matter-of-factly.

The boy didn’t linger any longer and ran out of the studio.

Clyde tugged once more on the wooden beads.

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed behind him.

His assistant arrived briskly, only to stop short, eyes wide. For a moment, the man stood there, blinking. His cold boss, with an unreadable expression, suit unwrinkled, and hair neat, was standing in the middle of a war zone while three grown men were wailing on the ground.

Hadn’t been just a few minutes ago that he informed the boss about the agency?!

He glanced around. But no one else was in sight. Had the boss done it? Really? The Boss? The man who remained unshaken even in the face of death had personally handled this?! His facial expression wouldn’t change all day, no matter what problems he dealt with. How could someone like him step forward and clean up a shady agency?!

But then, the assistant’s eyes dropped to Clyde’s wrist. The wooden prayer beads were turning gently between his fingers. A gesture so rare it made the assistant stiffen. He had only seen it a handful of times. It meant something had rattled his boss.

The assistant swallowed his curiosity and spoke. "Sir, I’ve notified the authorities. They’ll be arriving shortly."

"Mnn," Clyde hummed. "Deal with it cleanly," his voice cold and low, a tone reserved for negotiations gone sour or rivals about to be crushed.

The assistant eyebrow rose in surprise. What had happened here? The word "cleanly" in his boss’s world meant full erasure, no leaks, no fallout, no mercy.

"Understood, sir."

He pulled out his phone and started making calls.

Without another word, Clyde turned and exited the studio. His footsteps echoed faintly down the stairs. He wasn’t worried about the silver-haired girl being implicated. Who would believe a girl had beaten up three grown men into submission? And now that he was involved, the matter would be buried so deep no one would think to dig it up again.

As he reached the bottom of the building and stepped outside into the street, Clyde paused and glanced around. No sign of her. She had disappeared, vanished as if it were all a dream.

He checked his watch. Time was slipping away. His next meeting was approaching fast. He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Jacklin.

RiverBridge: Raincheck.

With that, Clyde returned to his office.

*****

Meanwhile, Micah, after calling Big sister asking for directions, finally found the restaurant.

The waiter led him to a private dining room in the back, a little too businesslike for his taste. His steps faltered slightly at the entrance.

Why such a large room? Wasn’t this supposed to be just the two of them?

"Asena! Glad you made it," Jacklin said excitedly, already on her feet and heading toward him.

Micah, still in disguise, hesitated for a moment before allowing her to take his arm. She led him inside, gently but firmly.

"Come in, sit, sit," Jacklin said, pushing him lightly into the chair with a smile. "Have you eaten?! We first have lunch, then we go. I have talked to Leo. There is no need to rush."

Micah was speechless. What was wrong with Big sister?! They were supposed to go see Leo. What was with this spread on the table?! Was this some kind of feast?!

"Umm, did Leo give you good news?" Micah asked.

"No, I was just happy hearing his relaxed voice. I thought he would be wallowing after what his manager had done. But he sounded okay." Jacklin said. "Sorry, I went ahead and ordered food. Do you like these? If not, this is the menu..."

"No. That’s okay. I like them."

Micah replied quickly, grabbing his fork and picking up an eggplant wrap.

Jacklin sat across from him, watching his reaction closely; her eyes were glued on him. Micah glanced at her questioningly.

Jacklin opened her mouth to talk when her phone buzzed. Looking at the screen, Jacklin’s eyes dimmed. Her uncle had bailed on her again. She sighed and put her phone away.

Micah stayed quiet, noticing the shift in Big sister’s mood. But he didn’t pry.

Jacklin picked up her fork and knife and began eating while studying Asena again.

She had planned this carefully. This room, this meal, the menu items that her uncle usually tolerated. No favourite, but familiar enough to stay. Jacklin wanted to know if Asena liked any of them. If they had anything in common.

The plan to lure her uncle here and have him meet Asena had gone out the window. She had pictured the two having a nice lunch and chat together. But her uncle hadn’t shown up.

Well, she still did not lose hope. There would be many opportunities in future. After all, she had finally found Asena after one year of searching.