From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)
Chapter 89: Darcy’s Care, Micah’s Shield

Chapter 89: Darcy’s Care, Micah’s Shield

"Big sister, I have to go. Talk later," Micah said hastily, ducking into a busy alley to wait.

When he saw Jacklin’s car turn the corner and disappear from sight, he jogged to the roadside, lifting one hand high to hail a cab.

A yellow cab stopped, and Micah yanked open the door, slid inside quickly, and muttered his hotel name before pulling out his phone.

He tapped open his contacts and dialled a specific encrypted number. It rang twice.

"Yo," the hacker’s voice came through, lazy as ever.

"Hey," Micah said, his tone urgent. "Are you sure you got rid of every bit of footage?"

There was a sharp intake of breath from the front seat.

The taxi swerved slightly. The driver had glanced up in the rearview mirror, startled. A male voice had just come out of the mouth of a stunning girl in his seat. For a split second, his brain stalled, and he almost lost control of the taxi.

Micah met his eyes in the mirror, and the driver paled, straightening rigidly and turning his attention back to the road.

Micah wasn’t in the mood to care about the driver’s reaction. He needed to find out how Leo had tracked him down.

The hacker on the line exhaled, irritated. "I told you before, I scrubbed everything. If they managed to recover the footage, I would refund you double! There is no way they can use that."

Micah didn’t answer right away. He rubbed his thumb against the edge of his phone and bit down on his thumbnail. "Okay, we will see."

Hanging up the phone, Micah leaned his head against the window, watching the blur of traffic pass by. He tugged at his dry lips absentmindedly. He was panicking inside.

Back at Leo’s apartment, he had the impulsive thought to stay, to hide in the shadows and follow Leo when he left. But he had put the idea aside.

First of all, he was still in a girl’s attire. If he tried to tail Leo like that, he would be more likely to be labelled as a frantic fan. Changing back into his usual clothes and disguising himself with a mask and cap would take too long, and Leo would be long gone by the time he returned.

Second, he had to be in Ramsy’s estate if Leo showed up there unannounced. He could deny it, and his family would back him up. But if they were caught off guard, they surely would tell Leo he was not at home that night.

He let out a harsh breath and sat up straighter as the taxi neared his hotel.

Inside the hotel room, Micah quickly peeled off the feminine disguise, wig, fake breasts, fake lashes and tossed them into the suitcase. His skin was covered with sweat, a dull ache in his stomach, and the burn on his hand throbbed with every movement. The effects of his earlier heroic action were finally catching up to him.

But he pushed through it, dressing quickly and packing up his belongings.

He cursed himself for meddling in others’ business foolishly. Micah swore that the next time he saw something shady, he would just call the police and stay the hell out of it!

By the time he reached the Ramsy estate, his body was exhausted from constant nervousness. His hands were sweaty, his heart thumped rapidly, and his mind was on high alert, glancing everywhere for the shadow of Leo.

He stepped through the door and called out, forcing cheer into his voice.

"I’m back!"

A moment later, Elina appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. Her eyes lit up when she saw him. "Sweetheart, you’re early!" she said, walking over to give him a quick hug. "Didn’t you say you would be home tonight? What happened? Was everything okay??! Did you have fun?!"

"Mum, it was a blast, don’t worry about it," Micah said with a forced smile.

He wheeled his suitcase past her, glancing around. "Where is everyone?!"

"Your father and Willow are in your grandpa’s study, talking business. And Aria is out with her friends."

"Good thing I came back early. At least, I can keep you company." Micah said smugly.

"Who wants your company, the smelly brat?!" Elina slapped Micah’s arm gently.

"Ow, Mum!" Micah whined and rubbed his arm, pretending to be hurt.

Elina caught sight of the bandage around his hand. "What’s that? Why are you hurt again?"

Micah hid his hand behind his back. "It’s just a small wound. You know how careless I am."

Elina’s outstretched hand paused, seeing how defensive Micah was behaving. She shot him a look and sighed. "Did you eat?"

"Yeah, I am stuffed." he paused, then added as casually as he could manage. "Has anyone dropped by today?"

"No, your aunts are busy. No visitors"

Micah nodded, his heart rate dropping a bit. Well, so far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

He retreated to his room and put away his suitcase quickly.

Knowing that his father, sister and grandfather were gathered in the study made Micah uneasy. He made his way to where his grandfather lived.

When he arrived, the trio had finished their meeting.

The door creaked as he entered.

Jacob glanced up first and smiled. "Oh, you are back."

Micah smiled in return. "Hi, Dad, grandpa, and older sister."

"What’s bringing you here?" Albert Ramsy lifted his gaze, his brows slightly raised.

Micah crossed the room and leaned casually against the hem of a chair. "I wanted to thank you again for helping my friend, Grandpa. He was really happy. But he said something worrying..."

"What?"

"That the Durant family came to his home."

Albert’s expression didn’t change, as if he had anticipated this move. "I’ve already dealt with them. They will be too busy cleaning up their own mess to pester your friend."

"Thanks, Grandpa!" Micah said, knowing he would do that.

He studied the expressions of all three Ramsys, not finding anything amiss. They appeared not to know anything about his involvement with Leo. If they had gotten a whiff of it, he would be right now roasted by all of them.

As he followed his father and sister to their home, his anxiety diminished greatly. He lingered in the living room, peeking through the curtains, looking outside.

Yet, there was no news from Leo.

Micah couldn’t sit still anymore, so he went back to his room.

What happened?? Didn’t Leo say his brother had found his saviour and would meet them today?!

He looked at the clock. It was nearly five o’clock. More than two hours after he left Leo’s place. Surely something should have happened by now. He paced around the room. When the clock hit six o’clock, Micah slumped in a chair. He needed something to distract himself.

He checked his phone, no missed calls. Some texts from Cora, and that car owner. Micah skipped them without reading. Then a new message made him pause.

DescendantoftheDarkOne: Have you rested enough? How is your hand?

Micah quickly typed back.

RogueOverlord: Yeah. You worry too much. It’s already healing. How is your mother??

Of course, he lied; too much sweating had made it worse. And he was too lazy to change the bandage.

DescendantoftheDarkOne: She is still in the hospital. I talked to Nora about what you said. She will go to her school dorm tomorrow. This way, she won’t be alone at home.

RogueOverlord: great. Let’s hope they won’t stoop so low to harass your family again.

DescendantoftheDarkOne: Are you going to uni tomorrow? I can help you change the bandage at the dorm.

Micah felt a warmth spread in his chest.

RogueOverlord: Yeah, I’ll pick you up. Let’s go together.

DescendantoftheDarkOne: Okay.

Micah stared at the screen, the sharp edge of tension in his chest easing as he read the message. For the time he chatted with Darcy, all the noise in his mind dulled. The ache in his hand, the sweat sticking to his back, the relentless pacing, all faded as he knew Darcy cared about him. A genuine smile lit up his face.

It always happened like this. Just a few words from Darcy, and the panic that had filled him since he fled Leo’s place began to calm.

He could sense the concern in Darcy’s messages. Soft and steady. Like a hand rested on his back, supporting him.

Micah sank deeper into the chair, continuing to chat with Darcy.

Even if it came down to the worst-case scenario, if Leo had truly discovered him, Micah didn’t care anymore. If he could make Darcy’s life even a little easier, if he could draw those male leads’ attention away and onto himself, it would be all worth it.

Darcy deserved to be free and happy.