From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)
Chapter 228: Watching From the Sidelines

Chapter 228: Watching From the Sidelines

Clyde stood slowly, joints stiff like he hadn’t moved in hours. His hand trembled slightly as he pulled a clean shirt over his head, buttoning it one by one without really seeing what he was doing. At the stairs, his steps were heavy, careful. The quiet murmuring voices reached him before he even got to the bottom.

Three heads snapped up when they saw him.

"Oh, little uncle," Jacklin blurted, standing up straighter with a nervous smile. "Are you heading out now?"

Clyde eyed them, Jacklin, Dean, and Emile, gathered suspiciously at the side of the hallway, clearly in the middle of something. He gave a short nod, not stopping.

He didn’t need to know. Whatever they were scheming again, it didn’t matter tonight. Asena wouldn’t be at the banquet.

He grabbed his coat and stepped outside, the door clicking shut behind him.

Inside, the cousins exhaled.

"Ah! That gave me a scare." Dean pressed a hand to his chest. "I thought he heard us."

"No, he looked the same as always," Emile muttered, glancing at the door.

"Anyway, did you ask Micah who had made the cake?" Jacklin whispered, moving back toward them.

"Yeah. He hasn’t replied," Emile said with a sigh.

Jacklin looked down at her watch. "Let’s just get ready. Maybe we’ll catch something at the banquet. It’s better to ask face to face anyway."

"Alright." Dean nodded, already turning away. "Oh, right. Emile, doesn’t it bother you that Micah knows you’re a Du Pont?"

"Well. Once he sees you tonight, he’ll figure it out. He knows you’re my cousin." Emile replied.

"True. But do your classmates know Micah’s background?" Dean asked again, glancing back at him.

Emile shook his head. "No. Even though he’s pretty famous in the forum. No one’s ever brought it up."

"Hmm. Then probably he won’t say anything about you either." Dean muttered, more to himself than anyone.

"Umm." Emile nodded.

"Alright. Go get dressed." Dean patted his shoulder.

Emile started walking toward the stairs, his thoughts racing. It was strange. Why did no one care about Micah’s background? Normally, once people learned someone was part of a big-name family, they would cling on like flies. That had happened to him overseas. But Micah... he had no one.

There was a wall. Like a visible barrier separated Micah from Ramsy’s family business.

So Ramsy’s family influence was that great? No one had the courage to gossip about him? Well, maybe it was Micah himself. Arrogant. Short-tempered. Sarcastic. Micah’s personality made people keep their distance without even trying.

******

Clyde arrived at the Royal Dragon Pavilion, stepping past the velvet curtain with a short nod to the hostess. The interior smelled of oolong tea. The waiter bowed and led him to the Lotus Room without a word.

When he opened the door, four pairs of eyes landed on him instantly. f\ree webn ovel(.)com

Clyde met their gazes without flinching. His jaw twitched once. He walked inside and gave them a nod, moving like someone who had been summoned to court.

Lin Heye pointed to a spot. "Sit down."

Clyde didn’t care about their strange attitude. He sat down, pouring himself a cup of tea. His hands were calm, but his shoulder tensed slightly under the intense stares.

"How can you be this relaxed?" Georgina snapped. "The one you love is now with someone else!"

Clyde’s hand paused for a split second as the steam from his teacup curled into his face. Then, as if it meant nothing, he took a sip.

"Has he confessed to Micah?" Dylon asked, turning to Lin Heye.

Lin Heye shook his head. "No. He won’t. You know what he’s like."

A collective sigh echoed through the room.

Mason cupped his face and studied Clyde. "So what Lin Heye said was right. You’ve decided to just watch over him."

Clyde put his cup down, letting it clink softly against the porcelain saucer. His eyes flicked up, dull but steady. "He is young."

"So? He’s not a child. He is an adult." Georgina said, tilting her head in disbelief.

"He hasn’t seen the world yet," Clyde added, fingers curling slightly around the cup.

"Ugh. Enough with this nonsense," Dylon snapped. "Who was the one yelling at me last time because I said something bad about Micah? Huh? Don’t act like you don’t care!"

Lin Heye glanced at Clyde. "He is a lost cause. We should do something."

Clyde’s voice turned low. Cold. "Stay out of it."

"Huh? We stayed out of it one time. And I regret it for the rest of my life." Lin Heye shouted, standing halfway. "I won’t do it again."

A thick silence fell across the room. No one moved. They all knew what Lin Heye meant. The thing they didn’t talk about. If they had arrived earlier at the Du Pont mansion years ago...

Clyde’s eyes flicked toward Lin Heye, something sharp in his gaze for just a moment. "This is different," he said softly. "He trusts me. I can’t just... shatter that carelessly."

"So even if he starts dating someone else and ends up hurt, you’re just... going to watch from the sidelines?" Georgina said, voice rising. "How do you know he’ll be happy? How do you know he doesn’t need you?"

Clyde chuckled quietly, bitterly. His eyes stayed flat and unreadable. "Really? Do you believe that? After everything? Have you forgotten the glorious mess my parents left behind?"

"Stop it," Dylon growled, slapping his palm on the table. "I’m with Lin Heye in this. If you don’t want to do something, that’s fine. We will instead."

"You get involved," Clyde said calmly. "I’ll cut you all off. One by one. I swear I’d never hurt him. Never make him upset. And if any of you interfere," he looked up, and this time, his voice sharpened. "I’ll make sure none of you get the chance again. Do you understand?"

"You are absolutely insane!" Georgina hissed. "You want to be just some guardian? He already has parents."

"And you are not some superhero," Lin Heye added, voice hard. "You don’t get to decide what makes him happy or what hurts him."

Clyde dropped his head slightly. His silence rang louder than their yelling.

Mason sighed loudly. "This won’t reach him. He is too scared." freew\ebno\vel..(c)om

"Seriously, you are such an infuriating man," Lin Heye spat, looking at Clyde. "Say something! Do something!"

"What do you want me to do?" Clyde murmured, his voice cracking faintly. "He didn’t even invite me to his birthday..."

Those words were so heavy that they made the other four close their mouths instantly.