From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)
Chapter 257: Where The Jasmine Blooms

Chapter 257: Where The Jasmine Blooms

At 2.00 am, the living room was steeped in darkness. The only light came from the faint glow of the fridge. Clyde stepped out of his study, rubbing his temple, and paused. A subtle movement near the kitchen caught his attention.

He narrowed his eyes. "Micah? What are you doing?"

The figure by the fridge turned slowly. Under the faint glow of the open refrigerator, Micah stood with one hand pressed against the cake box, the other already smeared with a bit of frosting. His hair was messy, and his shirt was half untucked. His eyes blinked, slow and a little unfocused.

"Isn’t this my cake?" Micah asked in a sluggish mumble, licking frosting from his finger.

Clyde’s heart skipped a beat. "Yes," he said gently. "It is. Sit down. I’ll get you a fork."

Micah didn’t move right away. He just stood there, reaction delayed.

With a sigh, Clyde stepped over and placed a firm but gentle hand on Micah’s shoulder. "Here," he said, guiding him toward the kitchen table. "Sit before you fall over."

Micah slumped into the chair like a puppet with cut strings. He rested his elbow on the table, looking dazed.

Clyde grabbed the cake box, surprised by Darcy’s thoughtfulness, and set it in front of Micah.

He went to the drawer for a fork and handed it to him.

Micah clumsily accepted the fork and began eating in small, hesitant bites.

"Happy birthday," Clyde murmured, staring at him with an unreadable gaze.

Micah paused, hid fork hovering mid-air. "Yeah. It was my birthday..." he said, shoving another piece of cake into his mouth.

Clyde opened the fridge and poured a glass of milk, setting it beside him without a word.

"Are you still drunk?" Clyde asked, eyeing Micah’s reaction.

Micah halted in his tracks. His ears flushed, and he dropped his head. "No..."

Clyde chuckled softly and reached out, ruffling Micah’s hair with an affectionate hand.

The gesture made Micah stiffen for a second, but he didn’t pull away. He just sat there, letting Clyde’s fingers brush gently through his hair.

"There is nothing to be embarrassed about. You can be yourself with me," Clyde said in a soft voice.

Micah pursed his lips. He chewed more slowly now. His stomach had woken him up, and the moment he opened his eyes, he recognised the place immediately.

He remembered he was drinking and with Darcy. A warm coat, Clyde’s arm holding him, the sound of car doors. But the memories were jumbled.

Then something pulled his attention. A sweet, familiar scent, Jasmine. He turned slightly and spotted the bouquet nearby on the nightstand. Soft yellow blossoms curled gently under the dim light.

Micah rubbed his forehead. He couldn’t remember how the flowers had gotten there.

He left the room and went straight to the fridge. He spotted a box, opened the lid, he found a cake inside. A homemade one.

He smiled to himself. So Clyde had made one for him after seeing the WeChat post? Such a competitive mindset...

He was too lazy to find a fork and just picked at the frosting, wanting to soothe his grumbling stomach.

That was when Clyde appeared. He was so overwhelmed and embarrassed by being caught that he wished to erase his existence.

So he faked it, pretending to be still drunk.

But Clyde saw through it immediately.

Micah averted his eyes and didn’t push his hand away.

Clyde took back his hand and watched him with an amused smile.

"Thank you," Micah said. "The cake is delicious..." he paused. "The bouquet is also from you?"

"Yeah. Where is it?" Clyde looked around the kitchen.

"Oh. It is in my room." Micah said with a soft voice. "I woke up to their smell..."

Clyde paused. Only one person could have put it there. Darcy...

His impression of the boy improved greatly.

Micah resumed his eating. The cake was sweet, but something in his chest felt bitter. The quiet care in Clyde’s actions, the cake, the milk, the flowers, picking him up, it all touched a part of him he tried hard not to show.

Then his mind wandered. He remembered Emile. Dean. Jacklin.

He froze, fork halfway to his mouth.

Shit! They were Du Ponts. Which meant they probably knew Clyde. Or worse, Clyde might know them. Had any of them spoken about him yet? Had Emile heard about Asena?

His head spun, not from the alcohol now, but from panic. He had appeared in front of Clyde as Asena twice. And Jacklin, too.

Meanwhile, Emile was right beside him when he replied to Jacklin as Asena.

What a mess! If anyone slipped up, the whole act could come crashing down.

He couldn’t remember what he had done or said to Emile when he grabbed that food container as Asena’s boyfriend from the security guard. Or what exactly he had done when Jacklin asked to buy street food for her cousin...

It was only a matter of time before someone put the pieces together.

Clyde noticed the shift in his expression. Micah’s brows had knitted together.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Huh?" Micah looked up.

"Do you have a headache? Or are you hungover?" Clyde moved closer, peering into his face. "Want me to make you hungover soup?"

Micah shook his head. "No. I’m fine," he said, putting a big piece of cake into his mouth.

"Alright. That’s enough. Sugar is not good for you right now," Clyde said, and took the cake away from Micah.

He blamed himself. He was just happy to see Micah eating his cake that he had forgotten Micah was drunk earlier.

Micah’s eyes widened. "Hey, that’s mine!"

But Clyde was already closing the box. "You’ll thank me later."

Micah crossed his arms and sulked slightly in his seat. "I said I’m fine."

"Sure you are," Clyde said, raising a brow.

There was a long pause.

Micah glanced up. "Thanks... for coming to get us. You didn’t have to...in person..."

Clyde looked at him, expression softening. "If you ask, I’ll always come."

Micah peeked at Clyde, his heart pounding in his chest. The man could say those kinds of words this easily...

Micah stood suddenly. "I’m going back to bed," he said, his voice stiff.

Clyde nodded. "Alright. Good night, birthday boy."

Micah turned away with a grunt and headed toward the guest room, face flushed. Once inside, he gently picked up the jasmine bouquet from the nightstand and inhaled. Sweet. Clean. Calming. Like Clyde...

He smiled, heart softening. He carefully put the bouquet down.

Tomorrow, he would have to ask Clyde about his family. He couldn’t afford to stay in the dark and accidentally reveal that he was Asena. Really, he couldn’t afford to mess up and let a plothole expose him.

He brushed his teeth and lay down again. His eyes closed, drifting to sleep.

In the kitchen, Clyde stood there for a second before he also returned to his room. His anger, sadness, and tension in his chest had eased after noticing Micah seemed okay. Thankfully. Micah was still himself.