From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)-Chapter 223: Flustered Boys and Flashy Uncles (part 2)

Micah shot a sidelong glance at Darcy. He really didn’t want to introduce this man to him.

Of all the relatives they could have bumped into today... Why him?

Micah felt a dull throb settle at the back of his skull. The thought of dealing with Edmund gave him a migraine.

What if Darcy thought the entire maternal side of his family was unhinged?

Scratch that. Most of them were off their rocker. All except for his mum, Elina. She was sane now. But apparently, back before she had married Jacob, she had been a total chaos magnet. His father once told him Elina used to dress like a biker and race around the city. Honestly, it was hard to picture his strict, proper mother acting that wild.

Micah’s lips twitched despite himself. If Darcy knew he would get this nuts family as his relative... wouldn’t he just run for the hills once the truth came out? What if he said, ’Sorry, I don’t want anything to do with this circus,’ and cut ties with Elina? Ah...

That thought stabbed a little too deep.

Micah coughed, masking his panic. He stepped forward stiffly, forcing out the words. "My friend. Darcy."

He couldn’t bring himself to introduce Edmund. The words just wouldn’t come out.

Meanwhile, Edmund’s eyes lit up, not caring that Micah skipped his intro. "Really? A friend?" He beamed at Darcy. "Oh, perfect! Are you in need of a car? I can hook you up with something special, custom mod, unique in the country..."

"He’s broke. So zip it." Micah interrupted, voice sharp. He tried to control the damage.

The way Edmund jumped to sell cars... If anyone didn’t know, they would think he was a scammer or something, and not the youngest son of the richest auto garage owner in the country.

Darcy glanced at Micah, brows lifting in surprise.

But Micah was glaring at the man.

Darcy blinked slowly, processing. His eyes shifted between Micah, who was now stone-faced and tense, and Edmund, who looked like a peacock that had been told it was a pigeon.

Micah didn’t look pleased to see the man, but he didn’t seem to hate him either. Micah called him uncle, but he treated him more like an annoying cousin than an elder.

The atmosphere between them was weird. Awkward.

"Hey, hey, what’s with that tone? You don’t want your birthday gifts anymore?" Edmund said, lifting an arm to ruffle Micah’s head.

Micah slapped his hand away. "No, thanks. Give them to one of your buddies."

"Hurtful! I’m telling your mum how you treat me..."

Micah rolled his eyes. "Oh? You’d better worry about yourself first. I might snitch you out to her."

"Snitch what? I’m innocent. Pure as water!"

"Really? Then what’s that in your hand? You know if Mum finds out you smoke..." Micah raised an eyebrow.

Edmund looked down and froze. He quickly hid it behind his back. "No, no. This isn’t mine. I bought it for my friend..."

"Hah! That’s worse," Micah shot back instantly. "What kind of a friend? Don’t tell me you’re hanging around those thugs again?"

Edmund’s face turned a shade paler. He crushed the cigarettes in his fist and threw them in the nearest trash bin like it was some evil, cursed subject.

"Micah, my dear nephew! My buddy! I was wrong. I’ll go now and leave you alone! Just don’t tell your mum!" Edmund said pleading.

Micah scoffed.

Darcy stared, watching the exchange with frowning amusement and confusion. Micah’s expression was a mixture of superiority and pure exasperation.

Edmund began backing away, both hands raised. "Okay, okay. I’m leaving."

"Good. Take care." Micah said, crossing his arms.

"Bye, I’ll see you tonight!" Edmund called, already halfway down the aisle.

Micah sighed loudly. Then he turned back toward Darcy, his face softening. "Sorry, you have to see that. He is not a bad guy, but a bit silly. And flashy. Kinda embarrassing. Don’t mind him."

Darcy cut him off with an unimpressed stare. "So... you... categorise me as a poor, broke guy in need of charity or something?"

Micah jolted, his back snapping straight. "What?"

Darcy’s brows furrowed just slightly. His tone wasn’t exactly angry, but there was a clear hurt in it.

Micah’s heart sank. "No! No, no. Wait... I didn’t mean it like that! I was trying to protect you. Ah... it was a bad idea... It came out wrong... listen, he only targets people he thinks are rich...that idiot was about to try and sell you a modified car... the kind that are used in the race tracks, dangerous and illegal...so..."

Micah was rambling in panic.

Honestly, he didn’t mean anything by those words. He just wanted to get rid of Edmund. That stupid uncle.

What had he done? He and his stupid mouth. He hurt Darcy. Ahh...

He wanted to turn back time and smack himself before uttering those words.

Micah buried his face into his palms, devastated.

Darcy watched Micah squirm in panic. At first, he was taken aback by Micah’s words. But the way Micah had treated that man told him there was more behind them. Now that Micah explained, everything was clear.

But seriously, the way Micah handled that poor man... And the way he was fretting over him... the contrast was just too much.

He couldn’t hold back and laughed.

Micah dropped his hands. "Huh?" his eyes widened. "Did you just..."

"Sorry. But your face was so funny..." Darcy said.

Micah smacked Darcy’s arm. Then he draped an arm over Darcy’s shoulder with a dramatic sigh. "You! You gave me a heart attack! I thought I’d screwed up!"

Darcy’s eyes softened. Micah’s attention on him felt good. "Come on. Let’s finish the grocery shopping."

Micah let go of Darcy and grabbed the cart, walking beside him as they continued shopping.

Later, back in the apartment. Micah dropped onto the couch with a loud yawn.

Darcy moved around the kitchen area, setting ingredients on the counter. "Go and sleep for a while. When it’s ready, I’ll call you..." Darcy said.

"But you are tired too..." Micah mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Just go. I’m fine. You, on the other hand, have to show your face at the banquet later." Darcy pushed him toward the room.

"Fine," Micah said, grumbling something unintelligible, and went to his room.

Darcy stood, watching his back. Once the door clicked shut, he let out a long, slow sigh. Then he turned back to the kitchen.