From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)-Chapter 607: The Guest List (part two/ Silas)

While Aidan Wilson was locked in a tense, frustrated exchange with Nabil Lobart, the auction hall gradually filled with guests. One by one they entered through the tall glass doors, their footsteps echoing softly across the polished marble floor. Soft music played in the background, barely enough to dull the hum of conversations and polite laughter.

Silas Durant entered with measured steps, his posture straight while his mother’s hand rested lightly on his elbow. He presented himself flawlessly, a perfect picture of an elite heir, hiding his repulsion of the crowd beneath his calm composure.

He resisted the urge to recoil the moment someone brushed past them. Instead, his fingers covered with dark leather gloves, twitched at his side. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Luna Francis glanced at her son from the corner of her eye, her steps unhurried, elegant even. This morning, she had been taken aback when Silas had approached her and asked to accompany her to the auction.

That alone had set off alarms in her mind.

Her instincts, honed over years, warned her that something was going on. Was that young man, Darcy Edwood? The news of swapped babies had shaken even her and she had lived through far worse scandals. Still, Luna found it unlikely to be the case.

Her sister had mentioned something else during their last call, that Silas was investigating a mysterious girl alongside Micah Ramsy.

Luna’s lips curved faintly as she thought about it. Silas being interested in a girl? Really? What a joke.

On the other hand, Luna felt Silas’ sudden interest in the fake young master was strange. Very strange. He had been indifferent to Ramsy’s affairs. Was he here tonight because of Micah? That also did not seem to match with the Silas she knew.

Darcy or Micah? Neither sat comfortably with her.

Anyhow, she was anticipating who had the power to draw her son out of his carefully controlled isolation.

If anything, she felt a strange urge to thank that person, whoever they were. Her son’s obsession with that dark-haired young man was anything but healthy. Of course, she knew Silas was peculiar by nature. But his fixation on him seemed forced. Like he had clung to it out of stubbornness rather than affection.

She knew her son too well. He was not cruel by default. Detached, yes. Cold, often. But not brutal.

The impact Darcy had on Silas was a bit unsettling. Silas had used methods he normally reserved for enemies, underhanded pressures, subtle threats, and silent coercion. Watching him do so over someone insignificant had alarmed her.

"Mother, you seem amused," Silas said, voice flat and even.

Luna beamed at him, not bothering to deny it. "Darling, it’s not every day I get to attend a gathering with my dear son."

Silas’s expression didn’t change. "It was my obligation."

The word obligation landed cleanly, without warmth or mockery. Just a fact.

Luna’s smile deepened, her fingers tightening briefly around his arm. "If you really want to make your mother happy, there is an even better way."

Silas scanned the room and answered. "And what might that be?"

Luna leaned towards her son, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret. "For example, bringing home a daughter-in-law..."

The words were not even out of her mouth when Silas shut it down on the spot. "I’ve done that before. But the outcome was unsatisfactory. Choose something else."

Luna’s mouth twitched slightly. "He was never close to being one."

Silas turned his head and met his mother’s eyes, his stare sharp and unsettling in its stillness. "Correction," he said. "She. Not he. Not anymore."

Luna’s mouth remained open for a second before turning her head, unimpressed. "Are you still hung up on that? It has been two years. He is now happily married, living overseas. And yet here you are, still pining."

She had never quite adjusted her wording. In her mind, that betrayer would always remain what he had been.

Silas’s eyes flashed, just once. A flicker of something dark and unpleasant passed through them before he replied. "Not really. Recently I found someone else amusing."

"Oh?" Luna raised an eyebrow, interest instantly rekindled. "He is here tonight, isn’t he?"

Silas’s gaze drifted back to the crowd, slow and searching. "I hoped he would be. But I haven’t seen him yet."

Luna’s expression bloomed with delight. "Who is he? Do I know him? Come on son, introduce me!"

Silas lifted his gloved hand and tapped slightly on his mother’s hand. It was something exclusively for her. "Right now, he is playing cat and mouse with me."

"That sounds intriguing." Luna cooed, her eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, he is." Silas agreed.

"What else?" she pressed. "He must have done something to keep you invested."

Silas hesitated for a split second. Yet, he didn’t see any reason for concealing it. "He can touch me without getting me nauseated. I even carried him to my apartment."

Luna’s eyes widened with genuine shock. She stared at him, searching his face. She wasn’t sure her son had realised it or not but there was a subtle fondness and softening in his voice when talking about this new man. Even before she saw him, her impression of this young man soared instantly. Someone could melt her son’s cold and guarded heart... he should be extraordinary.

"Oh my," she said softly. "I can’t wait to tell your aunts. I can finally brag about my son having a partner..." She covered her mouth and laughed quietly.

Silas did not mind her. Seeing the genuine happiness on his mother’s face was something so rare. He could indulge her a little.

Unbeknownst to himself, Silas’s eyes had softened.

Then Luna caught sight of her nieces from the second floor. "Darling, escort me upstairs. You’ll have a better view from there. Easier to find him."

Silas nodded and guided her toward the staircase, subtly adjusting their path to avoid clusters of people. As they moved, guests stepped forward and greeted his mother. It appeared most people had come prepared. They knew his mother even though she was a low-key person.

Silas stopped each time, taking half a step back, his expression hardening whenever someone leaned too close.

But before stepping onto the staircase, a young man stumbled in front of them.

"Oh...oh, I’m sorry," the young man stammered.

Silas recoiled instantly, stepping back, disdain flashing in his eyes. He recognised the man. The younger brother of Nabil Lobart. He was in a coma just yesterday and here he was acting in a skit.

Noas straightened slightly, steadying himself, his movements exaggeratedly clumsy. He shot an apologetic glance at Silas. "Sorry, I got distracted... someone pushed me... I hope you’re not offended..."

His words froze in his throat as Silas passed him with his mother, not even sparing him a glance.

Luna offered no word, only a gentle smile. But her eyes looking at the young man were full of condescension.

Noas dropped his head, as if he was embarrassed. But from an angle hidden from the crowd, his eyes narrowed. He clicked his tongue softly.

Once they were safely on the stairs, Luna Francis remarked. "Such an impressive performance. A pity his ambition is so poorly disguised."

Silas’s cold, detached expression remained unchanged. He removed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his gloved fingers with meticulous care. "I’m surprised he recognised me. He was unconscious when I examined him."

Luna shook his head. "So he truly is unwell. Otherwise, I would have found it really disappointing if he were this superficial. I have high hopes for his older brother."

"Might as well convince himself he can soar to the sky like his brother," Silas said flatly.

"As if a chicken could be a Phoenix. Such a beautiful misconception." Luna chuckled. Then she turned her head. "Your father even considered him as a candidate."

"My worth is that low in his eyes?" Silas’s lips curled so slightly. "Not that I had high expectations from him."

"He’s desperately struggling to get you engaged, not caring about being a man or woman," Luna said mockingly. The irony was not hidden from her eyes.

"If he knew you were undermining his efforts, that would be a sight to behold," Silas replied calmly.

"Like hell I’ll let him do the same thing he did to me to you. Last time I did not interfere thinking that the young man had a good head on his body. Such a letdown. Stumbling to their temptations." Luna said, her tone dipped with disdain.

"I should thank them. They revealed his true nature," Silas said coolly.

"Out with the old, in with the new. Concentrate on this new man. You don’t need to concern yourself with them. I can handle them." Luna encouraged her son.

"There is no need," Silas said, a flickering amusement flashed in his eyes. "He can even fool them all when the time comes."

Luna paused. "What do you mean by that?"

But Silas did not respond. Instead, he focused on the crowd downstairs.

Before Luna could press further, her two nieces, Natasha and Monica approached, surrounding her with excited greetings.

Silas stepped back, distancing himself. He watched, waiting for his elusive mouse, the one who liked to blur the line between appearances to show up.