From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)-Chapter 637: The Long Night at the Station (part one)

Inside the police station, the atmosphere buzzed with restless energy that had nothing to do with routine weekend cases.

It was Saturday night, yet the main hall was crowded far beyond normal. Uniformed officers moved back and forth with clipped steps, radios crackling intermittently at their shoulders. The fluorescent lights hummed faintly overhead, casting a pale, unforgiving glow over polished floors and metal benches. The smell of rain clung to coats and hair, mixed with cigarette smoke and stale alcohol clinging to those waiting to be processed.

Two officers stood near the reception desk, pretending to review paperwork while clearly distracted by the unusual crowd.

One of them leaned closer to the other and lowered his voice. "What’s going on? Why are all the higher-ups here tonight?"

His colleague glanced around before responding, eyes flicking toward a group of men in tailored suits gathered near the corridor. "Apparently, there was a fight. Not just any fight...it was between business tycoons."

The first officer’s eyebrows shot up. "On a Saturday night?"

"Yeah. Word is, a young man from a major family assaulted a young woman. And she is La Riviere’s president’s girlfriend or something."

"What?" The officer let out a quiet whistle. "La Riviere’s president’s partner?"

"Mm. That’s what I heard. Happened right in the middle of the event. everyone there had seen it clearly..." He shook his head. "This blew up even worse."

The first officer snorted softly. "What was he thinking? Using his dick instead of his brain? Or was the woman some kind of goddess?"

"Keep it down," the second officer muttered sharply. "You don’t want to offend any of them. That’s exactly why the higher-ups showed up personally."

Their conversation dissolved into silence as a group of senior officers passed by, expressions grave.

A few meters away, Archie stood beside Leo near one of the benches.

He kept his posture straight, hands loosely clasped in front of him, but his awareness was sharp. He could feel the glances, curious, speculative, judgmental, sliding toward them from every direction. Whispers followed like shadows.

The actor beside him had been trending nonstop since his former manager’s scandal broke across social media. Even without headlines, Leo’s face was too recognisable. Coming to a police station under these circumstances would only feed the fire.

It would surely have a negative impact on the actor. So why take the risk?

Did he know the girl? Was it why he got angry and lost control?

Archie exhaled quietly through his nose, gaze unfocused as his thoughts drifted.

Leo shifted beside him, clearly uncomfortable. He tugged at the cuff of his jacket, then straightened the collar as if the fabric itself was suffocating him. Liana stood on Leo’s other side, calm as ever, holding two bottles of water.

She handed one to Leo.

He accepted it with a small pause, surprise flickering across his face. He had expected a lecture, maybe even a full-blown explosion. Any other manager would’ve lost their mind if their artist caused a scene involving powerful figures.

"Thanks," Leo said, twisting the cap open. He took a long sip, the cool water grounding him slightly. "Sorry... I probably ruined all your plans for tonight."

Liana waved a hand dismissively. "Don’t sweat it."

Leo blinked. "You’re... not mad?"

She glanced at him sideways, lips curving faintly. "Actually, I think you did the right thing."

Leo nearly choked. He lowered the bottle, staring at her like she’d grown a second head. "Huh?"

His eyes widened, confusion written plainly across his face.

Before Liana could elaborate, a sudden shift rippled through the station.

The murmurs grew louder, sharper, like static rising before a storm.

Clyde had arrived.

He walked in with measured steps, flanked by several men in dark suits. His presence cut through the noise effortlessly. Conversations faltered. Officers straightened. Even the air seemed to tighten around him.

Archie felt it instinctively, the weight of authority, of someone used to commanding rooms without raising his voice.

Clyde stopped when he reached them. For a moment, no one spoke.

Then Clyde inclined his head slightly, gaze settling on Archie and Leo. "I want to express my gratitude," he said evenly, "for helping my partner tonight."

The words were polite. Almost warm. Almost. Yet both Archie and Leo felt it...the pressure beneath the surface, like steel wrapped in velvet.

"That’s what anyone would’ve done," Archie replied after a brief pause, his tone steady. "No thanks needed."

Even though he didn’t like the man, no, stand corrected, he hated Clyde’s guts for being someone close to Micah. Still, Archie

maintained a thin layer of politeness.

"Nonetheless, I’m truly grateful and I should compensate you for your help," Clyde said calmly.

Archie shook his head. "That makes it seem we did it to gain something. We just were in the right place in right time."

Leo nodded reflexively, though his thoughts were elsewhere. He hadn’t acted for Clyde’s sake. He hadn’t even thought about him at the time.

He’d acted for Micah.

He wanted to ask, desperately, how Micah was doing. Whether he was hurt badly. Whether he was okay. Yet, Micah had appeared as a young woman, as Clyde’s plus one. Could he just bring Micah up now? Leo did not care for Clyde, his reputation or anything. He was worried about Micah.

But before he could make up his mind, Liana spoke first.

"Is she alright?" she asked calmly, sensing the strained tension between Clyde and the other two men.

Clyde’s gaze shifted to her. "Mm," he replied after a moment. "Her ankle’s in a brace."

He paused, then added, "I hope you’ll take good care of your artist. Even though we don’t always see eye to eye, he showed remarkable qualities tonight."

Liana smiled faintly. "Don’t worry, cousin. I’ll handle it."

Clyde nodded once, then turned and walked toward a closed office room, his lawyers following close behind.

Leo stood frozen for a full second. Then he turned slowly toward Liana. "Cousin? Are you a relative of his?"

She lifted her coffee cup and took an unhurried sip. "Mm. Second cousin on my mother’s side. Not very close."

Leo stared. "Then why did you agree to be..." He stopped himself mid-sentence, swallowing hard.

Liana raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn’t I? He asked. And I’m more than happy to work for his lover’s entertainment company."

Leo’s brain stalled. "You... know?" he asked cautiously.

She nodded. "Of course."

Leo’s thoughts spun. Did she know Micah was behind Paniz Entertainment? Did she realise the woman Clyde had been with wasn’t a woman?

"Then why did you treat his sister like you didn’t know anything?" Leo burst out. "You acted completely clueless!"

Liana laughed, low and amused. "What did you expect me to do? Announce it? She would’ve been suspicious. I’m a stranger to them."

"Oh..." Leo muttered, finally connecting the dots.

"That’s also why I’m not angry at you," Liana continued, her tone softening. "Thank you for standing up for the boss."

Leo’s mind short-circuited. So she knew. She knew about Micah. About the disguise. About everything.

"But how?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Liana tilted her head. "How did I know you might figure it out? That part was easy. Cousin sent me your full background. I knew he saved you. I knew you admired him. And with how obvious you were after meeting her... it wasn’t difficult to guess."

Leo stared at her, stunned. "Seriously?"

She chuckled. "Actually, no. Cousin already told me you’d figured it out and warned me to keep you silent. He didn’t want anything leaking."

"I would never say anything," Leo said quickly. "I owe him my life."

"I know," Liana replied. Then her expression sharpened just a little. "But still...watch your mouth. Cousin isn’t someone you want as an enemy. And don’t get any ideas about his partner."

Leo’s expression shifted, then nodded. "I understand."

Archie had caught fragments of their conversation, but none of it made sense to him. Girl, sister, cousin...whatever it was, it clearly involved Clyde and the woman from earlier.

His thoughts drifted instead to Micah.

He regretted missing the chance to speak to him. Regretted it deeply. Maybe the white-haired girl would say something good about him. She knew Micah and Darcy.

Not that Archie’s motives were just that. He still couldn’t forget Russell’s face from his mind. He couldn’t bear to see someone else go through that and do nothing.