From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)-Chapter 674: The Heirs and the Headlines

During dinner, Micah made it his personal mission to bridge the distance between Ilyas and Darcy. From the moment they sat down, he had been subtly nudging the conversation in Darcy’s direction, hoping the two would strike up some sort of friendship. In his mind, it was the most practical solution. If Ilyas and Darcy grew close, Darcy could keep an eye on him without it seeming deliberate or suspicious.

So Micah tried. Repeatedly.

Every time there was even the smallest opening in the conversation, he slipped Darcy’s name into it.

"Darcy was the top scorer in the prefecture, you know," Micah said brightly at one point, leaning back in his chair as though the information had just casually occurred to him. "My mum practically has to wrestle other people just to get him to collaborate on her projects. If you ever need help with your studies, you can ask him."

Darcy, seated beside him, simply continued eating as if the conversation had nothing to do with him.

Micah continued enthusiastically, "Don’t let his aloof face fool you. He’s actually very kind. He’s always helping me. He even helped me improve my gaming skills."

He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "You wouldn’t believe it, but my nickname used to be ’Trash Frosty. I was hopeless. Now? I’ve got messages from eSports teams wanting to recruit me."

It should have been the perfect opening.

But Ilyas didn’t bite.

Instead, he turned slightly in his seat, eyes lighting up. "You play LOJ too? What’s your account ID? Let’s add each other."

Just like that, the spotlight swerved away from Darcy and landed squarely back on Micah.

The first time it happened, Micah didn’t think much of it. Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe Ilyas was simply more interested in gaming.

But then it happened again.

And again.

Every attempt Micah made to circle the topic back to Darcy was smoothly, almost artfully, redirected. Ilyas never outright dismissed Darcy. He just... sidestepped him. As if Darcy were a subject that required careful avoidance.

After the fourth attempt, it became painfully obvious.

He’s doing this on purpose.

Micah’s smile grew stiff. He darted a helpless glance toward Darcy, his hazel eyes practically screaming for assistance.

Darcy, however, appeared perfectly at ease. He reached for the teapot and poured Micah a cup with steady, unhurried movements. Steam curled softly into the air between them. When he handed the cup over, his fingers brushed lightly against Micah’s knuckles.

He offered him a small, gentle smile.

Micah’s frustration dissolved almost instantly.

Right.

Why was he even worrying? Darcy was more than capable. If he wanted to befriend someone, he could do it effortlessly. He didn’t need Micah’s awkward matchmaking attempts.

Feeling slightly foolish, Micah finally shut his mouth and focused on enjoying his dessert, pairing each bite with slow sips of warm tea.

When dinner ended, Micah insisted on dropping Ilyas off. But Ilyas shook his head.

"My older brother’s coming to get me," he said firmly.

So they waited.

The night air grew colder as they stood outside the restaurant entrance, the glow from the sign casting warm light over the pavement. Eventually, a car pulled up, and Ilyas’s brother stepped out to greet him. After exchanging brief words and making sure he was safely inside the vehicle, Micah finally relaxed.

Only then did he and Darcy decide to leave as well.

Micah limped slightly as he stepped away from the entrance, his injured ankle protesting with each movement. He had barely taken two steps when something soft dropped over his head.

He froze. A woollen hat. Before he could react, a scarf was looped around his neck, snug and warm.

Micah blinked up at Darcy, his hazel eyes wide with confusion.

Darcy smiled faintly, adjusting the scarf with calm precision. "It’s cold," he said. "You’re already a burden with your ankle. I don’t need you adding ’sick’ to the list."

He paused, tightening the knot just a little more.

"It would be me who suffers."

He said it with such a straight face that Micah was rendered speechless for a full second.

Finally, he sputtered, "They say my mouth is venomous. But you... you’ve already surpassed my mum’s level and ascended to shameless!"

Darcy didn’t even blink. He tugged the scarf into place, ensuring it covered Micah’s chin properly. "I learned from the best."

Micah snorted. "That wasn’t a compliment!"

Still grumbling, he hobbled toward the car the Ramsy family had sent to pick them up.

Behind him, Darcy’s smile slowly faded.

His gaze shifted. Toward the dark alley across the street.

The night there seemed thicker, heavier. Shadow pooled between the walls, swallowing what little light reached inside. And yet, Darcy had felt it. That subtle prickle along his spine. The unmistakable sensation of being watched.

He didn’t know who it was. One of those four bastards?

Or someone connected to Ilyas... someone who had stalked him in another life?

The possibilities were numerous. None was acceptable.

Darcy’s eyes hardened almost imperceptibly.

Whoever it was, they would not get close to Micah.

They would not even photograph him.

He turned and followed after Micah, expression smoothing out as though nothing had happened. As he walked, he casually slipped his phone from his pocket and sent a brief text to a certain number.

Clyde’s people would handle whoever was hiding in that alley.

And if they didn’t...

Darcy would.

######

Time seemed to accelerate without warning.

One moment Micah’s advertisement had quietly launched; the next, it was everywhere. Billboards. Shopping mall screens. Bus stops. Social media feeds refreshed with his face every few scrolls. The campaign, originally meant to boost a single product line, turned into something far larger than anyone had anticipated.

Then his background surfaced.

The revelation that he was the former, or rather, the "fake" young master of the Ramsy Empire detonated the situation completely. What had already been a successful advertisement transformed into a full-scale media frenzy. The combination of scandal, wealth, identity swap, and an undeniably handsome face was too irresistible for the internet to ignore.

Search rankings exploded overnight.

Clips were dissected. Interviews were replayed. Comment sections multiplied by the second.

And where there was attention, there were enemies.

Ramsy Empire’s long-standing rivals seized the opportunity immediately. Anonymous posts began circulating, painting Micah as a vicious opportunist who had deliberately blocked Darcy’s rightful path. They twisted timelines, exaggerated childhood incidents, and spun narratives suggesting that Micah had clung to the Ramsy name out of greed.

The smear campaign was coordinated and aggressive.

But the Ramsy family had been prepared.

Within forty-eight hours, they released an official statement.

Darcy was publicly acknowledged as the long-lost biological son of the Ramsy family. Not only that, but he was granted five per cent of Ramsy Empire’s shares, an amount equal to Aria and Willow’s holdings. The gesture was unmistakable. Darcy was not a symbolic addition; he was recognised fully and formally.

The market reacted instantly.

Share prices stabilised. Rumours wavered.

Of course, what the public didn’t know was that Micah held even more, ten per cent, quietly transferred to him by Zhou Ruyan. That information remained strictly within immediate family circles. There was no need to throw more fuel into the fire.

As the official recognition spread, so did Darcy’s story.

Online platforms began romanticising his "hardship narrative." Headlines labelled him "the lost son of heaven," a genius who had risen on his own merit before reclaiming his birthright. Gossip outlets swarmed toward CQ University, expecting scandalous anecdotes or bitter classmates willing to sell stories.

Instead, they encountered something inconvenient.

Unity.

Student after student told reporters the same thing: Darcy and Micah were inseparable.

"They’re always together."

"Micah drags Darcy to lunch."

"Darcy brings Micah coffee."

"They’re practically glued at the hip."

The consistency frustrated the gossip media. So they tried fabricating cracks.

A few anonymous posts accused Micah of jealousy. Others suggested tension between the two heirs. But the public response was swift and brutal. Students flooded comment sections with firsthand accounts. Fans, yes, actual fans, began defending both of them passionately.

Memes appeared mocking the gossip sites.

Video compilations of Micah and Darcy interacting surfaced, complete with dramatic background music and slow-motion edits. The internet, predictably, began "shipping" them.

Then the Ramsy Empire’s PR department delivered the final blow.

A sharply worded yet strangely playful official post appeared:

Ramsy Empire: Our new product sold out within one week thanks to our young masters’ charisma and handsomeness. As a company that supports its heirs, defamation letters have been issued. To those attempting to slander our two young masters... we wish you a pleasant time behind bars.

The tone shocked everyone.

Corporate accounts weren’t supposed to sound like that.

The post went viral within hours.

And then something even stranger happened.

Major groups began backing Micah openly.

La Riviere’s official website reposted Ramsy Empire’s statement almost the second it went live. That single action sent ripples through the business world. La Riviere did not involve itself lightly.

Then came Leo McKay.

The nationally recognised actor, who had once suffered from slander himself, tweeted publicly in Micah’s defence. His message was calm but firm, condemning media manipulation and urging people not to weaponise past identity confusion against someone who had grown beyond it.

Public opinion tilted even further.

Next, SAFA Pharmaceutical Group reposted the statement.

The Durant family, long rumoured to be at odds with the Ramsys, had stepped forward in support of the so-called "fake heir." Industry analysts scrambled to interpret the meaning behind it.

And then Shimi Chemical, an emerging corporate power, joined in.

The president of Shimi Chemical, Aidan Wilson, the notorious third son of the Wilson family, was widely known for his reckless playboy image. His company’s repost raised eyebrows across elite circles.

It was unprecedented.

Four major forces, all aligning behind Micah.

Ironically, Micah barely noticed any of it at first.

Zhou Ruyan’s health had begun deteriorating at an alarming rate.

Hospital corridors replaced social media feeds in Micah’s world. He wrapped himself in a woollen hat, a mask, sometimes a scarf, minimising recognition as he moved between university and hospital. His schedule became mechanical: lecture hall, car ride, hospital room.

His ankle had healed at last; the orthopedic boot was gone.

But still, he didn’t have the energy to open gossip apps.

And even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared.

He had lived through public scrutiny, rumours, accusations, and exaggerations. After enduring it a hundred times, the sting dulled. It no longer reached him the way it once had.

When he walked quickly toward Zhou Ruyan’s hospital room, nurses and patients often watched him with curious eyes.

Everyone knew now.

From the baby-switch incident to his rebellious teenage years, every detail had been dragged into the open. Yet strangely, the general sentiment toward him was not hostile.

It was... warm.

Perhaps because people saw how others treated him.

The Ramsy family had stood firmly behind him.

Darcy had never once distanced himself.

And human nature had always favoured beauty.

Add to that the viral compilations of Micah and Darcy interacting, and the internet had begun romanticising them as a pair. Comment sections overflowed with edits, fan art, and dramatic captions.

All of it made one particular man increasingly sour.

Clyde stared at his phone screen, jaw tight.

Jealousy simmered quietly beneath his composed exterior.

He knew he couldn’t appear publicly beside Micah right now. Not yet. Timing mattered. Visibility mattered. Every move had consequences.

Still, seeing Micah constantly paired with Darcy made something dark twist inside him.

He exhaled slowly and put his phone away.

Christmas was approaching.

The past few weeks had been relentless for Clyde.

Archie had been dealt with first. After Clyde orchestrated his suspension from the university and barred him from eSports competitions, Archie spiralled into depression. When Clyde’s men later caught him stalking Micah, that had been the final straw. Archie was swiftly admitted into an alcohol rehabilitation institute, with his family’s full consent. They had been relieved, even desperate. Archie’s instability had frightened them.

Silas Durant remained silent after his failed move at the hospital. No retaliation. No visible strategy.

Which made him more dangerous.

Aidan Wilson and Leo McKay were the strangest variables.

It was as if they had dismissed all past entanglements as meaningless nonsense. Clyde, of course, had taken decisive countermeasures against Aidan. Surveillance tightened. Business pressure applied subtly.

Yet Aidan behaved as if nothing had happened.

Until the day Darcy informed Clyde that Aidan had sought him out privately.

Clyde never learned what they discussed.

But afterwards, Aidan withdrew completely.

That left only Leo.

Clyde wasn’t concerned. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Leo was legally bound to Micah’s company through contracts layered thick with protective clauses. If he stepped out of line, even slightly, Clyde possessed more than enough leverage to crush him quietly and efficiently.

For now, everything was under control. At least on the surface.

And Christmas was coming. Clyde stared at the calendar, where Christmas Eve was circled in red.