From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)-Chapter 689: Devil on the Slopes

When Edmund finally joined them, the first thing he saw was not the grand wooden lodge, nor the snow-covered slopes stretching endlessly under the pale winter sun.

It was her. His gaze locked instantly on the beautiful blond woman standing not far from the entrance, her long hair spilling over a cream-colored scarf, the cold tinting her cheeks faintly pink. The sunlight reflected off the snow and cast a soft glow around her, making her look almost unreal against the white backdrop.

He did not see the others. He did not hear the chatter. He did not notice the luggage carts or the skiers walking past with poles in hand.

Even though Edmund had built a reputation for being shameless and thick-skinned, known for bold talk and exaggerated confidence, the moment he faced his crush in real life, his courage evaporated like mist under sunlight. His tongue seemed to roll backward and glue itself to the roof of his mouth. Not a single word came out. He simply stared.

Darcy noticed him first. Edmund’s dazed appearance was impossible to miss. He stood there like a statue carved out of snow, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, breathing shallow.

Darcy glanced at Micah, who was still animatedly discussing something with Georgina about fabric cuts and runway lighting, then sighed inwardly. Of course, this would happen.

He walked toward Edmund. "Uncle," he called out calmly.

The others followed Darcy’s line of sight and finally noticed Edmund standing there. For a brief second, a few of them tensed, after all, a random man staring so intensely at Jacklin did not look good. But when they heard Darcy address him as "Uncle," they relaxed slightly. So he was family. Not a creep.

Edmund blinked, dragged back into reality. "Huh?" was all he managed.

Darcy subtly shifted his position, blocking Edmund’s direct line of sight to Jacklin. Only then did Edmund become aware of the strange looks directed at him. His ears turned red. He lowered his head and scratched it awkwardly.

"Where is Micah?" he asked quickly, hoping to use his nephew as a bridge, an introduction, a buffer between him and his dream.

Then his eyes widened. He snapped his head up. "Wait a minute. What was that about? Who was he hugging?"

The memory struck him clearly now. Micah had run forward and thrown himself into another man’s arms without hesitation. That image had scared the shit out of him.

Darcy tilted his head and pointed behind him. "That’s his boyfriend," he said evenly. "And the head of the Du Pont family."

It felt as if lightning had struck Edmund from head to toe. He froze. Stiff. Rigid. Completely petrified. His eyes bulged. His mouth opened again, but no sound came out.

Who had not heard about the mysterious head of the Du Pont family? A figure who rarely appeared publicly but whose influence stretched across industries, whose name alone could silence a room.

And wasn’t he... Yes. Wasn’t he the uncle of that stunning woman?

Edmund’s head began to throb violently. If Micah was in a relationship with him, then...

Then what did that make Jacklin?

Then what did that make him?

He couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

By then, Micah had finished speaking with Georgina and walked toward them. He slowed as he approached, tilting his head slightly to the side, eyes meeting Edmund’s.

In those hazel eyes, Edmund saw it clearly. Mischief. Pure, malicious amusement. They were evil. Edmund’s stomach dropped.

Last night, he had proudly shared Micah’s photos online, bragging about his famous nephew being here, casually mentioning the location, proudly announcing he was Micah’s uncle. When he got blocked by Micah earlier, he had felt offended. So, out of petty spite, he had used Micah’s name to attract attention and followers. Maybe he could even secure an advertisement deal. He never thought he was tugging at the devil’s tail. Micah had dragged him here on purpose.

Right on cue, Micah spoke sweetly, "Uncle, come. Let me introduce you to my friends."

Edmund began sweating instantly. "No, no... You enjoy your time with your friends. I just got a call from a customer. Urgent. I need to head back." He stammered over his words, already stepping backward. Without waiting for any response, he turned and practically sprinted toward his car.

Micah watched him flee and chuckled softly, satisfied. By then, Clyde had walked up beside him.

"Wasn’t he your uncle?" Clyde asked.

"Yeah," Micah replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. "The one who kindly offered my location to the whole world."

"Oh." Clyde raised an eyebrow. "Not on good terms?"

"Nah. We’re cool," Micah said lightly. "He was just being naughty. And I, as an elder, had to educate him."

Darcy’s eyebrows twitched. "Elder?"

Micah shot him a cool glance. "Yes. He wanted to pursue my dear soon-to-be niece."

Clyde let out a quiet chuckle, the last traces of his earlier sour mood finally dissolving into amusement.

Darcy cringed at Micah’s words. For Pete’s sake, Jacklin, the so-called niece, was a few years older than Micah! What elder? Then he heard Clyde’s amused laugh, and he gaped. He stared at the two of them, speechless.

Then Micah turned to him with exaggerated seriousness. "So, little brother, always respect those older than you. You never know what might offend them, and how they’ll get back at you."

Darcy scoffed. Micah was definitely delusional. "You’re so deep in acting. Be careful you don’t ascend to the heavens one day."

Micah grinned. "Don’t worry. If I ascend, we ascend together."

Darcy knew exactly what this was about. He had misled Ida, caused that matchmaking chaos, and Micah had not forgotten. He had assumed the matter was settled after noticing Micah acted as usual. Apparently not.

"Good," Darcy muttered. "Let’s see who’s going down first." And he walked away toward the lounge.

Clyde observed their exchange with interest. It wasn’t every day he saw Micah direct his temper at Darcy.

"So he was the reason for those posts about you looking for a partner?" Clyde asked casually.

Micah jolted internally. He had forgotten Clyde was standing right there. He had hoped Clyde either hadn’t seen the posts or had dismissed them as nonsense. Clearly, that hope was misplaced.

"Haha!" Micah laughed awkwardly. "Yeah... I had no idea he pulled something like that."

Clyde leaned slightly closer. "Did you enjoy all those girls blushing at you?"

Micah shuddered. "No! I didn’t even know!"

Clyde studied him, eyes glinting faintly with amusement.

He had already ordered the removal of all posts mentioning Micah. The La Riviere PR team and Paniz Entertainment had spent a sleepless night scrubbing content, controlling damage, and tracking reposts.

Clyde never mentioned it. The reason? Those four men.

He feared they would take advantage of the situation, stirring trouble, using the chaos as cover. But surprisingly, they had remained quiet. Reports said they were at home, spending the New Year with their families. Clyde hoped that was true.

He thought they had given up on seeking Micah, so he loosened the monitoring. And he was beginning to think Micah might have done it on purpose, luring them here for a confrontation. But noticing it was not the reason for all the drama, Clyde felt his heart settle down.

Either way, now that he was here, no one would get close to Micah.

"Uncle! Let’s go skiing!" Emile’s voice rang out.

The group gathered their equipment and headed toward the main slope. The ski resort was magnificent.

The lodge itself was built of dark wood and stone, with warm golden lights glowing from large glass windows. Smoke curled from chimneys. Beyond it, snow-covered pine trees stretched across rolling hills. The mountains in the distance rose like white giants against a pale blue sky.

The air was crisp and clean, sharp in the lungs.

They bundled up in waterproof jackets, padded snow pants, gloves, goggles, and helmets. The telecabin lifted them smoothly upward, suspended above the slopes. From above, the trails looked like white ribbons winding down the mountainside.

When they reached the top, Micah pushed off first.

The skis slid forward smoothly, cutting into the powder. The wind rushed past his ears, carrying the faint scent of pine and frost. Snow sprayed lightly as he carved his way down, body leaning gracefully with each turn.

Emile followed enthusiastically, wobbling at first but quickly finding his rhythm.

Dean and Jacklin were steady and confident, gliding with practised ease. Soha and Lin Heye were more cautious, moving more slowly, occasionally losing balance and laughing at themselves.

Clyde followed Micah closely, never too far behind.

Darcy chose to remain in the lounge below, sipping hot chocolate and pretending indifference.

Mason, Dylon, and Georgina skied too, but less seriously. They bumped into each other on purpose, shouted challenges, and occasionally fell in exaggerated fashion.

The snow sparkled under the afternoon sun. Laughter echoed across the slopes. The metallic clink of ski poles mixed with the swish of skis against snow.

By noon, they were starving.

They gathered in the resort restaurant for hot pot. Steam rose from bubbling broth. The meat slices disappeared quickly. Cold fingers thawed around warm bowls.

Afterwards, they settled near a fireplace in the lodge. Flames crackled warmly. Snow continued falling lightly outside the windows.

Micah leaned against Clyde’s shoulder, finally relaxed.

In the afternoon, Emile grabbed him again. "Let’s go tubing!"

The tubing slope was gentler but faster than it looked. Large inflatable tubes were lined up at the top. Staff gave them a push, and they slid down with surprising speed.

Micah knew Emile and the others were worried about him. For the past two months, he had isolated himself, withdrawn into his own world. So he went along with it.

He laughed. He shouted. He let himself be pulled into the childish joy.

The snow blurred around them as the tube spun slightly during descent.

Then suddenly a rabbit darted across the path. It appeared out of nowhere, white against white, only visible because it moved. Micah reacted instinctively. Instead of trying to steer away, he dug his boot into the snow to brake.

The tube tipped sideways. Everything flipped.

The tube spun out of control, crashing against the packed snow edge. Micah and Emile were thrown off track.

Emile tumbled and landed roughly on his backside. "Ow!"

He sat there for a second, stunned, snow clinging to his jacket.

"Micah?" he called.

No answer. He looked around. The slope curved downward into a slightly steeper section lined with bushes half-buried in snow.

"Micah!" His heartbeat quickened. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He scrambled to his feet and searched the area. The tube lay twisted nearby, but Micah was nowhere in sight.

A cold wave of fear washed over him.

Had he been thrown down the slope?

Emile quickly pulled out his phone. No signal. Strange. The resort usually had coverage.

Crap! It was the second time Micah had disappeared while he was with him. Little Uncle would definitely kill him this time!

He swallowed hard. Trying to steady his breathing, he began walking slowly down the slope, pushing through snow, scanning the bushes, calling Micah’s name again and again as the winter wind carried his voice into the white silence.