From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)-Chapter 691: While He Was Unconscious (part one)

Even though the medical team had already pushed Micah through the heavy double doors and the red light above the operating room had switched on, the hospital staff still insisted that the consent form had to be signed. Procedures were procedures. No matter how urgent the situation was, the paperwork had to be completed.

The nurse stood there stiffly, holding the clipboard against her chest as if it were a shield. Her eyes flicked between Clyde and the others, clearly uncomfortable under the thick tension hanging in the air.

"I’m sorry, sir, but you’re not registered as immediate family," the nurse said politely.

Clyde paused. He stared at the blank line for several seconds, jaw tight, before finally placing the pen back on the clipboard instead of signing.

"His grandparents will be here shortly," he said evenly.

His tone was calm, but there was something underneath it, something sharp and dangerous that made the nurse swallow nervously. She nodded quickly, murmured that she would return, and retreated down the hallway.

Clyde gave a small nod in acknowledgment and then stepped back toward the operating room doors. He lowered himself onto the narrow waiting bench near Darcy. The plastic seat creaked under his weight, the sound loud in the suffocating quiet.

It took him an immense amount of willpower not to explode.

Every nerve in his body was straining. His hands rested on his knees, fingers curled slightly as if gripping something invisible. What he truly wanted, what his instincts screamed at him to do, was to drag those four men out of the hospital by their collars and throw them onto the street. He wanted to smash their faces against the wall and demand answers.

But causing a bigger scene now would only complicate things. The hospital was already buzzing with staff and security because of the earlier commotion. Any more chaos would risk getting him thrown out, or worse, delay Micah’s treatment.

So Clyde remained seated.

Across the waiting area, Aidan sat on a metal chair, one hand rubbing his throbbing jaw. The red mark from Darcy’s punch was still visible. His expression was dark, conflicted, but he stayed silent.

Silas stood rigidly beside him, arms straight at his sides, careful not to touch anything. Leo leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets, eyes unfocused, staring at the floor tiles as though they could provide answers. Archie had crouched down near the corner, elbows on his knees, his face buried deep in his hands. His shoulders trembled faintly, though whether from anger, guilt, or fear was impossible to tell.

Mason had already gone to find the hospital director, determined to ensure that Micah would receive the best possible care.

Dean and Emile stood a short distance from Clyde, uncertain and tense. They didn’t know the full story, but they knew something was very wrong.

The pressure radiating from their uncle was heavy and suffocating, like the air before a storm. It was clear that whatever had occurred was not minor.

With Micah lying unconscious on the operating table and the atmosphere in the waiting room thick and dark, the two cousins barely dared to breathe too loudly. Even shifting their feet felt inappropriate.

The silence dragged on, stretching each second into something unbearable.

Then the elevator doors at the end of the corridor slid open with a soft chime.

The Palmer family stepped out. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Darcy looked up immediately. The moment he saw them, something inside him cracked. He shot to his feet so quickly the bench scraped loudly against the floor. Without hesitation, he rushed forward and grabbed Ida’s hand, clutching it tightly as if afraid she might disappear.

In the short time he had stayed with them, Darcy had slowly begun to accept them as family. There had been no hidden motives, no fake smiles. The Palmer family had treated him with genuine warmth. There was no past resentment between them, no twisted history.

They were simply kind. Darcy’s eyes were already red. Tears gathered at the corners, blurring his vision. He was terrified.

Even though memories of his past lives had returned to him, he still had no idea about the system, the host, or the strange force that seemed to control fate. The only thing he knew was that the world had restarted multiple times. And now, seeing Micah in another accident connected to those four bastards, his mind conjured the worst-case scenarios.

What if history was repeating itself? What if the world was trying to "correct" the storyline again? What if Micah’s life was taken away again?

Everything had happened too fast. His thoughts had turned into a mess.

When he had first seen Aidan earlier, his mind had gone blank with rage. In that moment, all he could think was that the man had done something to Micah. The idea had been enough to drive him insane. He had thrown the punch without hesitation, wanting to kill him.

All the resentment from countless past timelines had surged up at once, overwhelming his reason.

Because of Micah, because he did not want Micah to suspect that he remembered everything, Darcy had suppressed his anger for so long. Especially toward Aidan.

That man was worse than an animal.

In previous lives, Aidan had tortured him physically and mentally, breaking him down piece by piece. Darcy had endured humiliation, pain, and manipulation. If he had not possessed a stubborn will and strong mind, he was certain he would have shattered under the trauma.

He had wanted to tear Aidan apart. He had wanted to destroy all four of them.

But Mason and Dean had restrained him, reminding him that if he continued fighting, hospital security would remove him, and then he would not be able to stay near Micah.

So Darcy had forced himself to endure it. Forced himself to breathe the same air as them. Now, seeing Ida and the rest of the Palmers, the last of his composure collapsed.

"Mimi..." he called softly, using the same nickname Micah always used for Ida.

Ida’s eyes turned red immediately. She reached up with her free hand and cupped Darcy’s cheek, her fingers trembling. Louis Palmer stood beside her, leaning heavily on his cane. His face had gone pale.

"What happened?" Ida asked, her voice unsteady.

"He was in danger... he was lost... no taken... I wasn’t there..." Darcy’s words came out broken and slow. "I should have stayed with him. I shouldn’t have let him leave my sight."

"God... it wasn’t your fault," Ida said quickly, though she barely understood what he meant. Taken? By whom? What danger?

Louis opened his mouth but no words came out. He simply tightened his grip on his cane, knuckles turning white.

Edgar and Ernest stood behind them, their expressions dark and confused. They glanced around the waiting area, assuming the others were just fellow patients’ families.

But Edmund’s gaze landed on Clyde. He recognised him instantly.

As Darcy’s fragmented explanation echoed in his ears, Edmund’s thoughts twisted rapidly. He misunderstood. He assumed that because of Clyde’s background, because of the Du Pont family’s influence, some rival had targeted Micah. That Micah had been used as leverage. That Clyde’s dangerous world had finally dragged Micah into harm’s way.

His imagination spiralled out of control. Something inside him snapped. He strode forward in two quick steps and grabbed Clyde by the collar, yanking him up from the bench.

"Fucking hell!" Edmund shouted, his voice echoing down the corridor. "How did you let this happen? Why did you allow him to suffer like this? What were you doing?"

Clyde didn’t resist. His body moved with the force of the pull, but he did not raise his hands. He simply looked at Edmund, eyes cold and unreadable.

Edmund really loved Micah. He had watched that mischievous, stubborn boy grow up. Blood relation or not, Micah had a special place in his heart. They teased each other constantly, joked and argued, but Edmund would never allow anyone to bully him.

Knowing Micah was lying unconscious behind those doors had shattered him.

Edgar rushed forward and grabbed Edmund’s arm, pulling him back. "Hey! What are you doing?"

"Let me go!" Edmund struggled, but Edgar held firm.

Edmund glared at Clyde. "You should be ashamed of yourself! You can’t even protect your lover! If I knew you weren’t sincere with him, I would have dragged him away this morning!"

His words fell like a bomb. The entire waiting area went silent.

Darcy’s head snapped up. For a moment, he forgot his sorrow, stunned by the accusation. Dean and Emile stared at Edmund in shock.

Emile was the first to react. He stepped forward quickly. "Don’t blame my uncle!" he snapped. "He didn’t do anything wrong! There were these people acting suspiciously! They took Micah away!"

He pointed directly at Aidan and the others.

Emile had seen the security footage earlier. At first, he had not recognised the men, but now everything was clicking together.

Darcy also placed a hand on Edmund’s arm. "He’s right," he said hoarsely. "They’re the ones who made Micah end up like that."

Aidan jolted upright. "Fuck! I told you, I didn’t do anything!" he snapped. "When I got there, the tube was already midair. It crashed right after!"

Emile shot him a furious glare. "So you expect me to believe that the rabbit jumping in front of us was a coincidence? That has nothing to do with you? That you just happened to be there? That you took him away for no reason? Why not check on me? Why hide? Cut the bullshit! Who are you trying to fool?"

Each question struck harder than the last.

Aidan opened his mouth, but no answer came out. The truth was, he didn’t fully understand his own actions.

When he had seen Micah, bloody, unconscious, vulnerable, something deep inside him had shifted violently. His mind had gone blank except for one instinct: protect him.

He hadn’t thought about explanations. He hadn’t thought about how it looked. He hadn’t even thought about Emile or anyone else. He had simply acted.

And now, standing in the harsh white lights of the hospital corridor, surrounded by accusing eyes and suffocating silence, Aidan realised how terrible it appeared.

But no matter how he tried to explain it, the damage had already been done.