Chapter 478: Carry the Basket, Carry the Drama
Micah followed Amy and Melissa through the hospital’s gleaming corridor, the air heavy with antiseptic and faint whispers. He balanced a neatly wrapped fruit basket in one arm and a small bag of nutrient drinks in the other.
Melissa glanced over her shoulder. "I can carry some..."
Micah raised an eyebrow. "Do I really look that weak to you? And besides, girls shouldn’t carry anything. That’s my sister’s motto."
Amy chuckled softly. "It’s because she has a caring brother like you."
Micah smiled in response, though his eyes dimmed with a flicker of sadness. Aria... well, maybe she would have been happier with Darcy instead...
Melissa rolled her eyes. "That’s just bullying. You are such a nice guy. I bet she is older than you."
This time, Micah laughed aloud. "Sorry to break it to you. But I’m the troublemaker in the family. With how many times I pulled a prank on them, carrying some stuff would be small compensation."
Before they could continue their conversation, they reached Russell’s room.
Melissa gently pushed the door open and froze. Inside were a dozen people crammed into a small hospital suite, laughter and chatter bouncing off the walls.
The trio stopped in the doorway, caught off guard.
Flinn was the first to notice them. He waved. "Hey, you are here too. Come in, don’t just stand there."
Micah’s stomach sank. He recognised almost every face in the room, and they were the last people he wanted to see today. What bad timing.
There was Zian, leaning back with his usual goofy grin. Lulu stood beside him, eyes lightening up at the sight of them. Elijah was pouring water, and Elly was peeling an orange for Russell. Several other members of the SilverBlade Legion were gathered around the bed, chatting.
At least Archie was not here. Small mercies.
Russell turned when he heard Flinn speaking. His expression brightened instantly. "Micah! You came!" he said, voice cheerful despite the nasal cannula on his face and IV in his arm.
Micah walked forward, expression almost composed but unreadable. He set the fruit basket on the table beside Russell’s bed and glanced at the Oxygen tube. "I wasn’t on campus for three weeks, and you managed to land yourself in the hospital already?"
Russell laughed sheepishly. "Oh, it’s not that bad. Just a precautionary procedure. Don’t worry, I’ll be discharged soon."
Amy and Melissa smiled and moved to greet others, chatting politely. But Micah could feel every pair of eyes in the room on him.
"Long time no see," Elijah said, breaking the tension. "How have you been, Micah?"
Micah smirked. "Oh, you know. Famous now. Though not in a good way, thanks to you guys."
Zian clicked his tongue. "Ungrateful brat. If it weren’t for our captain, who would pay attention to you?"
Russell looked at them, confused. "What are you talking about?"
Before anyone could answer, Elly popped a slice of an orange into her mouth and said bluntly. "His identity got exposed."
"Yeah, and it was all because two people couldn’t keep their mouths shut," Micah said, rolling his eyes.
"Hey! It wasn’t intentional! Don’t blame Lulu for it." Zian said, defensively.
Lulu flinched, lowering her head. "I’m sorry, Micah. I really didn’t mean for it to spread. I just...wanted to back you and Darcy up when people started badmouthing you, but ended up slipping and saying too much..."
Micah’s lips twitched. Truthfully, he couldn’t bring himself to scold Lulu, a girl. "Yeah, I know. I saw the screenshot in All chat. I am not worried about myself, but Darcy. Because of me, he got implicated."
Zian scoffed, crossing his arms. "Why are you talking like he is Virgin Mary caught up in a scandal? So what if people realise he is DarkVyne or Darklegend? He should thank us; we basically give him free publicity. He can use this to sign with a pro team with better benefits."
Micah’s jaw tightened. "Who said he wants to go pro? He wishes to live a quiet life. Now he can’t even walk down the campus street without some crazy fans or scouts pestering him."
"You think too much. The hype will die down soon. You two are not on par with idols or superstars. Even their gossip does not last long." Zian huffed in contempt.
Micah glared at him. Yeah, if this were not a novel and Darcy were not the protagonist, that would be the case. But it wasn’t. He knew exactly how the story would go. Darcy’s name wouldn’t fade from headlines anytime soon. In fact, this was only the beginning.
Because in the novel, the gossip about Darcy never died down. And that was just some cheap slanderous rumours, not as big as this Esports headline!!
Micah gritted his teeth, eyes turning sharp and cold. He was near to lash out. But Russell grabbed his hand abruptly, coughing. "Micah, I am sorry. You’ve helped me so much before, but I ended up making trouble for you and Darcy," he coughed again, clutching his chest.
Micah swallowed his anger. He stepped closer and patted his hand. "Hey, don’t say that. It wasn’t your fault."
Russell’s eyes softened with guilt. "Still... If you didn’t meet my brother..."
Micah cut him off. "Just focus on recovering and don’t worry about it. I’ll head out first," he said and gave a small nod to Melissa and Amy.
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left the room. The corridor outside was crowded, swallowing Micah in noise.
Micah walked slowly, hands in his pockets, expression blank.
He couldn’t bring himself to be angry at a sweet boy like Russell. The boy was too pure for this mess. Russell had thought Micah’s involvement with Archie was because of him. But in reality, Micah would have gotten close to Archie anyway, trying to find a way to deal with him.
As for the rest of SilverBlade Legion, he still suspected some of them had a hand in stirring that rumour. But he couldn’t just lash out at them without any proof.
He needed to be careful now.
He would better ask grandpa to handle the post and rumours. If suddenly the swap baby was revealed, the situation would get out of hand.
He fished out his phone and called Albert Ramsy.
"Grandpa!" Micah called out the moment the call was connected.
"Micah? You have some nerve to call me!" Albert said, voice gruff.
Micah laughed nervously. "Grandpa! Good afternoon to you too."
Albert snorted. "Good afternoon, my foot. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused?"
"Yeah... about that. Sorry... I didn’t mean for this to happen," Micah said sheepishly.
"I swear, every time you say that, disaster follows."
"Okay, okay! How about I make it up to you?" Micah offered quickly. "If I get you the VIP card for Royal Dragon Pavilion, will you forgive me?"
"Bribery? Really?" Albert said, his voice lost its edge. "You don’t need to bribe me. We’ll forgive you if you come back right now."
"Grandpa... I can’t. I made a promise. Until Darcy agrees to come to the Ramsy family, I won’t leave him." Micah replied softly.
There was a long silence on the other end.
Then Albert sighed, a weary sound filled with both frustration and affection. "Why are you forcing him? That kind of pressure will only make him hate you more."
"No...I’m not forcing him," Micah said, voice low. "It’s just... our relationship is a bit complicated. If I back off now.... He will really cut ties with the Ramsy family forever."
"Fine," Albert grumbled. "You know him better than any of us. But tell me this...are you staying away from us, too? Your parents are worried sick."
Micah looked out the hospital window. "No. I just said Ramsy’s home. Not that I can’t meet you somewhere else. I’m going to the company now. Could you come too, Grandpa?" Micah asked.
"What? Is something going on?"
"Mmm, I need your help."
"Alright. I’ll be there, you, troublemaker." Albert said, grumbling.
Micah smiled. "Thanks, grandpa. See ya."
He ended the call and hailed a taxi to Ramsy Empire.
He needed a new strategy. Just sticking close to Darcy would not solve anything now. If he wanted to protect him, he had to move first.