After sorting out the book details on his phone, Micah collapsed into sleep from exhaustion. Unbeknownst to him, his mother and sister had misinterpreted his bizarre behaviour as the aftermath of sexual harassment. In a panic, they spread the news in the family group chat, sending all of Ramsy's family members into a frenzy. Now, everyone was beside themselves with worry, determined to uncover the culprit. Even Silas Durant had ended up on the list of the suspects.
After a few hours, Micah woke up from hunger, otherwise, with his lack of sleep from last night, he would have been out until evening.
"Oh, you are up."
A voice, calm yet with an undeniable authority, broke the silence.
Micah rubbed his eyes as he put on his glasses.
"Older sister, when did you come?"
"Not long ago. You were asleep like a baby."
Willow chuckled as she studied her little brother, who was wrapped in a blanket like a dumpling.
Micah sat in the bed and glanced at his older sister. She was sitting on the small couch in the hospital room, one leg crossed over the other, excluding an air of confidence. Dressed in a tailored emerald green suit, a black necktie loosely rested over the white shirt beneath, she represented the image of a strong working-class elite. Her posture was as straight as a ruler, and her long dark hair was tied up in a neat bun.
On the other hand, his second sister, Aria, had a much more relaxed style, usually seen in oversized sweaters and comfortable jeans. Even though Aria was the one studying law at university… not Willow… their styles were at opposite ends.
Micah had been bullied too much by this particular older sister during his childhood, forming a lingering sense of fear toward her. Yet, she was the only one who had ever truly supported his decisions and helped him navigate difficulties throughout his life.
So, when he read in the book that Willow had done all of it not out of love but to prevent Micah from becoming the next CEO of the Ramsy company, because she wanted to take over instead, Micah had been flabbergasted.
Worse, she had no problem with Darcy becoming one?! What the heck?!
Micah was really angry about this double standard that the author had created in the book.
Micah did not believe it for one second. Overall, the book painted Ramsy's family as shallow and easily swayed by outside opinions, discarding years of kinship over rumours, and losing all their logic and abilities.
They even couldn't protect the real young master from those scummy big shots.
What a load of crap!
All these years, Micah had always voiced his opinion about letting his older sister become the heir of the Ramsy empire business. He believed she was the most deserving person for that. But because she was engaged to the heir of Gu's family, his grandfather was not keen to do it.
It wasn't that Micah in the book had not done anything evil or sabotaged Ramsy's business, but the problem was that Ramsy's family were ready to discard their twenty years of kinship for the judgmental gaze of others.
Micah could not believe this. He had felt their warmth, their affection from the moment he could remember. Sure, He had his share of troublemaking all these years, but never he had felt displeasure from them.
So could blood relations really be that magical?
Would that be powerful enough to abandon him?
Micah didn't want to find out or even bet on it.
He was like a cuckoo in a magpie's nest, an outsider who had no right to ask for more than he had already been given.
"What's on your mind? You're spacing out?!"
Willow asked, her sharp eyes narrowed.
"Huh?" Micah blinked, snapping out of his thoughts.
"Nothing. Older sister, did you have lunch? Where are Mum and second sister?"
Willow didn't press him.
"No, I came straight from the factory. Aria had a club activity and went to university. Mum went downstairs to pick up lunch."
"Oh…"
Micah said and looked down at his hands.
Ever since he realised there was more than a fifty per cent chance he was not the real young master of the Ramsy family, he had been struggling to meet their eyes.
A sense of guilt had been creeping into his heart and mind.
He knew he was also a victim, but compared to the life the real young master had lived, his life was too smooth and heavenly, filled with luxury, love and security…
"You know, If I can't solve your problem, at least sharing it with me might help you feel less burdened."
Willow said abruptly, her voice softening.
Micah looked up. His sister's expression hadn't changed much, but he knew she could easily pick on his depressed mood. She wasn't the type to coddle anyone, yet she was always the first one to offer comfort to him.
Micah hesitated, mulling over his words. How could he express his uneasiness without giving away too much?
Micah cleared his throat.
"Umm… I had dreamed… about my childhood... The one where you pranked me about being picked up from the roadside…"
"What? You know I was just joking! And after that, I had learnt my lesson not to mess with that topic ever again… you're not still hung up on that, are you?!"
Willow interrupted.
"No… let me finish! In my dream, it turned out to be true! And you all abandoned me!"
Micah exclaimed.
Willow was taken aback.
Thud.
The unmistakable sound of something hitting the floor echoed through the room.
Micah's heart thumped as he turned his head toward the doorway. His mother stood there in shock while at her feet lay a spilled meal box, its contents scattered across the floor.
Seeing the hurt look on his mother and sister's faces, Micah felt frustrated by his lack of composure. He should have handled his emotions better and not let them notice his downcast mood.
Damn it.
Micah threw the blanket over his head and hid underneath it. They all thought he was being hurtful and unreasonable, probably not realising it was the truth…
No, it wasn't time to let them know… he was without any defence against those big shots. If he confronted them now, it would be like in the book. He would be a pawn, used for their gain. They had even manipulated the protagonist. What made him think he would be their equal?
No. He had to wait. He just didn't know how long he could keep pretending.