Micah's mind wandered, picturing the worst-case scenarios with terrifying clarity. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as the realisation hit him like a truck.
What if she knew his real identity? What if the news spread?
Would he have any face to go outside? The almighty, arrogant young master of the Ramsy family was acting cute-ish in a fan group, calling an actor his husband.…
His face burned as though he had been tossed into an inferno.
He had barely just started his plan, and he had already exposed himself!
"What the hell am I doing?!"
Micah groaned.
He knew he wasn't the brightest and was not on par with Darcy and those characters written in the book. But he didn't expect he would fall from a horse this soon either!
Micah slammed his forehead onto the desk, once, twice, then repeatedly, as if trying to wake up those dormant brain cells in his head desperately. The dull thud echoed in the silent room, but they did nothing to erase the deep sense of humiliation he was feeling.
His phone vibrated, breaking through his despair.
Ding!
Micah froze as a new message appeared on the screen.
LioNessQueen: I am sorry, did I scare you? I have heard you like your privacy. But my excitement got the better of me. I won't tell anyone. And don't worry, I am the only one who has recognised you. I have this obsession with necklaces, I really liked yours.
Micah read the message once. Then again. And then a third time, just to make sure his eyes weren't deceiving him. The world around him which had turned dark and lifeless moments ago, suddenly regained its colour.
"So, it was just the necklace,"
He muttered, exhaling a long relieved sigh.
Thank god it was a false alarm.
He quickly pulled up the picture from his profile and zoomed in on the necklace hanging around his past self's neck. The silver pendant was intricately designed, shaped like Asena, with delicate wolf ears and a long tail curling at the end.
The necklace was a gift from a hardcore fan of Asena, who had it customised for him.
That was the clue she picked on, not his face or his mobile number.
Micah leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes for a moment. Thank God.
SugerPlumFairyIsLeo'sWife: Have we met before?
LioNessQueen: Yeah, I was one of the organisers of the cosplay event. You were so shy when receiving that necklace… haha…
Micah blinked at the screen, his lips twitching. Shy? No, he wasn't shy at all! He was terrified to talk too much, forgetting to change his voice to a girl and outed himself as a man in the middle of an event full of hardcore fans.
LioNessQueen: You were such a hit! Anyway, I have told Leo'sFirstCocubine that I know you, and she added you to the group.
SugerPlumFairyIsLeo'sWife: Oh, so that happened. Thanks
Micah was torn between being happy that he was easily entered or horrified that his disguise was like a ticking bomb, ready to out him at any time.
He decided not to dwell on it and played along instead. Then he hesitated for a second before sending another message.
SugerPlumFairyIsLeo'sWife: Big sister, can you make an exemption and tell me when the fan meeting is? or where?!
LioNessQueen: Why?
Micah quickly came up with an excuse.
SugerPlumFairyIsLeo'sWife: I am too excited to see Leo! This is my first fan meeting, I don't want to mess it up.
LioNessQueen: Well, I can only say it's next week. Probably Friday.
SugerPlumFairyIsLeo'sWife: Thank you! You are the best.
Micah exhaled and slumped against the desk, resting his cheek against the cool wood. He stared blankly at the space, already drained.
He had to keep his act as a fangirl and rise to the challenge.
He had plenty of time to practise until then.
Micah didn't want to look at that embarrassing account anymore. He switched to the usual one.
This one had a cool username.
RogueOverlord.
Yeah, that was so much better!
Immediately, a series of messages from Nora flooded his screen. She was still sending lighthearted texts, just the usual chatter.
Micah smiled as he skimmed through them.
But then his gaze caught something else.
Another message.
His expression darkened. It was from Evan.
Micah's jaw tightened as he clicked on it.
Evan: don't forget. Jullian's Bar. This weekend.
Micah paused and then typed s quick reply.
RogueOverlord: I'll be there Friday night.
That gave him two days.
Micah first needed to gather information about that crazy CEO before going to that bar. He wanted to snoop around Jullian's office and mobile phone. Maybe he could find useful information.
He flipped through his notebook, stopping at a page labelled Fourth male lead.
At this point in the novel, the man was not completely in control of the company. Unfortunately, the details about his past before meeting Darcy were vague.
What Micah knew was that he had ruthlessly eliminated his competitors for inheriting the company.
He was the third son of a large and cutthroat family, and he had grown up surrounded by constant power struggles. All his brothers and sisters had fought tooth and nail for the CEO position, turning each other lives to hell.
Yet somehow, against all odds, he had risen.
Not through open confrontation, but through calculated ambushes. One by one, he had removed his siblings from the game, moving unseen like a shadow.
Micah frowned.
Getting his contact information would be a nightmare.
Micah didn't want anyone to know he was fishing for this man's details. Any interest from him, the heir of the Ramsy family, would be interpreted as a calculated move. I he wasn't careful, rumours would start flying about the Ramsy family making business shifts or eyeing new industries.
Jullian's path was the safest route for him.
He needed a way to butter up them first, to make them think he was still the same arrogant clueless young master they always took advantage of.
He thought of doing something flashy. His gaze flickered to the corner of his room, where the keys to a sports car rested on a shelf.
That car was like an eyesore.
It was a gift from a family friend, who always had a talent for gifting him some showy unfashionable things to get under his skin.
He couldn't even sell them without them knowing, so gifting them to those so-called friends was a good way to get rid of them!
When they were high from their cleverness, and lowering their guard, Micah could check Jullian's phone. That young man had a habit of drinking when he was brimming with happiness.
And when he was out cold drunk, Micah could take a quick glance at his recent contacts.
If he was lucky, he could get his hands on it.