At the dining table, plates were mostly empty, but the conversation was far from over. The Ramsy family gathered around and was still deep in discussion about Micah.
"When should we go there?"
Willow asked, swirling a glass of fine wine elegantly in her hands. Her tone was half anxious half relaxed.
Aria nibbled on a chicken wing, a half-smirk playing on her lips.
"What? Are we all planning to go? Like, as a full convoy? Wouldn't that be a bit... I don't know...overwhelming? Or worse suspicious?"
"You could stay at home."
Willow shot back.
"No way! And miss the drama?!"
Aria shook her head.
"Do we bring Micah along?"
Elina asked, dismissing her daughter's banter, her fingers absentmindedly tapping against her glass, a wrinkle firming on her forehead.
"Wouldn't it be off to go without him?"
Jacob leaned back in his chair, relaxed.
"No, there is a chance that if Micah is with us, they might not tell us the whole truth,"
Willow said firmly.
"So what should we do then?"
Elina exhaled.
"Just show up on their doorstep and say what? 'Hey, we are here to fact-check our son's story?"
Aria said with a raised brow, clearly unimpressed.
"Come on, That's totally ridiculous!"
Then, Aria chuckled, her voice filled with sarcasm.
"Showing up out of the blue at their home will be like those soap dramas, you know the one where the villains, a bunch of rich folks, barge into the humble abode of the poor heroine, telling her to stay away from their precious son or threatening her…"
Aria's eyes danced with amusement.
"Aria! Watch less of those messy dramas!"
Elina snapped.
"Technically, it should be the other way around, they should be the ones visiting Micah. He is the one who got stabbed."
Willow chimed in.
"According to the clinic staff, that family had offered to visit Micah, but he refused. They said the brother and sister even insisted on sending Micah to the Hospital, but he didn't budge."
Jacob added.
Elina rubbed her temple, feeling the beginning of a headache.
"Elina, maybe it's better not to go. We don't want to scare the poor girl any more than she already was."
Jacob said, looking at his wife gently.
"No. I need to get to the bottom of this!"
Elina stared at him with determination.
"Mum, we could go. But it's better to tell the truth. That Micah has been hiding things from us."
Willow tapped a nail on the edge of her glass.
"Sure. I don't have any dignity left anyway. What's one more person finding out about Micah's latest humiliating stunt?"
Elina muttered bitterly.
"Okay. Let's go this Saturday. I'll come up with a plausible excuse to tell Micah."
Jacob sighed.
The rest of the Ramsy family exchanged glances, nodded slowly, and then began to disperse toward their rooms.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Micah was completely unaware that his family had plotted to go to Darcy and his family.
He tossed and turned in his bed, feeling frustrated.
The guilt was eating at him. He wanted to tell someone about the switched babies to ease his burden.
But there was no one to confide in...
Micah rubbed his moist eyes hastily, embarrassed even though no one was watching. What was a grown man doing crying?!
In an effort to distract himself, he grabbed his phone and opened the gallery, mindlessly swiping through the photos. Most were bland screenshots, class notes, and selfies he hated. Suddenly, His gaze caught a picture of a car license plate.
"Oh no!! That car!"
Micah sat up in the bed, feeling awkward.
He had completely forgotten about the roof of the car he had landed on.
What would be the owner's reaction to seeing his car deformed?
His conscious wouldn't let him be at ease knowing he had ruined someone's car.
Fumbling, he dialled.
"Hey, Uncle Owen?" Micah said when the call connected.
"Can you help me with something?"
A pause. Then his uncle's familiar gruff voice.
"What kind of trouble are you in now?"
"I… accidentally damaged a parked car. No one was inside. But I didn't wait around. Could you please help me find the owner so I can send compensation? Please don't tell Aunt Felicity. I don't want to stress them."
His uncle sighed, clearly used to this kind of request. "Send me the photo."
Micah sent the image, then flopped back on the bed again, staring at the ceiling as he waited.
He knew Uncle Owen would get it done, he had military access, after all. The same access Micah had accidentally taken advantage of way too many times.
One of the reasons Owen Booker didn't want his children to mingle with Micah was that he knew how much Micah had screwed up and helped him smooth things over.
A soft ding pulled him back to the present.
Receiving the text, Micah taped it on the screen. It was a number and a name.
Micah added the number and sent a message with a WeChat friend request to the owner.
RogueOverlord: Hi, Mr Ford. I think I damaged your car unintentionally, please send me the repair cost and the picture of the damage, So I can compensate you.
Sorry and thank you.
Micah felt a little better. At least he was doing the right thing.
Surprisingly, a reply came quickly.
AAA: Really? Your running back after screwing up my car was hard to miss that night.
Micah looked at the text in bewilderment.
What was he saying?! Running?
No way! Had he seen him that night?
Oh… that was so embarrassing!
Micah sank his face into a pillow and hit the mattress in mortification.
RogueOverlord: I was in a hurry. Sorry. Just Send me the bill and I'll transfer the money via WeChat.
AAA: Ha! Good luck with that! Sounds like you are living in La La Land! The sum is way higher than you can imagine.
RogueOverlord: what?
Micah frowned. He thought back to that night. He felt the car was an ordinary one, wasn't it?!
Was he trying to scam him?!
RogueOverlord: send me the picture first, and I'll get a quote for the repair cost.
AAA: you think I am lying?! Hey, you are the one at fault, brat! Just wait till I get my hands on you!
Micah pulled a face at the phone, feeling the anger from the messages. He scratched his head sheepishly.
RogueOverlord: I am trying to make things right. Most people would be grateful for receiving the money. At least I came to remedy the situation. If not, how could you find me?!
AAA: Yeah?! Two days max! I will track you down!
Micah snorted.
RogueOverlord: Wow! I am shaking! Please, this kind of threat is old news. First, This is a WeChat account. You can't easily track the mobile number. Second, Mr Alex Ford, I have the upper hand here. You don't know even my name. Who are you threatening?!
Ps: drink some hibiscus tea, it's good for your health. Wouldn't want you having a stroke at your age.
Grinning in wicked satisfaction, Micah hit send and threw the phone away.
The man was ridiculous!