Chapter 366: White Lotus and the Madman
Emile sat stiffly beside Micah in bewilderment. The music was low, the chatter muted, but every so often, he felt the weight of stares land on them. He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "What are you doing? I thought we were here to have fun, not... not whatever that was." He gestured faintly toward the shreds of porcelain still being swept away by staff at the entrance. "Why were you acting like a madman?"
Micah popped a strawberry into his mouth, chewing slowly. "Chill out," he said, his tone relaxed. "Here, if you aren’t intimidating enough, you’ll be eaten alive." His lips curved faintly. He lied easily, as though tossing out an offhand remark.
Emile stared at him. What a letdown! He had dressed up eagerly, expecting to watch Micah charm and seduce, but instead, he was stuck with the lunatic version.
By now, he knew what Micah had written in that post was total bullshit. Who in their right mind would come forward to flirt with a crazy person? Lucky for his uncle. Tsk.
Emile turned his head, swallowing back the retort that rose in his throat. Micah was here for another reason.
He pursed his lips. A waitress passed nearby, tray full of glasses of ruby wine. The temptation was strong. Emile reached for one, but before his fingers touched the stem, a firm hand caught his wrist.
Micah’s grip was tight. He gave Emile a sideways glance, his voice low. "No drinking."
Emile blinked. "Ha?"
"That woman hates my gut. What if she spikes our drinks?" Micah replied matter-of-factly. "If you want to take that risk, go ahead."
Emile’s throat bobbed. He quickly shook his head, pulling his hand back. "I’m fine."
He had heard from Dean and Jacklin that schemes at these gatherings ran deep. It didn’t seem so far-fetched now. If Micah distrusted the drinks, then perhaps there was something fishy.
His phone kept vibrating inside his pocket, but he didn’t check it. Emile was sure it was his uncle and cousin, asking for updates. Updates on what? What exactly could he say? That the young man, instead of flirting, had smashed a vase? That everybody was scared to come close to him? Who would believe that?
Micah sat in patient quiet, as though waiting for something inevitable. Sure enough, a group of young men finally gathered and came to him, their laughter loud and overly familiar.
"Wow! What a surprise," one of them called out, his grin forced wide.
"The sun must have risen from the west today, huh?" another chimed in.
Micah tilted his head lazily, a sly smile on his face. "Yeah, you know, I usually get hives just from seeing your faces. But what can I do? My dear friend here wanted to see how people party in the country." He gave a nonchalant shrug.
The faces of young men shifted subtly, though they quickly composed themselves. One leaned forward smoothly, eyes narrowing on Emile. "Oh? And who might that be?"
Micah lifted his chin in introduction. "Emile Collins. Grew up abroad. My friend."
The men exchanged glances. "Can he even understand us?" one blurted out.
Emile chuckled, his voice warm. "Of course I can." He flashed an innocent smile at them, like a boy freshly carved out of marble.
The contrast was stark. Micah, the notorious troublemaker, lounging with arrogant disdain, and Emile radiating purity, looking almost holy.
One of the young men seized the opportunity. Sliding onto the seat beside Emile, eyes glued to him. "Little brother, don’t be shy," he said and offered a glass of wine to him.
Emile shook his head, the chestnut curl moving up and down. "I’m not good at drinking, big brother." he blinked rapidly, eyes soft and round.
Micah’s lips twitched. That bastard was acting, pretending to be a white lotus. He disliked his sharp intuition. Emile had read him too easily, understanding he was doing all of this intentionally, and now he was choosing to play along.
Micah leaned back, studying the group. He recognised most of them. They weren’t here by chance. They belonged to Gu Feifei’s circle. Did she send them? What did they want to do?
The conversation dragged on, small talk spinning in circles, laughter too polished to be genuine. Micah ignored most of it, fingers idly cracking nuts. He wasn’t fooled.
He let them chatter while he watched their eyes. Some were nervous, some too eager to please, and others pushing just a little harder with each word.
Then it came.
"Have you heard? There’s going to be a huge auction in Isatis city, under the Francis family. They are going to showcase everything, from the latest jewellery and watches to antiques worth millions." His eyes gleamed as he turned toward Micah. "Young master, surely you’ve already received an invitation, right?"
Micah chewed the nuts slowly and glanced under his glasses. "Nope. First time I’m hearing about it."
The man gasped exaggeratedly. "Impossible! I heard they sent out the invitation long ago. Don’t be upset, I am sure they wouldn’t forget the heir to the Ramsy family. Must be some kind of mix-up."
Micah just looked at him.
Another one chuckled. "Yeah. They wouldn’t have sent it to your older sister, would they?"
Micah scoffed. "Why would they? I am the one inheriting, not her. She will be just Mrs Gu in the future."
A chorus of agreement followed, voices rising in false support.
"You’re right, young master Micah. How could they brazenly skip you?"
"You should just go, prove to them you are the heir!"
Another one leaned forward. "In that case, then why not ask Miss Gu? I heard she is friends with the organisers. Maybe she could help you get one."
"Yeah. You’re right. Anyway, she is family."
The first man spoke again. "Of course. Of course, she has a big heart; she won’t make things difficult for you."
Micah’s eyes glinted, amusement dark.
"How could the young master bow his head to her? Don’t spout nonsense."
"It is just a toast! How hard could that be?"
Micah felt these people had put so much effort, playing good cop and bad cop, encouraging him to either humble himself before Gu Feifei or lash out and appear more unreasonable. Either way, she’d win. Yeah, it didn’t matter which method Micah took; it would be in her favour.
A smirk tugged at his lips. "Heh."
He rose suddenly, the motion sharp enough to make the men startle. Without a word, he turned and stormed off. Acting as if he was going to find Gu Feifei.
Inwardly, Micah pondered what motive Gu Feifei had for dragging him to the auction, and how she could have connections to the Francis family.