From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)-Chapter 224: The Cake That Started a War

Micah had slept through the afternoon and woke up starving. Something smelled really delicious. Warm, sweet, homey. His stomach growled loudly.

Still half asleep, Micah rolled out of bed, dragging his feet across the floor as he left his room. He scratched his messy hair and yawned so wide his jaw cracked.

As he walked into the kitchen, he almost bumped his shoulder into the wall.

Rubbing his eyes, he adjusted his glasses on his face. His eyes landed on the counter. A small round cake sat there. It was a little uneven on the sides, but adorable. A few strawberries had been placed nearly on the top, nestled in whipped cream. Not a masterpiece. But it looked homemade.

His brain lagged for a second before it clicked. Turning his head, he spotted Darcy, standing near the stove, quietly spooning rice into bowls.

"Why didn’t you wake me up?" he asked hoarsely, his voice rough from sleep.

Darcy put the bowl down and poured water into a glass. "I tried. But you wouldn’t get up," he said plainly, handing the glass to Micah.

"No way!" Micah took it and gulped it down. "I am not a heavy sleeper."

Darcy gave him a crooked smile. "Right. My bad. Next time, I’ll shake you hard, dump cold water on your head, or scream bloody murder. Maybe all three."

Micah pouted and sat down. "Okay. Okay. It was my fault," he muttered. "Let’s eat. That smell is killing me."

Darcy sat across from him with a smile. The two dug in quietly. The clatter of spoons filled the space between them. There wasn’t much talking, but there wasn’t any awkwardness either.

Micah finished first and leaned back, rubbing his belly. He let out a small, satisfied sigh. Then his eyes wandered again to the cake sitting on the counter. He peeked at it once. Then again. Then a third time.

"Make some tea," Darcy said without looking up. "Then you can have the cake."

"Okay," Micah jumped up too fast, hard to act casual. He turned on the kettle and grabbed his phone from the kitchen counter. He turned his back on Darcy, sneakily snapped a picture of the cake.

Then he slumped on the couch, hunched over his phone, editing it quickly. He added a filter to brighten the strawberries, typed out a caption with a grin, and hovered his finger over the post button. He was about to share it on WeChat Moments, especially in his private circle with his cousins and sisters.

That’s when...

"What are you doing?"

Micah jumped in fright and nearly dropped his phone. He slammed his thumb down in a panic.

"Oh crap," he yelped, frantically trying to hide his screen. "Why are you sneaking up on me like that?"

"I called you to come eat the cake. You didn’t answer," Darcy said, narrowing his eyes. "Hmm, were you making fun of my cake? I saw your screen..."

Micah straightened up, his face turning red. "Hell no!" he blurted. "I just... I got excited, okay? You made me a cake. I wanted to show off a little. I’ve never had anyone make one before. I was about to brag about it to my family. God. This is so embarrassing!" Micah wailed and kicked Darcy lightly in the stomach, frustrated and defensive.

He was dying inside from embarrassment. The caption he had written was so cringy. What if Darcy had read that too?

Caught off guard, Darcy stumbled back a step, bumping into the coffee table with a loud bang and nearly falling on top of it.

Micah shot up to his feet and rushed over. "Fuck. Are you okay?" He crouched down, grabbing Darcy’s legs, reaching down to pull up the hem of his pant leg. "Let me see if there is a bruise."

Darcy caught his wrists and held them firmly. "I’m fine."

"You sure?" Micah asked, looking up with round, guilty eyes. "I’m sorry. I got a bit frustrated..." he said, lowering his head and freeing his hands from Darcy’s grip. "I brought you here for a suit, but now... You ended up cooking for me and even got injured."

Micah yanked his hair and let out a pained groan. "Ah, why am I like this? Nothing ever goes my way, and now I’ve messed it up."

Darcy sat down and rubbed the back of his calf. "Why are you being so dramatic?! It was my fault for sneaking up on you. I’m not made of glass, you know. Come on. Let’s eat the cake."

Micah looked at him with adoring eyes. "Darcy! My little brother! You are such a good guy! I can practically see your angel wings glowing! If it were my family, they would have scolded me for hours!"

"Enough. I said I am not hurt." Darcy’s forehead twitched. He had only wanted to tease Micah. Never expected to be teased in return. And the moment Micah touched his legs, he felt as if he was on fire. Not to mention, now, the way Micah looked at him made his insides completely melt.

He couldn’t handle this.

Micah bounced on his feet and dropped into the chair, eyes gleaming. "Should we blow a candle or something?" he asked, excited.

"Do you even have a candle?"

"Nope."

"Then just cut it," Darcy said, handing him a knife. freёnovelkiss-com

Micah carefully sliced the cake down the middle, his hands surprisingly gentle. He placed one half onto a plate and held it out toward Darcy with both hands. "Here," he said, eyes sparkling. "Happy birthday."

Darcy stared at him, his mouth dry. The look Micah gave him was just too warm, too bright. He swallowed hard. "Thanks."

Micah took a bite and let out a soft moan. "Umm, what are you saying? I am the one who should thank you. Oh Shit! This is so good!"

Micah said, lowering his head and scooping more of the cake into his mouth, humming happily. Crumbs fell onto his shirt, but he didn’t care. His eyes were closed in joy.

Darcy watched him in stunned silence. He didn’t even want to blink. He wanted to freeze this moment forever.

He picked up his fork and tasted it for himself.

He preferred the bitter taste. Like one made with coffee, dark chocolate, matcha and even orange peel. The aftertaste of bitterness soothed him more.

Sweer, layered cakes always made his stomach churn. But this time, it wasn’t bad.

He had made something that Micah liked. And tasting it, he could at least swallow it without throwing up.

Darcy took another bite, and it was easier this time.

Micah and Darcy sat in peace, enjoying their cake, oblivious to the chaos Micah’s post had just unleashed.

On Micah’s phone screen, a WeChat moment glowed brightly.

RogueOverlord: 19th birthday, first homemade birthday cake! 😤 Haha! I’m officially the first to get one in the fam. Try calling me unpopular now, losers! 😎😏

[Attached: a photo of the cake on Micah’s kitchen counter, strawberries slightly off centre, whipped cream leaning.]