Chapter 386: Mummy on Date
Micah stepped out of the cafe and walked toward the car, deep in thought. His brows drew together beneath the shadow of his cap, chewing the inside of his cheek. He had his suspicions that Azalea turning into a black fan had something to do with the manager. But now, after hearing the story, his hope sank. There was no evidence. The story was too vague. Maybe in the end, he couldn’t find anything useful from her.
He exhaled through his nose, the breath heavy enough to fog his glasses briefly. He slowed his steps as the car came into view. His hand lifted toward the door handle, but before he could touch it, another hand grasped it first. Clyde stood beside him, opening the door for him with a calm expression.
Micah blinked once, then glanced at him, his brow arched. "Had your fun?" His voice was filled with sarcasm.
Clyde shook his head slowly; his gaze flashed with a touch of unease. "Sorry..."
Clyde had never thought his presence in an ordinary cafe would draw so much attention. Halfway through the conversation, he slipped out before the commotion could disturb Micah and that black fan. Instead, he had sent the driver inside to keep an eye on that woman.
Micah sighed and slid into the seat without another word. Clyde closed the door gently, circling the car before settling beside him.
Micah pulled his mask down and spoke again. "Help me check her claim. I’m sure she is delusional."
"What did she say?" Clyde asked, curious.
"That Leo tried to assault her," Micah said, rolling his eyes. "And that manager swooped in as her saviour."
Clyde raised an eyebrow, his expression turning bewildered.
"Yeah, exactly that! I was surprised too. Man. I walked in with such high expectations, thinking I could gain something solid. But all I got were half-truths and dramatic wordings. Nothing to back it up." Micah grumbled.
Clyde studied him for a moment before speaking. "Let’s check her details and story. Maybe there’s CCTV from that night. Something objective she had missed."
Micah’s head shifted, his cap brim skidding as he muttered. "Yeah. I should contact that hacker too..."
Clyde’s gaze sharpened instantly. "What hacker? Don’t involve yourself with this. I’ll handle it, okay?"
Micah turned to look at him properly this time, searching Clyde’s face. There it was again, that flicker of worry in his eyes; he sighed, shoulders sinking. "Alright."
"Thank you..." Clyde said, the tension in his features softened. "What do you wanna do next?"
Micah dragged a hand across his bruised cheek. "I should head home. But..." His lips twitched. "Can we grab lunch first? If I go back now, they will nag me until I lose my appetite."
"Okay. Royal Dragon Pavilion, then?"
Micah made a face, turning his head away. "No. I don’t want them to see my face. And I ate there yesterday. Pick somewhere else. Somewhere private."
"Sure," Clyde said, then he leaned forward, lowering down the automatic partition with a smooth press of his hand. His voice shifted to the crisp authority of command as he told the driver a restaurant’s name, then slid the partition back up.
When he turned back, his expression carried a teasing edge. "Are you planning to eat while wearing that?" His hand gestured vaguely at Micah’s disguise.
Micah glanced down at himself, then he shrugged. "Yeah. I don’t have the energy to change. I’m starving. What? Do you have a problem with it?"
"I don’t mind going on a date with a limited edition, umm should I say Egyptian style mummy version?" Clyde replied, eyes full of amusement.
"Fuck! What mummy? Do you want a piece of me?" Micah glared at him.
Clyde chuckled under his breath. "I stand corrected. I don’t mind going on a date with this beautiful girl."
Micah’s eyelids twitched, feeling Clyde’s purpose of living had turned to just teasing him. "Oh, right. I forgot you had already pulled that stunt on me once before." Micah snorted. "Tsk. Contracted girlfriend."
"Umm," Clyde said and leaned closer. "It was fun... especially the part where you got jealous."
Micah snapped his head. "Who was jealous? I was just shocked! Shocked that your morals were that low! Offering something like that to a girl you met twice!"
"That’s not fair. I recall you had accused me of the same thing before. How did I answer? Oh, right. I said I knew you were Micah’s sister, and you didn’t deny it... so now should I call you little sis..." Clyde’s words cut off with a grunt as Micah’s fist jabbed into his side.
"Shut up!" Micah growled, his voice filled with embarrassment. "Say one more word and I swear I’ll hit you so hard even your nephews won’t recognise you!"
Clyde smiled, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Alright, alright."
Micah huffed and turned around. He felt his face was burning like a fire. Stupid Clyde. Always teasing. The man had too many handles on him. In each one of his embarrassing moments, Clyde was always there to witness it!
Finally, they arrived at a high-end restaurant. Clyde opened the door for him. Micah stepped out, his skirt swinging in the wind. Fortunately, his simple attire was not too out of place for this kind of setting. He was about to stride toward the entrance when Clyde extended an arm in front of him.
Micah paused and looked at him in question.
"May I escort you, Mademoiselle?" Clyde asked, lips quirking.
Micah’s mouth twitched, ready to smack the arm away when Clyde leaned down. "Don’t you want to be my date? What if someone approaches me again, like in the cafe?"
Micah exhaled and lifted his hand, resting in the crook of Clyde’s elbow. He hated it that the man was taking advantage of him by using the earlier incident. But he could feel the eyes around them, curious gazes drawn inevitably to Clyde. The man had become too eye-catching after he had shed his businesslike attire.
At least before, no one would have stepped forward, thinking they might accidentally offend some big shot. Now, Clyde looked composed, attractive, and authoritative, yet not intimidating enough to push them away. He looked like a delicious walking testosterone, inviting people to approach.
Together, they entered the restaurant. Micah, still in hat and mask, stood out like a sore thumb in the lobby.
The waitress didn’t comment, only smiled politely and led them to a semi-private room.
Micah put his cap away once they sat down and looked around. The glass wall revealed a garden surrounded by sky-high buildings.
"Not bad."
Clyde gave him the menu. "Here. Don’t choose spicy or too oily dishes."
Micah took the menu. "Alright. Why are you always lecturing me? You and Darcy have..." he stopped mid-sentence.
Darcy...
He pursed his lips, expression dropping. The image flashed in his mind: the young man’s back leaving his room this morning seemed so lonely. Was he okay?