MTL NOVEL Chapter 2: Swapped
After the resident doctor finished checking Micah over and confirmed he was stable for now, Albert Ramsy sighed in relief as the tension in his shoulders loosened.
The incident had given them a huge scare. He had been the closest one to the hospital when they received the call and had rushed over quickly. Now, seeing Micah sitting up and well, the weight pressing against his chest eased.
Pulling out his phone, he quickly sent voice messages to the family group via WeChat, assuring them that Micah was alright.
His son and daughter-in-law had been ready to drop everything and come running, but he had firmly disagreed.
This banquet was held once a year, gathering key figures in business, politics and research in one place, allowing them to make connections efficiently.
He knew how crucial it was for his son and wife to participate tonight.
And besides, he was in the hospital. So, he assured them that nothing would happen to Micah.
Albert put away his phone and turned his gaze to his grandson, who sat stiffly against the hospital pillow, his fingers absently twisting a loose thread on the blanket. All of it showed how nervous he was.
Albert Ramsy could guess the reason.
But before he could open his mouth to ease his grandson's mind by letting him know that he wouldn't reprimand him for now, Micah spoke.
"Granpa, you see? I am totally fine. You should head back home. I am worried about Grandma being alone."
Albert's brows furrowed slightly at the request. Their grandmother, Zhou Ruyan, had always been frail, her weak heart keeping her mostly confined to the specially remodelled house designed for her care.
Albert Ramsy hesitated as he heard Micah's words.
"Grandpa, please! Go home. There are plenty of nurses and caretakers here in the VIP ward, I will not be in danger or neglected."
Micah urged.
Albert Ramsy looked at his grandson, the sincerity clear in his eyes. He knew his grandson was genuinely worried about his grandmother.
"Alright. But if anything happens, you call me immediately!"
He instructed with a stern voice. Then, he adjusted his coat, cast one last lingering glance at his grandson, and left the room.
Sighing, Micah leaned back against the cold metal frame of the hospital bed. His fingers absently fidgeting with the hem of the blanket.
His mind was far from at ease. The more he processed the new information in his head, the more uncertain he became.
According to the book, when he turned twenty, the hospital where he was born would be shut down. While sorting through the old records, they would uncover a terrible mistake, a case of mix-up.
The initial discovery had been due to a routine check, a blood test matching mother and infant for the need for any Rh antigens vaccine, diagnosing the blood group.
However, when he was again hospitalised for neonatal jaundice ten days later, a second blood test revealed a different blood group entirely. The difference had gone unnoticed at the time, lost amidst the chaos of paper records and the lack of advanced electronic tracking systems.
Micah exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples in annoyance. Who was so idle to look at all the lab results from twenty years ago?! Well, he shouldn't have high expectations from the author of a dog-blooded novel!
In the book, the hospital had discovered several swapped cases, indicating the deliberate action of one of the nurses. The scandal was too much for the hospital to conceal and was reported by major journals and even national TV. And one of them being the offspring of the Ramsy Empire business, one could picture the uproar the revelation would cause.
Micah grimaced at the thought of being caught off guard like that in front of millions of people, cameras flashing in his face, reporters shoving microphones at him, demanding to know how he felt!
Anyway, by arresting the culprit, the truth came to light. And the Ramsy family began to search for the biological child.
The bright side was Micah had two years until that time to analyze the credibility of the information in the book and make a plan for his future just in case.
First thing first, he had to get a sample from his father, Jacob Ramsy. Hair, saliva, anything would do for a DNA test.
Micah let out a long sigh and sank deeper into the bed, his eyes closed.
The truth was, even before he read the book, a small part of him had always harboured a tiny doubt.
He didn't want to admit it, but since he was a kid, he had a slight doubt that he was different from the other Ramsy members. His hazel eyes, so different from most of the Ramsy dark eyes, were his first clue. His ability to fold his tongue, a genetic trait unique to him, had been another.
He remembered One time when his mischievous big sister pulled a prank on him, telling him they had picked him up from a trash bin on the roadside. The shock was too severe for him, resulting in a high fever. His parents had been furious with his sister, scolding her harshly. Afterwards, his family pampered him even more, showering him with affection.
But deep down, the doubt lingered. Micah felt a lump forming in his throat. Suppressing his insecurities all these years, he could guess that when, out of the blue, he had gone through a massive identity crisis publicly, his fragile mentality would be shattered. Would he truly become the bitter, vengeful young master who lashed out at his family and tormented the boy who had been robbed of his rightful life?
He exhaled and relaxed his tense muscles. No, his gut told him he wasn't that kind of person.
He had a big pride, and most of his impulses and hot-tempered actions sprouted from his prideful behaviour. He wasn't cruel. He had always thought of himself as someone with a strong sense of justice, someone who wouldn't turn his anger on the innocent. Sure, his mouth did not have a filter and sometimes spouted curses and nonsense, but.…
How could he bully the young man whom he had seized his family and wealth for the past twenty years?
How on earth would he compete with him? The idea felt absurd. If anything, he owed the boy an apology for living the life that should have been his.
He knew this blow was too big for him, but he was different from that fake described in the book!
Micah ran a hand through his messy hair, the touch causing a pain to shoot through his head.
"Ouch…"
He grimaced.
Picking up his phone, he began to search for the names he had read in the book. A small part of him was hopeful that there wouldn't be any result from searching those names. That all of it was just a nightmare.
But the screen on his phone showed the reality he didn't want to accept.
After a few minutes, he threw the phone away in frustration.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, not at Darcy, or himself, but at the so-called love interest in the book!
Yeah! The most infuriating part was those scum gongs surrounding the protagonist!
In the book, Darcy Edwood was described as a sweet, warm delicate man, a filial son, a person who did his best to fulfil his role as a good son and older brother despite the hardships he had endured. But instead of being cherished, he had been surrounded by ruthless possessive men who claimed to love him while making his life a living hell! How could those big shots torment this sweet young man?
Unknowingly, Micah had formed a soft spot for the protagonist. Even though the Author wrote the story as if the protagonist also had feelings for those MLs, Micah was sure no one had the capacity to fall in love with those scum and psychos! They were toxic and manipulative!
What kind of love was that?!
This was utter nonsense!
He had this massive guilt toward the protagonist. When he was on holiday on some exotic island with his family, the protagonist was working part-time to help his sick mother, preventing her from overworking. When he celebrated his birthday in Disneyland in Paris, the protagonist was helping his grandparents on a farm, sleeping in a harsh cold environment.
The protagonist's family was complicated. The father had been dead for five years, leaving the protagonist's mother with her son and daughter without any income. Before that, they had an average income and lived like a normal family. But one day the father had an accident and the mother fell ill as a result of the husband's departure.
In the book, the mother's Chronic illness was cured with the help of the Ramsy family and those big shots. Yet the biological son, aka Micah, had never visited the sick mother or the small sister and instead had hindered the mother's treatment!
What the hell?!
How could he be so heartless?
Yeah, he may have been living a life that wasn't his, but he would be damned if he let his story follow the same script!