MTL NOVEL Chapter 3: His once pure and innocent mind had been tainted by this novel…
Micah had exhausted his few brain cells by overthinking about the plot, and with the lingering ache of his concussion, sleep finally claimed him in the midst of his chaotic thoughts.
The next morning, the gentle hum of conversation in the room disturbed Micah's deep sleep.
"Mum, look at this! His video was liked by thousands just a few hours from posting!"
A cheerful voice rang out, filled with amusement.
"Let me see. Ahh… my son, even in falling, is handsome!"
A gentle mature voice replied with an unmistakable warmth.
Micah groaned softly, his mind sluggish as he rubbed his eyes, blinking at the two figures seated close together on the sofa, their postures relaxed.
Grabbing His glasses from the bedside, Micah placed them on his face.
"What are you two chatting about first thing in the morning?"
Micah said in a hoarse voice. He felt like he had swallowed sand, his throat dry and uncomfortable.
Elina Palmer, his mother, immediately rose to her feet, her eyes filled with concern. She moved across the room hurriedly and poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the table.
Handing him the glass with both hands, her gaze scanning his face for any signs of discomfort.
"Micah, sweetheart, does anywhere hurt?"
Micah reached out and took the glass. Bringing it to his lips, he took a slow sip, the refreshing liquid soothed his parched throat, making him feel alive again.
He shook his head, implying that he was fine.
"We were talking about your…"
Aria, his second sister, who had been grinning at the phone, walked to the bed and began to reply to his question when Elina nudged her with her elbow sharply, cutting her off.
"It was nothing. We were just reminiscing about the last time you ended up in the hospital, do you remember? You and your cousin made a bet about who could find more crab on the beach, and you both ended up with heatstroke and the worst sunburns imaginable!"
Elina said smoothly, a smile on her lips.
Aria giggled, her eyes twinkling with mischief as she chimed in.
"You looked like charred meat, completely dark and tough! When you went back to school, you scared off your classmates. Especially your little crush, she cried on the spot…."
Micah nearly choked on his water. His face twisted in embarrassment as he remembered the incident. He set the glass down and glared at his sister.
"Mum! Second sister! That was ages ago! I was just eight years old!"
Micah protested in annoyance.
Aria shrugged, "Still, that was the truth…"
Her lips twitched as she fought back another laugh, noticing Micah's comic expression and burning ears.
Micah groaned and rubbed his face, trying to erase the mental image of his younger cooked self. Wanting to steer the conversation away from his humiliation, Micah remembered his mother's animated talk about a student.
"Oh, right, Mum, why aren't you at university today? Didn't you say you were eager to meet the top scorer of the state and extend an olive branch to him?"
His mother had been singing his praise for a week, describing the genius student's achievements while her eyes had shone with admiration.
Then, it hit him.
The colour drained from his face.
'The protagonist!'
According to the book's plot, the first meeting between mother and son was on this occasion when his mother had been full of excitement, eager to recruit the prodigious student into the mathematics world.
Darcy Edwood, like any proper protagonist, in addition to his sunny helpful personality, had a brain on par with Einstein, already winning international Math Olympiads in high school. Even though he had secured an early acceptance into university, he had still taken the college entrance exams and ranked first in the entire state.
His mother's admiration for Darcy grew as she learned about his dedication to his family's situation and his mother.
Micah was filled with guilt. He unknowingly had obscured their first reunion by being admitted to the hospital.
Elina Palmer reached out and stroked his white-coloured hair and replied.
"Of course, you are more important. I wanted to come last night but your grandfather didn't let me, saying you just need to sleep it off. You were so energetic you even cursed in front of him."
Micah let out an awkward laugh. His mind was occupied with how to redeem the situation. He did not want Darcy to miss the chance to cooperate with his mother and afterwards affect his association with Ramsy's business.
The reason the author had come up with Micah's villain behaviour was related to Darcy's high achievements and the praises his parents and sisters had given to Darcy in the past two years before the shocking revelation.
Micah in the book had felt threatened and insecure by the already huge gap between the real young master and himself, so he was driven to be an antagonist.
Micah scoffed inwardly. The author's logic was really shallow. If anything, the smartest move in this situation would be to separate himself from the conflict. Then, by securing reasonable funding and gaining a higher moral standpoint by giving back his place to the rightful owner, he could maintain his family's affection and secure a solid reputation, ultimately preventing outsiders from meddling in their family affairs.
Instead, Micah in the novel, had been consumed with jealousy, wasting years running in circles, pursuing a non-realistic dream.
Why should he have thrown away his own ambition, sacrificing his life to be consumed in Ramsy's empire business? And What was the result? He had lost both his family and himself!
Working nonstop, gaining disdain, compromising his health and wellness…
Micah shuddered.
The novel was truly outrageous.
Even Darcy, the dazzling protagonist, had been reduced to a glorified housewife, living in a golden cage waiting for his husbands.., ten years down the line, the genius sunny young man has turned into an obedient soft-spoken partner to four dominant men who controlled his life.
Micah cringed, recalling that R-19 concept in the book regarding the protagonist Shou and the four Gongs in the mansion…
What was the author thinking?!
More than half of the book portrayed how they bullied the real young master in bed…
Micah tried to block those shameful words from appearing in his head but it was futile. Like a broken tape, those words replayed, making him imagine the scenes vividly in his mind.
He wailed in his head in desperation.
His once pure and innocent mind had been tainted by this novel…
This book deserved to be banned…
Ahh…
Indeed rubbish!