CHAPTER 509: THE WIG STAYS ON (FOR SAFETY REASONS)

Micah’s phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence. Micah looked at the screen. It was an unknown number. He swiped to answer. "Hello?"

"Good evening, is this Mr Micah?" a polite female voice asked. "I’m calling regarding the audition you did at Ramsy Empire."

"Yes, this is he."

"Wonderful. I apologise for the late hour. But I wanted to confirm if you could attend the shooting on Sunday? Of course, we will send over the contract beforehand for your review."

Micah raised an eyebrow. That was unexpected. He had thought they were going with Ilyas.

"I thought you had already chosen someone else for the role?"

"Oh, yes, well..." The woman chuckled lightly, a hint of embarrassment in her tone. "There was a bit of friction between the director and producer. In the end, they decided to double cast."

Micah smiled. "I see. That’s fine. Send me the contract. I’ll be there."

"Perfect. Thank you, Mr Micah. Have a lovely weekend."

The call ended with a soft click.

Micah’s mood improved a bit staring at the screen. He could shoot an advertisement and even get close to Ilyas. Maybe some sketching would calm his troubled mind.

This was the first bit of good news after all that shit Leo’s family had dropped on his head.

*****

The next day, Micah woke before dawn and yawned lazily. Today was the big day. He scratched his head and went to the bathroom. Taking a quick shower, Micah dried his hair with a towel while packing Asena’s wardrobe into a soft travel bag: the silver white wig folded carefully in its satin wrap, makeup compact tucked into a velvet pouch, the pale blouses and skirts layered to avoid creases.

He left the apartment in the dim light of morning and went straight to Clyde’s place. The streets were deserted and damp, and the city still slept.

He felt more comfortable having someone know his secret. If he slipped up or made a mistake, at least someone could cover for him.

That ridiculous code Clyde had given him still made Micah’s cheeks heat when he thought about it. He punched it into the keypad with a twitch in his eyebrow. The code sounded so similar to his WeChat account, SugerPlumFairyIsLeo’wife, that disgraceful username. Looking back now, that bastard knew he crossdressed as Asena and had been teasing him with this passcode.

Ahh.... he wanted to turn back time and kill the version of himself who thought it was such a genuine idea to use this account!

How many times had Clyde laughed at him and his username behind his back? But it was strange that Clyde had never demanded Micah change it. Sometimes Clyde showed too much patience with Micah getting close to those four. Why though? Why wasn’t he jealous like when he was with Darcy?

Micah shrugged and entered the place after the keypad chimed.

He placed his bag down and looked at the familiar apartment. In such a short time, he had too many memories of this place. His eyes caught a small glass decoration on the table. He stepped forward and lifted it. It was his yellow jasmine flowers. The blooms were suspended in clear wax and glass as if trapped mid-bloom.

Micah studied it in his hands. That wasn’t bad. The first flower Clyde had given him, such a trivial thing, and yet it had meant something. He pressed the cool glass to his lips for a second, half tempted to inhale the scent that wouldn’t be there. Well, he knew it was an impossible feat to preserve the smell too.

He set the flower back down and looked around again. The place looked the same as he remembered. Micah sent a quick text to Clyde saying he had arrived. Then he went to get ready.

Clyde had wanted to tag along again, but Micah had refused. He was supposed to meet Silas later. He couldn’t let Clyde know about that.

Because he was sure Clyde would disagree with his plan. But with Francis’ family backing Silas, Micah didn’t wish to drag Clyde into the crossfire.

Micah sat at the dressing table and opened the bag. He looked at the silver wig and sighed. He couldn’t risk changing it for now. Leo’s fans knew him as Asena with this hair colour. Suddenly swapping it would raise questions and unwanted attention to himself. So the wig stayed.

By the time he was fully dressed, a pale blouse buttoned to the collar and a pleated skirt that fell just so above his ankles, he looked every bit the part.

Micah smoothed the hem of the skirt, adjusted the mask and the cap, and left the apartment in Asena’s attire.

The sun had climbed a little higher and warmed the frozen streets. Micah walked to a private room at a quiet restaurant.

Azalea was already there when he opened the door. She looked thinner than the last time he saw her. Her hair was pulled back carelessly, a few strands escaping at her temples. When she saw him, her pupils shook slightly.

Micah kept his cap low and a mask over his mouth even though he wore his Asena’s face. Caution, always. He still did not trust this woman fully. He sat across from her and handed her a thin file. Clyde’s team had dug up all about the manager’s past. It detailed how he had risen up in the company, how he had ruined many celebrities for the boss of Twilight, the woman who was fixated on Leo.

Micah still had no idea how, in the novel, Leo had managed to escape Twilight Entertainment and start his own company. But still, the manager was with Leo all those years.

The thought made Micah’s stomach churn. Had the manager blackmailed him? What did he gain from it? Or that hideous woman, the one Jacklin had trusted Leo with?

Anyway, he decided to crush them thoroughly.

Micah watched as Azalea’s expression crumbled in front of him. How her fingers trembled, one nail digging into the edge of the table. Her breath hitched, her eyes widened.

She glanced at Micah sharply. "Is this true?" Azalea whispered.

"I’m sorry," he said softly, not wanting to be harsh. "I had my doubts when you told me before. But I held back, wanting to believe you. Back then, I didn’t have proof. Now you can see for yourself...Twilight Company is rotten to the core."

Azalea’s face had turned pale. She bit down on her lower lip until it paled. "How... how could I have been so blind?" She buried her face in her hands, silent.

"Are you alright?" Micah asked. He had expected the woman to throw a tantrum or accuse him of fabricating evidence. But instead, the woman stayed quiet. Too quiet.