CHAPTER 512: MISSION FAILED SUCCESSFULLY (PART TWO)

Jacklin looked at Dean, lips pressed together. Her gaze flickered from Emile to the girl standing awkwardly beside him. Asena. Why was she here?

She had searched for her for an entire year after Little Uncle took an interest in her, but with no success. Then, she suddenly appeared in front of her again. Jacklin had been overjoyed, thinking that Clyde might finally have someone by his side.

But then came that young man, Micah. And everything turned upside down after he appeared.

In the end, after countless discussions, she and Dean had decided to support their uncle in pursuing Micah. They could not drag Asena into it again. It would be selfish of them.

And with how Asena had kept her face hidden under a mask and hat, and the way she didn’t acknowledge her as big sister from the fan meeting, it meant she also didn’t want to talk about that painful experience. She probably was hurt by Little Uncle’s attitude. So she didn’t say a word. The only one still had not recognised Asena was Emile.

Micah shifted slightly, uneasy under their stares. He tugged the brim of his cap lower. "I should get going..."

"Ah, beautiful sister! Wait!" Emile reached out and grabbed Micah’s wrist.

Micah’s heart leapt, stunned. Why did Emile cling to him?! Couldn’t he see he was itching to run away?! No, wait, did he have a crush on him?

"What?" Micah stammered in his girly voice.

"Your hand is bleeding!" Emile lifted his wrist, showing the wound.

Micah looked at his palm. The skin was scraped raw and bright red. He must have injured it during the rescue. "Oh..." he muttered faintly, as if noticing it for the first time.

Emile turned toward Dean, alarmed. "Cousin, there must be a pharmacy around here. Can you grab something for her wound?"

Dean jolted, nodding. "On it." He left quickly, disappearing into the crowd.

With things progressing between him and Aria, Dean still preferred Micah over Asena. Supporting Micah also meant indirectly supporting himself in pursuing Micah’s sister. So when he spotted Asena, he feigned ignorance. But now, seeing her hand wounded, he couldn’t just stand by.

Jacklin gently took him by the shoulder. "Come, sit for a moment." Her tone was firm but kind. She guided him toward a nearby bench tucked in front of a cafe. The onlookers, knowing what had happened earlier, emptied a space for them. Micah sat stiffly, glancing down, feeling the stares of others.

Micah sighed inwardly. He didn’t know what to do with these Du Ponts. They were too much sometimes, too intense, too kind! He hadn’t the heart to push them away.

So he obeyed them when they treated the wound on his palm. Emile washed Micah’s hands with a bottle of water purchased from the cafe.

The water trickled over his palm, cold against the warmth of his skin. He hissed softly at the sting. Emile didn’t stop. "Sorry, sorry, it’ll be over soon."

Jacklin handed over a tissue, and Emile dabbed around the wound carefully. His movements were clumsy but sincere, his brows furrowed in concentration.

Dean returned a minute later with a small plastic bag. He handed it over. "Here. Antiseptic, bandages."

Jacklin opened the kit efficiently. "Hold still."

Micah complied. She cleaned the wound again and wrapped it neatly.

"Thank you," Micah said quietly once she finished.

"Be careful next time," Emile said softly. "I still think it is better if you get a tetanus shot too. Just to be safe. Are you vaccinated?"

Micah nodded. "I am. Don’t worry."

He stood up and thanked them again. He turned to leave when Emile called him again. "Wait. Can I have your number?"

Micah’s mind blanked.

Before he could come up with an excuse, both Dean and Jacklin snapped in unison: "No!"

Micah flinched and looked at them.

Emile was also puzzled. "What?"

Dean exchanged a look with Jacklin; their expression tightened. They had messed up. "Nothing. Go ahead." Dean muttered, resigned. Explaining it only made the situation worse.

Micah knew they had recognised him as Asena by now. But why were they treating him so coldly... after that fiasco at that resort, after praising Asena, calling her Madam of the Du Pont family... That embarrassing title. His ears burned.

And now Emile wanted his number... wait! He hadn’t recognised him as Asena, had he?

Oh... that made sense now.

Well, that didn’t affect him the slightest. Micah shrugged inwardly. He didn’t care. They would let Emile know soon. He wrote his WeChat account and handed it to Emile. He wouldn’t accept the friend request anyway. Blocking was the next step if he persisted.

Micah gave them a nod as a goodbye and finally left. His shoulders slumped as the tension disappeared. Thank god, no one suspected he was Micah.

Behind him, Emile stared at his phone, a smile spreading on his face.

"Wipe that goofy smile off your face!" Jacklin snapped. "That’s not gonna happen."

Emile tilted his head. "What? Why not? Wasn’t she perfect? Where do you find a girl with that kind of courage and gentleness? And she’s beautiful? My heart literally skipped a beat the moment I saw her. Do you think she’d go out with me?"

Dean groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Emile!"

"What’s with you two?" Emile asked, glancing between the two, bewildered. "Finally, I meet someone amazing, and you are making that face?"

Jacklin sighed loudly. "She is off-limits. If you want to be completely kicked out of the family, be on your next flight out of the country, go after her."

Emile gasped. "What? That even makes no sense."

Jacklin hesitated. "She is.... Asena," she said finally.

Emile froze for a second, then wailed loudly. "No way!"

The outburst drew stares from nearby passersby.

"Has he lost his mind from shock?" Dean whispered as Emile faked crying dramatically.

Jacklin just rolled her eyes. "He’s on it again."

Dean and Jacklin shook their heads, unimpressed by Emile’s response.

"Let’s go. I have tons to do." Jacklin muttered.

Dean followed her quietly.

Emile straightened, wiping the tears from the corner of his eye. "No one cares about me!" he mumbled, dispirited.