Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 365

When he was a child, he was made to kneel outside in the pouring rain all night. Feverish and delirious, he could only watch as his mother stood at a distance, her cold gaze fixed on him. Instead of comfort, she scolded him for being a disappointment, for never managing to win Stephen’s affection the way that woman’s sly, fawning son did.

It was almost laughable.

In a home like that, no one ever taught Vincent what love was.

So, when he met Alicia, his first instinct was to claim her, to hide her away, to keep her from the world’s gaze.

Because anything he cared about—anything Stephen disapproved of—was destined to be destroyed.

All he could do was keep Alicia hidden. He knew Stephen would never let him marry a woman with no status or family name.

He couldn’t offer Alicia marriage. Still, he naively believed that hiding her away would be enough to protect her.

How foolish. Alicia never wanted that kind of suffocating, possessive love.

Raised in such a warped family, Vincent only succeeded in pushing Alicia further and further away.

How pathetic.

Tyrone was right—he truly was pitiful.

“Vincent… looks like your luck’s finally run out.” As soon as Stephen left, Mayfield swaggered over, gloating. “You’d better get used to kneeling. Whatever you did to have me beaten today, I’ll pay you back a hundred times over.”

Mayfield strutted past Vincent, then paused, a sneer curling at his lips. “Oh, and about Tyrone—you still think he has a chance to make a comeback? Let me tell you, Dad’s already teamed up with the other heavyweights at the Seaview Chamber of Commerce. They’re closing in on all fronts. No one will invest in Tyrone, no one will even touch his projects. He’s going to rot at the bottom for the rest of his life.”

Mayfield shot Vincent a mocking look. “You’ve always acted so high and mighty, like I’m beneath you because I’m illegitimate. But even I can see what you can’t: Tyrone’s finished. He’ll never crawl out of the gutter.”

Vincent let out a cold laugh.

Idiot.

“Alicia, what happened? Why are you late?” Winnie Ryan whispered, careful not to draw the attention of the foreign professor already at the podium.

“Tyrone’s a jerk,” Alicia grumbled under her breath. “He turned off my alarm—on purpose.”

Winnie stifled a laugh. She knew exactly what Tyrone was up to.

If Alicia hadn’t insisted on studying abroad, Tyrone’s original plan had been to keep her by his side at all times.

But unlike Vincent, Tyrone was willing to respect Alicia’s choices, to give her freedom and support.

“Alicia, my granddad’s throwing me a birthday party this weekend—don’t you dare chicken out.” Nicole White tossed a glossy invitation onto Alicia’s desk, her tone dripping with smugness. “I heard Tyrone’s coming too. After all, it’s a big event—tons of important people. He’ll want to make some connections.”

“Winnie, you better come too. It’s going to be quite the show,” Nicole added, her voice laced with thinly veiled malice.

Winnie rolled her eyes. “What, scared no one will remember your birthday? Or are you just worried you won’t live to see the next one?”