Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 534

The lounge area.

Alicia sat in a plush armchair, watching the bustling, noisy party from a distance.

Years ago, she had just been Vincent's secret girlfriend, forced into the shadows. Back then, she only attended these lavish events as his assistant, walking on eggshells and terrified of making a single mistake. Now that she was one of the most important guests in the room, the whole spectacle suddenly felt incredibly dull.

"Miss Shelton, do you mind if I call you Annie? Or is that too forward?" Micah asked, breaking the silence as he looked at her.

Alicia offered a polite smile. Since he had already asked, making a fuss about it would seem overly defensive. "Go ahead."

"Is there anything you want to ask me?" Micah's tone was open and refreshingly sincere. "If there's any information I have that could benefit you, I'd be more than happy to share it."

His candor sparked a flicker of curiosity in her. Logically, he was working for the Gentleman, which meant they were destined to be enemies. He had already taken over Lynch Corporation, and his next inevitable step was coming for White Corporation.

It was entirely normal for her to be on high alert, yet he acted as though he had no defenses against her whatsoever.

If this wasn't the performance of a lifetime, then he was a man of terrifyingly deep calculation.

Alicia remained silent for a moment. Micah's straightforward approach made her own hesitation feel almost petty.

She was absolutely on guard, viewing his every move through a lens of deep suspicion.

"Why did you give me that hair clip? What does it mean?" she finally asked, her brow furrowing.

"We knew each other long before you were adopted by that couple in Grandcrest City," Micah said. His gaze grew intense, dipping slightly as he lost himself in the memory.

He wanted to tell her that he had known her long before Vincent or Tyrone ever did.

Alicia froze, staring at him. "What... what do you mean?"

"Old Mr. Quinn had me late in life. My mother was a strict pragmatist. Once she got the money she wanted from him, she dumped me on his doorstep. But the old man was already seriously ill. He had the nerve to father an illegitimate child in his twilight years, but he didn't have the spine to acknowledge my existence. So, when I was brought back to the country, he abandoned me. He tossed me into a remote orphanage in Seaview City..."

The name Lyle was etched deep into her childhood memories.

But she couldn't reconcile the towering, sophisticated Micah with the boy she once knew.

Lyle had only been at the orphanage for a year before someone whisked him away.

The reason she remembered him so vividly was that they were the only two healthy, older kids left behind while everyone else got adopted.

Alicia had grown up there, but Lyle was dropped off much later.

His treatment at the orphanage had been vastly different. The director gave him a private room, and he ate entirely different meals from the rest of the children.

Even back then, Alicia knew Lyle wasn't truly abandoned. He was just being temporarily stashed there by someone wealthy.

Old Mr. Quinn might have thrown him away for the time being, but the clothes on Lyle's back, his shoes, and his daily necessities were luxuries the other orphans could only dream of.