Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 568

She didn't know what to say. Even if she poured her heart out and told him how deeply she regretted treating him that way, it wouldn't mean a thing to the man he was today.

The dining room.

When Jade finally emerged, Clayton and Susanna were already eating breakfast. They hadn't waited for her.

Not that she had expected him to.

“Clayton, are you really going to let her stay here? I'm just worried she's unstable. What if she gets violent again...” Susanna said loudly, knowing perfectly well Jade was listening.

Clayton didn't even look up. He offered a gentle smile. “Everything I have was given to me by Reginald. Letting her stay won't bankrupt me. If you're uncomfortable living with her, I can buy you a separate house and put it in your name.”

Susanna's eyes gleamed with excitement for a fraction of a second before the reality of his words set in. He was telling her to move out, not Jade. Her expression stiffened in awkwardness.

She fell silent for a moment before muttering, “That's not what I meant.”

Jade waited until their exchange ended before approaching the table. Without a word, she sat down and quietly began to eat.

Mrs. Lowell served her breakfast with a warm smile, even sneaking an extra fried egg onto her plate.

Susanna looked visibly irritated but kept her mouth shut, claiming she had lost her appetite before storming back to her room.

“I heard you're going back to White Corporation. Alicia is soft-hearted. Since she's giving you a second chance, keep your head down and do your job. If you start scheming for things that don't belong to you, no one will be able to save you.” Clayton slid a bank card across the table. “Take this. Don't starve to death before your first paycheck.”

Jade had kept her gaze firmly fixed on her plate, refusing to look at him until she saw the card. She snapped her head up.

A compassionate heart seemed to be a common trait among those who clung to their faith.

“Thank you. I'll pay you back next month,” she said softly, not refusing the offer. She genuinely didn't have a dime to her name for food.

Since he was offering a lifeline, she would simply repay him with interest when the time came.

Clayton stared at her for a long, scrutinizing moment, his gaze sharp with a silent warning not to pull any stunts.

When Jade arrived at the office, she discovered her facial recognition data had already been logged into the security system.

She breezed right through the turnstiles.

She hadn't expected Alicia to be so incredibly efficient, having it sorted out first thing in the morning. She had halfway expected Alicia to forget, or to use the opportunity to humiliate her at the front desk, considering all the awful things Jade had done to her.

But she had clearly projected her own narrow-mindedness onto others. Or perhaps, Alicia simply didn't view her as someone worth the effort of revenge anymore.

“Project Director White,” a few former subordinates sneered as they stepped into the elevator with her.

Once the highest-ranking executive of the department, she was now just a mid-level drone.

The plunge in status was glaringly obvious.

“Never thought the high-and-mighty director would stoop to accepting charity. We figured you'd rather die than work for minimum wage,” one employee mocked, viewing Jade as a defeated stray dog forced to survive on pity.