Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 577

Melisande nodded in satisfaction, a slow smile spreading across her lips. "You and Easton Lynch went to school together, didn't you?"

Jude paused for a second before nodding. "Yes."

"Do you have any plans for after graduation?" she asked, her voice soft but her gaze as venomous and chilling as a viper's.

Jude thought for a moment. "I'll do whatever you say."

"Get close to Easton. Make sure he trusts you implicitly. Wherever he goes, you follow. If he joins Edwards Group, you go there. If he heads to Lynch Corporation, you join them. If he pivots to White Corporation, you do the same. I want you to watch his every single move. Do you understand?" she demanded, locking eyes with him.

Jude nodded firmly. "I understand, Melisande."

Pleased, she grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him down for another bruising kiss.

...

The Edwards Ancestral Home.

Sampson Edwards, dressed impeccably in a traditional tailored suit, stood in the quiet courtyard with an air of profound authority, carefully setting out a ceremonial meal.

"The very first plate of food is always offered to the heavens and the earth," Sampson explained to Easton, holding up a dish of handmade wild-green dumplings.

Easton, a man who had grown up in a quiet southern coastal town, wasn't familiar with these elaborate old-money rituals, but he listened with rapt attention.

Sampson followed a strict personal philosophy. On the surface, he appeared entirely unbothered by worldly desires, like a retired master living in seclusion.

"My dad foraged those greens and made the dish himself. He wouldn't let anyone help. Even we rarely get to taste his cooking," Connor Edwards said with a laugh, stepping out of the kitchen with a few rustic side dishes.

Sampson smiled and nodded. "You boys should learn a thing or two from Easton."

Sampson genuinely admired the younger man, and not just because Patriarch Maddox Lynch had personally designated him as the heir to Lynch Corporation.

More importantly, it was Easton's sheer competence and solid character that won him over.

As a result, he sincerely treated Easton like part of the family.

Pamela chimed in with a laugh as she helped set the table. "Dad, I'm starting to think Easton is your biological son instead of me."

Sampson's smile didn't waver. "If I had a son this capable, I could have retired years ago."

Easton looked a bit bashful, but he could feel the genuine warmth radiating from the older man.

Yet, she kept repeating the same brutal mantra in her head: she deserved this. She had brought this entirely on herself.

Every ounce of torment she endured from now on was simply a way to pay off her massive debts. She had to take it...

Forcing back a sob, she wiped her face and attempted to stand. Her leg instantly buckled, sending her crashing right back down onto the floor.

She reached for the edge of the shoe cabinet, determined to haul herself up, when a tall shadow suddenly loomed over her. Clayton was standing right in front of her.

Dressed in casual loungewear and slippers, he stared down at her with a deep frown. "Have you been drinking?"

Her eyes were completely bloodshot as she desperately shook her head, tears spilling over her lashes.

It was only then that Clayton realized something was horribly wrong. His gaze locked onto the growing puddle of blood beneath her foot. A rare flash of panic crossed his features. He immediately flipped on the hallway lights, scooped her effortlessly into his arms, and strode toward the front door.

Jade looked up at him in sheer panic. "I can get to the hospital on my own... You should go back to sleep."

Clayton just scowled, ignoring her completely. It was too late to call for a driver, so he carried her straight out to his car, carefully depositing her into the passenger seat before speeding off into the night toward the emergency room.

He probably didn't even realize it himself—a man who was always the epitome of cold, calculated control had been in such a frantic rush to save her that he hadn't even bothered to change out of his slippers.