Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 230

On their fourth day in the Maldives, Tyrone’s phone rang. It was his grandfather, asking him to come home.

“What’s wrong?” Alicia asked as she came in from the balcony, noticing the cloud on Tyrone’s face.

“My grandfather wants me to come back for a bit,” Tyrone replied quietly.

Alicia had a hunch this wasn’t as simple as a family visit. Tyrone wouldn’t look like this if it were.

“I’m flying to Harboridge City tomorrow. You and Yvonne should go back to Seaview City together,” Tyrone said, ruffling Alicia’s hair, gently steering her away from whatever trouble awaited him.

Alicia hesitated, looking up at him. “I could go with you.”

He fell silent for a long moment, then shook his head. “No. It’s fine.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to let Alicia see the scars of his past—he just couldn’t bear to. He wanted to be her rock, someone unbreakable, flawless in her eyes. Whatever ugly secrets the Lynch family harbored, he didn’t want Alicia to be dragged into them.

Alicia could tell—there were parts of Tyrone’s life he never wanted her to know. She wondered if she was overstepping by even offering.

Maybe she had gotten too comfortable. Tyrone had been so good to her lately that she’d almost forgotten theirs was a marriage of convenience, nothing more.

—

Alicia returned to Seaview City with Yvonne. At the airport, a man was waiting for them.

“Hello, I’m Sean Quinn,” he introduced himself, extending a hand.

Alicia shook it quickly. “Hi… I’m Alicia.”

Yvonne rolled her eyes. Sean could be infuriating: he’d let her have her way with everything else, but when it came to Tyrone, he never budged. She’d tried to mend the rift between nephew and uncle before, but neither one would give in. Both were stubborn to the bone.

Tyrone refused to acknowledge he had an uncle. Sean refused to admit Tyrone was his nephew. It was as if they were strangers—worse than strangers, really.

Yvonne remembered seeing them at a Chamber of Commerce gala once. They’d each pretended the other didn’t exist, not even a nod of recognition between them.

Alicia struggled with her curiosity, glancing at Yvonne, wanting to ask, but swallowing the question. Best not to pry. It was clear neither Sean nor Tyrone wanted anyone poking around in their business.

Sean dropped Alicia off at home and left with Yvonne.

Yvonne was wonderfully kind to Alicia. She gave her her number, every possible contact, and even left a mountain of snacks. It felt like being fussed over by a doting older sister.

There was something so warm and approachable about Yvonne that Alicia couldn’t help feeling at ease. These past few days in the Maldives had been genuinely happy ones, filled with new friends and connections. She realized she’d finally started to find her own place in their world.