Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 58

"Isn't that Alicia?"

"No way—that really is her, huh? Looks like someone's got herself a sugar daddy!"

A group of Alicia's classmates stood nearby, their voices rising above the hum of the crowd.

Anyone who knew Alicia seemed to be whispering the same thing: Alicia's been taken care of by some rich guy.

This rumor had been swirling ever since Vincent, on a whim, had picked her up from campus once or twice. His flashy car was hard to miss, and someone had snapped a photo, thrown it up on the student forum, and the gossip had taken on a life of its own.

Alicia never dared try to explain. She was terrified of causing trouble for Vincent.

"Alicia, those your friends?" Tyrone's voice cut through the chatter as he caught the tail end of her classmates' not-so-quiet conversation.

He took Alicia's hand, and right in front of them, asked with a friendly smile, "Hey, are you Alicia's friends?"

The group fell silent instantly, glancing nervously at each other. One of them managed to stammer out, "Uh… hi! Yes, we're Alicia's classmates."

Alicia's heart was pounding. Tyrone's presence was overwhelming—he radiated authority.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Alicia's husband. Legally, I might add." Tyrone flashed them another smile.

The way he said it, the confidence in his stance—it was almost like a peacock fanning its tail.

He was handsome, no question, every bit as striking as the models on magazine covers.

Just by standing there and calling himself her husband, Alicia knew she'd be the number one topic on the campus forum by morning.

Face burning, she squeezed Tyrone's hand and tugged him away, hurrying toward the food street.

"Tyrone, I thought you wanted to keep our marriage a secret?" Alicia finally whispered once they were out of earshot.

"I said we wouldn't make it a big public announcement, hold a press conference, that sort of thing. I never said we'd hide it from everyone," Tyrone replied seriously.

Alicia nodded, feeling the tension settle over them. Trying to lighten the mood, she changed the subject. "Vincent likes these burgers, too. I bought him one once, and he said it was delicious!"

That only seemed to make things worse.

Tyrone shot her a look, let go of her hand, and—without a hint of self-importance—walked over to the counter and addressed the owner. "Hey, you got a table open?"

"Sure do!" The owner wiped his hands on his apron and gestured toward a corner booth with a broad smile. "Friends of Alicia's are always welcome!"

"Hey, Mr. Thompson!" Alicia called back cheerfully, then, out of habit, picked up a burger from the counter and delivered it to a waiting customer.

"Oh, don't worry about helping today!" the owner laughed. "You brought a friend—go grab a seat. I'll fix you two the works, on the house."

Alicia grinned, hurried over, and wiped Tyrone's chair with a napkin, then pulled out a packet of sanitizer and gave the table a thorough cleaning, just in case he minded the mess.

But Tyrone didn't act the least bit bothered. He sat right down and started browsing the menu.