Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 66

"Maddox already knows about this. Just wait until you're thrown out." Melanie let out a smug little huff as she flopped onto the couch. "Honestly, I just came over tonight to watch you fall apart."

The only reason Melanie had bothered to come home was to witness Tyrone kick Alicia out in person.

Alicia's hands shook. She wasn't afraid Tyrone would actually throw her out—it was the trouble this could bring him that scared her.

After all, they were already married, at least on paper. If all this blew up in public…

Tyrone would get dragged into the mess, no question.

Her mind spun with panic as she grabbed her phone, fingers trembling as she tapped open the trending news.

There it was. Vincent, in an on-camera interview, had admitted to the press that he'd "kept" Alicia for four years.

"Yes, it's true. There was a… financial arrangement."

Those words came straight from Vincent's mouth.

Alicia's whole body started trembling. A financial arrangement… The words echoed in her mind. Her legs went weak; she slumped against the wall, trying to steady herself, fumbling to call Vincent and demand why he'd said such a thing.

Upstairs, Tyrone came down the staircase, fresh from his shower, a robe knotted at his waist. His expression darkened when he saw Melanie had returned. "I told you before—this house belongs to Alicia now. You can't come back unless she says so."

He'd already bought Melanie an apartment near her college.

"Uncle, you should really check your phone. Maddox has been calling you nonstop—he even started calling me when he couldn't reach you." Melanie shot Alicia a triumphant look, practically daring her to say something.

Alicia, still shaking, looked pleadingly at Tyrone.

Maddox must have seen the news. That's why he'd tried Tyrone so many times.

She was terrified. Tyrone had only married her because of his grandfather's wishes.

Tyrone glanced at Alicia, then picked up his phone from the table. Sure enough, there were missed calls stacked up on the screen.

"What's going on?" he asked, choosing not to call Maddox back right away, his attention fixed on Alicia instead.

It was classic—she'd been like this before. After the bullying incident back in school, his assistant's reports said she'd developed severe depression…

"I believe you." Without thinking, Tyrone stepped forward, pulling Alicia gently into his arms. His voice, usually so steady, had a hint of urgency. "Alicia, you don't need to care what anyone says. People who slander others in public are trash, nothing more."

With Tyrone's arms around her, Alicia's breathing slowly steadied.

Her heart was still racing, her mind blank with shock, but she felt herself coming back to earth.

Melanie shot up from the couch, furious, shouting at Alicia. "Uncle, you're still defending her? She's just after your money!"

Finally, Alicia managed to get her phone unlocked, scrolling quickly to her chat history with Vincent.

There was barely anything there. They hardly ever messaged—if Vincent wanted to see her, he just showed up.

The few digital transfers he'd ever made to her, Alicia had kept careful records of every cent.