Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 586

Brandon shot Clayton a calculated look. Realizing he was outmatched, he said nothing, slipped back into the car, and ordered his driver to leave. He wasn't ready to cross swords with Clayton just yet.

Once the car was gone, Jade instinctively took a step back, putting distance between herself and Clayton. "Thank you," she stammered nervously.

As her racing heart settled, she spoke again. "I'm sorry..."

She kept her head down, repeating the apology.

She really had changed. The arrogant heiress who used to think she was above apologizing now made it her first instinct.

When Clayton remained silent, she forced herself to continue. "I really am sorry. It was entirely my fault. I thought finding a body double for Sue would work, so..."

"You're just as idiotic as ever. You recycled the exact same scheme from when Nicole White was involved. Do you have anything useful rattling around in that skull of yours?" Clayton scowled, sounding intensely frustrated, like a teacher scolding a hopeless student.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and climbed into his car. Jade stood on the sidewalk, entirely unsure of what to do.

"Get in. We're going home," Clayton barked.

Snapping back to reality, Jade nodded quickly and slid into the passenger seat, sitting rigidly beside him.

"Do you believe that people can actually change after facing a crisis?" Clayton asked, his eyes locked on her.

He was conflicted. Part of him refused to believe Jade could ever shed her toxic nature, but another part desperately hoped this transformation was real.

"When I was little..." Jade began, staring at her lap, her voice raspy. "The kids in the slums couldn't afford preschool. A few of us would sneak onto the school grounds and hide under the windows to listen to the teacher read stories. There was one about a boy who cried wolf..."

She let out a self-deprecating laugh. She knew the moral perfectly. If you lie too much, no one believes you when you finally tell the truth.

Her eyes were shining with unshed tears as she looked at Clayton. "But do you think it's possible? That the boy who kept crying wolf wasn't inherently evil? That maybe he just wanted someone to pay attention to him? He lied, yes, but when the wolf actually came, he fought with everything he had to fix it. Only by then, no one believed him."

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