Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 594

At the Edwards Group headquarters.

Melisande sat behind her massive executive desk, spinning an expensive fountain pen between her fingers, deep in thought.

It had been a while since Clayton discovered Susanna was a fraud, yet he hadn't made a single move.

Melisande, who usually possessed infinite patience, was starting to feel a flicker of restlessness.

She had always viewed herself as the grandmaster of this chessboard, perfectly content to wait for Clayton to take the bait. But now, it seemed Clayton was playing a game of his own...

She let out a cold laugh. She refused to believe Clayton was incapable of tracing the scheme back to her.

If he were truly that incompetent, she would never have selected him as her prime candidate for marriage.

But his silence was deafening.

He was the only man in the corporate world she couldn't completely read.

Once upon a time, Tyrone Lynch had been her ideal match, but the man had been plagued by tragedy and supposedly met an early grave. Now, Clayton was the only asset capable of elevating her empire.

She had considered Micah Quinn, extending an olive branch, but he hadn't even given her a second glance.

Besides, Micah worked for the Gentleman and was entirely focused on Alicia. Melisande knew she wasn't on his radar, so she discarded the idea.

Then there was Vincent Lawson. Anyone who could pull the Lawson family out of total ruin and rebuild their empire in such a short time was undeniably a powerhouse. But just like Micah... Vincent's eyes were glued to Alicia.

Melisande had no immediate desire to make an enemy out of Alicia. The woman was far more dangerous than her fragile exterior suggested.

The fact that players like Jade and Natalia had been systematically dismantled by Alicia proved that the woman was brilliant and ruthless to her core.

Moreover, they both shared the same roots—survivors of the orphanage system. Melisande actually felt a strange sense of kinship with her.

But very few knew the identity of his biological father.

His father was Preston Pierce, the wealthiest tycoon in Tarsia. A legendary playboy who maintained three official wives abroad and countless mistresses back home.

Preston came from extreme old money, studied in Vesperia, and eventually built a monolithic commercial empire in Tarsia.

Clayton was the product of Preston's affair with one of his domestic mistresses.

His mother had been Preston's personal assistant, managing his life whenever he returned from overseas. Since Preston spent nearly a decade splitting his time between Tarsia and his homeland, she became one of his many lovers.

But she was the only woman who managed to give him two sons.

Eventually, Clayton's mother grew tired of being a dirty secret. She demanded Preston legitimize her and the boys. When Preston refused and permanently relocated his operations to Tarsia, he abruptly cut all ties.

Consumed by bitterness and despair, she took her anger out on the boys. Unable to bear the psychological weight, she drowned herself, leaving them to the orphanage.