Tyroneâs car idled by the curb. He rolled down the window and gave the horn a quick tap.
Alicia jumped in surprise, then hurried over, not expecting Tyrone to actually drive himself here. âWhereâs Felix?â
âSent him home,â Tyrone replied, his tone making it clear Felix had been in the way.
Alicia tried the back door, but it wouldnât budge. She peeked over at Tyrone from the passenger side. âHey, the back doorâs locked.â
âRide up front,â Tyrone said, glancing at her.
With a little âOh,â Alicia obediently climbed into the passenger seat.
âWant to grab burgers at that place near your campus?â Tyrone asked.
Aliciaâs eyes lit up. She nodded eagerly, then turned to him in surprise. âWaitâhow did you know I havenât eaten?â
Tyrone just sighed, exasperated but amused. The fact that sheâd left at this hour, alone, made it obvious she and Vincent mustâve had a fightâand that sheâd probably skipped dinner.
âYou argued with Vincent, didnât you?â he asked, glancing at her.
Aliciaâs mood immediately dropped. âNo...â she muttered, shaking her head.
Tyrone let the subject drop, switching topics. âHowâs that girl youâve been mentoring? Did she do well on her exams?â
Alicia hesitated, caught off guard. She stayed silent for a moment.
Tyrone shot her a look but didnât push.
âShe did really well... ranked somewhere in the top twenty for the whole state,â Alicia finally murmured, twisting her fingers in her lap.
âItâs not me whoâs been helping her, though. Itâs Vincent...â she added quietly.
Tyrone left it at that. He already understood.
Alicia spent the entire drive lost in thought, barely saying a word.
When they arrived at the parking lot, Tyrone got out first and reached for Aliciaâs hand without a word.
She looked at him, her thoughts drifting to the photo and video Vincent had shown her earlier. Just how much did Vincent care for Serena, that heâd go to such lengths to marry her? Heâd even spent a fortune to hire Alicia as his decoy.
As they passed a yogurt stand, Tyrone asked, âWant to grab some yogurt?â
Alicia snapped out of her thoughts and nodded quickly. âLet me treat you this timeââ
Tyrone didnât respond. After Alicia ordered two fruit yogurts, he quietly paid on his phone before she could stop him.
âBut I said Iâd pay...â Alicia protested, a little embarrassed. She could at least afford yogurt.
âThen... let me cover burgers,â she offered.
Tyrone nodded.
During the meal, Alicia barely touched her food, distracted and distant. Her phone buzzed several times, but she ignored it.
The caller was Nola.
Over the years, Nola had rarely reached out to Alicia, not even sending holiday greetings. Alicia had always chalked it up to Nola being busy with schoolâshe was still in high school, after all.
But Nola messaged Vincent on every holiday, always finding reasons to check in, even when there wasnât any occasion. Sheâd text things like, âThe fluâs going aroundâbe careful and wear a mask, big brother,â or, âItâs getting hot outâdonât forget to stay cool.â
If Nola ever did contact Alicia, it was only because she couldnât get hold of Vincent and needed something important.
Now, Aliciaâs phone kept buzzing with Nolaâs calls, but she refused to pick up.
Nola, however, was persistent. If Alicia didnât answer, she just kept calling.
Worried Tyrone might think something was wrong, Alicia finally gave in and picked up. âHello?â
âAlicia, are you mad at me?â Nolaâs voice came through, anxious and choked with tears. âIâm sorry... Is it because Iâm too close with Vincent and itâs making you upset? But youâre not his girlfriend, are you?â
Alicia took a deep breath. âYouâre overthinking it. I have things to do. Iâve got to go.â
Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent)
ï¤Chapter 159 Transmigration: I Have Storage Space in the Apocalypse ï¤Chapter 760 - 756: Encountering a Man with Evil Intentions âWaitâSis, I know you like Vincent. On my eighteenth birthday last year, he told me you two werenât together. He said you liked him, but he only kept you around because he felt sorry for you. Heâs the one who paid your college tuition, right? Weâre the same, you know. Iâm just another student heâs helping, just like you.â