âDonât be afraid. Iâm here.â Tyrone pulled her closer, his voice low and soothing as he held her in his arms.
Alicia caught the metallic scent of blood and the sharp tang of whiskey clinging to him. Alarmed, she flicked on the lamp and stared at the crimson stains blooming across his white shirt. Her hands trembled as she ran them over his body, searching for wounds, until her fingers brushed over the fresh marks where his skin had been broken.
âYou went back to the family estate?â she whispered, then immediately turned to fetch the first aid kit, her movements quick and anxious as she began tending to his wounds.
Tyrone didnât answer. He just sat there in silence, watching her.
Once sheâd patched him up, Alicia looked up at him. âEastonâs come to Harboridge City, hasnât he?â
He said nothing. Instead, he pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her as if needing to anchor himself. âAlicia...â
The smell of alcohol clung to himâheâd clearly been drinking heavily.
Aliciaâs heart ached for him. She hugged him tighter. âIâm here.â
âYouâre all I have left...â
His voice was raw, almost breaking, as he buried his face in the crook of her neck.
Alicia felt her eyes sting with tears. This time, she thought, his father must have truly broken his heart.
âBut... I canât even keep you safe...â
It wasnât his own pain that tormented Tyrone mostâit was the agony of realizing that, after years of careful planning, heâd still let Alicia get hurt again and again.
No one knew how much joy their first child had brought him, how deeply heâd cherished those dreams of a family with Alicia. Heâd imagined it wouldnât be long before theyâd have a real home together.
Heâd tried so hard to prepare himself to be a good fatherâeven though heâd had no one to teach him, heâd thrown himself into books and videos, trying to learn from others.
But in the end, he hadnât been able to protect that fragile life.
Heâd failed as a son, never wanted by his family; and now, as a father, he hadnât been able to safeguard his own child.
âTyrone, thank you for coming into my life... Because of you, I found my way back from the edge. If you hadnât been there, I honestly donât know if Iâd have made it this far.â Alicia leaned her head on his shoulder. âYouâre all I have, too...â
The truth was, theyâd saved each other.
...
That night, Tyrone received a phone call: Easton hadnât chosen to acknowledge the Lynch family after all. Instead, heâd left for Seaview City alone.
He hadnât told Valery or Marcusâjust vanished on his own.
The old man had already sent people after Easton, making it clear he wanted him back in the Lynch fold.
Tyrone rubbed at his temples, a headache throbbing behind his eyes. He said nothing, just hung up the phone.
Alicia had fallen asleep in his arms, peaceful and secure.
Tyrone brushed a gentle kiss across her forehead.
It wasnât that he wanted to fight for power, but if he didnât... he could never give Alicia the safe, steady life she deserved. The wolves were always circling, just waiting for a moment of weakness, waiting for the day heâd abandon herâor fail, leaving her unprotected.
He couldnât let anyone hurt Alicia again. Not ever.
No matter who they were, no one would get another chance to harm her.
âTyrone...â
Alicia murmured his name in her sleep, dreaming.
Some of the darkness faded from his expression.
When had it started, he wondered, that Alicia no longer cried out for Vincent in her dreams?
Maybeâjust maybeâshe was starting to love him, too.
...
Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent)
ï¤Chapter 270 The Heiress Acts Mischievously, But Her Family Can Read Her Mind ï¤Chapter 347: Administering Drugs Switched Marriage The Coddled Little Wife ï¤Chapter 538: Unimaginable The White family estate.
Jade stared at Nicole. âIf Tyrone wonât do things the easy way, then Easton is our next move. You have to win him over.â
Nicole nodded, a sly smile curving her lips. âEastonâs just a kidâheâll be easy enough to handle. Iâll head to Seaview City in the morning.â
Jadeâs smile sharpened. âAs long as you marry Easton, everything the Lynch family owns will be his. When that happens, Tyrone will fall from grace and lose everything.â
And then, she thought, Alicia would have nothing left to stand on.