Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 16

Chester nodded. "But that was four years ago. Back then, Henry and a few other privileged students attacked her together. Because of them, Alicia lost hearing in her left ear—permanently. Her right pinky was shattered, and she suffered multiple soft tissue injuries…"

Chester could never forget that incident. He doubted he ever would.

That year, as a detective, he'd failed to catch the suspect who killed his own younger brother. After being demoted to a beat cop, he still hadn't managed to protect Alicia from becoming a victim.

Tyrone stood quietly to the side, saying nothing.

The attorney kept his silence as well; after all, no one could quite figure out what Tyrone was thinking.

To Tyrone, Alicia was little more than a stranger. Even if she agreed to marry him as part of some arrangement, it was strictly business. He wasn't the type to meddle in the affairs of someone like Alicia.

—

When Alicia was finally released from the holding cell, Tyrone was waiting for her outside.

"Thank you…" Alicia was awkward and a little uneasy as she offered her gratitude.

She hadn't expected Tyrone to show up in person.

"Did this make you late for your dinner party?" she asked quietly.

Tyrone looked at her for a moment, his eyes unreadable. "No."

On the drive, Tyrone asked, "Why did you hit her?"

"It was… an impulse, I guess." Alicia gave a bitter laugh and didn't elaborate.

She'd already caused Tyrone enough trouble for one day.

"The injury on your leg yesterday—wasn't from the car accident, was it?" Tyrone glanced over at her.

Alicia didn't answer.

Some of the bruises were old, from the accident, but most were fresh—from when Cecilia kicked her into the pond.

"You could tell the police. If the other party started it, you have grounds to file a complaint." Tyrone frowned slightly, thinking Alicia was far too passive. "If you never fight back, they'll never stop."

If someone could be bullied so badly and still not push back… it was hard to understand.

"You must've looked into me. I'm an orphan. No parents. Easy to manipulate." Alicia's tone was flat, almost numb. "I don't have anyone behind me, but I have weaknesses. Thirty-seven kids at the orphanage who never got adopted, and the headmistress who raised me—they're all things I care about."

The day Henry and the others dragged her into the equipment closet, locked her in a crate, she'd thought about taking them all down with her. She couldn't beat Henry, but she could've hurt Mira and Cecilia.

She'd wondered if it was worth it—to kill, to die, to make sure they paid.

But no. She didn't even have the right to die.

"I'm sorry," Tyrone said quietly.

The driver took them to a private styling studio, where Tyrone instructed the designer to help Alicia pick out a dress and do her hair and makeup.

Alicia stayed silent the whole time, not saying a word.

Tyrone had bailed her out. She owed him now.

"Sir, everything we found on Alicia is in here." While Alicia was changing, Tyrone's assistant came in and handed him a folder.

He hadn't realized how much injustice Alicia had suffered. Until now, he'd only looked into her family background.