Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 273

The girl took off her cap and flashed Alicia a bright smile. “Surprised, Alicia? Bet you didn’t expect this—guess who?”

Alicia stared, thrown off for a moment. Winnie? Wasn’t she that flight attendant?

“I got accepted into an Italian exchange program to study jewelry appraisal. I’m at Seaview University for a language prep course,” Winnie said, beaming as she strode over. She nudged Chloe aside, picked up a book, and offered a sheepish apology. “Sorry, Alicia, I got your book dirty. I promise, next time I’ll find something else to chase off stray dogs.”

Alicia could barely contain her excitement. She’d actually run into someone she knew on campus. Suddenly, her language classes for the term didn’t feel so daunting.

Chloe, still processing what happened, suddenly snapped. “Who the hell are you?”

Winnie, tall and confident in her crisp blouse, radiated the kind of presence that turned heads. Unlike Alicia, who’d learned to keep her head down and endure, Winnie was the type to stand her ground and strike back on the spot—a quality Alicia had always secretly admired.

Winnie looked down at Chloe with a cool, unbothered stare. “I’m your mother,” she replied dryly.

Chloe shot Winnie a furious glare, then turned to her little clique for backup. “What are you waiting for? Get her!”

“Try it and see what happens!” Alicia stepped protectively in front of Winnie, eyes blazing.

She usually let things slide, always thinking twice about whether pushing back would land her in trouble. After all, growing up an orphan had taught her to avoid risk, to never make waves.

But Winnie was her friend. She couldn’t just stand by and let her get hurt.

Winnie sneered at the group, who suddenly looked less sure of themselves. “Is this really the caliber of Seaview University students? You’re all embarrassing yourselves. Do it if you dare—because I’ll be reporting you straight to the dean’s office. If you want to make a scene, let’s see who gets the last word.”

Chloe glared at Alicia and Winnie, her pride stung. She’d heard from her cousin Mina that Tyrone was too busy with his own problems to protect Alicia these days. That bit of news had made Chloe bold. “Get them! Now!”

Chloe and her cronies lunged.

At least now, he didn’t need to worry about Winnie having designs on him—Alicia was the one falling a little bit in love.

“Starting tomorrow, I’m taking you to the gym,” Winnie grinned, giving Alicia a wink. “We’ll get you into kickboxing—teach you how to handle these girls like they’re nothing. And don’t worry about getting in trouble. If anything happens, Tyrone will have your back.”

Alicia blushed. That’s right… If things went sideways, Tyrone would be there for her.

Suddenly, a voice thundered from the hallway. “All of you—my office, now!” The teacher’s angry shout left no room for argument, and Alicia, Winnie, Chloe, and the rest of the group were marched off to the staff room.

Chloe, as always, played the victim—she’d started the fight, but now she was the one crying and running to the teacher, acting like she was the wronged party. It was pathetic.

“You just wait, Alicia. Tyrone can’t save you this time—I’d like to see who’ll protect you now!” Chloe hissed through gritted teeth, shooting Alicia a venomous glare.