Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 301

He’d been fending for himself since he was three; by five, he could pull a chair over to the stove and make his own meals. By seven, he was already down at the docks, scrambling to collect whatever seafood had spilled onto the ground after the shipments.

Whatever affection he’d missed out on as a child, he knew—deep down—that nothing Marcus or Valery did now could ever make up for it.

Especially after this time. Valery had faked her own death to fool Easton, and it finally made him realize that some things never change. Like they say, a leopard can’t change its spots—no matter what.

The first time he saw Tyrone, his heart ached.

He never envied his brother for inheriting the Lynch family fortune; what pained him was knowing Tyrone had been abandoned by Marcus since childhood.

He blamed himself, too, for monopolizing whatever scraps of fatherly love were available. Not that there was much of it—but at least Marcus had stuck around to watch him grow up.

“Lunch is on me today,” Tyrone said, his usual gloom lifting a little as his brow unfurrowed. “You can treat me next time.”

Easton grinned, nodding. “Deal.”

He spent ages looking at the menu but couldn’t find a single dish under thirty dollars—not even a simple salad came cheaper than thirty-eight.

Noticing Easton’s discomfort, Tyrone called the waiter over. “Just bring us the house specials.”

The waiter nodded quickly, smiling politely. “Gentlemen, do you have any dietary restrictions?”

“No fish without scales…”

Easton and Tyrone answered in unison.

Easton had grown up in a coastal village, and as a kid, he’d nearly died from an allergic reaction to certain deep-sea fish—since then, even though his allergies had improved, he stayed cautious.

Tyrone, too, had always been allergic to certain proteins, especially from scaleless fish.

The waiter smiled at them both. “You really are brothers—not just in looks, but even your allergies match.”

Tyrone’s expression darkened again; he thought the waiter was getting a bit too chatty.

Tyrone tapped his fingers on the table, then pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with a flick of his lighter.

He looked at Easton. “You smoke?”

Easton shook his head emphatically.

He was lucky just to finish high school—where would he get the money to pick up smoking? Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t afford it.

Tyrone nodded, a hint of approval in his eyes. He’d tried to quit for Alicia’s sake, and was doing better, but bringing up the past still made him crave a cigarette to steady his nerves—otherwise, he might lose control.

“Your dad and the woman who gave birth to me—let’s just say it was a marriage of convenience. Before tying the knot, your dad was just a no-good rich boy, living off the Lynch family name, famous for nothing but getting into trouble and chasing women.”

Tyrone didn’t recognize her as his mother, and he certainly didn’t see Marcus as his father.

To him, they were just two lunatics—irresponsible, selfish, and more trouble than they were worth.