Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 46

The girl gulped down the water, only then noticing Alicia standing by the dining table. "Who's she?"

The housekeeper jumped in to introduce them. "Miss Sinclair, this is Mr. Lynch's fiancée. They'll be getting their marriage license soon, and she'll be the lady of the house."

A flash of hostility darkened the girl's face. She scrutinized Alicia with open suspicion and didn't bother to hide her contempt. "She only looks a little like my mom. What makes her good enough for my uncle?"

Alicia felt awkward—her gut feeling had been right. This girl was just as headstrong and sharp-tongued as she suspected.

The housekeeper hesitated, caught between her duties and the brewing tension. "Miss Sinclair…"

The girl ignored her, striding right up to Alicia and plopping herself down at the table. "What's your name?"

"Alicia," she answered politely.

"How old are you?" The girl's gaze was appraising, as if Alicia were some criminal on trial.

"Twenty-three," Alicia replied, still keeping her composure.

"Height, weight, measurements?" The girl pressed on.

Alicia blinked, thrown off by the bluntness. "That's… a bit personal, isn't it?"

The girl scoffed. "Please. My uncle probably bought you off, didn't he? Women who sell themselves for money actually think they have privacy?"

Alicia drew a deep breath, suddenly losing her appetite for breakfast.

When Alicia didn't respond, the girl spoke again. "My name's Melanie Sinclair. I'm nineteen—one year shy of the legal marriage age."

Alicia wasn't sure what Melanie was getting at.

"If my uncle's going to marry, it should be someone from a family equal to ours. What makes you think you're worthy?" Melanie's words were challenging, her gaze unwavering.

Alicia started at that—Jade White? The name clicked. Of course, Jade: the architectural prodigy who'd designed Harboridge's Twin Spires at just eighteen, launching herself into fame overnight.

The White family was the only household in Harboridge that could truly rival the Lynches.

"If Jade didn't have so much going on at home right now, you wouldn't even have a chance," Melanie scoffed, turning to leave. "But I've already told her. She'll be coming to Seaview City soon, and she'll take my uncle back."

Alicia let out a shaky breath and sat down, her appetite all but gone. Thirty million for a year of marriage… it suddenly felt like a much taller order. Was she about to come face-to-face with the White family's golden child?

Wilma waited until Melanie had left the room before lowering her voice, eager to share more gossip. "The marriage between the White and Lynch families was actually arranged by their fathers, but the truth is…" She leaned closer. "The one who was really engaged to Mr. Lynch wasn't Jade, but the real eldest daughter of the White family—Nicole White."

Alicia frowned, confused. "The real eldest daughter?"

The tangled web of wealthy families was hard to follow.

Wilma continued, "Patriarch Reginald White was originally named Zachary. Years ago, he married into the White family, one of Harboridge's wealthiest clans, and built his fortune from there. By rights, the White family estate should belong to Reginald's son with his first wife, Victor White. But there's always drama in these families—about twenty years ago, Victor and his wife were murdered in Seaview City, and their infant daughter Nicole disappeared without a trace."