The old man was, in truth, rather displeased. Family scandals should never be aired in public, but Nicole didn’t understand such things.
If she weren’t Nicole, he would never have tolerated a girl so lacking in manners and good sense as his granddaughter-in-law.
“Maddox, if you’ll forgive me for speaking plainly—Alicia… there’s no way she could be pregnant. She was with me, for four years.” Vincent glanced at the old man’s face in the rearview mirror.
Seeing his expression darken, Vincent pressed on. “Of course, none of that really matters.”
He tacked on the words, then cast a meaningful look back at Nicole.
Nicole caught on quickly and spoke up. “Grandpa, Alicia was with Mr. Lawson for four years and never got pregnant… She’s only known Tyrone for a few days. There’s just no way she could be expecting; it’s all a lie.”
The old man’s face grew even grimmer. “If she refuses to cooperate, what am I supposed to do—drag her to the hospital myself?”
Vincent, feigning nonchalance, offered a suggestion. “Actually, Alicia’s pretty timid. If you want her to listen, it’s simple… She may be an orphan, but the director of her orphanage, Mrs. Albertine, is like a mother to her. Alicia always listens to her.”
The real goal was to have the old man force Tyrone and Alicia to divorce as quickly as possible. You couldn’t really blame Vincent; he simply didn’t want Alicia hanging around Tyrone any longer.
The Lynch family was no place for Alicia.
Tyrone might be Maddox’s only heir, but the Lynches’ affairs were even murkier than the Lawsons’.
The car pulled up to the hotel entrance. Vincent got out first and opened the door for the old man.
Leaning heavily on his cane, the old man stepped out, his expression stormy.
While Vincent went to press the elevator button, Nicole leaned in and spoke quietly. “Grandpa, I heard… Alicia’s had several abortions for Vincent, ruined her health ages ago, and she’s been on birth control for four years straight. There’s no way she could just get pregnant like that. She’s only clinging to Tyrone because she wants to marry up.”
At those words, the old man’s face turned thunderous.
A woman with so little dignity and self-respect would never be allowed to remain in the Lynch family. “You—go to the orphanage yourself. Bring the director here! I want her to take Alicia for a medical checkup, personally.”
Seeing the old man finally take action, Nicole allowed herself a small, satisfied smile.
Now, let’s see what excuse Alicia comes up with next.
Once the old man was in the elevator, Vincent called Franklin. “Is Alicia with you?”
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