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.