Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 34

Mina's face twisted in an instant, all traces of her graceful composure vanishing. Gone was the elegant socialite; what remained was a woman on the verge of hysteria. "What are you all waiting for? Grab her phone!"

The people around surged forward and snatched Alicia's phone from her, quickly ending her livestream.

Mina, frantic, grabbed the phone herself to check the viewership numbers. When she saw that more than a hundred thousand people had been watching, she slapped Alicia across the face, her anger boiling over.

Alicia just smiled.

This was Mina's turf—there was no way out for her.

But she'd already accomplished her goal.

More than that, as Alicia watched Mina lose her carefully cultivated poise, she felt a strange sense of relief. The so-called "upper class" was really nothing special after all.

Once, Alicia used to feel inferior whenever Mina was around, convinced Mina was born to be the heroine of life itself—blessed with the finest upbringing, destined for privilege, her worth always seeming so much higher.

But now, all Alicia could see was someone ugly, petty, and pathetic.

The sharp crack of Mina's hand echoed again as she ordered someone to hold Alicia down, landing a second slap across her face. "You really thought I didn't know about you and Vincent? Alicia, you're just an orphan. If I want to get rid of you, it's as easy as snapping my fingers!"

Alicia met her gaze with a cold, almost mocking smile, as if she were looking straight through Mina and seeing Henry, the bully who'd tormented her years ago.

They really were siblings—down to the core.

"Lock her up! And get the PR team in here, now!" Mina barked, her voice trembling with panic. Years of carefully maintained reputation—destroyed in a single night, all thanks to Alicia.

Alicia was shoved into a dark, cramped storage room, left to wait for the police.

She'd started the livestream before coming here. Everyone online had witnessed the thugs snatch her phone. Someone would call the police—she was sure of it.

And she'd made a point to mention Crystal Waters by name.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open with a loud bang. Henry stumbled in, reeking of alcohol.

Mina must have sent him. She couldn't risk getting her own hands dirty, but her brother was upstairs, already drunk in a private room.

"You little tramp. Think you can scheme against my sister? Think Vincent would ever marry you after this? Let me tell you, he'd only ever marry Mina! Even if I killed you tonight, he wouldn't care!" Henry's face twisted with rage as he stormed forward, grabbing Alicia by the collar with a sneer. "You've been clinging to Vincent for years, and you still think I can't handle you?"

He began tearing at Alicia's clothes, spewing filth and curses.

In the suffocating darkness, Alicia didn't resist.

This time, she wasn't afraid.

Once you've found the nerve to go down fighting—suddenly, the monsters aren't so terrifying anymore.