Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 4

After transferring the money to her bank account, Alicia left the office and headed straight for the nearest shopping mall.

Fifty thousand dollars was a huge sum for Alicia, but to Vincent, it was spare change—hardly worth a second thought.-

"I'd like to see that bag, please," Alicia said, mustering all her courage as she walked into a high-end boutique.

The saleswoman gave Alicia a quick once-over, then replied, "That bag is forty-nine thousand, eight hundred."

Alicia smiled. What a coincidence—she had just enough.

"I'll take it. Could you please wrap it up for me?" she said coolly, settling onto a nearby bench to rest her aching legs.

In an instant, the saleswoman's demeanor changed; she flashed a bright smile and hurried off to fetch the bag.

To most shoppers in this store, a bag worth over forty grand was entry-level—nothing special. But to Alicia, this was about dignity.

The moment she held the bag in her hands, it felt impossibly heavy.

Yet that sense of confidence she imagined it might bring never materialized. If anything, she only felt more out of place—more unworthy than ever.

As she was leaving, something caught her eye—a designer bag displayed in its own glass case. "Excuse me, how much is that one?" she asked.

Alicia remembered this style—Vincent had once given Mina the exact same bag. She could still picture Mina holding it, graceful and poised, confidence radiating from her like sunlight.

"That's a limited edition," the saleswoman replied with a polite smile. "It's only on display, though. If you want to buy it, you'll need to accumulate over three million in store credits, or purchase about one million worth of our other products as a bundle."

Alicia stood there, frozen.

Three million.

What did three million mean? For Vincent, it was the kind of money he could burn just to make Mina smile. But for an orphanage, it could save every child's life.

Human life could be precious—or cheap.

And Alicia had always been on the cheap end.

The gap between her and Mina wasn't just in the price of a handbag. It was in family background, in upbringing, in every tiny moment that shaped them.

Vincent would never insult Mina with a casual gift worth a few thousand—he knew she was worth far more than that.

Alicia, on the other hand, was the frog dreaming of being a swan. How laughable that she'd ever believed she could matter to Vincent, even a little.

Utterly ridiculous.

…

Back at her small apartment, Alicia immediately listed the bag for sale on a secondhand website. It was brand new, so she got most of her money back, and it would sell quickly.

As soon as the money landed in her account, Alicia planned to transfer it to the orphanage director's bank. The kids still didn't have proper winter clothes—forty thousand would be enough to keep them warm through the season.

She took a hot shower and, wrapped only in a towel, stood by the closet trying to decide what to wear for her meeting with Mr. Lynch the next day.

Just then, the door opened—Vincent hadn't called, just showed up.

Alicia managed a weary smile. "No…"

He pulled her into his arms again, almost comforting. "Just stay here. When the wedding day comes, we'll talk."

Vincent spoke so naturally, as if he didn't realize how cruel his words were.

Maybe he never saw Alicia as a real person at all.

"The accident the other day scared Mina. She feels guilty for not looking after you," Vincent said, his hand sliding around her waist—a waist he'd always been proud of. After all, it was Vincent who'd brought Alicia home as a malnourished teenager, making sure she never had to survive on dry bread and salty pickles again.

"Nineteen-year-old you was so much smaller than other girls," he mused. "But after I brought you here, at least you could eat three proper meals a day."

"Tomorrow night, Mina's hosting a family dinner at home—just a few friends. I plan to propose to her there. You should come early to help set things up."

Vincent tugged away Alicia's towel, his hands wandering, his breath warm against her neck.

Alicia thought Vincent could be truly cruel—just like his sister, deep down.

Hadn't Mina satisfied him during their days in the Maldives?

"I'm not going," Alicia said firmly, pushing Vincent away and retrieving her towel, suddenly nauseous.

Tomorrow night, she had her meeting with Mr. Lynch.

"If you don't go, Mina will get the wrong idea," Vincent said, clearly annoyed—this was the first time Alicia had ever pushed him away. "She's been married before, she's sensitive. I don't want her to suspect anything about us."