Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 55

Alicia's fingers felt stiff—no one had ever held her hand so intimately before. This was a first.

She'd been with Vincent for four years, and in all that time, he'd never once held her hand in public. Even at home, the most he'd done was tug her wrist when he wanted her attention.

To Alicia, holding hands was an act reserved for real closeness.

She tried to reassure herself: Tyrone was probably just putting on a show for the city hall staff.

Tyrone's hand was large and warm, and somehow, being held like this made her feel safe in a way she couldn't explain.

Following him out, Alicia kept staring at his back, unsettled by a strange sense of familiarity. But how could that be? She'd only met Tyrone a handful of times.

The marriage paperwork went smoothly. In no time, they were handed their shiny new marriage certificate.

Alicia had never imagined she'd get married—she always knew Vincent would never make her his wife.

But life has a funny way of surprising you. Here she was, newly married to the Harboridge tycoon—a man she barely knew.

She glanced down at the marriage certificate in her hands and couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity.

Tyrone looked over at her, saw her laughing, and a hint of a smile flickered in his own eyes.

"I'll keep this safe," he said, reaching out and taking the marriage certificate from her.

Alicia looked up at him and nodded. "Tyrone, aren't you working today?"

He took her hand again, as naturally as anything, and led her outside. "Not today. I'm taking you shopping."

Alicia blinked, glancing down at their joined hands. Was this what a contract marriage was supposed to look like? Playing the part of the loving couple?

"Shopping?" she echoed, only realizing what he'd said once they were in the car.

He explained, "It might be a contract marriage to us, but to my grandfather, it's the real thing. If I don't buy you anything after we get our certificate, he'll be disappointed."

Alicia rushed to say, "If he asks, I'll just tell him you already bought me something."

Tyrone didn't reply.

She wondered if she'd said the wrong thing and fell silent. Whatever the man footing the bill wanted to do, she'd just go along with it.

Traffic on the way to the mall was heavy, with cars weaving in and out. When the driver hit the brakes, Tyrone instinctively reached over and shielded Alicia with his arm, his voice low and steady. "Are you alright?"