Rich Radiant and Over Him (Alicia and Vincent) novel Chapter 6

But every time the thought crossed her mind, Alicia couldn't help but feel ridiculous—she simply didn't belong in a place like this.

"Mina, I brought something for you."

Alicia had come with a gift: a tin of homemade cookies. She used to make these for the children at the orphanage—a modest treat, not worth much in anyone's eyes, but filled with her genuine care.

After all, there was nothing she could give that would mean anything to someone in Mina's world.

Mina accepted the cookies with a smile, flipping open the lid for a peek before glancing over her shoulder at Vincent. "I think I saw these same cookies in Vin's car earlier."

Vincent's expression tightened, and the atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

He probably thought Alicia was doing this on purpose—using the cookies to provoke Mina—and the idea clearly annoyed him.

But Alicia honestly had no idea Vincent ever kept any of her cookies in his car.

"It's just that… Mr. Lawson would sometimes skip breakfast when he was busy, so if I had extra, I'd leave some cookies in his office…" Alicia rushed to explain, her anxiety making her fingers stiff and awkward.

The physical symptoms of her depression were still severe, and only getting worse.

"Seems like Vin is quite fond of his assistant's cookies—he even brings them in the car," Mina said gently, her voice as soft as ever.

But there was a razor's edge beneath that sweetness.

Alicia stared at the floor, feeling utterly lost. She knew saying more would only make things worse; Vincent was bound to think she was trying to get under Mina's skin on purpose.

"I'm not a fan. I probably tossed them in the trash, and Charles picked them out by mistake and left them in the car," Vincent replied offhandedly, as if it was hardly worth his attention.

Charles, Vincent's driver and assistant, made a convenient scapegoat.

Alicia went rigid. Trash. So the cookies she'd woken up before dawn to make—burning her hands on boiling water in the process—were nothing but garbage to Vincent.