Chapter 81
Chapter 81
As soon as Nicolas said that, everyone turned to look at Felicity.
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Felicity’s face darkened further, and she was so embarrassed and angry that her eyes began to turn red.
She really hadn’t expected Alicia to be hiding this level of skill.
When the group first formed, Alicia wasn’t this strong at all.
She thought to herself, ‘How much preparation did Alicia do behind the scenes? Was all of this just to humiliate me? This is too much.
Right now, she felt incredibly wronged.
If she’d known Alicia was this sneaky, there was no way she would’ve been so confident and tried to show off earlier.
At this point, she couldn’t say anything. She could only pretend she hadn’t heard Nicolas’ mockery and ignore everyone’s gleeful stares.
Naturally, this made her hate Alicia even more.
If Alicia hadn’t been hiding her real skills all this time and keeping them under wraps in LUMIA, Felicity wouldn’t have embarrassed herself so badly today.
Nicole, sitting right next to her, felt even more frustrated and suffocated.
She’d joined this show specifically to make Alicia look bad by comparison.
But on day one, Alicia completely erased her reputation as a useless burden.
And then there were Nicolas and Maxwell. Both of them were acting way too familiar with Alicia, their words and gestures showing they knew her well, and that proud, boastful attitude they had was seriously grating on her nerves.
Especially Nicolas. The way he’d been staring at Alicia earlier, his eyes full of admiration and affection.
It was just like before, back when Alicia was around, and they’d all orbit around her like she was the sun.
Nicole had been the one hiding in the corners, watching them with envy so bitter it burned, wanting nothing more than to steal it all away.
She’d worked so hard to drive a wedge between them, to make them misunderstand Alicia.
She’d used every trick in the book, even hurt herself, just to get their attention focused on her instead.
And now they were looking at Alicia again.
Nicole was shaking with rage, but she had to keep her emotions and expression under control.
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13:13 Wed, May 13
Chapter 81
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What made her want to scream even more was when Maxwell suddenly turned to look at her, grinning smugly as he said, “Nicole, Alicia’s always been amazing, right?”
He had this expectant look on his face, like he assumed she’d be just as proud.
He was thinking about how Nicole always said she envied Alicia’s energy and how proud she was to have such an accomplished sister.
So he figured Nicole would share their pride.
He couldn’t resist showing off to everyone.
Nicole clenched her teeth. ‘Can you just shut up, she thought.
Maxwell’s comment actually made Alicia want to laugh.
He really believed Nicole genuinely liked her and wanted her “sister’s” approval.
Maxwell was as blind and clueless as ever.
Nicole had always exploited Maxwell’s blunt, straightforward personality to her advantage, but today it was backfiring spectacularly.
Alicia glanced over at Nicole and caught the brief flash of discomfort on her face before she quickly masked it.
Nicole was seething inside, probably furious, but she had to swallow it down and force herself to look like she was praising Alicia, too.
Alicia couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy. ‘Living behind a mask like that must be exhausting,’ she thought.
Nicole plastered on what looked like a genuine smile and said, “Yeah, Alicia’s really talented.”
She wanted nothing more than to strangle Maxwell right now, but she had no choice but to play along.
As soon as this livestream ended, she’d need to find someone to cry to and get some comfort, or she’d lose her mind.
Desperate to shift the attention away from herself, Nicole suddenly turned to Felicity with a bright smile and asked, “Ms. Sterling, don’t you think so?”
If Felicity hadn’t been dragging them down, things wouldn’t have spiraled this badly.
‘Where the hell is Starlight Entertainment’s PR team?’ Nicole thought bitterly. ‘And what about the people I pay to manage my image? Are they all dead? How did they let Alicia pull off this reversal? Useless, all of them.
That thought led her straight back to Jason.
She was certain Jason had been pulling strings behind the scenes.
13:13 Wed, May 13,
Chapter 81
Setting Off With Friends’ biggest investor was Lucent Media, after all.
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There was no way Chase and Marley would dare set up a livestream self-defense stunt like this without Jason’s approval.
Jason had properly given the green light or actively pushed for it.
She had to admit, it was the fastest and most effective way to clear Alicia’s name.
Nicole hadn’t even checked X yet, but she knew Alicia was trending by now.
That impromptu dance performance would be everywhere, shocking everyone who saw it.
Lucent Media’s PR team was definitely working overtime, manipulating the narrative and whitewashing Alicia’s image.
Meanwhile, the LUMIA members were probably getting torn apart in the comments, especially Felicity, who’d managed to sabotage herself in less than a day of filming.
Nicole had to admit that Jason was pretty damn impressive. Building an empire that massive without the Farrell family’s backing took great skill.
And that just made her want to take it all away from him even more.
‘How does Alicia get to be so lucky?’ she thought bitterly.
‘Born with a silver spoon, spoiled rotten her whole life. She finally hits rock bottom, and even the people who should hate her reach out to help. She’s always so bright and full of energy, no matter what happens. It’s so annoying.
Meanwhile, Nicole had suffered through so much since childhood. She’d had to scheme and claw for everything she’d ever gotten.
‘How is that fair?’ Nicole thought.
When Nicole suddenly threw Felicity under the bus, Felicity’s expression shifted,
13:13 Wed, May 13

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