After Being Replaced I Left Them All Behind-Now They Regret It novel Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Chapter 98

[Third trending topic today. Seriously?]

[Did Nicole buy out the trending page or something?]

[Doing your job properly is the baseline. Does that really need multiple hashtags?]

[What ‘dedication? This is pure theater.]

[No wonder she transitioned from singing to acting. This performance deserves a stage.]

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Fans of Team I’s trainees also joined in, implying that Nicole was deliberately skipping meals on camera to cultivate an image of diligence, especially since song adaptation was a week-long process, hardly hinging on one lunch hour.

Onlookers and casual browsers soon piled on, many remarking they’d never seen someone so performative.

Before long, the backlash had crystallized into another rising hashtag: [Nicole is too much.]

For many scrolling through social media, the name Nicole was becoming tiresome.

The day’s flood of hashtags had etched a clear, and largely unflattering, impression of her in the public mind: a performer, always on.

Alicia closed the app, quietly awarding Jason another point for execution.

After lunch, Alicia said her goodbyes to Darren and the trainees and made her way back to her room for a short rest.

As she approached her door, she noticed two figures waiting on either side of the entrance.

Any lingering satisfaction from the earlier trending topics vanished at the sight of the troublesome Nicolas and Maxwell.

Her expression cooled as she walked forward, key card already in hand.

Just as she reached for the reader, Maxwell thrust his hand toward her, face twisted in what was clearly feigned pain. “Alícia, my old injury is flaring up again. It’s unbearable.”

Alicia knew immediately he was faking. Even if he were genuinely in pain, she had no intention of treating him again.

She didn’t bother hiding her impatience, “Can the two of you please stop ambushing me? It’s disruptive and frankly, annoying.”

Maxwell gave Alicia a pitiful look. “Alicia, my hand really hurts. Could you check it for me?”

Alicia brushed him off. “Stop the act. If you’ve got something to say, just say it, I don’t have time for games.”

Chapter 98

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Maxwell, seeing she wasn’t buying it, dropped the wounded act. He lowered his hand and met her eyes. “Alright, fine. There is something I need to talk to you about.”

Alicia waited in silence, prompting him to continue.

“Kevin told me you filed a lawsuit against Hammond Group,” he said, studying her expression. “Is that true?”

Alicia gave a slight nod. “Yes, I did.”

Maxwell’s brow furrowed in genuine confusion. “But why would you do that? If this gets out, the whole Hammond family will be a laughingstock.”

A dry, humorless laugh escaped Alicia. “I’m not a Hammond anymore. Why should I care if they become a punchline?”

Maxwell was momentarily at a loss for words.

“You…” he managed, before softening his tone. “Don’t say things you don’t mean. Think about your father. If Leo hears about this, he’ll be livid.”

Genuine worry colored his voice. “Is this really worth damaging your relationship over?”

He understood better than most that after her mother, Leo had always been the person Alicia cared for most.

One of Alicia’s eyebrows lifted in a cool arch. “There’s no relationship left to damage. He has a daughter, Nicole. My name is Alicia.”

Of everyone in her life, her father was the hardest to forgive.

She could still recall the man who would read to her on his lap, patiently build towers of blocks, and take her to the fair with her mother.

But that man had vanished the day Nicole and her mother arrived.

In her previous life, his endless favoritism had slowly eroded every last shred of her affection.

This time, she would not bend.

“Alicia, please,” Maxwell said, his voice thick with frustration. “You know his birthday party is coming up. How are you going to face him then?

“Just drop the lawsuit. Pick out a nice gift instead.

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