Chapter 25
Nicolas and Maxwell were just as lost for words.
They hadn’t expected that even after they’d backed off, Alicia still wouldn’t let it go.
And hearing her call them strangers, acting like they barely knew each other, really cut deep.
Did all those years growing up together mean nothing to her? They were starting to get pissed.
They exchanged a look, and both knew exactly what the other was thinking.
‘Alright, if she wants to pretend we’re strangers, we’ll play along. Let’s see if she can really treat us like we’re invisible, they both thought. ‘Let’s see how long she can endure.
This time, they’d wait for her to make the first move.
But they knew she was still angry, so they held back from saying anything mean.
Even though they weren’t the ones behind the smear campaign, they were definitely involved, even if not directly responsible.
They didn’t want to get blamed for it, but they had to take the heat from her anyway.
As for Haley, the one who started all this, they could barely stand her. They were literally gritting their teeth in disgust.
Haley was the reason Alicia kept throwing shade at them and threatening to cut ties, so she was definitely on their list for payback.
Nicolas flashed a relaxed smile. “No worries. We might not be close now, but once we spend more time together on the show, we’ll get there.”
Maxwell added, “We know you weren’t trying to stir up drama or chase clout. It’s really not a big deal, so don’t stress about it.”
Alicia smirked. “Well, aren’t you guys generous for not making a big deal out of it?”
‘It’s easy for them to act all chill when they’re not the ones getting roasted online,‘ Alicia thought.
‘Just wait till the truth about us comes out. I’d love to see how they spin all that talk about trusting me and not caring, she thought.
Even though Alicia didn’t want anything to do with being the Hammond heiress, she wouldn’t let Nicole, who was always out to get her, had things her way.
Alicia had been dragged through hell for supposedly faking her identity, so one day, Nicolas and Maxwell could see what it was like firsthand.
After all, nothing could beat living through it themselves.
But Alicia wasn’t going to keep harping on it.
Mentioning it once or twice might make people feel for her, but if she kept milking it for pity, the audience would just get annoyed and start to dislike her.
Alicia turned to the director, cutting off the conversation, and asked, “Sir, what are we supposed to do now?”
So, nobody knew what they’d be doing or what the challenge was until filming actually started.
Nicole’s agent tried to get the producers to spill the details about what they’d be doing in the first episode.
But with Lucent Media backing the show as the biggest investor, the production team shot her down.
They basically told her, “If you don’t like it, there’s the door.”
Nicole had tried probing, but it looked like Nicolas and the rest hadn’t gotten any info either.
Marley nodded. “That’s right. It’s all about helping all kinds of people, with your friends by your side. They could be old friends or new ones.
Alicia gave him a comforting look. “No turning back now, but trust me, you’ve got this.”
She knew Darren had a great voice, and back when he acted in a drama, he’d learned to dance for the part. She was sure he’d be just fine.
Alicia hadn’t known about the crossover either.
She knew now Jason had planned this all along. He wanted to help her shake off all the hate about her singing and dancing.
Thinking that, Alicia swore that she wouldn’t let Jason or her fans down.

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