Rising From Betrayal Reborn As The Family Outcast (Alicia Delaney) novel Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Maxwell’s words made Nicole, sitting next to him, freeze into an awkward smile.

Nicolas, sitting beside Maxwell, couldn’t help but shake his head with a mix of amusement and annoyance.

But they had come on this show precisely to reconcile with Alicia, so it was natural that people would find out they’d known each other before. Hanging out together on a live broadcast every day, they couldn’t pretend not to know each other forever

After the flood of question marks in the live chat, a wave of comments poured in.

[I’ve always heard Maxwell has a bad temper, but he seems pretty nice now.]

[You just haven’t seen him when he’s mad.]

[It probably depends on who Maxwell’s dealing with. Nicolas gave Felicity the cold shoulder, didn’t he?]

[Wasn’t Alicia supposed to barely know Maxwell? Then how does he know she used to like orange-flavored gum?]

[And Alicia snapped at Maxwell multiple times, even called him out directly, yet he tolerated it. That’s not how he usually acts.]

[Judging by Maxwell’s expression and how naturally he spoke to Alicia, he definitely knew Alicia before.]

[Honestly, Maxwell is acting like a simp.]

That comment immediately triggered a backlash from Maxwell’s fans, who claimed that it was impossible. They thought, Maxwell? A simp? Not a chance.’ Maxwell and Nicolas’s fans were notoriously fierce, so no one dared continue calling Maxwell a simp.

[I think the reason Maxwell asked Darren to give up his seat earlier was just so Maxwell could sit himself.]

[I agree. If Nicole hadn’t interrupted, he might’ve been about to spill some tea.]

That comment instantly pissed off Nicole’s fans, who came at them hard. They insisted that Maxwell simply doted on Nicole and there was no way that he wanted the seat for himself.

The viewers who had been trying to have a normal discussion got frustrated.

We’re here to watch the show, not just Nicole. Can you stop trolling every time someone says something? It’s annoying.]

Yeah. Can we just watch the show in peace?]

Can Nicole’s fans just chill? They’re ruining it for everyone else.]

Some viewers enjoyed watching variety shows while reading the live chat. But Nicole’s fans had been so active, constantly popping up, that it was starting to get irritating.

Their comments naturally attracted attacks from Nicole’s fans. Soon, the live chat was filled with Nicole’s fans praising how Maxwell spoiled her, talking about how good he was to her, and continuing to trash Alicia along the way.

It wasn’t just the regular viewers, even Maxwell’s fans were getting fed up with Nicole’s fans.

Aside from the ones who only admired Maxwell’s talent and skills, most of his fans would kill to be his girlfriend. Naturally, they weren’t fans of Nicole.

Then, Nicole’s name started trending on three hashtags: [Nicole’s looks crush the other guests]. [Nicole with five suitcases: the rich girl vs. the poor girl], and [Maxwell said that he specifically asked for a seat for Nicole). The first one quickly became a trending topic.

Many people, curious about Nicole’s looks, clicked on it to see how stunning she actually was.

This trending topic wasn’t only about gushing over Nicole’s beauty but also implied that she was leagues ahead of Alicia and Hannah in terms of looks. Alicia and Hannah were made to look like maids compared to Nicole.

Then came a screenshot of the three of them together. Anyone who clicked on it was left speechless, thinking. ‘Is something wrong with our eyes? Why does Alicia look so much prettier than Nicole in the photo?

And seriously, why would people even say Hannah looks like a maid in front of Nicole?’

The audience was left dumbfounded. Alicia’s and Hannah’s fans were furious, with the comment section filled with sarcasm, and even the onlookers started to agree more and more.

Those who were used to following celebrity gossip thought that this was probably a trending topic sponsored by Nicole’s company to overshadow everyone else.

But they honestly couldn’t see how this comparison worked in Nicole’s favor. In fact, it seemed to backfire, leaving people with more questions than answers.

Meanwhile, the public relations team at Starlight Entertainment, which had been keeping an eye on Nicole and Nicolas, noticed something was off. After all, they hadn’t paid for this trending topic. And judging by the reaction, it was clearly heading in a negative direction.

They immediately tried to contact the platform to get the trending topic taken down, but no matter how much money they offered, they couldn’t get it down.

The only thing they could do was attempt to manage the situation from other angles, but the effect was minimal.

On the bus, Alicia and Darren were still watching the video. Soon, the camera zoomed in, clearly showing that the production team wanted the viewers to see what the two were watching.

[It’s a replay of the contestants’ performance from the show Radiance: The Idol Journey.]

[Didn’t expect them to be watching this.]

[Whether it’s for the show or not, it seems more important for Alicia and Darren to watch this and understand the contestants they’ll be working with, instead of just making small talk.]

[Exactly. They were only informed about the collaboration at the last minute, so of course they don’t know much about the contestants.]

A part of the live-stream audience was also paying attention to Alicia and Darren.

[Dustin’s fangirling so hard. This reminds me of me watching TV in front of the screen.]

[Didn’t they say he’s always been arrogant? He doesn’t seem like that at all.]

[Darren’s got the looks and the fierce vibe, but the way he’s shocked and amazed is kind of cute. The contrast is so adorable]

[Alicia’s comments are on point. She seems to know what she’s talking about.]

Although Nicole, Maxwell, and Nicolas were chatting, they still paid attention to Alicia’s side. After overhearing Alicia and Darren’s conversation, Maxwell turned to ask, “Who are you saying is the strongest vocalist?”

Alicia didn’t snap at him this time and answered, “Sean Sullivan.”

Maxwell had never heard of the name. “Who’s that?”

Alicia was annoyed. “He’s one of the contestants you’ll be helping on the collaboration show today.”

Maxwell’s eyes widened in realization. “So, you’re watching the replay of that variety show?”

Alicia nodded. “Yeah. The more we know, the better we can help, and we’ll know what to look out for.”

Maxwell agreed, “Good point. I’ll watch the replay too.” He knew his sister took everything seriously, no matter what she did.

Nicolas, overhearing the conversation, added, “How about we have Marley play it in the car? We can all watch it together and discuss it.” He thought, ‘This way, I might be able to talk to Alicia.’

Nicole and Felicity exchanged looks, both of them thinking, ‘What’s wrong with Maxwell and Nicolas? What’s the point of watching and discussing it? Why not just pick someone, show off our skills, and leave some mystery? That’d make a bigger impact.’

Nicole and Felicity both had a bit of a superior attitude, thinking that with their level of fame, popularity, and talent, whoever teamed up with them would get carried.

The two girls all thought, ‘Especially since it was Alicia who suggested this. She’s acting like she’s more responsible than us. So pretentious. The worst part is, Nicolas and Maxwell are going along with her, agreeing with everything she says. It’s so annoying!’

The audience was just as surprised. They didn’t expect Maxwell and Nicolas to go along with Alicia, even suggesting that they watch and talk about the show together.

The comment section exploded with question marks, with viewers feeling like Nicolas and Maxwell looked off today.

Even Maxwell and Nicolas’s fans started to feel something was wrong, especially with Maxwell-he was starting to look more and more like a typical simp.