Rising From Betrayal Reborn As The Family Outcast (Alicia Delaney) novel Chapter 68

Chapter 68

Alicia descended the stairs with Sherry and found Nicolas waiting in the company of his mother and aunt.

He had originally intended for both his parents to meet Alicia, but as his father was otherwise occupied, his mother had asked her sister to accompany her instead.

Diana Moore, Nicolas’ mother, offered Alicia a warm smile. “Alicia, dear.”

It was clear to Alicia that their presence here was no coincidence. They had come specifically for her.

“Mrs. Moore,” she replied, returning the smile warmly.

Given that Diana was a friend of her own mother and their families went back generations, Alicia had always been treated with kindness by her.

Diana stepped forward with a warm smile. “It’s been too long. Let’s find a quiet spot and catch up?”

Alicia offered a polite, slightly regretful smile. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Moore, but I’ve already made plans for a bite to eat tonight. Rain check?”

There was a brief pause before Diana responded, “I see.”

She then continued gently, “Could I borrow you for just a moment? There’s something I’d like to mention.”

“Please,” Alicia replied courteously.

Diana came straight to the point. “At your father’s birthday banquet, our families are hoping to discuss the possibility of you and Nicolas marrying.

“I wanted to let you know in advance, so it doesn’t come as a surprise.”

Nicolas had recently grown insistent on formalizing his engagement to Alicia.

Diana’s husband had already discussed the matter with Leo. Both of them were in full agreement, and they had settled on announcing the union at Leo’s upcoming birthday banquet.

Nicolas, however, had mentioned that Alicia’s relationship with her own family had become somewhat strained, and the Hammonds might not inform her themselves.

It would be better, he suggested, for someone from their side to give her advance notice.

That was precisely why Diana had attended Nicolas’ performance tonight, to speak privately with Alicia,

As a prospective daughter-in-law, she found Alicia largely agreeable.

Alicia’s expression shifted to one of genuine surprise. “My marriage to Nicolas? I haven’t heard anything about that.”

She tilted her head slightly “Mrs. Moore, are you suggesting an alliance between our families?”

Diana gave a confirming nod “That’s correct”

“Then I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong person.” Alicia replied.

Diana looked puzzled. “The wrong person?”

You may not yet be aware, Mrs. Moore, but I have recently cut ties with the Hammond family.” Alicia explained evenly.

“I am no longer considered a daughter of the house.

If the Moores and the Hammonds wish to form a marital alliance, your discussion should be with Nicole.

“Mr. Hammond is exceptionally fond of her and rarely denies her anything.

“And Nicole has always been quite taken with Nicolas. She has made her desire to marry him rather clear.

“There may have been a misunderstanding.

“I believe Mr. Hammond always intended for Nicole to be the one to marry into your family.”

Nicole had long coveted a place among the elite and had set her sights on Nicolas years ago, steadily working to undermine Alicia’s position along the way.

In her past life, Alicia had indeed cared for Nicolas, her childhood companion, and both families had always presumed a future union between them.

Yet once Nicole entered the picture, Nicolas, like so many others, began to show her marked favor.

Alicia, quietly perceptive, had simply withdrawn her affection.

When the Moores had first proposed the marriage in her previous life, the Hammonds had pushed vigorously for it.

Alicia’s refusal had sparked a fierce quarrel with Leo.

Not long after, Leo “discovered” Nicole’s long-hidden feelings for Nicolas, feelings she had supposedly suppressed only for Alicia’s sake.

With Alicia unwilling, Leo had then proposed Nicole as the bride instead, though that time it was the Moore family who declined.

Undaunted, Nicole had devoted herself to winning Diana’s favor and lamented to the Hammonds that life would hold no meaning without Nicolas.

Fearing she might act recklessly, the Hammond family had eventually offered substantial concessions to Moore Group to secure the match.

By the time of Alicia’s death in that former life, the marriage alliance between the two families was still unresolved.

“When we were in school, Mr. Hammond attended every parents’ evening for Nicole after she cried just once about feeling overlooked, yet he never once came to mine.

“Even the butler uprooted the flowering crabapple trees I loved because Nicole preferred azaleas.

“Whenever something happens with Nicole, the moment she starts crying, the Hammonds treat me like I’m the wicked stepsister who’s been tormenting her.

Nicole wants to break into the entertainment industry? The Hammonds pour money and connections into making it happen

“She even landed the family company’s endorsement deal.

“But when I tried to do the same? They threw up every roadblock imaginable.

“Now the whole internet believes Nicole’s the real Hammond heiress while I’m just some opportunistic outsider pretending to be part of the family.

“I got torn apart online for it. And not one of them ever spoke up to set the record straight.

“I invited them to my show, but not one of them bothered to come.

“The very next day, they all rushed off happily to support Nicole at her performance instead.

“And while they were busy posting cheerful photos together like the perfect siblings and friends they were, I was lying alone in a hospital bed, recovering from an accident that happened during my own show.

“Things like this kept happening, over and over. I couldn’t even begin to list them all.

“To them, Nicole was the real daughter, the real sister. I was just someone in the way, an eyesore, keeping their picture- perfect family from being whole.”

Alicia’s eyes grew moist, and her laugh held a trace of bitterness. “Once your heart turns cold, money loses its meaning.

“And as for being known as a Hammond daughter, I don’t need that title anymore.”

If she was going to sever ties with the family, she wanted people to understand she wasn’t doing it on a whim.

She had been driven to this, pushed out by the very people who should have welcomed her.

Nicole and her mother had spent years cultivating a pristine image in their social circle. Now, Alicia would make sure everyone saw their true colors.

She was prepared to walk away, but not without making sure the world knew why.

Diana might be discreet, but her younger sister had never been one to hold her tongue. What she heard, she shared.

That was precisely why Alicia had chosen to speak so openly in front of them. She knew Diana’s sister would carry the story beyond these walls.