Rising From Betrayal Reborn As The Family Outcast (Alicia Delaney) novel Chapter 84

Chapter 84

Patrick York wasn’t surprised by his friend’s words.

He grinned and asked, “Do you think I should post this video in our group chat and let everyone watch the drama unfold?”

Landon replied, “You can ask Alicia. If she doesn’t mind, go ahead and post it.”

Patrick winked at him. “Why don’t you ask her for me?

“If she’s not okay with it, I’ll just delete the video.”

He had Alicia’s WhatsApp, and they’d chat every now and then.

But really, he was just playing wingman for his buddy.

Landon didn’t make a fuss. “Alright, I’ll ask her.”

Then he sent Alicia a voice message on WhatsApp.

*****

Meanwhile, Alicia hadn’t driven herself, so Ian had the driver take her home.

Once they were in the car, Ian turned to Alicia and said, “Someone at the next table kept listening in on us. Pretty sure they were filming, too.

“Want me to have someone handle it?”

He’d been through a lot overseas, so he was always on high alert for anything suspicious.

Alicia had a knack for picking up on things too, thanks to her martial arts background.

She’d not only noticed someone filming, but she’d also spotted who it was.

“It’s someone I know. No need to do anything,” she said.

She’d barely finished speaking when her phone rang.

She answered, “I figured you’d call.”

Landon chuckled, “Did you spot us?”

Alicia said, “Of course!”

She asked, “So, when did you get back?”

Landon replied, “Patrick picked me up from the airport today, and we ended up having dinner at the restaurant you guys were at.

“Since you and lan seemed deep in conversation, we figured we’d leave you be.”

Then he mentioned the video Patrick had recorded. “Patrick wanted me to ask if you’re cool with him sharing that video.

“If you’re not comfortable with it, he’ll just delete it.”

Knowing Alicia, he was pretty sure she wouldn’t care.

Just as expected.

Alicia laughed. “What’s there to mind?

“Honestly, you could post it anywhere-even on your feed-and I wouldn’t care.”

She’d already noticed Patrick filming earlier, and since she didn’t stop him, it meant she was totally fine with it.

If the video got out, it’d show everyone in the industry just how determined she was to cut ties for good.

Plus, it’d spread the word that she was looking to sell her shares in Hammond Group. The more people fighting over them, the higher the price would go.

She wasn’t just mad at her ex-father. She was actually ready to sell those shares.

That way, she’d be cutting all ties with the Hammond family, once and for all.

Landon got what she meant right away. “Honestly, posting it on your feed would be even better.

“You could even drop it in the family group chat, let the older folks see what’s up.”

He added, “When do you have some free time? Let’s grab a meal together.

“I’ve got a script in hand, and I’m hoping you’ll take the lead.”

Alicia asked, “So, are you planning to stick around and work here now?”

Landon might be the real heir of the Hayes family, but he was never treated like one.

He was the true heir, but he’d been raised in the countryside before being brought back.

But the so-called “fake heir” wasn’t exactly fake. He was actually Landon’s father’s illegitimate son.

Back then, Landon’s father had quietly gone along with the whole baby switch.

His mom was always very domineering, so his dad ended up favoring the mistress who orchestrated the whole baby swap.

That mistress sent him off to some distant relatives in another city-people who had no kids and were barely scraping by.

Once the truth came out, his mom brought him back home.

After handing over all her assets to him, she left to live in a convent and devote herself to spiritual practice.

She said she’d treated that illegitimate son as her own all these years, and they’d grown really close.

But when the truth came out, she just couldn’t wrap her head around it.

She couldn’t bring herself to hate him, but she just couldn’t keep loving him like before, either.

She didn’t want to see her cheating husband or the son she’d raised anymore, and she couldn’t even bring herself to face her real son.

So she asked her family to look after her real son, and, heartbroken, went off to a convent to seek peace.

Even with a bit of help from his mom’s side of the family, Landon’s days with the Hayes family were anything but easy.

After he came back from the countryside, he transferred to the same school as Alicia.

The fake heir from the Hayes family was at their school too.

He’d always round up his buddies to mess with Landon.

One time, that fake heir even hired some thugs to ambush Landon, trying to cripple his hand for good.

Alicia happened to be there and jumped in to help him out.

But after he heard about Alicia’s situation, he couldn’t hold back anymore.

She asked, “So, are you planning to sign with an entertainment company, or thinking about starting your own studio?”

Landon replied, “If I go solo and open a studio, Hayes Media would definitely make things tough for me. I just got back and I’m still finding my feet, so I’m leaning toward joining an entertainment company for now.

“How’s Lucent Media treating you?”

Alicia replied, “Pretty good, honestly. Are you thinking about joining Lucent Media too?”

In her previous life, she only teamed up with Jason after she quit showbiz.

So she never signed with Lucent Media, and Jason never managed her.

Landon, on the other hand, signed with a different entertainment company, but he was pretty much tied down by all sorts of rules and couldn’t really spread his wings there.

After Alicia started working with Jason, she introduced Landon and helped him join Lucent Media.

Lucent Media shot up fast, and since Nicolas and Dustin were close, Starlight Entertainment and Hayes Media would often gang up to target Lucent Media.

With the enemy of their enemy being a friend, Jason and Landon teamed up as well.

Back then, the three of them were basically an underdog squad, but soon enough, they turned into a crew out for payback.

They always joined forces to take on those companies together.

Landon grinned, “Since your choices never miss, I want to give Lucent Media a try too.

“Could you introduce me?”

Alicia smiled, “Sure thing. I’ll invite Jason along, and we can all grab a meal together.”

They ended up setting a date for dinner the day after tomorrow.

After hanging up, Landon turned to Patrick and said, “Go ahead and post that video in the friend group, on your feed, and in the family group chat.”

Patrick grinned. “Alicia never disappoints-she’s always got that boss energy.”

Among all their friends, Alicia was the only one bold enough to let loose like this, and Patrick was more than happy to cheer her on.

Plus, it was a good way to show his biased parents that when their kids get pushed too far, they’re not just going to sit back and take it.

So he posted the video on his feed, in the friend group chat, and in the family group chat, captioning it: “Stumbled onto some wild drama today-had to share it with you all.”

The video blew up in no time, and people were totally shocked.

No one saw it coming-Alicia and Leo going head-to-head, and Alicia actually deciding to sell off her Hammond Group shares.

This meant she was cutting all ties with the Hammond family for good, and things were about to get ugly.

The Delaney family’s hospital.

Collin had just heard that Leo was in the hospital and was about to go visit him.

Before he even made it to the hospital room, he caught Patrick’s post on his feed.

After watching the video, Collin was in total disbelief.

Just what is Ally up to?’ he wondered.