Rising From Betrayal Reborn As The Family Outcast novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Alicia gave Jason acupuncture treatments every day.

90

5 vouchers

As she had said, after a few rounds of herbal baths and acupuncture, Jason’s legs not only regained some feeling, but he could even move them a little.

Seeing this, Jason finally saw a glimmer of hope for recovery.

Meanwhile, Alicia had also added Darren on WhatsApp.

They met up for a few meals to get to know each other better, preparing for their upcoming reality show together.

It was as if they were old friends from another life. They hit it off instantly and got along great.

Before long, they became friends who would message each other often and sometimes even play games together.

Time flew by, and soon it was the day of the reality show.

For the first episode, all the guests gathered in Solmare and set off together for the show’s destination.

Jason shared a van with Alicia, escorting her to the set.

In the van, Alicia turned to Jason and said, “Looks like your treatment is moving into phase two now. From now on, you’ll only need acupuncture every three days.

“I’ll be filming the show out of town, so I’ll still need you to come by for my acupuncture.”

Jason replied, “I’ll come with you to the set. We can get the treatments whenever you have time.”

Alicia asked, “Aren’t you going back to the office to handle things?”

Jason replied, “Nothing urgent right now. I can take care of everything with video calls and remote access.”

Alicia teased, “With such a VIP sponsor hanging around, the production team’s gonna be on edge every day, worried you’ll get picky about something.”

Jason raised his eyebrows. “With your VIP sponsor here, no one would dare cross you.”

Alicia burst out laughing. “Well then, thanks.”

Jason asked, “You sure you don’t want to get yourself an assistant first?”

When Alicia left Starlight Entertainment, she didn’t take her old assistant along.

Jason had his secretary line up a few options for her, but she said no to all of them.

Mon, Feb 2

Chapter 21

Alicia replied, “I’ve already invited someone I’ve got my eye on, and she said yes.

“But she’s gotta finish up at her old job first, so she’ll only be able to start next week.”

Her old assistant was actually assigned to her by HR at Starlight Entertainment.

Alicia had always treated her kindly, even lending a hand whenever she needed help.

But at some point, behind Alicia’s back, that assistant got bought off by Haley and Nicole.

She’d secretly leak Alicia’s info to those two. She was just a snake Alicia couldn’t trust.

5 vouchers

When Alicia got her second chance, that assistant even sent her that viral post on X on purpose, just to provoke her into stirring up trouble with those people.

When Alicia left Starlight Entertainment, that assistant said she wanted to keep working with her, but Alicia paid her no mind.

This time, the assistant Alicia reached out to was a young woman she’d once supported through college.

She was capable and sincere, someone who truly valued relationships.

But because she was reserved and didn’t try to curry favor or get involved in office drama, her managers at her current company didn’t really appreciate her. So work always felt pretty stifling for her.

In her last life, after Alicia left the group, she ran into this girl just as she was quitting her job out of frustration.

They clicked instantly, and she became Alicia’s assistant.

Alicia loved how efficient she was, and they made a great team together.

And since Alicia knew she’d never get stabbed in the back by her, she was more than happy to wait.

Jason nodded. “Alright.”

**

When they arrived at the destination, Alicia and Jason walked into the waiting room together.

The director, Marley Duncan, and the rest of the production crew went out of their way to greet Jason, being super polite.

They were pretty courteous to Alicia as well.

Marley turned to Alicia and said, “We’ve set up a waiting room for each group of guests. When the live stream kicks off, each group will enter separately.

“You and Darren will be the last group to show up.”

Given their star power and all the negative buzz lately, Alicia and Darren would normally be the first ones to

13:08 Mon, Feb 2

Chapter 21

hit the stage.

5 vouchers

But this time, since they were the most talked–about guests, plus having Jason, their big–shot sponsor, in their corner, the crew decided to have them enter last.

Alicia nodded. “Got it.”

Soon, Darren walked in with his new agent.

When his agent spotted Jason, he froze for a second.

Then he quickly put on a big smile and stepped forward respectfully. “Good to see you, Mr. Farrell.”

‘Who would’ve thought Mr. Farrell, the man with a million things on his plate, would personally escort Alicia to the show? He really does value her,’ the agent thought.

Jason gave him a nod.

Darren walked up, said hi to Jason, then stood next to Alicia.

Alicia knew that while Darren was tall and good–looking, he always wore a serious expression, which made him come off as cold and unapproachable.

But in reality, he was just a socially awkward introvert, which was why the supporting actor used to push him around on set.

People gossiped that he was icy, arrogant, thought he was better than everyone else, and acted like a total diva during filming.

To make things worse, their company’s latest golden boy started spreading all sorts of nasty rumors about Darren, like how he was constantly hitting on the actresses on set.

Darren wasn’t great at standing up for himself or talking back, and he didn’t bother with office politics or networking. His agent and the PR team always sided with the new guy.

Thus, Darren got roasted all over the internet. Most of his opportunities ended up getting stolen by that guy.

But once people got to know him, they realized Darren was actually pretty straightforward and totally genuine. He had no hidden agendas at all.

He might look intimidating, but when he was upset, he’d just quietly brood by himself, like a clumsy dog nursing his wounds alone.

Alicia noticed Darren nervously clutching the hem of his shirt, looking totally on edge.

She reassured him, “Relax, I’ll look out for you.”

Darren finally loosened up a bit. “Alicia, I’m sticking with you from now on.”

Despite being older than Alicia, Darren felt like she was the one who made him feel secure.

13:08 Mon, Feb 2

Chapter 21

90

5 vouchers

He thought it was awesome how she could just clap back at all the drama online. It was something he wished he could do, but just didn’t have it in him. That was why he always respected Alicia.

Honestly, with the way Darren is, he was never the type to go for a reality show.

After all, reality shows meant nonstop socializing with other guests. Besides, this one was live, which was a whole different ball game from filming a drama.

But acting was his passion, and ever since he got dragged through the mud online, nobody wanted to offer him anything worth his time.

His old company tried to push him into some trashy romance drama and a sketchy product endorsement for a wannabe influencer brand. When he turned them down, they just iced him out completely.

Lucent Media reached out, promising him a shot at picking some top–notch scripts later on.

But the catch was, he had to go on this reality show first and wash off all the rumors and hate that had stuck to him.

He wasn’t ready to leave showbiz yet, so he had to bite the bullet and go for it.

Good thing Alicia, his partner for the show, was really chill. They hit it off right away.

Otherwise, he was sure that going on the show would just make things worse for him, getting flamed even more instead of fixing his reputation.

After waiting in the lounge for almost half an hour, the show finally kicked off.

They could watch the live stream right there in the lounge.

The director’s voice came through the speakers. “And now, let’s welcome our first group of guests. Nicole and her friend, Felicity.”

As soon as he finished, two young women with flawless makeup walked into the frame.

Nicole had that delicate, vibrant charm. She was the group’s little ray of sunshine, always bringing warmth wherever she went.

She showed up in an impeccably styled sporty dress, looking radiant and full of youthful energy.

Felicity, meanwhile, was rocking the ice queen look. Her smoky gray dress and elegant, boss–lady vibe made her seem totally untouchable.

Both of them were seriously stunning, and as soon as they appeared, the live chat lit up with all kinds of praise.

Most of the hype was coming from Nicole’s fans.

CallMe: [Nicole looks so fresh and radiant today.]

Notsosoon: [She’s totally the sweet girl next door, so cheerful and bright!]

13:08 Mon, Feb 2

Chapter 21

…

Icecoffee: [She honestly looks like she could still be a high school beauty.]

5 vouchers

WWWAIT: [Is this Nicole’s first time on a reality show? She looks even better on stream than she does in dramas!]

Stawberry_drink: [Nicole, go! You rock!]

Every now and then, there was a stray comment hyping up Felicity, but those were totally drowned out by

Nicole’s fans.

For any random viewer or fans of the other guests, the chat made it look like Nicole was the hottest thing on

screen.

But in reality, LUMIA was the top idol girl group right now, totally dominating the scene with way more fans and way more buzz.

Nicole’s popularity was basically boosted by smoke and mirrors. The audience had no clue what was really up.

Next up were Darren and Hannah. Their fans were cheering them on in the chat, but compared to Nicole’s army, their numbers were way smaller.

Their support was totally drowned out by Nicole’s fans.

Then the director’s voice got louder, full of excitement. “And now, let’s welcome our third group of guests. Nicolas and his friend, Maxwell!”