Rising From Betrayal Reborn As The Family Outcast novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Nicolas and Maxwell’s phones buzzed at the same time, and they both checked their screens.

It was a distress message from Nicole.

Maxwell texted back: [How are we supposed to help you?]

Maxwell: [Why don’t you just join our group?]

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Nicole wanted to punch him. ‘How could three people be in one group? And if I just ditch Felicity, what will the viewers think of me?’ she thought.

Nicole typed quickly: [Can’t you get Chase to switch back to the first grouping method?]

Nicole: [I actually wanted the first option from the start. It seemed fairer to the trainees.]

Nicole: [But Felicity chose the second one instead. God, this is such a mess.]

Maxwell replied: [Won’t they think we’re going back on our word?]

After all, everyone had already agreed to the second method.

Nicole: [Just try, okay? Otherwise, I’m literally going to die of embarrassment.]

Nicole: [This feels awful.]

Maxwell turned his head and looked over at Nicole.

She happened to glance his way at the same moment, and he noticed her eyes were already red-rimmed.

If they didn’t change the grouping method and left her stuck in this awkward situation, knowing how sensitive and fragile she was, she’d probably cry herself to sleep tonight from feeling so miserable.

‘Why does she cry so much?’ he wondered. ‘Is she made of water or something?’

But whenever she cried, they couldn’t help feeling both heartbroken and exasperated at the same time.

Maxwell turned his head and whispered to Nicolas, “Should we talk to the production team about this?”

Nicolas had noticed Nicole’s eyes turning red, too. He sighed and nodded. “Go ahead.”

Just as Chase was saying, “Next, number twenty-one will-”

Maxwell cut him off. “Hey, I don’t think the current group selection method is fair”

Chase looked at him and waited for him to continue.

Maxwell went on, “I noticed that most of the top twenty trainees ended up in our team and Team 4. That’s not fair to the other two mentors and the remaining trainees.”

He concluded. “So I’m suggesting we redraw the groups randomly instead”

His comment made the top twenty trainees feel uneasy.

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If they redrew and ended up in Felicity’s group, they’d probably become targets.

But even though they weren’t happy about it, no one dared to speak up.

Chase blinked in confusion. “But you guys originally chose the second option.”

Maxwell sighed and said, “Sorry, we made the wrong choice.”

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Nicolas jumped in to back him up. “We didn’t think it through before, so let’s just go with the first option and draw lots to split into groups. That’s fairer for everyone.

“We don’t want to cherry-pick all the top-ranked trainees anyway,” Nicolas added.

“We thought about it, and if all the high-ranking trainees get grouped together, they won’t be spread across the four groups, which actually makes it easier for them to stand out.”

He had a point. When all the popular, talented trainees were in one group, the overall performance might look good, but it’d be harder for individuals to shine.

His words made the trainees who’d chosen their group reconsider. ‘He’s right,’ they thought.

Their popularity had consistently stayed in the top ten, so unless something went seriously wrong, they shouldn’t get eliminated in the next round.

What they really wanted was to stand out during the public performance and climb even higher in the rankings.

When they looked at it that way, the idea didn’t seem so bad anymore.

Chase remained silent and thought, “That’s not what you said before.”

Nicolas was the golden boy of Starlight Entertainment, and Chase didn’t want to cross him, so he turned to Marley instead.

Marley wanted to roll his eyes. ‘I can’t afford to piss off the young benefactor either,’ he thought.

He looked at the other six mentors and asked, “So what do the rest of you think?”

Nicole didn’t give Felicity a chance to speak and jumped in first. “I agree.”

She explained further, “I don’t really care what rank my teammates are, but the way things are looking right now isn’t exactly fair to the remaining trainees. I want them to have a shot at making it into the top sixteen too.”

Chase turned to look at Simon and Hannah.

Simon and Hannah felt cornered. ‘Nicole just said everything and basically guilt-tripped us, he thought. They only had one choice. If they disagreed, it would make them look like they didn’t care about fairness for the lower-ranked trainees.

Simon smiled and said, “We’re fine with it.”

Chase shifted his attention to Alicia. “What about you guys?”

He was actually hoping Alicia would stir things up again and create more drama for the show.

And Alicia didn’t disappoint.

She glanced at Nicolas and Maxwell, and her eyes were cold with disgust. “The princess wants a do-over, so the princes have to go back to school with her and put everyone through this mess.

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Chapter 36

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“They picked option two from the start because they thought they’d all get to choose top-ranked trainees, she continued.

“But now they want to change the rules just because they can’t team up with the best players.”

She didn’t hold back. “It’s hypocritical, plain and simple. We’re not idiots, so why dress it up with all these fancy excuses?”

Her words left everyone in the room and watching the livestream completely stunned.

[OMG, Alicia always says what I’m thinking.]

[She’s so bold to say that on a livestream.]

[But she’s just telling the truth. Other people are too scared to say it, and she’s not.]

[That’s exactly why I love her.]

[That’s my girl Alicia, always keeping it real.]

[Do you think Nicolas will clap back after she called them out for being hypocrites?]

[Based on how they usually act, definitely.]

[But based on how they’ve been simping lately, you know-]

Fans from all three camps jumped in. [Simping my ass. Can you guys stop stirring up drama?]

[Exactly. Alicia is way too arrogant. Nicolas and Maxwell are definitely going to put her in her place.]

[What are you guys even talking about? Nicolas and Maxwell only spoil Nicole. Alicia’s fans need to stop trying to start something.]

[They only dote on Nicole. Anyone else doesn’t matter.]

[Just wait and see them go off on her. Alicia really thinks they’re pushovers; she can trash-talk whenever she wants.]

Everyone waited to see how Nicolas and Maxwell would react.

The two of them had already caught Alicia’s look of pure disgust.

They heard her sharp words, words she’d never directed at them before, and something twisted uncomfortably in their

chests.

When Nicole had begged them through tears earlier, they’d agreed to help without thinking twice, but they’d forgotten that Alicia’s group needed strong trainees too.

Still, they couldn’t take back what they’d already promised.

They knew Alicia’s true capabilities, and she had that unshakeable strength that meant she could handle anything thrown her way and come out standing.

Nicole was the complete opposite, so fragile that the slightest setback could break her.

They had to protect the weaker one first.

But they’d come on this show to reconcile with Alicia, so they couldn’t actually work against her.

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Maxwell gave Alicia an ingratiating smile. “We just figured you’re so talented that it wouldn’t matter who ends up in your group. The final performance will be great either way.”

Nicolas nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly. We trust you to do well with whoever you get.”

They’d argued with Alicia so many times before over choosing between her and Nicole. Spoiling one meant having to placate the other, and it exhausted them.

Why can’t these two just be good sisters to each other?’ they thought.

Their personalities should complement each other perfectly.

One strong, one fragile. One fiercely protective and reassuring, the other dependent and easy to want to shield.

‘The problem is Alicia. Why can’t she just accept Nicole as her sister?’ they wondered. Nicole had been trying so hard to get close to her, to become real sisters.

In their eyes, biological sisters and stepsisters were all family, so there was no need for Alicia to be so hostile.

They’d tried explaining this to Alicia before, but she’d just cursed them out, calling them blind and telling them to get lost.

It was frustrating, honestly.

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