Rising From Betrayal Reborn As The Family Outcast novel Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Kevin was still at Hammond Group’s executive office handling business when his phone rang.

He picked it up and felt a bit surprised when he saw who was calling

He tapped the answer button and said, “Maxwell, what’s up?”

The moment the call connected, Maxwell started unloading all his complaints on Kevin.

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First, he told him that Alicia wasn’t just ignoring him and Nicolas, but she’d actually threatened to cut ties with them completely.

Then he brought up the dinner situation and added, “Kevin, Jason’s definitely up to no good getting close to Alicia like this. You guys need to talk some sense into her and get her to stay away from him.”

At the mention of Alicia’s name, Kevin couldn’t help but rub his temples.

“I can’t talk sense into her either,” he said. “She blocked all of us the same way. And she went even further and took Hammond Group to court.”

He let out a heavy sigh and continued, “I was actually planning to find a chance in the next few days to go see her in person and have a real conversation.”

The company had received the court summons today, and he’d been completely blindsided.

He never imagined Alicia would actually go through with it.

He’d tried calling her from other unfamiliar numbers, but she wouldn’t pick up. She was clearly avoiding them on purpose.

Maxwell’s eyes went wide with shock. “She sued Hammond Group? Why would she do that?”

Kevin let out a frustrated breath. “She owns six percent of the company’s shares, and we never paid her the dividends. She sent her lawyer to negotiate, and I stalled because I wanted to meet with her face to face. I didn’t think she’d actually take us to court.”

The whole situation had blindsided him, and now his head was pounding.

To make matters worse, one of the major shareholders who’d always had it out for him had caught wind of the lawsuit.

The man had shown up at his office that afternoon, pretending to be concerned but really just rubbing salt in the wound.

Thank God Leo’s been overseas working on that project, Kevin thought. If he were here, this would’ve sent him through the roof

Maxwell swallowed hard. “She’s really going that hard now?”

She’d actually sued her own family’s company.

If word got out, the Hammonds would be the laughingstock of their entire social circle.

Kevin sighed heavily. “Yeah, I didn’t see it coming either”

He’d assumed Alicia was just making noise to get their attention, but apparently she’d meant every word

He leaned forward. “So you’re saying she and Jason seem pretty close?”

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Maxwell nodded. “Yeah, she literally hit Nicolas and screamed at him today because of Jason. I’m telling you, she’s completely different now. She’s so cold toward us, like we’re nothing to her.”

He’d thought Alicia was just furious about them missing her performance, that she’d said all those things about cutting ties because she was too angry to think straight.

But after today, he realized she genuinely wanted nothing to do with them. She couldn’t care less.

What scared him most was the look in her eyes. No matter how angry she’d been before, she’d never looked at them with such cold indifference.

Maxwell ran a hand through his hair. “That’s why I called you. I thought maybe you could talk to her and smooth things over, but then you dropped this bombshell on me instead.”

Kevin’s headache got worse. “If that’s the case, this could get even messier. Is Nicolas there with you? Put him on.”

Maxwell had already put the call on speaker, so he just looked over at Nicolas.

Nicolas spoke up, “Kevin.”

“The Farrell family partnered with the Moore family, the Delaney family, and the Hammond family,” Kevin said. “They’re developing this wellness resort and retirement community project together, and it’s already underway.”

He continued, “And Lucent Media is working on the exact same project. Jason getting close to Alicia-I’m guessing it’s connected to this.”

This project had originally been Jason’s older brother, Damian’s vision. Damian had been developing it back when he was still president of Lucent Media Group.

At the same time, Farrell Group was facing a critical transition, and internal problems were piling up.

Victor saw massive potential in the project and recognized it could solve Farrell Group’s transformation challenges.

So he pressured Damian through Adam, demanding that Damian hand over the project.

Damian refused. But not long after, he died in a car accident.

While Jason was in a coma in the hospital, the Farrell Group didn’t just steal the project.

Victor also colluded with the person temporarily running Lucent Media and bought the land Lucent Media had purchased for the project at a low price.

If Jason hadn’t woken up and taken control of Lucent Media with ruthless efficiency, the entire Lucent Media Group would probably belong to the Farrell Group by now.

Once Farrell Group secured both the project and the land, they approached Moore Group with a partnership proposal.

Hammond Group and Delaney Group both saw huge potential in the project, too.

The four companies had complementary resources, so they decided to work together to create the country’s largest integrated medical care, wellness, senior living, and tourism project.

They signed the agreement, and construction had already started.

But Jason hadn’t given up.

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He bought an even larger plot of land and was determined to develop his own version of the project.

He wanted to go head-to-head with them and beat them at their own game.

This project involved massive manpower, resources, and funding, and they couldn’t afford any mistakes.

Nicolas hadn’t joined Moore Group, but he still knew about the company’s major projects.

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Speaking of this project, it was actually his family who connected the Farrells with the Hammond family and the Delaneys in the first place.

After hearing everything, his face darkened considerably. “I knew Jason was up to no good,” he said.

But Nicolas was also confused. “What does getting close to Alicia have to do with this project, though? Is he just trying to mess with us?” he asked.

“He’s not actually thinking Alicia would come to you guys and dig for confidential info about the project progress, is he?” he added.

Given Alicia’s personality, even if things got ugly between them, she would never do something like that.

And Jason wasn’t stupid.

Kevin told him honestly, “This joint project we’re doing actually has something to do with Alicia. Wellness and eldercare are the main highlights we want to emphasize in this project, and in the entire Delaney family, only Alicia truly learned Grandpa’s medical skills.”

He continued, “Plus, she went to the best medical university in the country, and Grandpa used to take her along when he visited his old friends. When it comes to connections in the medical field, even the Delaney family can’t match her network.”

He explained further, “She’s not just skilled in various treatments, but she also has tons of medicinal recipes for health maintenance and healing.

“On top of that, she’s developed all kinds of powerful medicinal incenses and therapeutic baths.

“For example, the sleep-aid incense was supposed to be our star product to attract customers. These were all planned as key features to draw people to our eco-project.”

People wanted better healthcare and retirement options these days, and pretty environments with comfortable living weren’t enough to make them stay long-term.

Beyond the hospital the Delaney family planned to build for guaranteed medical resources, they needed something more.

Regular wellness programs for guests, paired with specialized herbal meal plans, aromatherapy, and medicinal baths, would be key to attracting people and encouraging them to stay.

So when Nicolas heard that Jason and Alicia’s relationship was improving, his heart sank.

Kevin’s mention reminded him of something he’d completely forgotten. Alicia’s medical skills were exceptional.

His expression darkened even more. “No wonder he’s been getting close to Alicia,” he said. “This isn’t just about stirring up trouble between us. He’s trying to poach our talent.”

Then he let out a bitter laugh. “But here’s the problem. Right now, Alicia won’t listen to anything we say.”

He’d thought having Kevin step in would be enough, but now it seemed the Hammond family was facing an even bigger

headache.

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Kevin thought for a moment. “You’ll be filming that show with Alicia soon,” he said. “Do your best to keep things stable with her. My dad’s birthday is in a couple weeks, and we’ll find a chance to have a real conversation with her then.

He believed siblings could always work things out, no matter what.

“Alright, we will,” Nicolas said.

On top of that, he planned to talk to his parents and have them reach out to Leo.

When the birthday banquet came around, both families’ parents could take the opportunity to publicly announce their engagement.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to rest easy.

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