Rising From Betrayal Reborn As The Family Outcast novel Chapter 49

Chapter 49

After hanging up Maxwell’s face fell, and he let out a heavy sigh.

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“Getting back on Alicia’s good side isn’t going to be easy this time,” he said. “And she actually sued Hammond Group. If Leo finds out about this, he’s going to lose his mind. Kevin’s stuck in the middle too.”

Nicolas couldn’t wrap his head around it either. “Yeah. I don’t get it. If word gets out, the Hammonds look bad, but what does she gain from that?”

Alicia didn’t need money, so it couldn’t be about the cash.

Knowing Kevin’s personality, he wouldn’t refuse to give her the dividends.

This is something they could sort out face to face, Nicolas thought. Why won’t she just sit down and talk it through? What’s she really after?

Maxwell thought for a moment. “Maybe I should try to talk to her tomorrow and convince her not to push this so far. Leo cares about his reputation more than anything, and if this gets out and embarrasses him. I’m worried it’ll damage their relationship for good.”

Nicolas nodded. “Yeah, someone needs to talk some sense into her.”

Otherwise, at this rate, he was afraid Alicia would go too far down this path, and they wouldn’t be able to pull her back.

Then he asked, uncertainty creeping into his voice, “But will she even listen?”

After all, she’d yelled at him and even hit him today.

Maxwell’s face fell. and he groaned. “I have to say something even if you don’t want to hear it. God, this sucks.”

He paused and then asked, “Do you think she’s cutting us off because of Nicole? I mean, yeah, we missed her performances and all that, but is Nicole the real reason?”

Nicolas thought back to what Alisha had said, and it seemed like she hated Nicole even more now.

Nicolas let out a heavy sigh and said, “I’m getting that feeling too. She told me we’re not close anymore and she wants nothing to do with us.”

He continued, “I think the online hate she got was the breaking point. You know, when people attacked her for supposedly clout-chasing by claiming to be a Hammond family heiress, your childhood friend, and your cousin.

“It was all true, but we never stepped up to defend her. We let them tear her apart online, and I think that’s when she finally gave up on us

Maxwell thought it over carefully and nodded, “Yeah, that’s probably it. But we were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

He sighed again and said. “If we’d gone public to clear things up, Nicole’s status as the adopted daughter would’ve been exposed

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration and muttered. ‘I can’t go through that again. I can’t watch her lying in a pool of blood, almost dead. Not again.

When Nicole first came to the Hammond family, she’d tried so hard to fit in and make them like her.

After she arrived, the Hammonds noticed she showed signs of depression, so they hired a therapist who worked with her for

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Chapter 49

months.

Her mental health was fragile, and she’d break down crying over the smallest things.

She was thin and frail, and once they learned about her past, they all felt sorry for her.

They hadn’t exactly welcomed her into the family, but they hadn’t gone out of their way to hurt her either.

But then one day, Nicole mentioned she wanted to grow azaleas.

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The butler asked Leo about it and then pulled up Alicia’s begonias from the garden and replaced them with azaleas.

That day, Maxwell, Nicolas, and Alicia all came home to Delaney Manor together after school.

When Alicia found out what had happened, she was furious and not only pulled out the azaleas that had just been planted, but she even cried, which was rare for her.

So he and Nicolas went to scold Nicole.

He told her that she was just a stepdaughter with a different last name, and that she should be grateful the Hammond family was letting her stay with them. He demanded to know what right she had to pull out Alicia’s flowers.

Nicole cried and said she didn’t do it.

She insisted she only wanted to plant azaleas and had no idea the butler would pull out Alicia’s flowers.

He didn’t listen and scolded her again, making a point to emphasize her status once more.

But an hour later, the servants found Nicole in the bathtub after she’d slit her wrists.

They saw her lying in a tub full of blood with their own eyes, and in that moment, he was completely stunned.

Thankfully, they got her to the hospital in time, and nothing serious happened.

After that, Leo tore into him.

Leo made it clear to everyone that Nicole had already taken the Hammond name and was now a daughter of the Hammond family, not some outsider.

He felt guilty at the time because he never thought she’d be so sensitive about her identity that his words would drive her to attempt suicide.

He apologized to her, and not only did she forgive him, but after that, she liked to cling to him and depend on him.

And it wasn’t just him. She acted that way with everyone else, too.

Nicole was starving for love, and her heart was fragile and sensitive. She was terrified of being abandoned, so she clung to them desperately and craved their care and affection.

After that incident, their relationship with Nicole completely softened.

She became well-behaved and obedient, dependent and unable to leave them.

Gradually, they started treating her like a real younger sister.

But after that same incident, the relationship between Alicia and Nicole only got worse and worse.

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Chapter 49

They just couldn’t understand why Alicia couldn’t tolerate such a pitiful and fragile sister.

After all, having Nicole as an extra sister didn’t affect Alicia.

So when they found out about the online situation, they struggled with it, but they still chose to stay silent.

They were just too afraid of triggering Nicole and making her do something stupid again.

Nicolas said irritably, “Yeah, otherwise why would we be in such a difficult position?”

He had witnessed that unforgettable scene with his own eyes.

After all these years together, he saw Nicole as his sister.

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And the company’s PR department staff must have lost their minds because they built Nicole’s entire image around being a wealthy heiress.

If they came forward now to clarify the truth, it would force her to be torn apart by the entire internet.

When Alicia got criticized, she was mentally strong and would fight back to prove herself.

But if it were Nicole, she’d probably spiral into depression immediately, or worse, her fragility and depression would push her to attempt suicide again.

Then they’d be responsible for driving her to her death, and the Hammond family probably wouldn’t let it go.

Maxwell let out a sigh and said, “Even if we don’t clear things up ourselves, this whole thing’s probably gonna come out someday anyway.”

There was no way to keep it hidden forever.

Nicolas nodded and said, “It’s bound to happen sooner or later, especially now that we’ve got Jason deliberately stirring up

trouble.”

He added meaningfully, “No matter how it gets exposed later, we just can’t be the ones to spill it ourselves. Otherwise, Leo and Kevin might actually want to kill you.”

Maxwell flopped back on the couch and looked utterly defeated. “Yeah, I feel like I shouldn’t have agreed to do this show in the first place,” he said.

Not only had he failed to make things right with Alicia, but everything had gotten even worse.

Right now, he didn’t want to be stuck in the middle between Alicia and Nicole at all.

But Nicolas shook his head and said, “If you hadn’t come, it’d be even harder to find a chance to make peace with her. Her attitude this time is completely different from before.”

He could see Alicia’s coldness clear as day, and that’s why he was starting to panic.

No matter what, he had to fix this because he couldn’t accept spending the rest of his life without her in it.

Maxwell realized he had a point and said, “Then let’s do our best to win her over.”

He sighed again and added, “No matter how hard it is, we’ve gotta push through.”

They didn’t have any other choice.

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