Rising From Betrayal Reborn As The Family Outcast novel Chapter 62

Chapter 62

Kevin and his brothers were at home today, passing the time with light conversation as they waited to hear from Alicia.

After more than two hours without any word, Caleb finally broke the silence. “You don’t think she actually decided not to send us tickets, do you?”

Kevin had shown them the viral clip earlier, the one where Alicia told the trainees she’d cut ties with her family, that they wouldn’t show up to support her, and that she had no intention of inviting them.

Austin’s expression tightened. “How long is she going to keep this up?”

Would it kill her to send us tickets?’ he thought. ‘It’d be an easy way for everyone to step down gracefully.

Kevin reached for his phone. “I’ll ask Maxwell.”

Just then, it rang. Maxwell was calling.

Kevin answered immediately.

“Kevin,” Maxwell began without preamble, “I just checked with the director.

“He said Alicia only asked for one ticket, for a friend.

“So she didn’t request any for you.

“I went and asked her about it myself. She said if you’re not in contact, why would she send you tickets?”

Maxwell let out a short breath. “So, what’s the plan?

“If you still come and sit in the seats Nicole arranged, I really think this’ll get even messier.”

It was clear to him now that Alicia wasn’t bluffing.

All week on the show, he’d tried to soften things between them, but she’d kept her distance.

When he’d gone to her about his hand again, she hadn’t offered to help and just told him to see a doctor, as if he were anybody else.

Kevin pressed his fingers to his temple. “I don’t know what to do either. Should we just take the seats you booked?”

One thing was certain: sitting in Nicole’s section would only make things worse with Alicia

Maxwell replied, “Nicolas and I already talked about that.

“But Nicolas said if you show up, the press will just assume you’re here for Nicole

“I’ll trend again, and if Alicia sees it, that’ll be the end of it

Another headache was creeping in. “Then what do you suggest?”

“Maybe it’s better if you don’t come at all. Maxwell said frankly

Kevin sighed ‘But we already told Nicole we would”

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Maxwell gave a light shrug. “Then there’s no clean way out.

“Honestly, if you come, things with Alicia will only get worse.”

“Alright,” Kevin said quietly. “We’ll think about it.”

He ended the call and relayed everything to his brothers.

Caleb let out a low laugh of disbelief. “What’s her problem? Since when is she so small-minded about things?”

He added, “You know what? I’m going. Let’s see just how dramatic she wants to get about this.”

Austin chimed in, “I’ll go too.

“We already promised Nicole. If we bail on her now, she’ll end up heartbroken again.

“And maybe I’ll try talking to Alicia. Somebody needs to talk some sense into her.”

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After a brief silence, Kevin agreed. “Alright, I’ll go as well. It might be a chance to sort out the profit shares with her quietly.”

Airing this out in court would only turn them into gossip fodder.

“But we’ll sit in Maxwell’s section, not Nicole’s,” he clarified.

Austin and Caleb both gave quiet nods. “Fine.”

Kevin called Maxwell back to let him know their decision and asked him to smooth things over with Nicole about the seating.

With no other choice, Maxwell pulled Nicolas along to find Nicole first.

The three ended up at a restaurant for a meal.

After they settled in, Maxwell turned to Nicole and said, “Nicole, Kevin and the rest agreed to come to the show.”

“But they’ll be using the seats I reserved for them.

“You can offer your tickets to other family members through the director.”

Nicole felt a pang in her chest as soon as she took in his words.

Her eyes grew red almost immediately. “Why? Did I do something to upset them?”

Even as she spoke, she knew it must have been because of Alicia.

Seeing her on the verge of tears, Maxwell quickly explained, “It’s not about you. I was the one who suggested it

Nicole stared at him in disbelief, tears beginning to fall. “Maxwell, tell me what I did wrong. If I’ve upset you somehow, just say so. I’ll fix it.

Her eyes welled up, wide and wounded. “But please, don’t be angry with me, okay?”

Watching her cry, Maxwell softened his voice. “You haven’t done anything wrong Really. It’s just this is my first variety show, and I really wanted them there to support me.”

He had no choice but to shoulder the blame.

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“But if this hurts you,” he added gently, “I’ll tell them not to take my tickets after all.”

He knew Nicole, kind-hearted and accommodating, would never actually protest.

Sure enough, though she was fuming inside, Nicole managed a small, fragile smile. “Oh, I misunderstood.”

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She dabbed at her tears with a tissue. “It’s fine, then. I just thought you all didn’t like me anymore. Let them have your seats. It’s really okay.”

Even as her heart ached and tears kept coming, she knew Maxwell had outmaneuvered her.

Admitting how much it hurt, or demanding they use her tickets instead, would break the image she’d carefully maintained.

Besides, it was clear the decision was already made. What sounded like consideration was really just a polite way of telling her how things would be.

The thought tightened her chest, and silent tears continued to trace down her checks.

Hearing her insist she wasn’t upset, yet watching her tears continue to fall, Maxwell felt a flicker of irritation.

‘She cries every time things don’t go her way, he thought. ‘Last time, because of her, Alicia nearly cut ties with us.

What more does she want? Why is everything so difficult? Frankly, I could cry myself right now.”

This time, he simply had no patience left to console her. He shot a meaningful glance toward Nicolas, silently passing the baton.

Nicolas had little tolerance for Nicole’s tears himself.

The whole seating issue seemed trivial to him. Where people sat hardly mattered, and he saw nothing worth getting so emotional about.

It wasn’t his problem, and he had no interest in playing the comforter.

Still, to break the lingering tension, he picked up a piece of meat and placed it in Nicole’s plate, deftly changing the subject. ‘How are the preparations going for your team’s performance?”

Nicole felt a fresh pang of hurt when Maxwell made no move to comfort her.

Seeing Nicolas offer a way out, she reluctantly took it, though the gesture felt more like a face-saving retreat than genuine relief.

Wiping her eyes, she replied, “Things are okay on my end, but Felicity…”

She deliberately steered the conversation toward Felicity, subtly inviting Nicolas to share the criticism.

As it happened, Nicolas already held a low opinion of Felicity.

He readily joined in, even suggesting he would speak to their agency about scaling back her future resources.

Later, back at the hotel, Maxwell called the director to finalize the seating arrangements. He then made a deliberate post online: [Don’t you dare miss the show tomorrow. Tickets are waiting for you!

He attached a photo of a stack of tickets and tagged his bandmates, along with Kevin and his three friends.

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The four promptly replied on X, confirming they would be there to support him.

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The public exchange was, of course, partly for Alicia’s benefit, a clear signal that their attendance was solely for Maxwell.

To ensure Alicia wouldn’t miss it, Maxwell also shared a screenshot of the post in the show’s guest mentor team chat, adding a polite note to acknowledge the number of seats he had reserved.

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