Rising From Betrayal Reborn As The Family Outcast novel Chapter 93

Chapter 93

Collin didn’t stop there.

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He continued, “I also found out that Ally’s been getting seriously flamed online by Nicole’s fans because of that whole clout- chasing scandal.

“But Nicole has never once spoken up for Ally, and she didn’t even bother to step in or call out her fans.

“There are even two fan group admins who keep stirring things up in their chats, egging everyone on to attack Ally.

“And there are a few accounts that are always fueling the hate train and leading the online mob against her.

“My people found out that those two fan group admins and those accounts are all just paid trolls.

“Nicole’s manager and Haley Waters, the one who stabbed Ally in the back, have been in constant contact behind the scenes.

“So when it comes to all the hate and drama Ally’s been getting, Nicole’s not just an accomplice-she’s probably the one who started it all.

“But she keeps telling you guys she wants to get along with Ally, that she wishes Ally was her sister, and that she wants to be best friends with her.

“Does that sound like someone who wants to be best friends when she’s stabbing her sister in the back?”

Before, with Starlight Entertainment backing her up, it was a real pain to dig into those paid trolls.

But ever since Nicole’s secret account got exposed and dragged Nicolas into that whole love triangle mess, things have changed.

To keep his distance from the drama, Nicolas not only started avoiding Nicole himself, but he also had Starlight Entertainment pull back all the special treatment and protection they used to give her.

That’s why Collin’s team was able to dig up all this info so quickly.

Of course, it was all a little too easy. Something just didn’t feel right.

Collin figured there had to be someone else working in the shadows, maybe Lucent Media was behind it..

But that wasn’t the point. The real issue was that Nicole was nothing like the innocent, fragile girl they all thought she was.

She’d been manipulating their sympathy, playing on Maxwell and Nicolas’s guilt, and using it all to make Alicia feel even more alone.

She’d gone out of her way to drive a wedge between them.

Maxwell was totally blown away. He had no idea things were really like this.

Back then, seeing Nicole try to take her own life right there in the bathtub had messed him up big time.

That guilt had been eating at him for years.

And whenever she started crying, looking all helpless, he just couldn’t bring himself to turn her down.

Who would’ve guessed that the whole thing was just one big scheme from the very beginning?

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And he never expected that while Nicole was putting on a show about wanting to be close to Alicia, she was actually the one orchestrating all the attacks against her behind the scenes.

This totally shattered everything he thought he knew about Nicole.

Back then, Alicia had called them blind and clueless.

Nicole had been acting all fragile and depressed for years, but she never actually did anything real to hurt herself. It was all just an act.

Alicia even called Nicole and her mom a pair of hypocrites-pretending to be all pure and sweet, but secretly scheming and

toxic.

Back then, they’d told Alicia she was being too harsh and got into an argument with her about it.

They said, “Not everyone chooses to be fragile or depressed, right? Nicole did try to kill herself once, didn’t she?”

“Just because you don’t like your stepmom and stepsister doesn’t mean you get to call them heartless or toxic.”

But now, they really did feel like they’d been totally blind and clueless.

Maxwell looked seriously shaken. “I honestly never thought Nicole would turn out to be this kind of person.

“We used to argue with Ally all the time because of Nicole.

“We always thought Ally was just being too harsh, picking on Nicole when she seemed so helpless.”

He ran his fingers through his hair, frustration and pain all over his face. “No wonder every time I tried to reach out to Ally and make amends, she just ignored me and acted like she couldn’t stand me.”

He always figured Alicia stopped talking to them just because of that concert incident.

But now, it was clear it was all the stuff piling up that finally made her give up on them.

He couldn’t even bring himself to think about how hurt and let down Alicia must’ve felt when they blamed her for everything.

Right now, he was on the verge of breaking down.

Collin looked at Maxwell, seeing how much he was hurting, and let out a sigh. “But honestly, Nicole and her mom ended up getting exactly what they wanted.

“Ally cut ties with us and walked away from the Hammond family for good.

“Now Nicole’s the only Hammond daughter left.

“Leo was planning to give them shares in the company, so they’ve pretty much replaced Celia and Ally.”

Maxwell’s eyes were rimmed with red, fury blazing in them.

He shot to his feet, voice tight with anger. “I’m going to confront Nicole and demand the truth. She doesn’t get to walk away from this.”

Collin frowned. “Sit down. When are you going to stop being so reckless all the time?

“If you go confront her, do you really think she’ll just come clean about it?

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PWM.

“She’ll probably start making excuses, play the victim, and drag you right back into her mess.

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“Besides, the Hammond brothers are already investigating Nicole and her mom. If you storm over to Nicole now, you’ll just spook them and make things harder for us.”

Maxwell slumped back into his seat, looking totally defeated. “What are we supposed to do now?

“We’ve been used for so long, and Nicole managed to tear us apart from Ally. How am I supposed to just sit back and take that?

“Every time I try to talk to Ally and she just looks at me like I’m nothing, it breaks my heart. I can’t stand it.”

He’d grown up with Alicia, and he, Nicolas, and Caleb had always revolved around her.

Back when she was still around, he just took her for granted.

It wasn’t until she stopped caring about them-until she was truly out of their lives-that he realized how much she really mattered.

Without her in their lives, it felt like a huge piece of them was missing.

Collin’s eyes went cold. “There’s no way we’re just letting them get away with this.”

‘Nicole and her mom schemed against my brother, and they actually managed to tear us apart from Ally.

“They even want to fully replace Celia in the Hammond family.

‘This is a score we have to settle, no matter what,’ he thought.

He added, “Let’s wait for the Hammond brothers to finish digging and see what their next move is. Then we’ll strike.”

They were allies with the Hammond brothers, so whatever they did, it was best to coordinate and make sure everyone was on the same page.

Maxwell had finally calmed down a bit. “Alright.”

He asked, “Collin, did you share what you found with Kevin and the guys?”

Collin shook his head. “No, I didn’t. If I could find this out, they can figure it out too.

“It’ll mean more if they find it on their own. Let them do their own legwork.”

He warned Maxwell, “And don’t tell them we’ve already figured this out.”

If Collin’s hunch was right and Lucent Media plus Alicia had given things a push behind the scenes, then the Hammond brothers would definitely catch on too.

If he could find all this out so easily, the Hammond brothers could too-they might even dig up more than he did.

So he didn’t need to worry about the Hammond brothers being left in the dark.

He didn’t want the Hammond brothers to know they’d already dug up all this-he was playing a deeper game.

The main thing was, Leo was the real mountain standing in their way.

If the Hammond brothers uncovered the truth themselves, whether they confronted Leo or went after Nicole and her mom,

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they’d be running the show on their own terms.

But if Collin told them first, they’d almost definitely end up telling Leo everything.

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He didn’t want Leo to get suspicious of him-he already had a plan brewing and didn’t want to give anything away.

If Leo kept stubbornly protecting Nicole and her mom, even insisting on giving them shares in the company, then Collin would have no choice but to urge the Hammond brothers to find a way to take back control.

Over the years, the Delaney Group and the Hammond Group had gotten so tangled up together, it was almost impossible to separate them.

The only way Collin could trust things would be okay was if Kevin was the one running the Hammond Group.

And the more Leo kept protecting Nicole and her mom, the more obvious it was that Celia was getting pushed out of his life.

Honestly, it was disgusting to watch.

If Leo insisted on siding with them, then the Delaney family would stop playing nice.

He turned to Maxwell. “Just tell Nicole that her reputation’s tanked lately. If the Delaney Group makes her our spokesperson now, it’s just going to drag our brand down.

The shareholders are already up in arms about it, so we have no choice but to cancel the endorsement deal.”

That was the truth.

“Let’s keep Nicole and her mom calm for now. Don’t let them catch on that we’re digging into their business.”

Maxwell took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. “Alright, I get it,” he said, even though his fists were clenched tight.

He’d grit his teeth and wait for now, but one day, he’d make sure Nicole paid for every dirty trick she’d pulled.

Nothing pissed him off more than being set up, betrayed, and used like some disposable tool.

On the other side, Alicia was casually chatting with Jason while she worked her acupuncture magic on him.

Jason said, “Collin’s already found out everything he needed to know, and the Hammond brothers are digging into Nicole and her mom now.”

He added with a sly grin, “All going exactly like you said it would.”

Alicia smirked. “Obviously. Every time I roast them, I make sure it counts.”

She knew Collin was the type who always had something up his sleeve and loved to overthink everything.

So whenever she roasted him, she’d straight-up call out just how off-putting that whole endorsement thing was.

With Collin’s personality, that was all it took to get him obsessing over why Nicole was so dead set on landing that perfume deal.

The deeper he dug, the more he’d see Nicole was nowhere near as innocent as she acted.

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Especially since Collin always looked out for Maxwell-his brother meant the world to him.

There was no way he’d let Nicole keep manipulating Maxwell with that old suicide guilt trip.

Of course, he’d start digging.

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