Chapter 179
Collin didn’t stop there.
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 Alícia 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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“She’ll probably start making excuses, play the victim, and drag you right back into her mess.
“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?
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Lucia Morh is a passionate storyteller who brings emotions to life through her words. When she’s not writing, she finds peace nurturing her garden.