Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism

Benson's eyes darkened as he said, "It doesn't matter if Violeta is an illegitimate child or not. What's important is that you don't make an enemy of her, Hattie."

"Benson, it's hard to swallow that simply bearing the surname White grants automatic nobility, isn't it?"

Hattie's frustration was evident in her tone. "I'm sorry, but Violeta doesn't sit well with me."

They had already clashed a lot at school, so avoiding conflict now seemed impossible.

Benson sighed. "Hattie, the White family is a major player in Quinston. Having them as friends could be beneficial."

Hattie scoffed, "Seriously? Her?

"Don't bother Violeta, even Zoren is merely a peripheral member of the White family. The real person to befriend is Niall! He's the one with real power. Benson, stop worrying about me. I've got this."

Meanwhile, back on the island.

Violeta and the others returned to the villa.

Violeta headed to her room for a shower. Before the rain started, the servants had already moved the birdcage from the terrace into her room.

Downstairs, a cake was being baked, and a servant brought a slice up to Violeta.

"Ms. Violeta, please enjoy."

"Thanks."

She took the cake into her room. With the rain pouring outside, a movie playing in the background, and a delicious cake to enjoy, it was the perfect setting for a cozy night in.

But before diving into the cake, Violeta needed to find an exciting movie to watch!

She grabbed the remote and started searching for a horror movie. While she was busy, Violeta didn't notice that the cake on the table was being sneakily pecked at by Hera, the little thief.

Hera tasted the cake and found it delicious.

Pecking even faster, it made a mess of the cake in no time.

When Violeta finally found a horror movie and turned around, she saw the cake in complete disarray.

"Hera!"

"Chirp ...

Violeta walked over and put Hera back in its cage.

"How did you sneak out and eat my cake? Now I can't even enjoy it."

Regretfully, she wiped off the splattered cream from the table and took the plate out to get a new piece.

In haste, she forgot that the horror movie she had picked was already playing.

Just as Violeta stepped out, Zoren came out of his room, intending to ask Violeta to play a board game. Seeing her door open, he called out and walked in.

"Vio?

"Want to play a board game? Are you still awake?"

Zoren walked into the room, glancing around. He didn't see Violeta, just the birdcage sitting on the table.

The horror movie was being projected from Violeta's phone onto the wall, but with the bright lights in the room, Zoren didn't notice it.

Hera was inside the cage, preening its feathers.

Zoren walked over and poked at Hera with a small stick nearby. "Where's your owner? Why are you the only one here?"

"Chirp ...

Hera suddenly let out a chirp.

"Wooooo..."

Out of nowhere, a strange sound echoed from behind, like someone was crying.

Zoren looked around, then glanced at the window, but didn't notice anything unusual. However, he realised the window wasn't closed properly. The wind and rain outside were making the curtains sway. He walked over and shut the window.

"Chirp ..."

Hera chirped again.

Zoren muttered, "What's with all the noise? You're so annoying. I'm out of here ... "

"Ahhhhhhh...

He heard the scream clearly this time.

Zoren was frightened and a chill running down his spine.

He turned around and saw the terrifying opening of the horror movie projected on the wall, featuring a ghostly face.

"Ah!"

Zoren jumped, yelling out in fear.

Just then, Violeta was coming upstairs with a new slice of cake. Hearing Zoren's shout, she quickly rushed back to the room.

"Zoren?"

Zoren walked to the door and nearly bumped into Violeta, who was holding a plate of cake.

"Whoa!" Zoren stopped just in time. "Vio, when did you go out?"

"I went downstairs to get some cake. What's up?"

Zoren patted his chest. "If you're going out, at least turn off your horror movie. It scared me half to death! I came to see if you wanted to play some games in the lounge." "You got scared? Haha... " Violeta laughed.

She chuckled. "Sure, you head downstairs first. I'll quickly grab a jacket and catch up with you."

"Come on, seriously! Who would've thought a girl like you would be into horror movies... Zoren grumbled as he walked out.

"

Violeta entered her room, paused the movie, put on a jacket and carried the cake downstairs. Hera watched the whole thing, chirped twice when Violeta left, then closed her eyes to rest.

Violeta went downstairs to the lounge where everyone was gathered.

Niall was standing by the window.

The lounge had arched windows, with several cushions arranged on the window seat. The storm outside looked incredibly frightening from inside the room.

"The rain is getting heavier. It's not a good sign," Niall said, looking worried.

"If it keeps raining like this for a week, it might cause a tsunami," Niall added, sounding concerned.

Jasper walked over with a glass of juice. "If a tsunami happens, we'll be stuck here."