Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism

Hattie smiled warmly. "We baked a chiffon cake and thought we'd bring some for everyone to enjoy."

The servants glanced at each other, surprised to see them showing up at their door.

"You're too kind, especially since you brought this over in this bad weather.

"I'll go tell Mr. Niall."

One servant hurried upstairs to let Niall know.

Since they were already there, it wouldn't be right to leave them outside, so the servant opened the door and invited them into the living room.

The inside of the estate looked completely different from the small house they had stayed in before.

The small house was just a temporary spot on the island for fishing trips, but this vacation estate was really fancy.

It had a similar style to the small house, but it was much bigger.

When Niall heard about their visit, he came downstairs.

Seeing them sitting on the sofa, he frowned slightly. "What brings you here?"

Hattie and Benson turned to look at him when they heard his voice.

Niall was dressed casually in a white sweater and loose black pants that made him look tall and elegant. He had a handsome face and stood tall like a tree, making him quite a pleasing sight. Hattie couldn't take her eyes off Niall.

Benson spoke up first, saying, "Hello, Mr. White. To thank you for sending the yacht to rescue us, Hattie and I baked a chiffon cake and brought it for you to try."

Hattie snapped out of her trance when she heard Benson's voice and added, "Yes, Mr. White, we hope you'll enjoy it."

She offered him the cake.

Niall looked at the cake and said coldly, "Thank you."

"It was no trouble," Hattie said cheerfully. "My brother and I didn't have much to do at the small house, so we decided to bake a cake."

Niall wasn't really into sweets, but he couldn't refuse their gesture, seeing as they had come all the way.

He wasn't a teenager; he was almost thirty and had to maintain good relations with the Ridge family.

So, Niall invited them to sit down.

"Please, have a seat. Can someone bring us some tea?"

"Right away."

A servant brought them tea and took the cake to the kitchen to cut it.

Niall then instructed, "Go upstairs and tell them to come down."

"Of course, sir."

Them?

Hattie figured Niall was talking about Violeta.

She kept her face calm but wondered about Violeta's background.

She had a feeling Violeta might be related to the White family in a secret way, and today might be the day to confirm it.

A servant went upstairs to tell Violeta and the others.

They knocked on the esports room door and said politely, "Miss, the siblings from the Ridge family are here. Mr. White wants you all to come down and have some cake."

11

What?"

Everyone in the esports room was surprised.

Hattie and Benson are here??

Violeta looked at the others, then got up from the sofa. "Let's go. Since they're here, we should see what's happening."

They left their things and followed the servant downstairs.

When they got there, Niall was waiting for them to join him for cake.

Hearing footsteps, Hattie turned to see Violeta and the others. She glanced at Violeta for a moment, feeling a bit uneasy before looking away. "Hey, Bro."

Violeta greeted Niall first.

Niall nodded and said, "There you are. Miss Hattie made a cake. You all should have some so it doesn't go to waste."

Hattie was surprised to hear Violeta call Niall 'Bro'. Then Zoren called out, "Hey, Bro."

Since Niall was Zoren's cousin, it made sense for him to address Niall as 'Bro'. And since Violeta was Zoren's sister, it seemed normal for her too. Hattie's suspicion that Violeta might be related to the White family grew stronger.

Originally, Hattie had made the cake for Niall, but now he wanted to share it with everyone. She wasn't thrilled about it, but she didn't show it. When Benson saw Liam, he greeted him politely, though it seemed forced. "Liam, I didn't know you were here."

Hattie followed Benson's lead. "Hey, Liam."

Liam gave them a cold look but didn't respond.

As everyone sat down, the servants served the cake.

Jasper and the others didn't like Benson, and he had often been their target at school. So they didn't show much friendliness towards him now.

Zoren tried the cake and frowned.

"This cake tastes weird."

"Yeah, it's not very good. Who made it?"

Hattie hesitated before admitting, "I made it."

Zoren spat out his bite and wiped his mouth. "Oh, you made it? Don't bother making cake again; it's a waste of ingredients."