Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism

She definitely planned to intervene.

The new cake was finally ready.

However, Hattie didn't call them down to eat it; she stayed downstairs silently.

It wasn't until mealtime that they came down to eat.

A servant mentioned that the cake had been ready for a while.

Niall asked, "Why didn't you bring it up earlier?"

Hattie said, "Mr. White, I told them not to. I saw you all were busy."

Violeta, sitting at the dining table while eating her food, remarked, "Were you waiting because you saw my brother was busy, or because you wanted to stay here longer?"

Hattie's little plan was exposed by Violeta, and she was furious inside.

"Violeta, what do you mean? It's storming outside. Do you want me and my brother to go out and get struck by lightning?"

Violeta ate a small piece of steak, blinked, and said sarcastically, "Oh, then why did you come? Who invited you?"

Hattie gritted her teeth, wishing she could slap Violeta's smug face.

Niall intervened, "Alright, Vio. That's enough."

Violeta knew Hattie still had more tricks up her sleeve, so she stayed quiet.

"The storm is pretty bad. You should stay here tonight."

If they took the ferry back and something happened, Niall wouldn't be able to explain it to Anton. After all, Carl had personally called Anton about this.

If Niall didn't want to get involved, he shouldn't have saved them.

Since he had helped them, he would stand to lose if anything happened to them on the island.

Hattie looked at Niall gratefully. "Thank you, Mr. White."

Benson also thanked Niall. "Thank you, Mr. White."

"It's nothing. No need to thank me."

Niall signalled the servants to cut the cake and serve everyone.

This time, Hattie had made the cake properly. The chiffon cake was light and fluffy.

Violeta tasted it and thought that Hattie's skills, as she had shown on that cooking show in her previous life, were genuine and not just for show.

Midway through the meal, Niall asked Hattie, "You're in the same class as Vio, right?"

Hattie paused for a moment. "Yes, Mr. White. My brother and I are in the same class as Violeta."

Niall nodded, his tone friendly. "Vio hasn't been back in Quinston for long. She can be a bit blunt sometimes. Please bear with her."

"Of course," she replied.

Hearing that, Violeta asked while taking a sip of her orange juice, "Bro, are you implying that I'm not gentle at home?"

Niall smiled warmly. "Whatever you say."

The more Hattie listened, the stranger it sounded.

Isn't Violeta Zoren's sister? Why is Niall so protective of her, as if she were his biological sister?

Both of them were illegitimate, but the difference in treatment between Violeta and her was stark.

Hattie couldn't contain her curiosity and bravely asked, "Mr. White, is Violeta your ... ?"

"Sister," Niall finished.

"But what about Zoren ... ?" Hattie asked again.

Zoren cut in, "What about it? Vio is my sister as well. Got a problem with that? To be clear, Vio found me first. I brought her back to the White family."

Zoren brought Violeta back to the White family? Hattie thought.

So Violeta is Zoren's half-sister, confirming my suspicion.

It's just a false alarm.

She was relieved that her guess was right as she blamed the misinformation on Zelena.

Hattie bowed her head, hiding her relief.

Violeta noticed Hattie's eyes darting around and knew she was up to something.

After dinner, Violeta pretended to go upstairs to her room but kept an eye on Hattie from the second floor.

Hattie stayed composed, sitting quietly in the living room without making any suspicious moves.

Violeta watched her from the balcony, but then she heard a noise behind her.

"Squeak!"

Clang!

Startled, Violeta realised it must be Hera escaping from her cage again.

She hurried back to her room to catch Hera.

In those two minutes, a servant emerged from the study with a kettle, presumably to fill it up. There's my chance!

Hattie seized the opportunity and approached, claiming she also needed water.

The servant set the kettle down and made room for Hattie. "Go ahead, Miss Hattie."

"Thanks," Hattie said.

Positioning herself to block the servant's view, Hattie placed her cup under the dispenser and stealthily poured the colorless liquid from the small bottle into the kettle. The liquid mixed in seamlessly.

Hattie then left with her cup, and the servant, unaware of the tampering, filled the kettle and brought it back upstairs to the study.

Hattie returned to the sofa with a satisfied expression, waiting for the drug to take effect.