Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism

Zelena's competitive nature wouldn't allow her to be outdone, so even at a premium, she had to be the first to get the latest fashion. However, finding Hattie wearing the same outfit irritated her, though she had no choice but to grin and bear it.

Gillian and Candy were quick to show their appreciation.

Seeing their outfits, they exclaimed, "Hattie, Lena, this series is the latest autumn collection, right? The cuffs on the international supply have a plaid pattern, so you must have bought these abroad?" Zelena responded, "Yes."

Hattie added, "Of course."

In truth, the international versions weren't necessarily better than those from Hoiten.

Jour 24 was a Hoiten brand, renowned as the pride of Hoiten.

The problem was that it was so popular that it was impossible to find at local boutiques, forcing them to pay a premium to buy it abroad.

Rumors online suggested that the quality abroad differed from Hoiten's, not only in cuff design but also in fabric.

Hoiten preferred cotton and linen for comfort, custom-made for the Hoitenese market.

Foreign factories didn't consider this, resulting in stiffer fabrics.

In the entire class, only Zelena and Hattie were wearing the latest designs.

They were basking in the envious looks from their classmates when Violeta and Kaylee walked in, immediately stealing the spotlight.

"Look, Violeta is wearing another custom Jour 24 piece. See, the logo is different."

"That's several pieces now. She didn't repeat any outfits last week either ... "

"So enviable. If I had that many, I'd post photos online and get tons of attention."

This was a not-so-subtle jab at Zelena and Hattie.

They frequently flaunted their clothes on social media, especially luxury items and selfies, wearing their vanity on their sleeves while calling it their "daily life." Violeta's custom-made outfits swept through the performing arts department, making Zelena and Hattie's latest purchases look insignificant in comparison. In addition to Zelena and Hattie, many others were secretly jealous of Violeta.

By the afternoon, the school forum was buzzing with posts suggesting that Violeta's Jour 24 clothes were fake.

People also questioned how she could afford not to repeat outfits for an entire week.

"What's Violeta's family business? How are they so rich?"

"Am I the only one who thinks her Jour 24 looks fake? I saw the logo on her shoulder at the playground, and it seemed off."

"Wow, I thought I was the only one who noticed. She's too popular on the forum for me to say anything."

"Definitely looks fake. The official website doesn't sell that design. No way hers is different from the rest. Hilarious."

"Isn't Violeta dating Jasper? Maybe he's buying her these clothes?"

"So, she's just a gold digger then."

These accusations stirred up a lot of drama on the forum.

Zelena and Hattie watched the chaos unfold, secretly pleased.

Perfect, Violeta was under fire.

At the tennis court, Violeta and Kaylee were practicing when Nessie called out from the locker room.

"Vio."

"Huh?"

"Come over here for a sec!"

"Oh, okay."

Violeta and Kaylee put down their rackets and headed towards the locker room.

Once in the locker room, Nessie pulled up the forum posts and showed them to Violeta.

"Vio, look at this. The three most popular posts on the forum are about you. What do you want to do about it?"

This wasn't entirely unexpected.

Since Violeta arrived at Toland University, she had frequently caused a stir on the forum.

From her first day, when a photo of her and Hayden's backs went viral, to the campus belle incident, and many other events.

Last semester's drama aside, this semester alone, she had topped the national leaderboard and caused several hot threads due to the college competition.

It was no surprise that many people were unhappy with her.

So, the content of these posts, alleging she wore fake clothes and calling her a gold digger, was something Violeta had anticipated.

Kaylee looked at the posts, outraged. "This is too much! Vio and Jasper are just friends. Who started the rumor they're dating?"

Violeta remained calm. "No one's perfect. If people want to talk, let them. I'll just focus on what I need to do."

Nessie admired Violeta's resilience but expressed her concern. "Even though you feel that way, these incorrect assumptions on the forum are damaging. Aren't you going to respond?"

Violeta thought for a moment. "You're right, I should respond. Jasper and I are just friends. It's not fair to drag him into this. I'll ask him to clear up that we're not involved."

Nessie asked, "You want Jasper to distance himself from you? What about the other accusations?"

Violeta replied, "What other accusations?"