Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism

Irene picked out a dress for Violeta.

It was a new haute couture piece from SEVITL's autumn collection. A high-end, light purple, slit-hem bodycon dress with an off-shoulder design and intricate fish scale detailing extending from the top to the skirt's hem, with pale highlights that reflected light when walking. It looked like a stunning mermaid dress.

There was also a short, black butterfly-themed dress from the same collection, which made the legs look longer.

When Violeta arrived at the studio and saw the dress Irene had sent over, she felt a bit uneasy.

"Mom, won't this be too flashy for me to wear? I just debuted, and I'm already wearing haute couture? How am I supposed to blend in later?"

Irene replied, "Why shouldn't you wear it? I bought this dress for my daughter. Wearing haute couture right after debuting will show everyone you're different. I saw that scandal they were talking about, saying you were dating a rich man for money. Haha! Wearing this will shut them up!"

Violeta was surprised. "You bought it?"

There have been instances where celebrities who weren't qualified tried to buy dresses for the red carpet themselves, which offended the brands and led to poor fashion resources later.

The brands are the biggest sponsors if you don't have backing in the entertainment industry. If you get blacklisted or banned, it's a huge loss.

"Mom, isn't this against the rules?"

Irene reassured her, "Don't worry. I know the president of SEVITL's Artea-Pacifica region. You can wear it without worry. Last time we had afternoon tea, the president mentioned that they enjoyed your performance in 'The Quiet Ode' and thought you had a great presence. They want to work with you.

"Vio, don't be afraid. If anything happens, I'll handle it. Just wear it."

Since Irene put it that way, Violeta decided to go along with it.

"Thanks, Mom. I'll wear it then. I was wondering what to wear to the party."

Irene laughed fondly over the phone, "Good, you wear it. I won't keep you from your work anymore. Oh, and come home for dinner this weekend. Your dad and I miss you."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Violeta raised an eyebrow at Eugene, who was sitting across from her.

"Mr. Scott, it's settled. I'll wear this one."

Eugene exclaimed, "Wow, isn't it too flashy?"

Violeta lowered her gaze, saying, "Maybe flashy is exactly what I need!"

Eugene laughed, "Alright, I can already see the trendy searches on Clio Charity Night. Let Hattie's team go after that White Goddess dress. We'll be the most stunning mermaid at the Clio Charity Night, haha..."

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Scott, did you contact Danielle? I read the script. This first draft is a bit rough. She needs to revise it."

"I contacted her. She said she could make the changes..."

...

Meanwhile, Hattie was having dinner with the director of Viviane that evening.

With a bit of persuasion, the dress issue was resolved!

Hattie was very pleased with herself.

"What I want must be mine. Violeta, how can you compete with me?"

Hattie expected Violeta's team to fight back and continue vying for the dress. But after waiting for two days with no response from Violeta's team, she figured Violeta had given up. She thought Violeta wasn't that capable after all.

Since Violeta was very popular right now if word got out that she couldn't secure the dress over Hattie, everyone in the industry would know who the real power player was.

Hattie immediately had her assistant spread the word and take the opportunity to smear Violeta.

Her assistant got the message and promptly went to work.

Within half a day, the news spread throughout the circle.

...

The rumours quickly reached Violeta.

Aster said, "Is Hattie's team out of their minds? We didn't even provoke them. Why are they doing this?" Violeta thought about the recent negative reviews of 'The Moon Belongs to You' online.

Hattie probably thought Violeta was behind it.

But Violeta wasn't interested in petty tricks like that.

In her past life, 'The Moon Belongs to You' had been nominated for awards Negative reviews were temporary. As long as the show's quality was good, it wouldn't be affected by initial criticism

Although Violeta didn't get along with Hattie, she wouldn't stoop to such tactics.

Who else would benefit from Hattie's misfortune?

It was Zelena.

A faint smile appeared on Violeta's lips. She had already figured it out.

"Ignore them. The truth will come out at the Clio Charity Night red carpet."

Eugene added, "By then, it will be clear who the real clown is."

Suddenly, a notification popped up on Aster's phone.

Aster looked at it, then turned to Eugene with a serious expression.

"Mr. Scott, check the trendy searches."

Eugene and Violeta both pulled out their phones.

At the top of the trendy searches was a very eye-catching breaking news headline.