Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism

"Lydia, Violeta is trending again. It's hilarious!

"How did a newcomer like her dare to step on us? Do these newbies think they can just walk over their seniors to get ahead? It's so presumptuous!"

Lydia nonchalantly replied to her WhatsApp messages, then paused to listen to her assistant. She put her phone down and extended her hand. "Let me see."

The assistant handed over the phone. Lydia scrolled through the news and saw her fans praising her. She casually liked a few comments, using her assistant's account.

Though Lydia was very popular, the comment section wasn't entirely in her favour. Violeta's fans were also quite vocal.

"This Violeta has a decent fan base," Lydia remarked.

Her assistant replied, "They're just fans of her drama. She starred in 'The Quiet Ode,' which is popular right now. It's normal for her to have some following. But if her future projects aren't as good, those fans will disappear. It won't affect us."

Another assistant, Devin, chimed in, "Exactly. But it's clear Violeta is ambitious. She just signed with Apex and is already trying to step on us, claiming she's the new Top Gun. It's laughable! Where does she get the nerve?"

Lydia chuckled and handed the phone back to her assistant. She adjusted the blanket on her lap and closed her eyes. "It's not about her having the nerve. This is just Eugene trying to get back at me."

When Lydia left Apex with her team, Eugene was left behind. He must have felt betrayed and was now trying to retaliate.

Lydia had only signed a five-year contract with Apex. During those years, she did owe her success to Eugene's efforts, but so what? Eugene promoted her for his benefit too. If Lydia had failed, Eugene wouldn't have had any standing in the company. So, all his efforts were voluntary.

Now that Lydia had established herself, it was normal for her to leave with her team. She couldn't stay at Apex forever. People always look out for their interests.

To Lydia, Eugene was no longer valuable. He even hindered her, restricting many of her moves, and making things dull and frustrating.

If Eugene wanted revenge, Lydia wasn't worried. She was curious to see what Violeta was capable of.

"Lydia, Indigo has already prepared the dress for you. You can go to the studio to choose it later. Oh, and several other brands have sent over their haute couture dresses too."

"The Clio red carpet schedule has been printed out. If there are any issues, we can still make adjustments."

Lydia responded, "Okay, got it."

...

Time flew by, and Lydia's return dominated the trendy searches until the Clio Charity Night red carpet began, at which point it finally dropped. After all, it wouldn't look good for Clio's event to be overshadowed.

In the evening, Violeta arrived two hours early to get her makeup and styling done.

For this event, Apex received

invitations from upper management and a select few artists, including Violeta, Brandon, and some veteran artists from the company. Tracy and Chad Weren't invited because, despite being signed with Apex, they hadn't yet established themselves in the industry. They weren't even considered C-list.

Tracy was still filming, so she couldn't attend the red carpet. However, Chad's manager pulled some strings to get Chad an opportunity to attend.

Zelena was also busy filming and couldn't make it.

Hattie had been eagerly anticipating the red carpet. After meticulously preparing, she was ready to shine in front of the media.

Since 'The Moon Belongs to You'

was still airing, the production team planned for Hattie and Jacques to walk the red carpet together, pleasing the fans. However, after the previous negative reviews, both Hattie's and Jacques' teams were at odds. Though they agreed to walk together, both sides were prepared to launch their marketing campaigns after the event to outshine each other.

Violeta was placed towards the beginning, neither opening the event nor being the final highlight. Eugene was dissatisfied with this and tried to negotiate with the organisers, hoping to get Violeta a more prominent spot. But it wasn't that simple.

The red carpet lineup was released.

"Mr. Scott, don't make it hard for me.

If it were Lydia, maybe. But Violeta, though popular, still lacks the clout Many others are vying for the spotlight, and it's just not feasible to give Violeta the final spot. You're putting me in a tough position."

Eugene responded with bitterness, "Okay, you say it's tough now. Do you forget how I helped you before? Fine, don't come asking for favours in the future."

The negotiations fell apart, and Eugene was furious. But that's the reality of the entertainment industry.

Violeta remained calm. "It's fine, Mr. Scott. We'll go with the original plan."

Eugene sighed, "I just hate to see you in this stunning haute couture not getting the spotlight you deserve."