Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism
Chapter 142 Island Vacation

Ever since she won the jade bracelet for 1.2 million at the auction, Zelena has been posting tons of photos on social media.

The auction itself is just as important as the bracelet.

Zelena's photography skills created the illusion that she was sitting in the front rows, even though their seats were towards the middle. She cleverly edited out the people in front of her. Before boarding the plane, Zelena called Hattie to boast.

"Hey, Hattie, I'm about to board a flight back to Arlowand. How's your island vacation?"

Hattie, who was lounging on the beach, replied, "Not bad; the sun's great. I'm just sunbathing."

Zelena continued, "Did you see the photos I posted? Verdancia is amazing! Such a pity you couldn't come."

All of Zelena's recent posts showcased her spending spree in Verdancia and buying luxury items.

In every photo, she made sure to subtly display her 1.2 million-dollar bracelet.

Let alone checking her posts, Hattie was already kind enough by not blocking or hiding her page.

Hattie, trying to be polite, said, "Yes, I've seen them."

Feeling satisfied, Zelena said, "I got you a souvenir. When are you coming back from vacation? Let's meet up."

Hattie replied, "In a week. My mom's on set and can't join me, so it's pretty boring here alone."

"Great, I'll see you when you get back to Quinston."

"Okay, bye."

Hattie hung up abruptly and tossed her phone onto the table.

She muttered, "What's there to brag about? With just a bracelet, she's over the moon. So childish."

At noon, the plane landed.

Violeta and her group arrived at North Sea Airport.

Niall owned property here and had purchased an island near the North Sea to facilitate business meetings. It also housed his private wine collection in a resort he built.

Niall specifically arranged for a car to pick them up at the airport and drive them to the port, where they boarded a speedboat to the island.

The sea was calm, the breeze tousled Violeta's hair, and a flock of seagulls circled above. A bold seagull landed right in front of the boat.

She took her phone out to capture the blue sky and white clouds. Hera, her golden eagle, squawked from her cage nearby.

The sound startled the seagull, which then flapped its wings and flew away.

Violeta lifted the cover from the birdcage. She opened the door and reached inside to grab the rope. Hera took a couple of steps and emerged from the cage.

Curious about its surroundings, Hera looked around as soon as it stepped out.

Golden eagles are large birds of prey, known as the kings of raptors, with wingspans reaching up to 2.4 metres.

Grown golden eagles can kill swans in the air and hunt wolves on the ground.

Although Hera was still a young bird, her eyesight was already impressive, allowing her to see great distances.

The eagle's pupils dilated and contracted as it locked onto a few seagulls in the distance.

Feeling the intense gaze, the seagulls quickly flew away. Within seconds, there wasn't a single seabird left around the speedboat.

The eagles owned by Zoren and his friends had been sent back to Quinston after their flight. They didn't bring their eagle with them.

Originally, Violeta planned to ship Hera back to Quinston. However, Hera was quite restless and aggressive. Even if they sent Hera back, she was concerned that it might accidentally injure the servants at home.

So, she decided to bring Hera along.

As for Hayden's eagle, Zeus was already a calm and stable bird. It had been quiet throughout the journey, causing no trouble at all. To put it nicely, Zeus was very obedient. But the truth is, Zeus just ignored everyone.

Zeus had been keeping its eyes closed until Hera's release from the cage. Inexplicably, Zeus opened its eyes and watched Hera intently.

Hera turned to look at Violeta, who gently guided her back into the cage.

About fifteen minutes later, the speedboat arrived at the island.

Servants responsible for managing the resort were already waiting with a buggy. As the speedboat docked, the servants stepped forward to help carry their luggage and birdcages. The group boarded the buggy and headed towards the resort.

"The islands around here are pretty densely packed. Most of the neighbouring islands have been bought by people on the wealthy list."

It's no surprise that the wealthy have private islands. The weather was great today, with no fog. Using binoculars, you could even see the villas and estates on distant islands.

A servant handed Violeta the binoculars. She took them and scanned the surrounding sea.

On the left, she saw a white villa on another island, When she zoomed in the binocular, she saw staff tending to the lawn and a private helicopter parked nearby.

"Quite impressive," Violeta said.

She lowered the binoculars and looked forward to seeing Niall's resort.

Niall turned to his friends and said, "Earlier this year, some friends from Plaunia sent me a crate of fine wine. We'll open a bottle later. When you leave, take some with you to give to your parents as a gift from me."