Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism
Chapter 172 Dig up Dirt

Only those who'd lived through it would truly understand how long that five to six years felt.

Two days later, Violeta headed to Sunset Cafe.

Kaylee had been working part-time there and had become close with Fiona and her husband.

Arriving at the cafe around 1.00 PM, Violeta found Kaylee yawning behind the counter.

"Hi, what can I get you? You can check the menu up there ... "

"Kaylee."

Kaylee's eyes brightened when she saw Violeta.

"Vio, you're back!"

Violeta smiled. "Yeah, I brought you something."

She handed Kaylee a small gift box from her bag. Inside were some ethnic-style jewellery she had picked up on the prairie, with special meaning.

Kaylee happily stepped out from behind the counter.

"I thought you weren't coming back until the end of the month!

"How was your trip? Tell me everything!"

Hearing the chatter, Fiona emerged from behind the curtain with a smile. "Vio, you're back."

"Yeah, Ms. Fiona."

Spotting Fiona, Violeta pulled out another gift from her bag.

With it not being peak hours, and few customers around, Violeta and Kaylee went upstairs to chat.

Although Toland University was on break, affecting business, it wasn't significant.

After all, Sunset Cafe had great online reviews and loyal customers. They could also attract customers through good reviews, with some old customer bringing new ones in as well. All in all, business was quite good during the summer.

Kaylee listened eagerly as Violeta shared her adventures on the prairie.

"Wow! I wish I could be as free as you.

"And you have an eagle named Hera? Wow!! I'd love to see her."

Violeta grinned. "If there's a chance, I'll take you."

"Deal!

"You even ran into Hattie?! Oh, my."

After sharing the island incident, Kaylee suddenly exclaimed, "Wait, so the news about the island collapsing was about Hattie's mom's island? Haha, she used to brag in class about vacationing there, and now it's collapsed. That's funny!"

The two chatted for a while as they caught each other up on their lives lately.

As more customers arrived, Kaylee went downstairs to help, leaving Violeta alone on the second-floor window seat, enjoying her coffee and scrolling through her phone.

Suddenly, a message popped up.

She didn't recognise the username at first, but the profile picture jogged her memory-it was Zelena.

Zelena had sent some crucial information, almost like a resume about Violeta.

'I need you to replace out more about this woman,' she insisted.

Violeta was right; Zelena wanted to hire a hacker to sabotage her behind her back!

If Zelena were smarter, she wouldn't have set that test, and maybe her post would have been picked up by other hackers before Violeta even saw it.

Unfortunately, her cleverness backfired.

'What kind of information?' she asked.

Reviewing the details Zelena sent, Violeta found it almost comprehensive. Zelena knew nearly everything about her!

But it was all about the Violeta from her previous life. They were outdated information, as Violeta had changed.

Nevertheless, thinking about it sent shivers down her spine.

In my previous life, I never would've stood a chance against someone like Zelena!

Moreover, in my previous life, I thought Zelena was a potential good friend, only to be backstabbed by her! Gah, I was such an id*ot!

Zelena demanded, 'I want to know some things about her that are not widely known-I want to know her hidden secrets. She's currently dating Jasper, a senior at Toland University. I don't believe she's that innocent. Dig up some dirt on her-the juicier, the better!'

Dig up dirt on me?

A faint smile played on Violeta's lips as she glanced at her phone screen.

It was a golden opportunity. If Violeta didn't seize it, it would be a waste of the opportunity Zelena was practically offering her.

She replied with a simple, 'Okay.'

Zelena pressed, 'Get it to me as soon as possible.'

'Two weeks.'

Initially, Zelena thought two weeks was a bit long.

But then she realised that it would coincide with the start of Toland University's new semester, just in time for the college competition.

Thinking that this timing worked out well, Zelena agreed.

'Okay, then I'll wait for your good news.'

Violeta's understanding of Zelena was limited to after she returned to the Blake family.

She knew little about her past.

However, Zelena seemed to know everything about Violeta's past.

She must have put in a lot of effort to understand me.

Violeta recalled when Zelena was mistakenly taken from the hospital, her foster parents were market vendors selling grass seeds. They weren't wealthy, but they treated Zelena well.