Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism
Chapter 239 Being an Employee isn't Easy

Everyone left.

The counselor pulled Violeta aside to ask her about what happened earlier.

Violeta said, "I saw Zelena rubbing her fingers with water. She's the main suspect!"

The counselor looked serious. It wasn't that he didn't believe Violeta, but he didn't want to rush to conclusions.

After all, without clear evidence, the counselor knew jumping to conclusions could upset Zelena and cause other issues.

The counselor sighed inwardly again.

Being an employee isn't easy.

Was the sprinkler valve really set off by accident?

If the sprinklers hadn't gone off, Zelena would definitely be in trouble.

"Okay, since the class funds weren't stolen, today's incident should be a warning for them. You can go now."

Violeta pressed her lips together.

Kaylee asked, "Are we just going to let this slide?"

The counselor sighed, "What do you expect me to do?"

"Let's go."

Violeta calmly left the office.

Kaylee walked out with Violeta.

She vented, "It's unfair. Zelena was obviously suspicious. Letting it slide like this will just boost their confidence, and they'll push even harder next time."

Violeta understood where the counselor was coming from. After all, he wasn't the principal who could call all the shots at the school.

The counselor was under pressure, but it was natural to want to protect oneself in situations like this.

"It's normal for the counselor to play it safe. After all, we have no evidence, and the sprinkler valve wouldn't go off for no reason. Someone must be helping them from outside."

"What should we do then?"

Violeta thought for a moment. "Let's go, first check the surveillance cameras in the hallway."

Somewhere else, on the school rooftop.

Hattie leaned against the wall, smoking. Standing nearby were Zelena and Benson.

"That was close."

Zelena breathed a sigh of relief. "Luckily Benson happened to pass by, or we would've been caught."

Hattie rolled her eyes. "You would've been caught, not we."

Hearing Hattie's words, Zelena instantly became displeased and retorted, "Hattie, you gave me the keys to Violeta and Kaylee's lockers. You're part of this plan as well. If I get caught, it won't just be me facing consequences."

"Hmph!" Hattie scoffed coldly.

Indeed, Hattie did have a part in this matter.

She managed to get hold of the spare key for the girls' locker room, so Zelena was able to open Violeta's locker door. Without being able to open the locker, how else could she have gotten the money? They just never anticipated Violeta to be so cautious.

She had even applied highlighter to the envelope containing the money in advance.

During their confrontation in the locker room earlier, Hattie quickly sent a message to Benson from her phone.

After finishing their PE class, the boys' locker room was directly opposite the girls' locker room, though not adjacent, but very close.

Upon seeing the text message from Hattie, Benson found a way to trigger the sprinkler valve outside using a cigarette butt.

That was why the sprinklers in the girls' locker room went off.

If it weren't for Benson working with them, Zelena would have definitely been caught this time.

Zelena was in trouble now. They were bound to start checking the locker keys, so Hattie wouldn't get away either.

Anyway, their plan this time had failed.

Benson said, "Hattie, you shouldn't cause more trouble. Violeta's use of the highlighter on the envelope shows she's always been suspicious of you. I helped you out today, but what if I hadn't been there? What would you guys have done?"

Hattie grumbled, "So what if they catch me? Punishment? Huh, that's just a scare tactic for regular students. Does that work for me? And don't forget, the Ridges donates big bucks to Toland University every year. If they mess with me, who's gonna fix their gym next semester?"

Zelena furrowed her brow.

While the Blakes weren't the chancellor at Toland University, since she was studying here alone, her parents had managed to influence some of the school leaders.

Even if the truth came out, the school would likely try to minimize the situation, making a big deal into a small one.

But the main issue was that this incident could tarnish their image.

Zelena cared deeply about her image.

Previously, during the college competition, the incident of campus violence in which she was involved was exposed. Despite quick PR fixes, Zelena's reputation at Toland University still took a hit.

She treated a few administrators of the school forum to dinners for a week, asking them to help delete posts and gradually lessen the impact of the incident on campus.

However, while she could delete posts on the school forum, there were still many discussions about her campus violence on Twitter.

If anyone wanted to dig up her dark past in the future, they'd definitely replace it there.

Zelena was super stressed out. Every day, she tried her best to report those criticizing her on Twitter, but her efforts felt tiny, like ants trying to move a tree.

That was why she couldn't stand Violeta.

Even though there was no proof, she was convinced this whole thing had something to do with Violeta.

"Violeta was the biggest beneficiary in the previous college competition, Benson. Hattie got tricked by those club people during the competition, didn't even snag second place, and got teased by Evelyn and the other girls. Even though the club won't admit they were bribed, do you really think Violeta is innocent? She's up to no good behind the scenes, too!"