Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism
Chapter 40

Chapter 40 A Crushing Match

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. Have you finished eating? Let's go to the tennis court."

"Yes, let's go."

The two of them left the cafeteria and arrived at the tennis court.

By now, several people were already warming up here.

Violeta, carrying the tennis rackets given by Hayden, came to the resting area with Kaylee.

Not long after, Zelena, Candy, and Lily also arrived.

Zelena and Candy formed a team, while Gillian and Lily, who were previously expelled, also teamed up. After Lily was expelled, Gillian quit the assessment since she no longer had a teammate.

The three of them walked past the resting area, and Candy disdainfully glanced at Violeta and Kaylee.

Kaylee did not hold back and glared back.

Zelena sat down and took out her own tennis racket from her bag.

It was a vibrant green racket, catching everyone's attention.

When Candy saw it, she exclaimed, "Wow, Lena, your racket is so beautiful! It must be custom-made!"

Zelena smiled shyly. "Yes, my parents heard that I joined the tennis club and specially ordered it for me. There's only one pair in the world as it's a limited

edition."

"Can I take a look?"

"Sure."

Zelena generously handed her racket to Candy, who held it in her hand and admired it for a while before enviously saying, "This is an AH custom-made racket. It's quite expensive. I think it costs around 7500 to 9000 dollars for a pair. Lena, your parents are so good to you!"

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Candy's comment attracted the attention of the people around, and they kept starling at Zelena.

Zelena's vanity was greatly satisfied.

At that moment, Violeta also took out her racket from her bag.

Kaylee imitated Candy's expression and loudly exclaimed, "Wow!"

"Vio, your racket looks amazing! It's much more vibrant than that someone's hideous green racket!"

In an instant, everyone's gaze was drawn to her voice.

Violeta paused for a second with the racket in her hand. She felt that Kaylee was being too dramatic. However, Kaylee winked at her.

After that, she continued loudly, "Vio, your racket must be expensive! Let me see, it's from AH! And it's a collaboration with a famous cartoon character! D*mn, not only is it custom-made, but it's also a limited collaboration within the custom-made collection! It must cost at least 30 thousand dollars!"

With Kaylee's help, Violeta completely stole Zelena's spotlight.

Zelena sat aside, gritting her teeth in anger.

Candy said, "What's all this shouting about? Where are your manners?"

Kaylee replied, "Oh, do you have manners then? Who was the one shouting first? Can't people be amazed by a 30 thousand dollar racket?"

Candy felt jealous and said, "It's probably fake!"

At that moment, a cold and deep male voice came from the back row of the

audience.

"They're a gift from me. Do we have a problem?”

Everyone's gaze turned towards the back row, where Hayden was sitting at the highest point.

Not far away, Zoren and his two companions strolled over leisurely and sat next to Hayden, crossing their legs and displaying a nonchalant attitude. Everyone was stunned.

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Candy felt embarrassed and recalled Gillian's fate. She weakly said, "No, I didn't mean anything else, I was just talking."

Hayden looked at her coldly. Then, he lowered his eyelids and lightly opened his thin lips. "Just talking? Does that mean you can spread rumors without consequences just because you have a mouth?" Candy was extremely nervous and quickly apologized to Violeta.

"I'm sorry, Violeta. I didn't mean to imply that your tennis racket is fake. Please forgive me."

Violeta glanced at her indifferently, said nothing, and looked towards Hayden.

Since Violeta did not say anything, Hayden decided not to pursue the matter further.

The match started soon.

Violeta and Kaylee picked up their rackets and stepped onto the court. Kaylee

was a bit nervous.

However, Violeta moved gracefully and calmly as if she were dancing with the

wind.

"Vio, are you feeling nervous? There are so many people here to watch the match today."

Not only were the members of the tennis club present for the final assessment, but students from other schools were also in attendance. The tennis court was packed with people.

Furthermore, four important figures were seated in the back row.

Violeta smiled at her and said, "Just focus on playing. Everything will be fine."

Kaylee took a deep breath and nodded at Violeta.

Once they entered the court, Zelena also entered with Candy, both holding their rackets.

Due to the previous uncomfortable situation, Candy felt a strong sense of animosity towards Violeta. As a result, she played with great force.

Zelena might not be very skilled at playing tennis, but she still managed to

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sapter 40 & Crushing Mateli

convey her hatred towards Violeta.

Both Zelena and Violeta were quite attractive, making the match very interesting to watch.

Violeta's eyes were as cold as knives as she stared at Zelena across the court. She tightly gripped her racket and stared at Zelena with an intimidating gaze.

She parted her red lips and silently uttered a phrase.

Others could not hear or understand what she said, but Zelena understood it perfectly.

Violeta's words were, "Watch your face."

Zelena was just about to say the same thing to Violeta!

She couldn't stand looking at that face anymore and wished she could destroy

it!

The match began..

The tennis ball soared through the air with great force towards one side.

After a few exchanges, Zelena's hands were numb. She had initially thought that Violeta was just lucky to win the preliminaries and semifinals, but when she played against her, she realized how strong this

woman was.

She almost missed several shots.

Compared to Violeta, she was the lucky one.

"Ah!"

In a moment of carelessness, a ball flew past Zelena's ear and she failed to catch it!

The scoreboard changed. 0:1.

Zelena glanced at Candy, who had an unpleasant expression on her face.

"It's over, Zelena."

Violeta weighed a new ball in her hand, her gaze disdainfully fixed on them. Then, she threw it in the air before giving them a chance to catch their breath.

The tennis ball flew towards Zelena.

Zelena widened her eyes and dodged it

The scoreboard changed once again. 0:2

The tennis ball fell to the ground, bounced up, and fell back down.

The force was so strong that Zelena could hear the wind. If she had not dodged it, the impact of this ball would have broken her nose!

This woman! Zelena stared incredulously at Violeta across from her.

Violeta met Zelena's gaze. Her serene eyes were hidden beneath the brim of her hat, filled with pity.

Seeing this look, Zelena was even angrier. How dare this woman sympathize with her! Who did she think she was? She was not worthy!

Zelena picked up the last ball and hit it with all her might.

Violeta swung her racket, and with a loud smack, the ball flew towards Zelena. Zelena didn't even have time to blink before the ball hit her face, causing intense pain. Although her nose wasn't broken, it was enough to make her suffer.

This was a one-sided match.

The referee announced, "Team A wins!"

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The audience erupted in enthusiastic applause.

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