Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism
Chapter 632 Mr Jay Golding

What happened tonight might not be clear to outsiders, but those within the industry surely understood.

Zelena quickly went to comfort Ophelia.

"Ophelia, what happened?"

Ophelia's expression turned icy. "If it weren't for Violeta, I wouldn't have embarrassed myself tonight! She's pretending to be a good person, it's absurd. Is she trying to impress the brand representatives?" Zelena gave a wry smile. "That's just how she is. If you get to know her, you'll see. She can't stand to see others succeed and enjoy kicking people when they're down.

"But Ophelia, don't worry, she'll end up creating a buzz tonight that will damage her reputation more than yours."

"Oh?"

Ophelia sensed Zelena was plotting something but chose not to get involved.

If Zelena wanted to impress her, she would simply sit back and watch.

The event proceeded swiftly.

Although it featured awards that held commercial value for artists, most attendees were there to mingle rather than to receive accolades. Violeta had been quiet throughout the last year, so she was not up for any awards.

Fortunately, Kaylee received the Top Ten Female Actor of the Year award, her first since entering the industry. Her career was truly soaring. Violeta, watching from the audience, was genuinely happy for her.

However, Zelena's sarcastic tone cut through next to her, "That trophy's as good as a piece of pork. What's there to be happy about?"

Violeta turned slightly to face her.

"And yet you didn't get one."

Zelena was fuming. "You!"

She wanted to snap back, but with live cameras rolling, she could not cause a scene and had to hold back her anger for the time being.

Not far away, Evelina noticed a subtle tension between Violeta and Zelena.

She could not help but wonder if there was a hidden story between them.

Violeta, it seemed, had quite a few enemies.

The night's fashion gala hosted a very distinguished guest, Mr. Jay Golding, a Hanrian director who had won an Oscar.

He attended primarily out of respect for the brand and presented an award, introduced grandly by the host.

As Violeta watched Jay on stage, she recalled Eugene's advice before the event.

"Jay's father is from Chesian.

Though he grew up in Hanria, he has a profound appreciation for Chesian culture and arts and enjoys collecting stamps from various countries," Eugene had said.

"Beauty, I know you're not fond of networking, but meeting Jay at this event is an excellent opportunity. If you let this chance slip by, there may not be another. Expect a lot of people to to try and charm Jay tonight, so you should make the most of it. Landing a role in his movie could be a big breakthrough."

Violeta gently lowered her gaze.

Charm him?

That was not Violeta's style.

However, learning that Jay was a stamp collector sparked an idea-she had an impressive stamp collection that might just be the perfect icebreaker. After the awards, as Eugene had predicted, many artists approached Jay to make an impression, but they were mostly kept at bay by his bodyguards. Jay was not just ignoring them; he was completely oblivious.

Violeta decided against being dismissed and walked over to toast the director Giulia Lincoln.

Amid the crowd, Zelena stealthily slipped a packet of drugged wine onto a tray carried by a blond waiter and whispered, "Go."

The waiter, whose tattoos peeked

out from under his uniform cuffs, clearly was not a regular hotel employee. His slightly thuggish appearance, marked by a few strands of blond hair under his hat, betrayed his true nature-he was a thug hired as a temporary worker due to staff shortages for the event.

Zelena had paid him 300 dollars to ensure the drink reached Violeta.

The blonde waiter felt nervous, but with so many temporary workers around, he knew he could vanish unnoticed once his task was completed.