Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism
Chapter 92 First Bottle

What?

Violeta purchased this perfume?

How is that possible?

Everyone was stunned, especially Zelena, who stood frozen in place.

The counselor sighed helplessly.

D*mn it!

They just had to challenge this. What's wrong with these girls? I used to think they were smart, but now they seem like fools.

Hattie couldn't believe it. She snatched Violeta's phone and carefully examined it.

If she remembered correctly, the perfume with Ella's autograph and lipstick imprint was the first bottle of the limited edition Bamboo Eau de Parfum.

Not only that, Ella had personally packaged this bottle.

"Could it be... Could this bottle be the first bottle of Bamboo Eau de Parfum?"

"What's a first bottle?"

Hattie exclaimed, "Within this batch of perfume, there is a limited edition with number 01. Ella personally packaged it and included her autograph and lip imprint as a special gift. This is a privilege for the first bottle. Currently, this bottle has been speculated to be worth five times its initial price in the secondary market."

The first bottle of Bamboo Eau de Parfum was the most valuable asset for collectors.

All perfume collectors aspire to own the first bottle because Ella was already in her eighties. It was uncertain whether she would continue to release other limited-edition perfumes in the future. Therefore, by purchasing one bottle, there would be one less bottle available on the market!

One can imagine how precious the first bottle of perfume was.

Hattie was shocked and asked, "How did you acquire this? No, it's impossible. This must be a counterfeit!"

Violeta remained silent.

Kaylee took out a card from a small compartment in her bag and asked, "Is this what you're referring to?"

The postcard had a fragrant rose scent, and it was gilded. It looked exquisite and beautiful.

When Kaylee first unpacked the package, she found this card and wanted to use it as a bookmark.

She took another look at the card, there was a lipstick mark and a handwritten signature in a foreign language.

Initially, Kaylee thought it was an ordinary card. After hearing Hattie's words, she suddenly realized this postcard was proof of authenticity.

Everyone's gaze shifted to the postcard. On the front of the card, there was a signature and a lipstick mark. On the back, there was the number 01, representing the "first bottle." This was the first bottle!

That gilded card cannot be replicated in the whole wide world, as it contains a chip that can be scanned and read.

In other words, this card was a truly valuable item. With this card, any bottle of perfume can easily be passed off as the "first bottle."

Everyone struggled to replace words.

Hattie was shocked and speechless.

The rest were also speechless. They didn't possess as much knowledge about perfume as Hattie.

If Hattie couldn't say anything, what could they say?

Violeta urged, "Kay, you must keep this card safe. It holds significant collectible value."

When she decided to buy a perfume as a birthday gift for Kaylee, Irene advised Violeta to get the best. Irene believed that anything less than the best would be embarrassing. Therefore, she specifically asked a friend to purchase the finest bottle as a gift.

Little did they know that Hattie had a keen eye for quality.

Violeta added, "Since that's the case, you should start fulfilling your promise tomorrow.

"Also, now that it's proven that Kay's perfume wasn't stolen, Zelena, where is your perfume?"

Hattie finally realized what was happening and turned to Zelena, who had remained silent the entire time. She asked, "If Kaylee didn't steal your perfume, then where is yours?"

Zelena was at a loss for words.

She suddenly froze as she asked Hattie to remember this detail.

Hattie was not easily deceived. Even if she had been defeated, she wanted to do it with clarity.

Zelena lowered her gaze and clenched her fists tightly.

"Yes, if Kaylee didn't steal the perfume, then where is Lena's perfume?"

"What's going on here?"

"Do you all remember? It seems like initially, accusing Kaylee of stealing the perfume was just a guess."

"Now that you mention it, it does seem that way."

Zelena looked up with teary eyes and a troubled expression. She said, "I'm sorry, everyone. I just received a message from my housekeeper. She said she forgot to pack it today. I just found out about this myself. I thought the perfume was in my bag all along."

"What?"

This explanation seems a bit too far-fetched.

Zelena lowered her head and looked remorseful.

Previously, she insisted that Violeta and Kaylee couldn't afford it. Therefore, she claimed that Kaylee's perfume was hers. Now, this lie was exposed as soon as Kaylee presented the chip card.

As soon as Zelena realized this, she quickly prepared herself. She deleted all the conversations with the butler from her phone, leaving only the text message about the missing perfume.

"This perfume doesn't have packaging, and it looks too similar to mine, so I made a mistake and thought your perfume was mine."

Other than the different identification numbers on the chip cards, the packaging of the perfume was identical.

Therefore, it's understandable that she made a mistake.

Zelena showed everyone the text message from the butler. She said, "Look, the butler really sent me a message just now. I only found out recently. If I had known about this, I wouldn't have misunderstood Kaylee. Fortunately, the situation hasn't gotten out of hand."

Kaylee glared at Zelena with disgust. She insisted, "This is slander, not a misunderstanding!"

Zelena said, "Indeed, I went too far before. How about I compensate you? After all, I have enough money to buy perfume. How much do you want?"

"What?"

When Zelena offered money, it was simply a reminder to everyone that she could afford the perfume. She was taking responsibility for her mistake and being extremely generous with her money. Candy and the others finally understood and said.

"It's actually quite normal for misunderstandings to occur. After all, Kaylee is not someone who can afford to buy this perfume. When a person of limited means suddenly carries a luxurious bag, anyone would be suspicious, right? It's a normal reaction for a rational person to suspect this."

"That's right. We admit that we were a bit impulsive before, but couldn't Kaylee have shown it to us earlier?"

"Lena has the money to buy perfume, so it's unlikely that she would maliciously accuse Kaylee, right?"

Those remarks continued.

Zelena turned to look at them and said, "Enough, it's true that I made a mistake in this matter, and it's normal for Kaylee to blame me. I just hope that I can make it up to her. How about this? How much is this perfume? I'll give you the same amount of money. Since you didn't pay for this perfume, I'll consider it compensation. It's a fair deal, isn't it?"

Every word of her statement was humiliating for Kaylee.

Zelena wasn't really trying to compensate or make amends, she simply wanted to insult Kaylee with money.