Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism novel Chapter 246

Hattie was unable to respond definitively, prompting her to speak to the owner, "Sir, I didn't catch the question clearly earlier. Could you please repeat it?"

Her request resonated with Zelena's side.

The sound reached their ears, signalling that the Bluetooth earphones had reconnected.

Gillian remarked, "Fantastic, they're reconnected. Who was messing around? Connecting to someone else's earphones like that—what's their problem?"

...

Meanwhile, at the gazebo.

The owner inquired, "Didn't you catch that?"

Hattie responded, "I didn't hear it clearly. Could you repeat the question?"

The owner found her troublesome but still repeated the riddle once more.

"What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?"

The sound reached Zelena's ears, prompting them to swiftly search for the answer.

"Hattie, the answer is silence," said Zelena.

Hattie promptly noted down the answer and submitted it, but unfortunately, she couldn't match Violeta's pace and ended up being too slow.

Kaylee sat beside her, and due to her phone playing music earlier, now that the Bluetooth earphones had disconnected, the music on her phone also stopped automatically.

She was confused.

The Bluetooth disconnection indicated that someone had intentionally disconnected it.

Who could have done it?

What are the nearby Bluetooth devices?

Kaylee's eyes scanned the three individuals at the gazebo, eventually focusing on Hattie's earpiece.

The longer she observed, the stronger Kaylee's suspicion grew that Hattie was indeed wearing Bluetooth earphones.

To confirm, she employed a simple method: attempting to reconnect to the device on Hattie's ears.

With nothing else to occupy her, Kaylee took out her phone and interrupted Zelena's connection once more.

"Beep!"

Then, Kaylee carefully watched Hattie's expression.

Indeed!

As soon as she connected the Bluetooth device, Hattie displayed a momentary pause.

Immediately, Kaylee played a clip from a horror movie dubbed on her phone.

"Boooooooo ... "

Hattie wrinkled her forehead intensely, her pupils widened and swiftly reached to power down her earpiece.

The earpiece was turned off.

On Kaylee's side, the Bluetooth connection was once more disrupted.

"I initially intended to connect my earphones for music but unexpectedly detected other devices. Curious, I attempted to connect and it successfully paired."

The owner conducted a search and confirmed its presence.

In a swift rebuke, he exclaimed, "Hattie, is that device on your ear truly a Bluetooth earpiece? How could you do such a thing?"

Caught off guard, Hattie had never anticipated being discovered and panicked for a moment. "I ... I didn't!"

Hattie believed her deception was flawless, wondering how anyone could uncover it.

Yet, by sheer chance, Kaylee stumbled upon the truth.

Without Kaylee's revelation, she pondered how much longer she could have maintained her deceit.

Kaylee retorted, "If not, then remove the earpiece from your ear and show it to us!"

Hattie was incensed. Rising from her chair in frustration, she exclaimed, "Who do you think you are? Why should I remove it to prove anything to you? This is just a ridiculous riddle game. Do you even have the authority to interrogate me? I'm done playing!"

With that, she turned away and walked off.

The owner's demeanour shifted dramatically. "This is unacceptable! How can a student exhibit such a poor attitude? I will certainly report this to your school!"

Hattie spoke disdainfully of the game, yet she was the one cheating.

It's a clear case of hypocrisy.

Violeta was somewhat taken aback by Hattie's departure. It was surprising to see her cheat in such a minor competition, which was truly shameful.

She had been immersed in answering the questions, oblivious to what others were up to.