Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism novel Chapter 635

The stark contrast between their receptions made Ophelia even more bitter toward Violeta. She grabbed a nearby glass of wine and gulped it down, trying to drown her frustrations.

Meanwhile, Violeta clinked glasses and shared drinks with Jay and others at the gathering.

From her spot in the corner, Zelena watched the scene unfold with a sense of satisfaction.

She drank it! That's perfect!

A smile began to form on her lips.

However, just then, Violeta's gaze swept over and locked with hers.

Zelena froze; Violeta's clear eyes seemed to pierce through her, knowing and controlled. Then, casually, Violeta raised her glass again and took a sip.

For some reason, Zelena felt as if Violeta had everything under control, just from that look in her eyes.

In an instant, Violeta looked away, making Zelena wonder if that intense eye contact had been just her imagination.

Zelena had attempted to outmaneuver Violeta multiple times before, always without success.

Will it fail this time too?

No, it won't. This time, Violeta can't possibly escape.

She's already drank the wine, so how would she get away from this?

Shaking off her doubts, Zelena turned away to engage with another group.

Violeta, holding her glass, noticed Zelena moving away. She continued her conversation, her thumb absently stroking the rim of her glass.

At a pause, she looked over to where her glass had been earlier, only to find it missing.

Giulia noticed Violeta's distracted look and asked, "What's wrong?"

Violeta responded, "The glass of wine I had placed there is gone."

Giulia reassured her, "It was probably taken by a waiter. It's just a dirty glass of wine, no need to worry about it."

"Hmm," Violeta murmured thoughtfully.

Earlier, as she and Giulia approached the gathering, Violeta had made an excuse that there was ash in her wine and nonchalantly set the glass down on a table.

This prompted her to turn around to check if the previous drink was still there, only to find an empty glass instead.

She did not know who might have drunk it.

Violeta doubted Zelena would risk poisoning someone fatally, so although she did not know who the unfortunate person was, it likely was not life-threatening. As for other potential harms, that remained unclear.

Violeta set the incident aside and continued engaging in the lively conversation around her.

As the evening wore on and the event neared its conclusion, everyone indulged in a drink or two.

As it was getting late, guests who felt the effects of the alcohol were welcome to stay in the five-star hotel upstairs, while others were free to head out on their own.

Artists are well-used to hotel stays, so they find such arrangements perfectly acceptable and simply go with whatever is most convenient.

Despite having a few drinks herself, Violeta was not affected by the alcohol.

She had no intention of staying overnight at the hotel. Aster had arranged for Felix to pick her up, so she waited by the entrance.

Suddenly, a group of men in work attire hurried in, nearly colliding with Aster.