Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism novel Chapter 663

Violeta was determined to keep her hands clean, which was why she had planned to use Ophelia as her strategic pawn.

She had originally intended to wait until the release of "The Golden Ages", believing that would be the perfect moment for Ophelia to make her move.

Violeta was concerned that public sentiment could adversely affect the film's reception, just as it had harmed Ophelia's chances for awards. After dedicating two years of relentless effort, she couldn't bear the thought of everything collapsing right before the finish line.

Her ambition was to leverage the success of this film to catapult herself to the most prestigious awards ceremony.

Once "The Golden Ages" premiered, it would also signal the time to reel in her targets. By then, Violeta would have a clear understanding of the film's ending, and anything else would be irrelevant.

However, Hayden's recent actions had undeniably hastened Violeta's timeline.

Despite this, she harbored no ill feelings toward him; she recognized that Hayden had good intentions, wanting to protect her from mistreatment.

With a deep breath, Violeta reminded herself that whatever was meant to happen would unfold in due time. The impact on the film hinged on how the fans and netizens reacted.

Throughout her career, Violeta had never had a direct confrontation with Zelena. The latter had no secrets to leverage against her, and Violeta's conscience was clear—this success was the result of her years of hard work. She hoped it would culminate in her favor.

Meanwhile, Zelena had seemingly lost her voice and ability to perform in front of the cameras.

Fans quickly noticed that Zelena's Facebook profile had turned gray overnight, with all her followers and the people she followed mysteriously erased.

However, when refreshing the page, her account appeared to be restored to normal.

What had initially seemed like a technical glitch turned out to be a broader issue; several others experienced the same problem. The most striking detail was that new fans attempting to follow Zelena's account encountered a "system error" message, while following any other account posed no issues at all.

Only when trying to follow Zelena did the system display a "system error".

These odd occurrences sparked suspicions.

After the disastrous dinner, it felt as though the last thread had been cut.

Following discussions among the higher-ups at Marina Media, they made the decision to terminate Zelena's contract, which was already set to expire next month.

Zelena had been mulling over whether to renew her contract with Marina Media and had even exchanged a few messages with the company.

She had initially signed with Marina Media due to her connection with Nolan, but now that she realized there was no future for her there, staying with the company felt pointless.

Ultimately, he offered Zelena a word of caution.

"I've been in this industry for over two decades. Although I joined halfway through to manage you, I want to offer some heartfelt advice: Someone without influence cannot effect meaningful change. Before making any decisions, take the time to think them through thoroughly. Avoid acting impulsively, as this could lead to irreversible consequences that may harm not only you but also others."

Zelena reclined on the couch, raising her gaze slightly to glance at Clifford, but her reply was minimal. She merely redirected her attention back to the editing she was doing on her phone.

Noticing that Zelena remained unfazed, Clifford chose not to say anything further and exited the break room.

This break room still belonged to Zelena—for the time being.

Next month, it would no longer be hers.

Meanwhile, Violeta was diligently focused on her work.

The news of Zelena's soft ban had spread like wildfire through the industry.

Once a shining star in the spotlight, her abrupt ban raised eyebrows and stirred unease, leaving everyone apprehensive about the potential consequences for themselves.