Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism novel Chapter 84

Casey found Violeta's smile to be mocking.

She stared at Violeta and felt an intense hatred towards her.

The situation at the scene was incredibly chaotic.

The Minister of External Affairs Department took the microphone and announced, "We will launch an investigation into this matter. Casey, Zelena, do not rush to admit your mistakes. We will uncover the truth."

Casey left the stage silently.

Violeta's lips curled up slightly as she turned her head to look at Zelena below the stage. Her gaze was filled with a hint of mockery.

Zelena met her gaze, a flicker of darkness passing through her eyes.

The two of them locked eyes from a distance.

This feeling was peculiar.

It was as if they were lifelong archenemies, the ones who understood each other the most.

…

Casey's appearance brought about a tremendous change in the situation.

Having been a member of the dance club for two years, no one had expected Casey to be the mastermind. After stepping down from the stage, everyone in the dance club swarmed around her.

This time, Violeta couldn't expose Zelena, but she wasn't too regretful about it. She knew it wouldn't be easy for Zelena to reveal such a significant flaw, so she hadn't had high hopes to begin with.

She believed the matter had already come to an end.

But unexpectedly, the senior from the tennis club in charge of the campus belle competition also took the microphone and walked onto the stage at some point.

"Everyone, please wait a moment. Now that the incident of the props being destroyed has come to an end, there is still one thing I need to address publicly. Zelena, I have a question for you!"

The audience erupted in uproar, but they returned to their seats and eagerly awaited the revelation.

It seems like they will witness a very interesting drama today!

This is so exciting!

The senior gave Violeta a reassuring look.

Then, she turned to Zelena and asked, "Zelena, you are currently in first place in the second round of the campus belle competition. Tomorrow, the second round of the competition will come to an end, so today I must clarify something with you."

Zelena clenched her fist under her sleeve and smiled faintly, saying, "Please go ahead, Senior."

The senior continued, "Three weeks ago, we tracked your vote count and found suspicious activity indicating vote manipulation. We discovered that most of the accounts voting for you were not within the campus area, but rather within the southern district of the city. Are you aware of this?"

Zelena didn't expect her vote manipulation to be discovered.

She felt panic momentarily but quickly regained her composure.

The person who helped her manipulate the votes had assured her that with the rudimentary technology of the campus belle competition's backend, they would never be caught. Even if they were investigated, there would be no evidence.

So as long as she didn't admit it, the school wouldn't be able to do anything without evidence.

Zelena feigned innocence and replied, "I don't know, Senior. Could it be a mistake? I have no idea about any southern district."

The senior responded, "Okay. Since you say you don't know, let me inform you that your vote count skyrocketed last week, far surpassing Violeta's vote count."

"It's not just us who noticed this anomaly. Other contestants have also complained about your suspected vote manipulation. After investigating the complaints, we found that most of the accounts that voted for you were newly registered within the past three days. Their IP addresses were not within the campus area. Were you unaware of this?"

"I had no idea."

At that time, Zelena was solely focused on surpassing Violeta. She didn't consider the possibility of being discovered.

Now, she realizes that she was too impulsive back then.