Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism



Since they ordered so many drinks, five waitresses came in to deliver them.

Coincidentally, these five were the new staff members.

As soon as they entered the room, they began pouring drinks, and several people in the room couldn't help but stare at them. Someone leaned over to Jasper and whispered, "Jasper, which one catches your eye?"

"They're all average," Jasper replied, taking another drag from his cigarette.

Surprised, the guy blinks.

"What? Are you changing your type now? The girl you brought last time was amazing. You surely know how to have fun."

Changing tastes?

Jasper didn't think so.

Lately, he had just grown tired of it all. It seemed like no one caught his attention anymore.

Besides, he wasn't the type to seriously get involved with women in these places. At most, if a girl was good-looking, he'd treat her kindly-like buying drinks and making sure she got a good tip.

Because of that, many saw Jasper as a walking goldmine when he visited Mystique. After all, who wouldn't like a generous man?

But tonight, he found everything dull. He stood up to leave.

Just as he reached downstairs, he stumbled upon a commotion.

There were six new waitresses-five had gone upstairs but one was different. Despite being a woman, she insisted on wearing the men's uniform, refusing to wear a skirt.

The owner of Mystique, annoyed with her, had sent her to greet guests at the entrance instead.

That night, a drunk customer caused trouble. After she escorted him to the door, the man, unable to stand properly, fell flat on his face. Furious, he blamed her, claiming she had pushed him.

Mandy Vickers, the server in question, was fed up.

"Are you serious? We have cameras! You tripped on your own. What does that have to do with me?"

Mystique was Jasper's usual hangout, so aside from the familiar faces, he also noticed the newer ones.

"It was you! You pushed me!" The man yelled, his face flushed red from the alcohol.

In a fit of drunken rage, he swung a slap at Mandy.

However, someone caught a hold of his hand.NôvelDrama.Org holds this content.

Jasper was about to get into his car when this unfolded.

The one who caught the man's hand was Jasper's driver.

Mandy's eyes widened in shock. She had instinctively raised her arm to block the hit but hadn't expected someone else to step in.

The driver glared at the drunk man. "Get lost."

The man had only wanted to vent

his frustrations. Drunk and

emboldened by the idea that M

wasjust a lowly worker, he had felt free to slap her.

He didn't expect anyone to intervene.

Now, seeing the driver and glancing at the luxury car's license plate, the man sobered up immediately. He stammered out an apology and hurried away.

Mandy was about to say something to the driver, but he had already gotten into the car and driven off.

She stared at the car for a moment, taking note of the license plate.

At that moment, Skyler, Mystique's manager, approached. "Mandy, what's going on?"

Mandy briefly explained what had happened, but Skyler seemed unbothered.

Mystique was a bar.

Drunk customers causing trouble wasn't anything new. If it was a minor issue, they let it go.

If it got worse, they called the cops.

Skyler shrugged. "Looks like you got lucky. Since you didn't get hit, get back to work."

Half a month passed.

The tennis club was recruiting new members, and Violeta had joined.

Jasper hadn't been to Mystique in a while.

Recently, a strange rumor had been spreading around the school that he and Violeta were in a relationship.

How ridiculous.

Jasper was never the type to hide his relationships. In fact, he made every relationship public, though none of them lasted very long.

Someone had obviously started the rumor, and though he didn't know who, it was beginning to annoy him.

He considered clearing things up and finding out who had started the gossip so he could teach them a lesson.

But to his surprise, Violeta decided to play along and confirm the rumor!

That day in the cafeteria, she acted sweetly and even tried feeding him soup. Jasper stared straight into her eyes. She looked happy and almost eager, but there wasn't any O affection.

He couldn't quite figure out why Violeta was doing this, but he had a feeling it was all just a game to her.

Still, he couldn't help but find it amusing.

Most women would be desperate to clear their names and avoid rumors like that, fearing it might ruin their reputation.