Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism

Furthermore, in terms of public popularity and recognition, Zelena, with her debut work "Spring Isn't Blooming" and the variety show "RV Travel Diaries," far outshone Hattie.

Zelena was confident that her commercial value surpassed Hattie's.

Playing second fiddle to Hattie was simply out of the question for Zelena.

Trina sighed. "If that was the case, we might have had to give up."

Give up?

Zelena was even less willing to do that.

Since giving up wasn't an option, she had to devise another plan.

A sly smile spread across Zelena's face. "I must have been the lead actress. Hattie stole the script of 'The Moon Belongs to You' from me, and now she wanted to compete for 'The Chosen One.' There was no way I was letting her have it this time!" Trina asked, "Lena, what should we have done?"

Zelena's eyes gleamed with determination. "Since the roles hadn't been officially announced, there was still a chance.

"We could have had some artists photoshop my ancient costume photos from 'Spring Isn't Blooming' and guide fans and paid trolls to create a buzz online about me being the perfect fit for the lead role in 'The Chosen One.' "With enough hype, I'm sure the director would have had to consider me."

Trina nodded thoughtfully. "That was a good idea, but even if they considered you, it wasn't a guarantee. We might even have ended up making an enemy of Hattie."

Zelena acknowledged the risk. "Of course, I was aware of that.

"Public opinion alone wasn't enough; we needed a substantial investment to impress the production team."

The Chosen One' was a trilogy; if she filmed all three parts, it was sure to become a classic.

Zelena intended to convince her father to invest a significant amount of money. With this investment, her role would have been secured.

Hannah might have been able to get resources for Hattie, but would she have been willing to spend as much as Zelena's father?

After all, Zelena's father had invested seven hundred fifty thousand dollars in 'Spring Isn't Blooming.'

And that was real money!

Moreover, even though Zelena wasn't as popular and commercially valuable as Violeta, she had gained a considerable following from her variety shows. High popularity could drive viewership.

She didn't believe the production team wouldn't be tempted.

Trina found Zelena's plan feasible and immediately set out to find people to put it into action.

A week later.

On Facebook, the calls for Zelena to play the lead role in 'The Chosen One' were growing louder.

The buzz escalated quickly. Clicking on the trending topic revealed that the most liked posts were photos of Zelena in costumes from 'Spring Isn't Blooming.'

The photos indeed had an ethereal quality, giving off a goddess-like vibe.

Comments overflowed with people saying Zelena was perfect for the lead role in 'The Chosen One.'

Many fans even directly commented...

The surge in popularity greatly angered Hattie.

She called Zelena directly to confront her.

"Zelena, are you trying to steal my role?"

Zelena feigned innocence. "Hattie, where did you hear that? I haven't taken any roles recently."

"Haven't taken any, huh? More like you haven't gotten any!"

Hattie directly exposed Zelena's hypocrisy, "What's with the sudden online buzz? Don't tell me you know nothing about it."

Zelena firmly denied it, "Hattie, I

really don't know what's going on, but I've heard a bit about the online buzz. I think you shouldn't take it too seriously; it's all just trolls trying to drive a wedge between us. I'm too busy with variety shows to have time for acting."

Hattie was unimpressed by Zelena's act.

She had already heard that Zelena's team had initially approached the production team of 'The Chosen One' to discuss a role for Zelena.

However, upon learning that the lead role was already promised to Hattie, they seemingly abandoned the idea.

Now it seemed, her team hadn't dropped the idea but planned to directly steal the role!

Hattie sneered, "Zelena, don't think you can fool me with your innocent act. We both know what you're up to. The lead role in 'The Chosen One' is mine. Don't even try to snatch it away, or you'll regret it."

Zelena chuckled, unfazed by Hattie's threat. She retorted, "Hattie, the feeling is mutual. We both know each other's true colors. Let's just say the best actress will win. And if you're planning any dirty tricks, bring it on."

With a final smirk, Zelena ended the call.