Phoenix Rising: From Heartache to Heroism



"You were too focused," Nessie muttered.

Jasper turned around, placing the trophy on a shelf in the corner. "I wasn't looking at anything."

Nessie shot him a skeptical look. "Weren't you just watching them warm up? Violeta and Kaylee make a great pair. It's rare for our tennis club to have two members as good as them."

Jasper ignored her and prepared to leave.

Nessie called after him, "Jasper, you can't just hide in here all day watching everyone else. You should get out there and practice with the group from time to time! Seriously, you're getting more and more hands-off these days."

Jasper glanced at her. "Isn't that what Nolan and you are for?"

He let out a lazy yawn and added indifferently, "My presence is not important. See you."

Nessie could only shake her head helplessly as he left.

Before the new members joined, Jasper used to love playing with everyone.

But lately, something has changed. He barely even showed up for practice anymore.

All he did was hide out here and watch from afar, though no one knew what he was watching.

Nessie leaned against the spot where Jasper had been standing and murmured to herself, "I have to admit, the view from here is pretty good. You can see everything."

Meanwhile, Lucy was back in town.

Jasper heard the news from a friend of a friend.

It happened over drinks.

"Who's back?" someone asked.

"Lucy!"

"Oh, isn't she Jasper's ex? Haha, I remember her. She was a dancer, right?"

Jasper rested his chin in his hand, his eyes downcast. He didn't join in on the conversation.

"Hey, Jasper! Didn't Lucy leave the country after you dumped her? Man, you were cold. What kind of girl do you even like if she wasn't good enough?"

"Didn't you start dating someone else right after Lucy? What was her name again..."

"I remember, it was Esther!"

"Yeah, and Esther even confronted Lucy, didn't she? That was wild!"

They laughed as they dug up old gossip right in front of Jasper, who seemed either completely unfazed or entirely uninterested.

"Hey, Jasper, who did you like more, Lucy or Esther?" Someone teased him.

Jasper finally looked up, glaring at the speaker. "I like your mother. Now order some drinks."

The group erupted into laughter.

Jasper crossed his legs and leaned back into the couch. He finished bis drink in one smooth motion, leaving nothing but a polished ice sphere in the glass, which he set down on the table.

Lucy was back, but Jasper couldn't care less.

To him, she was just someone from his past. In fact, from the moment he broke up with her, he had already stopped feeling anything for her. Whether she stayed abroad or returned home was none of his business.

Everyone knew one thing about Jasper. He never went back to his ex.

If he had really liked her, they wouldn't have broken up in the first place. And since they did, it meant she had become irrelevant to him.

Soon, the waiter in charge of the room came in to serve the group more drinks.

Since the group would spend lavishly, staff here would need connections to get to serve them.

After a few more drinks, Jasper started to feel stuffy and wanted a cigarette. He reached into his pack only to find it empty.

He stepped outside to get some air and ran into a waitress.

Without thinking, he said, "Go grab me a pack of cigarettes."

Mandy had just finished cleaning a room next door when she heard the voice. She paused and looked up, realizing it was Jasper. "Alright," she said quickly.

Mandy went outside and bought a pack of Marlboro.

When she entered the dimly lit

room,

she handed Jasper the pack. took it without looking and tore open the packaging, only to realize something was off.

"What's this?" he asked, frowning.

"Marlboro," Mandy replied.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Jasper frowned in displeasure.

The waiter in charge of the room rushed over. "Why'd you get that? Go to the bar and get a pack of Davidoff. Mr. Jasper doesn't smoke any other brand."

Mandy blinked in surprise, then quickly headed downstairs to get what Jasper wanted.

This time, though, she didn't even make it into the room.

The same waiter intercepted her at the door, taking the cigarettes from her. She'd done the errand, but the credit wouldn't go to her.