She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew) novel Chapter 158

Chapter 158
After Athena finished talking, she looked at Matthew seriously. You remember everything I said, right?”
Matthew grinned. I do. Every wordd
Athena nodded, satisfied. “Okay then, I’ve got nothing else to say. You should get going?
As he got ready, she added softly, “Come back soon”
“Will do” Matthew packed everything she gave him into the multi-purpose backpack, slinging it over his shoulder. “Alright, I’m leaving now
Athena stood up. Tll walk you off
They stepped onto the platform together. The helicopter pilot had already started the engine. The blades were spinning faster, creating a gust of wind that made Athena’s hair fly all around her.
The helicopter’s propellers spun slowly at first, then faster and faster, making a loud noise. The wind caused Athena Donovan’s long hair to flutter.
Matthew looked at her for a moment, then asked, “Miss Donovan, can I give you a hug?”
Athena blushed, then smiled shyly. “Go ahead.”
Without wasting a second, Matthew pulled her into a tight hug. Athena felt like she was floating, wrapped in his warmth, bearing his heartbeat so close that she couldn’t even tell if it was hers or his. Her mind went blank, completely lost in the
moment
After ten seconds, Matthew released her and took a deep breath. His voice was soft but firm, “Miss Donovan, I’m going. See you next time.”
Athena pushed down the sadness building up inside and gently cupped his face. “Okay, see you next time.
Matthew turned and climbed into the helicopter without looking back, afraid that if he did, he wouldn’t want to leave.
Athena stood there, watching as the helicopter lifted off and disappeared into the night sky. She finally pulled her gaze away staring down at her hand, still feeling the warmth of his skin. His scent lingered around her, and she realized she already missed him.
“Ahem,” Louis cleared his throat nearby. “Miss Donovan, you had a drink earlier. Let me drive you home.”
Athena blinked in surprise, turning to face him. “Louis? Why are you here?”
Louis sighed dramatically. Tve been here the whole time.”
Athena looked puzzled. “You’re not going with Matthew?”
Louis shrugged. “Mr. Graham said he’s heading into war, not a fight. I wouldn’t be much help if I tagged along. Plus, isn’t your family restaurant opening tomorrow? He asked me to cover for him at the ceremony.”
Oh man, I almost forgot!” Athena tapped her forehead. “I need to get some sleep tonight. Let’s go!”
The Donovan family had spent the last month and a half renovating the restaurant. They could’ve opened last week, but they pushed it back because Cade was having surgery. Now it was finally happening, but they were keeping it super low-key -no big fanfare or anything, just some firecrackers and a few tables of invited guests
As for getting more customers later, Athena reassured her family. “Don’t worry! As long as the lab folks are free, they’ll come
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Chapter 158
by all the time. The word will spread in no time.”
40%.
The family was skeptical at first, but Athena’s confidence helped put them at ease, at least for now. She also pointed out that the restaurant had limited capacity-too many guests wouldn’t be ideal.
When Athena got home, it was almost II pan. The whole family was still awake, going over the final guest list for the opening. Even though they called it an opening day, it felt more like a private tasting event, with everyone invited personally by them.
Wesley had lined up the middle and upper management from his company for dinner, meanwhile Maria invited a bunch of her coworkers and a few of her bosses,
Athena had reserved four tables for her lab team-two for lunch and two for dinner.
Jaden brought in Luna, Tommy, Mose, and the main crew from the production team-two tables at lunch as well.
Then, Louis was bringing some extra people to fill a table at noon.
With so many celebrities attending, they staggered the times for each group by 15 minutes. Everyone was seated in private rooms to keep things discreet and avoid any awkward run-ins.
After checking the guest list and going over the final plans with her family, everyone headed to their rooms to get some shut-eye.
Even though Athena was exhausted, her mind kept drifting back to Matthew. She tossed and turned until around midnight. struggling to fall asleep.
It felt like she had been sleeping for hours when, deep down, she realized it was dawn and she needed to wake up. The family restaurant was opening today, and she had to be there to help.
But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t shake off the sleepiness. Her body felt heavy, and her eyes refused to budge.
Wake up, wake up, she kept telling herself. You can’t miss the restaurant’s opening! If I don’t check in and help out, I’ll regret it-Yet, her eyelids stayed stubbornly shut.
Then, out of nowhere, a loud voice broke the morning quiet. “Attention, attention! A stranger has broken into the villa! Attention, attention! A stranger has broken into the villa
That was the alarm from Owl Eyes, alerting everyone that someone was entering the building in an unusual way.
Athena’s eyes flew open. She shot up in bed and jumped out, quickly throwing on a coat. Grabbing her phone, she made her way to Josie’s room Josie’s balcony overlooked the front yard, and Athena needed to see who had the nerve to invade their home this early
When she reached Josie’s balcony, she spotted a man sprawled on the wall of their villa. He looked up at the two owls perched on the magnolia tree and exclaimed in disbelief, “Wow, are those the nation’s second-level protected animals? What are they doing here?
“And why are these two owls talking? Did I just walk into Hogcastle School of Magic? The shouted, looking completely
stunned.
Without missing a beat, Athena pointed and yelled, “Perceptor-1, Perceptor-2, get this guy out of here!”
In perfect sync, Perceptor-1 and Perceptor-2 responded, “Yes!”
They took off, flying straight up and diving toward the top of the wall, pecking at the man with determination.
“Hey, that hurts!” he cried, throwing his arms up to protect his face. “Don’t mess with my face! It’s too good for that! Whoa,
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Chapter 138.
I’m gonna fall! Somebody help!”
With a loud thud, he hit the ground, rubbing his sore backside while pulling out his phone. “Morn, I think you gave me the wrong address! I just got attacked by two owls!”
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