She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew) novel Chapter 167

Chapter 167
At night.
Luna and the director were discussing the best way to shoot the night scenes.
Jaden lay in a rocking chair in the second-floor living room, reading a book. The bookshelf beside him was filled with books, mostly in the fields of literature and art, agriculture and horticulture, business administration, and legal regulations. There were also a few comics and philosophy books.
Meanwhile, Athena sat in the guest room, searching online for news about Matthew.
The domestic follow-up reports on the massacre at the Graham Group’s diamond mining site in Asnaoya were brief.
The general update mentioned that the country embassy in Asnaoya, along with company representatives, had met with local government officials. Together, they issued a statement condemnning the illegal armed robbery of company property and the murder of its employees. They pledged to work together to bring the criminals to justice, support the families of the victims, and swiftly complete compensation.,
Athena then searched foreig
the country
bsites for
information but found that the case hadn’t drawn much attention outside
Next, she checked reports from Kerotia and Asnaoya-based sources.
She finally found more information.
The government of Asnaoya had officially declared the armed group responsible for the massacre to be rebels. The authorities called on the public to resist and capture the rebels.
One report mentioned that Matthew, the head of the Graham Group, had brought hundreds of thousands of dollars and traveled across Asnaoya’s capital to compensate injured employees and the families of those killed.
Reportedly, aside from insurance payouts, the Graham Group provided 150 thousand. dollars in compensation for each deceased employee, and the company fully covered the medical expenses of those injured. For employees disabled and unable to return to work, the company offered a one-time payment equivalent to 20 years’ salary.
The compensation hit a record high in local history, causing a national uproar and dissipating local dissatisfaction with businesses.
At the same time, Matthew appeared the murderers were brought to justice.
Local media hailed him as a hero.
on local television and social media, announcing that he would not return home until
However, there were also reports that the rebels had placed a bounty on his head, putting him in significant danger.
This was all the information Athena had found.
She could tell that Matthew was deliberately provoking the rebels, trying to lure them out.
It was very
effective.
But it was also incredibly dangerous.
After some thought, she picked up her phone and called
atthew.
The time difference between Asnaoya and Kitmore City was six hours. Since it was still afternoon in Asnaoya, he shouldn’t have been asleep yet.
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However, his phone was turned off
Why does Matthew turn off his phone? Is it out of battery? Or is there a special situation forcing him to shut it off? She pondered.
She sent him a message, but there was no reply.
“I hope nothing happened to Matthew,” she muttered, tugging at her hair in frustration. “Otherwise, I’ll have to fly my plane and sneak into Asnaoya to find him.”
If Matthew knew she was thinking this, his heart would probably soar with joy.
But unfortunately, he didn’t know.
He glanced at the shattered phone in his hand, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and tucked it into the backpack Athena had given him. He then pulled out his spare phone and called Louis.
Half an hour earlier, as he’d raised his phone to his ear, a bullet had come from a distance and destroyed it.
Fortunately, he had been wearing full-body bulletproof gear, including a bulletproof helmet. Otherwise, his head would have been blown off.
However, his finger w
red, which might affect his ability to shoot.
After the rebel army failed their sneak attack, they ran away.
For now, he was safe.
After receiving his call, Louis was so excited that he almost cried. “Mr. Graham, I can’t get through to you. I’m very worried about your safety.”
“I was attacked just now,” Matthew briefly explained the situation, “It’s indeed dangerous here. Don’t let Athena know about
this.”
Louis sniffled, “You really… you’re going to make me cry.”
“Shut up.” Matthew frowned. “Donovan family’s restaurant has already opened, right? Did it go smoothly?”
He had originally planned to attend the grand opening of Donovan’s Restaurant in person, but unfortunately, he couldn’t make it.
“Smooth! Very smooth!” Louis quickly reported, “Yesterday, I took a group of people to eat there, and everyone was full of praise! I’ve arranged two more tables for dinner today. Before the restaurant becomes famous, I’ll continue sending two tables of people every day.”
He added, “I’ve also arranged for food bloggers, reporters, and internet celebrities to visit the restaurant starting tomorrow. They’ll promote it through their own media. The people who went to dinner today reported that more than half of the private rooms and the public dining area were occupied by guests. The business looks very promising.”
Of course, Louis would cover the expenses for those people who visited the restaurant.
Though just a secretary, Louis’s income was quite high.
Matthew nodded. “And how is Wesley doing?”
Louis replied, “With you backing him, the big banks feel assured, and Bard Property’s loan applications are being approved one after another. There shouldn’t be any financial difficulties in the short term.”
The 100 million dollars that Vission Group had invested in Bard Property was nearly gone after repaying loans, interest, and
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compensation the company owed over the years.
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Bard Property still needed funds to cap and deliver the second phase of their project, develop the third phase, and improve community amenities, all of which required significant financial resources.
The funds could only be secured through bank loans.
Since Bard Property had Vission Group as its major shareholder some banks were willing to lend. However, Bard Property’s strength and foundation were too weak, and banks were uncertain about its future, so they were hesitant to approve large
loans.
Wesley had been running himself ragged trying to secure the loans, but with little success.
Following Matthew’s instructions, Louis met secretly with some high-ranking bank officials, discreetly conveying Matthew’s support. Finally, the banks gave Bard Property the green light for loans.
Matthew nodded again. “And what about the others?”
Louis reported fluently, “A one-million-dollar loan has already been transferred to Jaden’s company account, and the High Mountain production crew is about to start closed filming.”
He continued, “Mr. Bullock also officially began teaching Maria today. When I asked him, he said she’s a promising student. Josie has registe r Sunshine Kindergarten today, and her school officially starts on Monday. Miss Donovan will also
niversity on Monday, and I’ll update you on her enrollment then.”
register at Kitn:
Louis felt more and more moved as he spoke.
Matthew seemed more invested in seeing the Donovan family rise to prominence and match the status of the Graham family than even the Donovan family members themselves.
Matthew listened patiently, then asked, “And what about Arthur and Alaric? Any plans from them?”
Louis was deeply touched. “Arthur seems content with his current situation and doesn’t appear to have any grand ambitions. Alaric is focused on making the West End club and the national team. That’s something we can’t really assist with.”
While money matters could be handled with just a word from Matthew, success in sports depended purely on personal effort and talent.
Matthew looked ahead toward the factory building. “Very good. Keep it up.”
Then he paused for a moment. “There’s likely to be a fierce battle tonight. Don’t call me unless it’s urgent, and don’t let Athena know what’s happening here.”
Tomorrow morning, he planned to distribute compensation at the site of the massacre.
He did all of this to show everyone that the place where the bloodshed occurred was now safe.
The families of the victims were more than willing to come and collect their compensation, with no concern about potential danger.
After all, if something did happen to them, they’d receive even more compensation, and it would not be a loss even if they died.
It sounded tragic, but for the poor in this region, this was seen as a way to improve their fortunes.
Matthew drove into the company’s main entrance and parked the SUV on the field. He got someone to bring down more than ten large boxes from the car and opened them on the spot.
Instantly, stacks of cash came into view, making the eyes of many present light up.
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For many local security guards and employees, it was the most money they had ever seen.
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Matthew casually picked up a stack of cash, fanned it in the air, and tossed it back into the box. “Move all of this into my
room.”
If there was no insider, the rebels would not have been able to succeed so smoothly in the bloodbath three days ago.
This time, that mole would definitely leak information about the money to the rebels.
Whether it was for the money or to take his head, the rebels had plenty of motivation to mount a night raid.
At the same time, government forces were likely to delay the rescue, leaving the rebels time to loot the money.
Matthew planned to use this opportunity to strike hard at the rebels.
Of the boxes he had brought with him, only the top layer was filled with real money. The bottom layers were filled with weapons like bullets, grenades, AK-47s, tear gas, and more.
Moreover, his mercenaries had already arrived in the region in secret, lying in wait to coordinate with him.
He would win.
Only then could he return to see Athena.