She Outshines Them All (Athena and Matthew) novel Chapter 182

Chapter 182
Alaric was busy entertaining guests and had no time to check his phone or go online.
He carefully placed the items that everyone had bought on the road, along with pancakes, marinated delicacies, and fruits he made at home, and brought them out, placing them on the coffee table in the living room. “Help yourselves.”
After the girls curiously tasted the blueberry cake and durian pastries made by the Donovan family, their eyes lit up. “Mmm, delicious! Way better than those trendy cake shops. Who made this?”
“These spicy dishes are amazing! Do you have any left at home! If you do, I’ll buy them from you. I’ll take as many as you have.
Even Daisy couldn’t help but eat more.
Alaric proudly replied. “These were all made by my mom. They’re much tastier than what you find outside. Otherwise, why would I take a lunchbox back to school every time I come home!
“I still have half a jar of spicy dishes at home. I’ll save some for my brother and sister, and I’ll pack the rest to send to you guys.”
Thank you, Alaric!” the girls exclaimed happily. Your mom’s cooking is so good. It’s a shame she doesn’t open a restaurant.”
“My mom actually has a restaurant,” Alaric said, even prouder now. “She rented an old house near our community on Hill Boulevard and ran a restaurant. She makes home-cooked meals with ingredients from our family’s organic vegetables and free-range chickens and pigs from the countryside. It’s incredibly delicious. I’ll take you guys there when we have time.”
Daisy suddenly remembered something and instinctively asked, “Your mom’s restaurant isn’t Donovan’s Restaurant, is it?”
“Yeah.” Alaric looked at her. “It just opened last month. How did you know?”
Daisy was shocked. “I study journalism and media, so of course I know…”
Donovan’s Restaurant had recently gone viral online and had become a must-visit spot for foodies and influencers.
Every diner who had been there sang its praises.
The only two drawbacks were the high prices and the limited seating, which often resulted in long waits.
At that moment, the campus forum was buzzing with people checking out Donovan’s Restaurant and then exclaiming. “Wow, Donovan’s Restaurant just opened a month ago and is already ranked in the top ten of various food lists in Kilmore City. That’s insane!
“I checked the prices. The cheapest thing is cashew cheese, 3 dollars a bowl.”
“The cold dishes and ratatouilles are free, but the portions are too small, just a tiny plate of each.
*Stir-fried vegetables are 36 dollars, stuffed mushrooms 20 dollars, barbecue ribs 20 dollars, and chicken potpie is 30 dollars. Isn’t that ridiculously expensive? This cashew cheese is even pricier than the ribs…”
Someone posted a long string of mouth-watering pictures. [Oh my god, Alaric is actually a rich man. And every dish is unbelievably delicious. The parking lot near the restaurant is filled with luxury cars every day. I heard those car owners are there just to queue up at the restaurant. Some people even go just to see the luxury cars and wealthy patrons.]
Some skeptics responded: [That sounds exaggerated. Are you sure it’s not just hype?]
[Well, if you don’t believe it, go try it for yourself. They also have single-person seats. For 20 dollars, you can order a serving of spaghetti, and you can eat any oatmeal you want.]
D
11:01 Tue, Oct 15 00
Chapter 182
[By the
way,
I heard someone saw Andrew there, and someone else spotted Luna. Luna was wearing a mask, but a fan recognized her and tried to greet her. She even waved back!]
Others chimed in: [If even a top actress and a trending star go to Donovan’s Restaurant, it seems like the food really is great.]
On that weekend evening, thousands of students and non-students were watching the live stream.
Among them were Zoe, Lucas, Gia, and others.
They gathered in a corner of the bar, drinking and watching the stream. Initially, they aimed to catch Athena making a fool of herself and to mock her and the Donovan family, but unexpectedly, they ended up inadvertently broadcasting the Donovan family’s glory.
“The Donovan family can’t possibly afford such a mansion, Lucas exclaimed excitedly. “This mansion is either not owned by the Donovan family or they’re renting it.”
He ordered his assistant, “Immediately investigate who this villa registered under.
“And find a few people to go to Donovan’s Restaurant tomorrow to check for any problems and expose them to the public.”
The assistant understood his intent. “Yes, I’ll take care of it right away”
Gia’s face was dark. “Maybe this mansion was a gift from Harry, Matthew, or some other man to Athena. Zoe, leak this insider information.”
Zoe acted obediently. “Okay”
While anonymously commenting online, she cursed Athena, Alaric, and the Donovan family in her heart.
She was doing all this to undermine the Donovan family, not to promote their success.
She desperately wanted to tell the girl on the live stream to turn off the camera and stop broadcasting, but the viewership was too high. If the live stream stopped, the audience would probably complain, and she might get into trouble.
“That’s fine.” She comforted herself. The better Athena’s family background, the more jealousy she’ll attract, and I’ll have more chances to incite others against her.”
After finishing half a glass of wine, Gia slammed her glass on the table and glared at Lucas. “Isn’t your family the richest in Kitmore City? How come you didn’t know the Donovan family moved?”
Lucas felt reprimanded, his gaze darkening, but he softly replied “Babe, I’m not uninterested in Athena. I just stopped investigating her. I admit I got careless, but I’ll continue to investigate her and find something to hold against her.”
He said this while secretly plotting how to pursue Joy.
The Kennedy family was on the decline, and Gia wasn’t submissive enough or let him get close. He shouldn’t hang around her.
Coincidentally, Gia was thinking the same.
At that moment, in the live stream, Daisy asked Alaric, “Is your whole family helping your mom manage the restaurant?”
“Not really.” Alaric switched the TV to game mode, preparing to play with his buddies. “My dad works at a real estate company.
Daisy’s heart leaped. ‘He runs a real estate company?”
“No,” Alaric shook his head. “He’s the general manager at a nearly bankrupt real estate company. The company could go under at any time, and he could lose his job at any moment.”
Chapter 182
The viewers started discussing, “Real estate is booming now. It’s either making money or losing money. Alaric’s dad is a general manager at a real estate company, so he must be doing well”
Lestate
“Damn, the more I hear, the more I feel like Alaric is bragging. I want to hit him.”
Daisy asked again, “What are your brothers busy with?”
The viewers perked up, waiting for Alaric’s authoritative answer
Alaric replied. “One’s farming in the countryside, one’s in the army, one’s studying abroad, and one helps manage the family
restaurant.”
Daisy wanted to ask more, but it was clear Alaric was done talking. He handed her some skewers of grilled meat. “Eat more
and ask less,”
Daisy stopped asking questions but felt joyful.
The rumors about the Donovan family were indeed just rumors:
The Donovan family was not only wealthy but also had respectable careers, truly worthy of her family
She decided she would work hard to create opportunities and get closer to Alaric to win his heart.
From 2 pm to 5 pm. Donovan’s Restaurant was closed.
Athena took off her gloves and mask, untied her apron, and picked up her phone to check for messages.
There were several, in fact.
One was from her roommate: (Athena, the campus network is live-streaming your house. You should check it out.]
Athena immediately logged onto the campus network and quickly spotted the trending live stream, smirking.
Her family had nothing to hide, so being live-streamed didn’t bother her. But Alaric was obviously unaware and was enthusiastically hosting others, while they were secretly live-streaming.
She took her laptop from her bag and quickly began typing.
Minutes later, thousands of viewers were engrossed in the live stream when suddenly, the screen went black. Nothing appeared on their phones or computers.
Then, a bloodied dagger and a ghastly skull suddenly popped up on the dark screen, along with a line of blood-red, glowing text [Dark Matter warning: Anyone who spreads rumors about the Donovan family or speaks ill of them will have their phone and computer die. No mercy!]
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